Book Review: How to Lose a War: More Foolish Plans and Great Military Blunders (2009)

Synopsis: This non-fiction book edited by Bill Fawcett shares essays about various wars in world history and the events and decisions that caused one (or sometimes both) side to lose. 

Review: I've had How to Lose a War in my office for several months, usually reading an essay or two when the weather isn't cooperating enough for me to take a walk at lunch. I finally finished it this week and it is a book that I found worth reading.

The book has a good mix of subjects. Some wars, like the Korean War or the Napoleonic War, were familiar while others were a bit more obscure, such as the Anglo-Sudan war. The latter alone was something that made the book interesting because I was learning about conflicts I didn't even realize were a thing, despite my love for history.\

The main purpose of the essays was what really pulled me in though. I found it fascinating just how many wars were ultimately lost because of one bad decision or, on occasion, were altered by poor decisions on both sides of a conflict, as was the case with the Korean War.

I also appreciated how the essays themselves weren't overly long. They presented the information with as much detail as necessary without becoming bogged down to the point it was too much information. I don't think of myself as someone with a short attention span, but I do prefer it when I'm reading, and the author gets to the point right away. In fact, as I was reading this, I realized my kids might have benefited from the book when they were taking their history classes and covering some of the conflicts.

Final Opinion: If you're interested in military history, are a student looking to write a paper or just someone looking for something entertaining and educational to read, this is a book I would highly recommend. 

My Grade: A