An interesting book not only about the Marcos dynasty but about the Philippines in general.

Sterling yet again proves himself to be an absolute master of being able to walk readers through history in a way that is both gripping and massively informative. This is an absolute classic on the duo whose footprint on the nation they ruled will continue to be felt for years to come, and despite the years that have passed since its initial publishing, is still extremely helpful to those who want to understand Philippines in the present.

If you've got any interest at all in learning more about the reign of Marcos, give this one a try--you won't regret it!

If Americans know anything about Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, it's that Imelda had an extravagant wardrobe with thousands of of shoes. However, in "The Marcos Dynasty," Sterling Seagrave shows that the shoes were just the tip of the iceberg. The book chronicles the rise of Ferdinand Marcos and his wife to the pinnacle of Philippine politics. It also details their excessive corruption, human rights abuses, and madness.

This is history at its most exciting. Seagrave has a flair for playing up the dramatic and sensational aspects of the Marcos regime. Seagrave really brings Philippine politics to life, with a cast of larger than life characters who engage in unimaginable corruption and abuses of power. Ferdinand Marcos found brilliant ways to loot the public treasury and hang on to power. The bitter infighting between Ferdinand and Imelda makes American politics look positively tame. I shuddered to think that the fate of millions of Filipinos hinged upon a marital dispute between the unhappy couple.

Unfortunately, Seagrave sometimes veers a bit too far into sensationalism. His writing style comes across as hyperbolic and he constantly talks about how "others" don't accept some of his conspiracy theories. This made me immediately suspicious. Fortunately, most of the book seems well supported by the evidence, particularly when it came to the Marcos family.

With one exception... Seagrave seems particularly obsessed with rumors of Yamashita's gold. According to Seagrave, a Japanese general had attempted to ship thousands of tons of gold out of the Philippines near the end of World War II, but the ship carrying the gold sunk. In this version of history, Marcos discovered the gold, which fueled much of his rise and contributed to the bulk of his wealth. Seagrave spends several chapters primarily on Yamashita's gold, yet he never presents any compelling evidence that Marcos found the gold, much less that it exists beyond rumor (not to mention the fact that Indonesia's Suharto was estimated to have an even higher net worth without the benefit of hidden treasure). This was a major distraction throughout the book and I found myself wishing Seagrave would just ignore the gold and return to the Marcoses.

"The Marcos Dynasty" was written during the late 1980s, and so it seems to assume greater familiarity with political figures and events of the era than 21st century readers might possess. I certainly remember when I was younger hearing quite a bit about Imelda's shoes, but my students know almost nothing about the Marcoses. Nonetheless, the book does a sufficient job of conveying the most important parts of Philippine history so readers can follow along.

Ultimately, I do recommend this book for readers interested in learning more about the Philippines and Ferdinand Marcos' regime, with the caveat that readers should view some of Seagrave's bolder claims with skepticism.