Captured by History

One Man’s Vision of Our Tumultuous Century

By: John Toland

Narrated by: Traber Burns

Captured by History is an autobiography like none other, for few historians have interviewed as many men and women who helped shape the most momentous events of our century than John Toland. Here, for the first time, Toland reveals how he found these key players and how he persuaded them to talk to him. From disgraced Japanese generals to the German doctor who nearly succeeded in assassinating Hitler, Toland’s sources are remarkable for what they reveal about their subjects, along with the secrets and stories they would tell no one else.

©2017 John Toland (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

One of the best historians of the 20th Century

Toland is a common man who writes about common men from a common man perspective. I love that he sees through MacArthur. And how courageous he was revealing the truth about our knowledge that Japan was going to attack us before they did. Toland received much anger from these revelations. This is a wonderful story of a man’s life before technology. So refreshing.

Worth Reading

John Toland’s histories read like exciting dramas yet I’ve found them to be well researched and unbiased. The first part of this book is an autobiography of the authors life. He wanted to be a playwright and didn’t start writing historical books until mid life. He married a Japanese woman that often acted as his interpreter and helped him greatly in interviews.

If you’ve read multiple John Toland books and enjoyed them, this book is worth reading. The historian controls the narrative so understanding the influences on the author are important.