This took forever, but I refused to give up. I think the difference between this and Feiler's Middle East ones, which I loved, and Japan which I recall liking was this was too much him, and I didn't like early 20s Feiler. I didn't like how he treated women, but his colleagues as a whole, but I also think this book didn't age well. I knew it was old from the war references (Persian Gulf I), but I didn't realize quite how old. I found the rowing interesting having just watched the rowing in Oxford, but I wish there was more to it and less debate and parties. The rare book that I really wouldn't recommend but stubbornly pushed through