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The Marrin Collection


The following books by award-winning author, Dr. Albert Marrin, are very readable nonfiction books for young people that can be equally enjoyed by adults. For mature 12+, teens, adults.

By weaving personal stories together with historical material, Marrin makes reading history so much more interesting than simply memorizing dates from a textbook. I learned the most from his book on Stalin because I knew so little - I don't even remember studying Stalin when I was in school over 20 years ago! Hopefully this is because it was only covered cursorily by my teacher, not because it wasn't covered at all. After discussing what I'd learned in the book with my friends, I discovered that they didn't know much about Stalin either. What a shame, because Stalin's influence on the 20th century still has ramifications today. Several of my friends have purchased the Marrin books for their children AND themselves. It's never too late to learn!

I read the books listed below one right after the other, and I found that very valuable because so many of the events tie into each other. (I was also reading these during the Iraq War and found many items with relevance to that conflict - when reporters referred to the Battle of Stalingrad, I understood what they were talking about.) I am also expanding my own history education by reading the many books the author references in the back of each book. I am very excited that we are offering these excellent books.

 

The Yanks are Coming: The United States in the First World War - by Albert Marrin. World I is a bit harder to understand than World War II, perhaps because the lines between good and evil were not as clear-cut. There are many lessons to be learned from WWI, including how it led up to WWII.

Marrin tells the story about how U.S. soldiers (Yanks or Doughboys), came to the aid of allies to help turn the tide of the war. You are drawn into the stories of their bravery as they fought on both the ground and in the air.

Our family started raising pigeons this year, and we were particularly fascinated with the story of Cher Ami, the hero pigeon of WWI. She helped save a battalion of men and went on to become a celebrity, winning the French Croix de Guerre and the best medical treatment for her injuries (including a beautiful wooden leg to replace the one that had been shot away). We have since found out that WWII had its own hero pigeon named G.I. Joe. It's these kind of stories that make history interesting.

From the Lusitania sinking to Armistice day, Marrin tells the story of “the war to end all wars.”

Paper, 249 pages

#3110 $13.95


DAMAGED copy of The Yanks are Coming - One corner of the book has a slight bend.

#D-3110 $13.95 $11.99

 

Hitler by Albert Marrin. Over the years, I have been exposed to many stories about this time in history, yet there were many fascinating facts in Marrin's book I was unaware of, especially about Hitler's early life. The author peppers the book with fascinating personal accounts from various perspectives and some of the idiosyncrasies of this cruel dictator.

Paper, 249 pages. Illustrated with black and white photos.

#3102 $13.95

"Marrin writes insightfully about the life of Adolf Hitler and attempts to ascertain the reasons for his fanaticism, as well as the motives of those who blindly followed him. The author forgoes sensationalism, and his matter-of-fact writing style and recitation of events are more than adequate to chronicle the horror. Step-by-step, he describes how Hitler, a seemingly shy, insecure young man was able to inspire a defeated nation that saw the extermination of many of its citizens as it salvation." - Booklist

 

Stalin: Russia's Man of Steel by Albert Marrin. A ruthless dictator who killed tens of millions of his own people, Stalin used political power for his own deranged ends. The horrors he perpetuated were staggering. I vaguely knew that he had killed many of his own people but did not really understand the magnitude until I read this book. I also don't understand why I did not learn more about Stalin when I was in school -stunned, actually - because of how important this information is to know. His shadow is still felt among people of the former USSR.

Marrin traces Stalin's roots all the way back to his childhood, his work as a revolutionary leader, and then to his final role as dictator of the Soviet Union. As the publisher says, “The magnitude and scope of the destruction presented in this book is unsettling, disturbing and sometimes difficult to comprehend.”

The book also gives you a look at communism, which Stalin used for his own purposes.

Paper, 242 pages. Black and white photos throughout. School Library Journal Book of the Year.

#3099 $13.95


 

Victory in the Pacific - Albert Marrin. The focus of this book is the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Covering the events from Pearl Harbor to Japan's surrender, Marrin tells the story of the Americans who fought in places like Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. Follow the struggles of the Navy and Marines as they fought from island to island in the Pacific on their way to Japan.

Paper, 212 pages.
 

#3153 $13.95

 

Marrin World War I/II Quartet get all four books listed above (The Yanks are Coming, Hitler, Stalin, Victory in the Pacific) at a special price.
#FUN37 $55.80 $47.95

 

America and Vietnam: The Elephant and the Tiger by Albert Marrin. I found this book to be the most complicated in the Marrin collection because of the complex nature of the subject, especially the events that led up to the war and the reasons why the U.S. entered it. It made me realize how little I really knew about the Vietnam War; a war that was waged when I was a child. The author's clear and compelling writing, however, makes this information accessible to the reader. I know that I came away with a greater understanding and a thirst to know even more.

The book does not sensationalize the atrocities of this war, but it doesn't understate them either. There are accounts of battle, torture, and death. The photographs, however, are not gory. This is a "thorough, concise and logical look at the first TV war which cuts through the demagoguery of the time period." Paper, 277 pages. Illustrated with black and white photos.
#3080 $13.95

“[A] very good account of the history of Vietnam and events leading up to the Vietnam war. The book is well documented. It presents a complete picture of the difficult thought processes [of] our country's leaders as we were drawn into Vietnam...One of the book's strong points is that it portrays the war the way the men who fought remember it....A must for readers who are interested in history.” - Everett Alvarez, Jr. (Longest-held P.O.W. in the Vietnam War).

 

Virginia's General: Robert E. Lee and the Civil War - Albert Marrin. The author's engaging narrative covers the entire civil war, from Lee's life and military career, his actions during the war itself, the surrender at Appomattox to his presidency at Washington College.

The quotations and personal anecdotes throughout the book bring alive the story of Robert E Lee, not just as a great military strategist, but as a complex and fascinating human being. I really enjoyed details of his family life, such as the nicknames he gave his children.
The book includes illustrations, maps of major battles, photographs, and paintings.

This more personal account of the Civil War is much more interesting than a dry textbook and should spark an interest in further reading. Paper, 201 pages.
#3145 $14.95


Marrin Sextet
Get all of the Marrin books listed above. You'll enjoy reading them, you'll learn a lot of history, and you'll save money!
#FUN36 $84.70 $74.95

 

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