欧宝娱乐

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丕賱丨賰賾丕賲購 丕賱兀賰孬賻乇購 禺賻亘賻賱丕賸 賮賷 丕賱鬲賻丕乇賷禺

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賯賱丞 賴賷 丕賱兀賲賵乇 丕賱鬲賷 丕匕丕 丕賲鬲夭噩鬲 兀氐亘丨鬲 亘禺胤賵乇丞 賲夭賷噩 丕賱爻賱胤丞 丕賱賲胤賱賯丞 賵丕賱丕禺鬲賱丕賱 丕賱毓賯賱賷. 賮毓賳丿賲丕 賱丕 賷丨賵賱 卮賷亍 亘賷賳 賳夭賵丕鬲 夭毓賷賲 賵丕賵賴丕賲賴 賵亘賷賳 鬲丨賯賷賯賴丕貙 鬲購氐亘丨 賰賱 丕賱賳鬲丕卅噩 丕賱睾乇賷亘丞 賲丨鬲賲賱丞.

賵賮賷賲丕 丕匕丕 賰丕賳 丕賱丨丿賷孬 毓賳 丕賱爻賱胤丕賳 丕賱毓孬賲丕賳賷 廿亘乇丕賴賷賲 丕賱丕賵賱 賵賴賵 賷賲丕乇爻 丕賱乇賲丕賷丞 毓賱賶 禺丿賲 賯氐乇賴 丕賵 賷乇爻賱 賲爻鬲卮丕乇賷賴 賱兀賷噩丕丿 兀賰孬乇 賳爻丕亍 丕賱廿賲亘乇丕胤賵乇賷丞 亘丿丕賳丞 賱賷鬲禺匕賴丕 夭賵噩丞貨 兀賵 賰丕賳 丕賱丨丿賷孬 毓賳 乇卅賷爻 鬲乇賰賲丕賳爻鬲丕賳 (鬲乇賰賲丕賳亘丕卮賷) 賵賴賵 賷睾賷乇 兀爻賲丕亍 丕賷丕賲 丕賱丕爻亘賵毓 毓賱賶 丕爻賲賴 賵賷卮賷賾丿 鬲賲孬丕賱丕 匕賴亘賷丕 賷亘賱睾 丕乇鬲賮丕毓賴 禺賲爻丞 賵毓卮乇賵賳 賲鬲乇丕 賷丿賵乇 賱賷賵丕噩賴 丕賱卮賲爻貙 賮賯丿 丨賱 丕賱丨賰丕賲 丕賱賲禺亘賵賱賵賳 亘賱賷賾丞 毓賱賶 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓丕鬲 賱丌賱丕賮 丕賱爻賳賷賳.

爻賷鬲賳丕賵賱 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丨賷賵丕鬲 丕賱丨賰丕賲 丕賱毓卮乇丞 丕賱兀賰孬乇 丕禺鬲賱丕賱丕 毓賯賱賷丕 毓賱賶 賲乇 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺. 毓丕賳賶 亘毓囟賴賲 賲賳 廿囟胤乇丕亘丕鬲 噩賷賳賷丞 賯丕丿鬲 丕賱賶 丕賱賮氐丕賲貙 賰丕賱賲賱賰 丕賱賮乇賳爻賷 卮丕乇賱 丕賱爻丕丿爻貙 賵丕賱匕賷 馗賳 兀賳賴 賲氐賳賵毓 賲賳 丕賱夭噩丕噩. 亘賷賳賲丕 丌賲賳 兀禺乇賵賳 亘兀賳賴賲 賲賲孬賱賵 丕賱賱賴 賮賷 丕賱兀乇囟貙 賵賲毓 兀賳賴賲 亘丕賱賰丕丿 毓乇賮賵丕 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 賵丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞貙 賮賯丿 賰鬲亘賵丕 賰鬲丕亘丕鬲 丿賷賳賷丞 鬲囟賲賳 丿禺賵賱 賲賳 賷賯乇兀賴丕 丕賱噩賳丞.

賵賲賴賲丕 賰丕賳 爻賳丿賴賲 賮賷 匕賱賰貙 賮賯丿 丕孬亘鬲 丕賵賱卅賰 丕賱丨賰賾丕賲 丕賱賶 兀賳 丨賰賲 丕賱爻賱丕賱丞 賷囟賲賳 丕毓鬲賱丕亍 賵賱賷 丕賱毓賴丿 丕賱賲爻鬲丨賯 丕賱毓乇卮- 毓賱賶 丕賱乇睾賲 賲賳 丨丕賱丞 賵賱賷 丕賱毓賴丿 丕賱毓賯賱賷丞- 賵丕賳賾 丕賱爻賱胤丞 賯丿 鬲賮爻丿 丕賱毓賯賱 兀賰孬乇 賲賲丕 賯丿 鬲賮毓賱 丕賱丕賲乇丕囟 丕賱毓賯賱賷丞.

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First published March 29, 2013

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842 people want to read

About the author

Michael Rank

32books37followers
Michael Rank is a doctoral candidate in Middle East history. He has studied Turkish, Arabic, Persian, and Armenian, but can still pull out a rural Midwestern accent if need be. He also worked as a journalist in Istanbul for nearly a decade and reported on religion and human rights.

He is the author of the #1 Amazon best seller 鈥淔rom Muhammed to Burj Khalifa: A Crash Course in 2,000 Years of Middle East History,鈥� and 鈥淗istory's Worst Dictators: A Short Guide to the Most Brutal Leaders, From Emperor Nero to Ivan the Terrible.鈥�

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5 stars
61 (17%)
4 stars
85 (24%)
3 stars
140 (40%)
2 stars
52 (14%)
1 star
11 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for Lilo.
131 reviews456 followers
February 1, 2020
Letter to the author:

Dear Mr. Rank,

I recently read your little booklet 鈥淗istory鈥檚 Most Insane Rulers". I found it very interesting (yet also quite scary) and fully agree with you that power and madness are in most cases a deadly mixture, resulting in vast destruction and millions of people dead.

However, I really have to scold you for your sloppy writing. This little booklet reads like an unedited first draft, or rather a drafted skeleton of a writing project. Why don鈥檛 you treat it as such and make a real book out of this little booklet? (Don鈥檛 forget to hire an editor, as reading your author profile I understand that you have no time for editing.)

Yet first and foremost, make sure that your final (and hopefully well edited) edition will be updated to include insane rulers up to our present days. I am particularly thinking of one crazy ruler who is presently causing a lot of trouble and may be about to put the world on fire.

I am looking forward to the publication of your edited, extended, and updated book, which I herewith promise to buy, read, and review.

Yours truly,

Lilo Huhle-Poelzl

P.S. I also just read your little booklet 鈥淔rom Muhammed to Burj Khalifa: A Crash Course in 2,000 Years of Middle East History.鈥� Will review it as soon as my computer allows. It keeps crashing. Might have been hacked by some villains from the Middle or the Far East.
129 reviews7 followers
June 29, 2013
As a history buff, I found this book very interesting and I learnt about some dictators I had no knowledge of, like Ne Win of Burma and Turkmenbashi of Turkmenistan. The terrible things that can happen to people living under such kind of rulers, but I see that dictators are all much alike (I mean mad or not mad) and their methods of retaining power too.

The author manages to tell the stories of those excentric and megalomaniac rulers in a easy way, with many interesting details, and without being boring. Some details are rather amusing too.

And what a coincidence: An amusing detail I liked especially was that the author mentions the existence of a painting of Caligula by Salvador Dali which is not exaggerated at all. Because in the painter Dali, we have an excentric 鈥渕ad鈥� man that was not so at all, he acted sometimes like a clown, but only faked it as a marketing strategy of himself.

After reading the book, I am feeling the necessity to learn much more about some of these rulers. So this is a very positive point for the book in my view, but I was disappointed by it being too short. This is the reason I only give it 3 stars.

I got a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
Profile Image for Ardra.
55 reviews
May 14, 2013
***I won this book through a First Reads Giveaway***

This book arrived this afternoon, and here I am, a few hours later, finished reading and ready to review (despite a usual jam-packed day!) "History's Most Insane Rulers" is a quick (<80 pages), fascinating read about some of the more extreme megalomaniac or tragically insane rulers, spanning from early AD to modern times. Each chapter is a concise overview thoroughly packed with information, but still delivered in an entertaining, highly readable style. The author includes experts theories about why the rulers turned out the way they did, such as inbreeding in royal bloodlines, in King George III's case combined with medieval medical care that included high amounts of arsenic, or in several cases within the last century, some type of anti-social personality disorder, with malevolent narcissism that became exaggerated as the rulers become drunk on their own power.

I recommend this book if you enjoy reading about history and don't have a lot of time to do it, or if you are just fascinated with ruthless leaders that have revamped their countries in extreme ways. This could be a good jumping off point to find an area of interest in history to delve deeper into. I am very interested in reading the author's other books, especially "From Muhammed to Burj Khalifa: A Crash Course in 2,000 Years of Middle East History".

I will be very pleased if the other 欧宝娱乐 Giveaway books I win are as good as this one!
Profile Image for Kal.
227 reviews28 followers
May 14, 2015
Won a copy of this here on 欧宝娱乐 for a honest review.

Fun little pocketbook on some of the craziest rulers in history. Each chapter give information on the insane things each ruler did during the time in power, why they did it, and occasionally what caused their madness. Not all the rulers are in the distant past, a few just recently deceased. Rank even touches on the future of the "mad" rulers/dictators. I recommend it for history buffs that want a quick read, or anyone with a small interest the crazy reign of some of the worlds more mad rulers.
Profile Image for Madge Madigan.
Author听3 books22 followers
June 22, 2013
The first few chapters were good, interesting, fun reading. To hear all the outlandish things some of the rulers had done was quite amusing and a little disturbing. Made me feel pretty normal! However the last two chapters took a sharp turn that was an abrupt departure from the first few. It suddenly turned serious and analytical. Then the last chapter was a little annoying as it was a plug for the next book (which is completely different subject matter) wrapped in a chapter. If the author had kept going with just chapters about kooky leaders, I would have loved this book.
Profile Image for Alex Richmond.
148 reviews6 followers
September 13, 2016
Not a bad book, great for those who are not well versed in history and need a easier starting point. The chapters are easy and short, giving information about the rulers, the actions that mark themselves as insane. And their deaths and legacy.

I do feel there was a lack of condemning some of these leaders, mainly the newer ones. They may have caused advanced their nations, but over all killed large groups of people and destroyed freedom. Evil should not be justified, and if positives are pointed out from their legacy? The cost most be reminded.
Profile Image for Kim Propp .
73 reviews16 followers
July 22, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. My son just finished fourth grade and so we studied many of the relatives in this book when we studied Revolutions. I heard about the 'family disease' that is described in this book in a college art class that touched on it, but never explained it. Wow! Crazy stuff! Now to read the rest of Michael Rank's books. Thanks for making history fun!
Profile Image for Becki Basley.
772 reviews5 followers
May 18, 2014
This book is really well written. I just made me personally realize that I need to keep up with world politics more. It's pretty scary that most of the "insane" rulers mentioned have been in power within either my parents or my lifetime and I didn't even know about them until I read this book or I had heard about them but didn't know why they were so terrible.
5,923 reviews32 followers
June 17, 2016
The book covers a number of insane rulers including Caligula, Charles VI of France and a variety of others. One of the most interesting points in the book was how inter-marriage among the rulers in Europe led to genetic problems which led to the insanity in some of them. The book is a little short, though.
Profile Image for Brian Ashmore.
129 reviews2 followers
April 2, 2013
Decent book, gave a touch of information about each ruler and why they were one the most insane list. I would have liked an appendix with sources to do more of my own detail searching. Interesting, none the least
Profile Image for Jesse.
28 reviews1 follower
January 14, 2014
Probably one of the best pocket history books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I won this great book through the giveaway swction here on goodreads, and I love it. It now has permanent spot on top of my bookshelf, and I have reread every chapter at least twice.
Profile Image for Manda Butler.
6 reviews
June 9, 2013
Not half bad. It's interesting enough to keep me reading but it doesn't go in depth enough. There is just enough to make me want to read more about the rulers.

There are a few rather annoying typos, though. They jarred me out of my reading haze.
Author听6 books13 followers
November 2, 2014

賷鬲丨丿孬 賲丐賱賮 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘貙 賵賴賵 氐丨賮賷 鬲賳賾賯賱 亘賷賳 丕賱毓丿賷丿 賲賳 丕賱丿賵賱貙 毓賳 賲噩賲賵毓丞 賲賳 丕賱丨賰賾丕賲 丕賱胤賵丕睾賷鬲貙 丕賱賲爻鬲亘丿賷賳貙 賲禺鬲賱賷 丕賱毓賯賱貙 賵丕賱賲氐丕亘賷賳 亘噩賳賵賳 丕賱毓馗賲丞. 賮賷匕賰乇 賮賷 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 鬲氐乇賮丕鬲賴賲 丕賱睾乇賷亘丞貙 賵賯乇丕乇丕鬲賴賲 丕賱賲禺亘賵賱丞 丕賱鬲賷 兀匕丕賯鬲 卮毓賵亘賴賲 丕賱毓匕丕亘 鬲丕乇丞貙 賵丕賱賲噩丕毓丞 鬲丕乇丕鬲 兀禺乇賶. 賮賷賴 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 卮賷賾賯丞 賵睾乇賷亘丞
Profile Image for Doreen Petersen.
769 reviews137 followers
October 26, 2014
Interesting read. The one prevailing theme through all these rulers is the presence of severe mental health issues. That's not to say everyone with mental health issues will act the same but these rulers did.
Profile Image for Joanie.
579 reviews8 followers
November 1, 2016
Seemed like a timely read considering the upcoming election. It was a quick read, but I wish there had been more substance to the book. I did appreciate the information that was here, but there just was not enough.
Profile Image for Shane Hatch.
30 reviews1 follower
June 7, 2013
bathing in dolphin blood, renaming cities and months after yourself and family members, dressing like elvis, genetic diseases from inbreeding, you name it and this book has it.
Profile Image for Nicole.
62 reviews
June 25, 2013
Kurzweiliges Buch, vielleicht etwas kurz geraten. F眉r den Preis ok. Ich h盲tte mir mehr altert眉mliche und mittelalterliche Beispiele erhofft anstatt Diktatoren des 20. Jahrhunderts.
Profile Image for Benjamin Barnes.
821 reviews11 followers
November 4, 2014
Generally a good book

This book had a lot of leaders I had never heard of its very eye opening to the history behind mental illness and politics.
14 reviews2 followers
December 28, 2014
funny and interesting

The book is a short and entertaining read that may introduce people to lesser known historical and a few modern infamous leaders.
Profile Image for Stephen Smith.
37 reviews2 followers
September 3, 2015
This was very interesting. If you are a history buff this is something to check out. Very short but informative.
2 reviews
December 22, 2015
Short and decent

Decent read if you don't want an overwhelming amount of info about each subject. Short book for a plane or train.
Profile Image for Hazel Bright.
1,222 reviews32 followers
July 1, 2022
This light read is actually far deeper than it seems. The unstated obvious fact is that in spite of being complete whack jobs, the leaders described were, in fact, leaders (until they weren't). What was also unstated is that for millennia, people have had to suffer terrible leaders that only remained in power by brutally oppressing those who opposed even their most lunatic actions. Becoming obedient to the degree that you can convince yourself that a bad leader is a good leader is actually a pretty good survival skill for a human being to have in conditions like that. In addition, cohesive societies, even when led by lunatics, are more successful at survival and reproduction and more essentially hominid than loose groups that don't cooperate. We form the largest cooperative mammalian societies on earth, rivaled in our social behavior by only hive insects, according to many evolutionary scientists. The ability to accept dogma is the downside of that. As a student of authoritarian behavior (the ability to compartmentalize to ignore glaring contradictions and rationalize abusive behavior and remain stubbornly loyal to leaders who absolutely do not have your best interest at heart), I learned more about the origins of that seemingly aberrant behavior than from texts directly describing the behavior. Quite fascinating.
Profile Image for Herman.
504 reviews26 followers
January 10, 2018
A quick little read, some interesting stuff a future addition might have a chapter for our current president in it I feel but even if he doesn't degenerate that far I think the number of chapters should be increased certainly Gaddafi, Idi Amin, Ivan the Terrible, and Pol Pot should have been included.
Profile Image for Draco Sanguinis.
123 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2023
Un libro donde encontrar谩 excentricidades de aquellos hombres que han logrado (o han Sido subidos) obtener grandes puestos de responsabilidad, pero que tiene. Elementos pocos comunes en su ejercicio y vivir cotidiano.
172 reviews1 follower
August 20, 2024
Aparte de tener un titulo interesante, el libro no hace mas que enumerar hechos ya conocido en la historia, no hay una an谩lisis de cada personaje que haga que el libro tenga alg煤n merito en si mismo
Profile Image for Julie.
162 reviews1 follower
June 1, 2014
I got this as a quick listen for my tweeners. It was informative and focused on not-so-known nut jobs like Hitler. I wouldn't recommend for 10 and under (especially the Caligula chapter), but for younger teens with an understanding of leadership, this is an excellent supplement to curricula not found in public school history classes.
18 reviews3 followers
March 20, 2013
Information could be fine, what I did not like is the writers own views on the rulers he mentioned in the book! I guess the writer specially didnt like the communist rulers (or should I say, the rulers who didnt go for American democracy)!
Very disappointed as a reader!
Profile Image for Nicholas Maulucci.
551 reviews12 followers
June 25, 2014
an interesting book recalling wacky dictators and rulers through the centuries. Katie and I even watched a short documentary on Turkmenistan's weird dictator, turkmen bashi. no practicality, though, in the book. lot of interesting facts. recommended for those in any type of reading contest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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