5 comments about Becoming Charlemagne: Europe, Baghdad, and the Empires of A.D. 800.

1. I was actually quite excited to have found this book, but that excitement, unfortunately, gradually wore off as I read it. "Becoming Charlemagne" has to rank near the bottom of my list of favorite history books. And I enjoy history.
   
   I have two main criticisms of this book. One, the writing style. Sypeck does not write like I would expect a historian to, but rather an English/literature enthusiast--one who likes to tell stories. The result is a heavily romanticized account of Charlemagne's life (sort of). If I wanted to read a fairy tale or tons of speculation on what Charlemagne MAY HAVE thought, I would have read a kids' storybook. Not this. I expected "Becoming Charlemagne" to be more scholarly--sadly, Sypeck's writing style brings the book down a peg.
   
   Secondly, the book jumps around too much. In the span of approximately fifty pages, readers are exposed to the beating of Pope Leo, the history of the city of Baghdad, the controversy over icons, and the wicked ways of Irene, Queen of Byzantium. Then there's the whole deal with the elephant. All of this would be interesting if it had been connected somehow, if Sypeck had demonstrated for his readers that all of these disparate threads connected and enabled Charlemagne to rise to power. The subtitle of the book led me to believe that this would, in fact, happen. But it did not. I would have abandoned the book long ago, but I kept reading hoping that something would happen to make me go, "Aha! It all makes sense now." But nothing did.
   
   Sypeck obviously knows a lot about Charlemagne and this time period, though. Some stars for that.



2. I am a 10 year old kid and I really like history. My ancestors are from Germany, and I thought I might be related to Charlemagne. So I wanted to find out more about him. This book could not be counted as a biography. A lot of it is about Charlemagne's empire, but some of it is about other medieval empires such as the Byzantine Empire. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about Europe and Asia Minor in the 700s and 800s.



3. I've read many books on the Medieval period and Charlemagne in the last two years. This is now one of my favorites.
   
   Jeff Sypeck put the events of the period in a context which allows the reader to understand the various political forces competing against one another during that era, and the skill used by King Charles which ultimately led to him being referred to as King Charles the Great or Charlemagne.
   
   I had read mentions of Empress Irene of the Byzantine Empire before, but her villainy and treachery never really impressed me until reading Sypeck's version. This time it took on the magnitude worthy of Shakespearean tragedies.
   
   The lives of Jews during the time of Charlemagne is a topic I had not seen mentioned at any length in the other various books I read, and Sypeck devoted a chapter to discussing how their treatment which by and large are hidden in the historical record. Charlemagne did not persecute Jews as he did those in his realm who worshiped pagan idols. Many Jews were educated, well-traveled, merchants, and officials in the royal courts.
   
   One Jew was sent by Charlemagne as an ambassador to Baghdad to speak with the leader of the Muslim empire, Harun al-Rashid.
   
   It is the various acts of political gifts from one leader to another (Harun to Charlemagne) which were then perceived as a political slight by other leaders (Empress Irene) that I found most fascinating.
   
   And then there is the dramatic saga of Pope Leo III and his attempted assassination that underscores the dramatic story of Charlemagne's coronation as Emperor.
   
   This isn't dry history with a simple recitation of facts, it is a story of intrigue brought to life.
   
   You know that Shakespeare had to base his stories on something.



4. Jeff Sypeck's book integrates histories that are too often treated as distinct. He writes with the imagery of a novel but hues to the objectives of non-fiction. The book is both lively and informative.



5. I've read many books on the Medieval period and Charlemagne in the last two years. This is now one of my favorites.
   
   Jeff Sypeck put the events of the period in a context which allows the reader to understand the various political forces competing against one another during that era, and the skill used by King Charles which ultimately led to him being referred to as King Charles the Great or Charlemagne.
   
   I had read mentions of Empress Irene of the Byzantine Empire before, but her villainy and treachery never really impressed me until reading Sypeck's version. This time it took on the magnitude worthy of Shakespearean tragedies.
   
   The lives of Jews during the time of Charlemagne is a topic I had not seen mentioned at any length in the other various books I read, and Sypeck devoted a chapter to discussing how their treatment which by and large are hidden in the historical record. Charlemagne did not persecute Jews as he did those in his realm who worshiped pagan idols. Many Jews were educated, well-traveled, merchants, and officials in the royal courts.
   
   One Jew was sent by Charlemagne as an ambassador to Baghdad to speak with the leader of the Muslim empire, Harun al-Rashid.
   
   It is the various acts of political gifts from one leader to another (Harun to Charlemagne) which were then perceived as a political slight by other leaders (Empress Irene) that I found most fascinating.
   
   And then there is the dramatic saga of Pope Leo III and his attempted assassination that underscores the dramatic story of Charlemagne's coronation as Emperor.
   
   This isn't dry history with a simple recitation of facts, it is a story of intrigue brought to life.
   
   You know that Shakespeare had to base his stories on something.

5 comments about Beirut Fragments: A War Memoir.

1. Beirut Fragments is a first hand account of the tragedy of war in Lebanon. The unwarranted invasion of Lebanon by Israel in 1982 is yet another Israeli action that turned neutral attitudes into hatred.
   I lived and worked in Beirut during the civil war that began in 1975. When I read Jean Said Makdisi's account of the 1982 invasion it revived in me all the memories I harbored about my experiences. The author's portrayal of events and the affect it had on the people who lived there during this invasion is a story that should be read by everyone.



2. Beirut Fragments is the only work on the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990) that covers the lives of ordinary Beirutis. Whereas almost all other books are loaded with interviews with politicians and analysts and are decorated with conclusions trying to understand the causes of the war and assess its consequent destruction, Jean Said Makdisi, the sister of the late famous Palestinian writer Edward Said, describes with skill her daily stressful life in Beirut during the Lebanese capital's dark days.
   Where did people go when the different militias endlessly battled and exchanged bombardment with no apparent reason behind such behavior? How did people manage their daily lives? In Lebanon, answers to these questions are abundant and people talk about them anecdotally and sometimes with nostalgia. Yet, Makdisi offers the most remarkable written testament on the issue.
   One of the book's most intriguing statements occurs toward the beginning of the books when Makdisi tries, in vein, to interpret the behavior of the warring factions as she comes up with the conclusion that the scene of the Lebanese civil strife was an incomprehensible kaleidoscope.
   This marvelous book, however, includes a chapter about Makdisi's childhood days with her family in Egypt. The chapter, which belongs more to a book of memoirs or an autobiography, looks very much out of place and irrelevant.
   Another drawback is Makdisi's apparent intention to capture the feelings of the people who survived the war in an absolute sense rather than offering a descriptive report about the days of this war as seen from the eyes of a regular citizen like Makdisi. Her attempt to keep the book empty of any names or dates - perhaps in order to keep the book away from inter-Lebanese sensitivities - strips the book of any context. Even though I was born and raised in Ras Beirut during the civil war, I could hardly imagine the places or tell the dates the book refers to, except for the Israeli invasion and the so-called War of Liberation.
   This severe anonymity made Makdisi keep out even the names of her sons or immediate family members save for a single name, that of her husband Samir, which appeared without such restriction.
   The book is a lovely read and Lebanon certainly needs more similar books with more names and dates that would describe the suffering of the daily lives of the Lebanese during that period.



3. I was born in Beirut after the war started and left for the US just a few years after it ended. A few years ago I came across this book in a used-book store (sadly now closed) in Boston. It is incredible how well it captures the life and feelings of the people who stayed on in the city through those days. The day to day decisions, the scheduled cease-fires, the love of life that permeated through all the killing.
   
   If you ever wondered what it was like living through the lebanese civil war, this is where you will find not just an account but a full recreation of a world slowly healing.



4. In 2002 I wrote a review of this book but for some reason its private so I am posting a brief review. At the time in 2002 I said that I had never written a book review before but I really wanted to recommend this book -- so the book was so good and captivating that it merited my first review! :-D I have never been to Lebanon but some Lebanese friends said the book struck home for them and it described for them how they remembered Lebanon from their childhoods. When I read the book in 2002 I did so in 2 or 3 days -- it was so good that I couldn't really put it down...



5. Makdisi's book is a remarkable testament to a shattered city that was raped, pillaged, battered, dismembered and physically left to die as a result of the civil war that raged from 1975 to 1990. The beauty of her writing lies in her heart wrenching simplicity and descriptive account of those terrible years seen through the eyes of a mother and teacher who witnessed the slow and lingering death of a city that she had grown to love. Every page is a testament to the people of Beirut who lived through the conflict and yet quite remarkably the passion that Makdisi feels for Beirut is heightened to dramatic effect whilst at the same time deploring the wages of war and how the city had become a playground for terrorist activities by largers players on the world scene. The people of Beirut were simply forgotten by the world and yet her love of humanity and how her hope remains unremitting is a shining example to mankind, amidst the carnage. A remarkable book, gripping and vivid, and a testimony to the belief that the human spirit can transcend all conflicts.

No comments about Founding Fathers: The Essential Guide to the Men Who Made America.

5 comments about Lee: The Last Years.

1. Lee: The Last Years
   
   This is a wonderful book about a wonderful man. Although Robert E. Lee is most remembered as a General, for most of his adult life, he was an engineer and educator (although in the army). Mr. Lee could have become very wealthy after the war by simply allowing his name to be used commercially. However, he wanted to make a contribution and did so by accepting the position as President of Washington College. He seldom spoke of the war and brought no military flavor to the College.
   
   There is an argument that Robert E. Lee is responsible for more American dead than any other single individual. The difficult part of this book is tying to tie that Robert E. Lee to the man he was in his last five (5) years. He played Santa at Christmas, broke up a lynching, stroked the ego of his horse Traveller, was a good family man, looked out for the under dog and took care of his students, even when they were in trouble. How he handled all these situations, often minor by standards of the war, brings out the essence of the man including his character, values, wit and subtle humor.
   
   I have read/studied history and biography for 40 years. I have spent more time on Robert E. Lee than any other individual and this book someway brings all my study of Mr. Lee together and puts it in perspective. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in American History. Thanks Mr. Flood.



2. Outstanding biography of the man. Much has been written about the general, this book brings the humble father, husband and Christian man to life.



3. I've long considered myself a student of Southern history and the Civil War. Heck, I've been a historian at museums so I think I have a pretty good knowledge of the Civil War era. Furthermore, I live in Virginia and have been to the campus of Washington and Lee University. However, nearly every page of Charles Bracelen Flood's work on Robert E. Lee's post-war years is full of information I've never heard about. Flood has used many differing sources to pull together a wonderful, highly readable account of Lee's years after the war, how he came to be President of Washington College, and his role in the reconstruction of this country. What jumps out off the pages is that for as much as Lee has been studied and idolized for his exploits on the battlefield, his postwar years as President of the college should get just as much press. While Lee did not think defending his native state was wrong, he did wish for both North and South to reconcile as quickly as possible. After reading the book, I still do not think Lee is the god that some people hold him up to be, but he does stand out as a good man who wanted to bring the nation back together while also helping his fellow Southerners get back on their feet. While Flood's writing can be unimaginative at times and I thought he threw in little stories and vignettes that he didn't need too, the book is excellent overall and should be a must read for anyone interested in Lee. However, the book is such an easy, good read that I think almost anyone should pick it up.



4. Bracelen Flood clearly does extensive research in order to render this intimate and engrossing portrayal of Lee.



5. Lee: The Last Years was well worth reading. A must for anyone who wants to know a little more of the Rest of The Story about a fine American, though much misunderstood.

4 comments about American Connections: The Founding Fathers. Networked..

1. Having greatly enjoyed Mr. Burkes books in the past, I was looking forward to one of his based on my soil. But proving that a name reappears (unrelated) later in history on some nameless board or committee sounds like an exercise best left to the student. The thought that the progeny of significant men in American history would have an effect later was a good idea, but not realized in this book.
   
   Disappointing, but I still look forward to his next novel.



2. I have read nearly all of James Burke's work, and his Connections started my fascination with History of all kinds; nowadays, that's all I read. I also became a research historian and have co-authored a book; for that, I offer my unending thanks to Mr. Burke. Unfortunately, this book is nothing more than a collection of parlor tricks, one that wears thin after 2 or 3 chapters. There's no history here nor story telling nor insights; only a compendium of extremely poorly documented linkages connecting the signers of the Declaration of Independence to a current person of the same name. Within each chapter is a set of linkages or connections that typically number above 20, not the six degrees of networking that Burke alludes to. With that many degrees of networking, I could even play this game. All this book does is showcase Burke's knowledge of fairly inconsequential people over the past 200+ years and does nothing to stimulate interest in the reader. This is one book I couldn't bear to read or finish. Mr. Burke should be ashamed to have written it; it simply is not up to his previous standards. There is nothing here...nothing at all; how unfortunate.



3. James Burke, well known for pursuing the stranger paths of history, has done just that once more. This time, he follows the signers of the Declaration of Independence, following paths leading away from each one to something within the last fifty years sharing that name. If what you want is a straight history book, try a different author. This is Burke's area of expertise, and he has done a wonderful job. Again.



4. I have read several of James Burke's earlier works, and I had hoped that his venture into my own field would illuminate a subject in ways that would not have occurred to conventional historians. Unfortunately, this book is nothing of the kind. On first glance, It is organized in a structure giving one chapter to each Signer of the Declaration of Independence (Mr. Burke seems not to have thought of the framers of the Constitution as belonging in his phrase "founding fathers.") However, each Signer lasts barely one paragraph with Mr. Burke connecting him to someone else, and then to someone else, and then to someone else, and then on and on he goes forming a daisy-chain of references, skittering across the surface of history like a spider sliding across a sheet of ice, until he gets to someone in modern times who shares the same name as that of the Signer [or, in the case of Benjamin Franklin, to a reference back to the original Signer]. The book is slipshod, superficial, and all too often fraught with ominous undocumented claims often introduced or accompanied by such phrases as "Some say" or "according to some." I am sorry that I bought this book; it makes the otherwise-useless book by Richard Brookhiser, WHAT WOULD THE FOUNDERS DO? OUR QUESTIONS, THEIR ANSWERS, read like a marvel of scholarly comprehension.

5 comments about A Son of Thunder: Patrick Henry and the American Republic.

1. A must read for anyone interested in Henry and the time period.
   
   It does go easy on Henry with his battles with Jefferson.



2. ......he was a fictional character. A couple of years ago, I had this book on my desk, and a Nurse tried to argue with me to the effect that "Patrick Henry wasn't real". Poor soul, I never did convince her...Even if you accept that he was real, all you probably know is an eight second sound bite from an 8-10 minute speech. There was a LOT more to Mr. Henry than that.
   
   This was no enigmatic Tom Jefferson or glacially distant George Washington; Henry was the nicest, and most personable of men. What you saw was what you got. Oh, he was tough in the courtroom, and in legislative debate, but he was, in most ways, an ordinary man supporting his [large] family with an extraordinary talent. He had his troubles: the initial failures at running a tavern drove him to the law [Who were the three signers of his law license? That's still debated]...his first wife's long mental illness, and eventual death just as The Revolution was starting would have taxed any man. But, Henry had a mission, and kept going.
   
   At the time of "Liberty or Death", Patrick Henry had been a prominent legislator for ten years. Remember the "Stamp Act"?...And, before that, the "Parson's Cause", our first important court case on religious liberty? And after the famous speech...first elected Governor of Virginia...Militia Colonel...bitter opponent of ratification of the US Constitution...father [along with George Mason] of the "Bill of Rights". His ratification debates with John Marshall are the stuff of legend. Though Henry and Marshall were opponents, they remained friends, and law partners.[The famous Randolph murder case] Both were surpassingly nice guys. Henry was the father-in-law of Marshall's opponent, and enemy, Judge Spencer Roane. Marshall was so nice that his enemies liked him: Roane was so acidly unpleasant that even his friends couldn't stand him.
   
   Henry had but one real enemy, and that was his political ally, Mr. Jefferson. The circumstances go back to the aftermath of Jefferson's unhappy time as Governor. The story is beyond this review, but was probably a misunderstanding. These are the two men largely responsible for our own freedom of religion; very different men. Henry was a lifelong devout Christian, and loyal Anglican, the nephew of a Priest, the son of a Vestryman. But, he always supported liberty. He was taught toleration early by his "dissenter" mother. [Dissenter doesn't mean athiest: in Mrs. Henry's case, it means Presbyterian: in some cases, Baptist. Methodists weren't dissenters; they were considered a branch of the Anglicans].The "Parsons Cause" was far from his only court case on the matter. When Baptist minister John Weatherford was jailed in Chesterfield County, near where I live, for preaching the Gospel, Henry got him out of the charges, and quietly paid his costs.[Weatherford didn't find out till later who had paid his fines]. Baptists telling this story will usually leave out the fact that an Episcopalian lawyer got Weatherford out of the mess...Episcopalians leave out Weatherford's name...From me, you get both. Though Mr. Jefferson wrote the "Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom", Patrick Henry laid much of the practical foundation.
   
   On a personal note, I am honored to be, occasionally, one of the actors who regularly present a reenactment of The Second Virginia Convention of March 23, 1775 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond. Yes, the original site is still an active Church. I'm not Mr. Henry, I'm either John Tazewell, or Thomas Nelson, jr. Should you ever get a chance to see either Mike Wells or Kevin McGranahan play Patrick Henry, take it. Different men, different renditions, both superb. Which do I prefer? Of course I don't dare say, since both are friends, who might read this. The honest answer is I don't know. My wife prefers one, my son and daughter the other, but I prefer both. This fine book is sold in the gift shop at St. Johns, and at Scotchtown, Henry's home in Hanover County. It is well written, and comprehensive. It is, sadly, the only academic biography of Mr. Henry we have in print. Robert Douthat Meade, famed as biographer of Judah P. Benjamin, wrote a wonderful two volume biography of Mr. Henry, published in 1957, and in 1969. Good luck finding it. But, even if you have Dr. Meade's [I do, signed; I won't tell where I got it, but it set me back $55], I can recommend this volume strongly. It's time you knew...



3. Before moving to Virginia I, like many Americans, only knew Patrick Henry for his famous sound-bite, "...give me liberty or give me death." This well-written book has helped open my eyes to the depth of Patrick Henry and the significance of his contribution to American life. Consider his accomplishments: self-made attorney, elected several times to the Virginia House of Burgesses, elected to serve in the first Continental Congress, colonel in the pre-Revolutionary Virginia militia and three-term Virginia governor. He did all of this before he was 45 years old. He was a successful farmer and land speculator. He was a faithful sponsor of religious freedoms and political rights. Once our independence was established, he fought for a 'bill of rights' to protect us from the federal government. We owe a lot to Mr. Henry and, curiously, most people barely know his name.



4. 
   
   I enjoy history. I enjoy reading about the history of The United States, and the history of the world. While earning a BS in Physics I took almost enough history credits to get a BA in History. Through all the history I've read Patrick Henry seemed to be a supporting actor in the creation of the US.
   
   Last year my family and I went to Colonial Williamsburg. For one of the events Richard Schumann acts as Patrick Henry. Mr. Schumann stands out under an Oak tree. He greets the audience, informs them of the events of the day (in 1776) and then takes questions from people. I was so fascinated and so enjoyed this the first day I went, that I went every day I could for the rest of the week, and when recently we flew back to the East Coast to see Washington DC and Colonial Williamsburg, I went again.
   
   In response to some questions, Richard Schumann as Patrick Henry will "speculate" on the future. I asked if he thought there would be any good biographies written on him. As a typical Patrick Henry speech, he responded with a five to seven minute answer. He talked about the first biography written, about 30 years after Patrick Henry died, and gave the background on a number of other biographies written over the last 200 years. Finally he recommended "A Son of Thunder" by Henry Mayer.
   
   This is a well written book. It is informative and engaging.
   
   The book moves chronologically through Patrick's life. It starts with his ancestors, focusing on his parents. We learn of some of the major events in his childhood. As a child Patrick Henry was pretty easy going and had little drive. One he got married Patrick Henry finally grew up and started studying to become a lawyer.
   
   Patrick joined Virginian politics and led a major change. For decades politics were run by the Virginian aristocracy. Patrick worked with the common men. He supported them, and they supported him.
   
   Patrick is known for his ways with the spoken word. He was very gifted. The book gives some insight into how he developed this gift. As a lawyer he lost few cases. In fact after he beat Thomas Jefferson in a case, Thomas Jefferson gave up law.
   
   Patrick Henry was very influential in the creation of the United States. The first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights, are largely due to Patrick Henry forcing James Madison to commit to supporting them.
   
   The book shows that Patrick Henry was a good man. He had a few flaws, but Patrick Henry rates high in my mind for making the effort to make a difference.
   
   This is a good book to read. If you have any interest in the creation of The United States of American, this book is worth reading.



5. Few biographies manage to avoid the perils of the genre, and this one is no exception. Mayer celebrates his subject, misunderstanding Henry as a fore-bearer of Jacksonian democracy and failing adequately to appreciate Henry's conservative commitment to social hierarchy, genteel leadership, and religious establishment. As a consequence, Mayer cannot convincingly explain Henry's espousal of Federalist politics in the 1790s, which makes sense only if we abandon any lingering neo-Whiggish inclination to find in Henry a self-conscious commitment to democracy.

   There have been numerous other biographies of Patrick Henry. I would still recommend Moses Coit Tyler's 1887 PATRICK HENRY, which was reprinted by Chelsea House in 1980 with an introduction by Lance Banning. William Wirt Henry's three volume PATRICK HENRY, LIFE, CORRESPONDENCES, AND SPEECHES (originally published in 1891 but recently republished) should be used with care, since W.W. Henry incorrectly attributes a number of letters and other sources to Patrick Henry which more recent scholarship has established were written by others. Richard Beeman wrote a good analytic biography, PATRICK HENRY: A BIOGRAPHY, in 1974, which provides an excellent brief introduction to Henry's politics. The most comprehensive modern scholarly biography remains Robert Meade's two volume master-work, PATRICK HENRY (1959, 1967).

   Mayer's prose is far more sprightly than Meade's, but Meade provides the more balanced and judicious treatment, and Meade's documentation of his conclusions is much superior. While Mayer updates Meade and Beeman in a number of places, his work does not supercede theirs, and should be read in conjunction with the earlier scholarship. Mayer's is a good book, especially as an introduction to a general audience. It is not, however, a work of historical biographical scholarship in the same class as, say, Drew Gilpen Faust's biography of James Henry Hammond, nor is it researched with the same meticulous care as Meade's account of Henry.

5 comments about Sailing Alone around the World (Penguin Classics).

1. I first read this book about 30 years ago, I think. I vaguely remember thinking it was dry, and now I'm amazed at myself. It is anything else but that, from today's perspective! First published in 1900, Slocum's prose reads fresh and crisp; and his sense of humor pleases me with its dryness. No wonder it's still around, over a century later.
   
   Slocum, who worked his way up to shipmaster and owner after starting before the mast in the days when sailing ships still ruled international commerce, reached middle age in a different era. With his family grown, he accepted a friend's gift of a sloop that lay decaying in a field. Slocum rebuilt the SPRAY completely. Then he set out in her alone, to circumnavigate the globe.
   
   He spent nearly three years in that successful effort. Newspapers followed his progress, and in port after port he made new friends and learned new things. Seasoned world traveler though he was, I got the feeling as I read that he hadn't had time for much of that learning on earlier voyages. He'd been busy looking after his ship, its cargo, and his family (who sailed with him). Now, off on his own with a freedom he hadn't known before, he savored each new experience and then recorded it for eventual publication.
   
   "The author made me feel that I was there, too," is a cliche. But cliches come into being because they're true enough to invite over-use, and in this book's case the words fit perfectly. A classic for good reason!



2. This book is a wonderful find! Very readable and compelling, the author unwittingliy tells the tale of his adventures around the world on a small boat that he built with his own two hands in New England near the turn of the century. The book is without pretense, at times is hard to imagine, yet the language is so simple and straightforward how can we do anything but believe his stories written in a down home style. This is a book that's easy to get lost in and holds your attention until the very last page. I read it while on the beach. I recommend that you do the same. The sound of the lapping waves makes the book that much more enjoyable.



3. This story is the greatest sailing story I have ever heard of. Joshua Slocum is so far out and such an indomitable human being that it is difficult to fathom without reading the story. This book is truly an exercise in understatement.
   
   A large society of Slocum afficianados exists now, largely in response to this one book. I just this past friday saw a replica of the Spray, the vessel on which he made this unprecedented voyage, owned by an old sailor. The replica is named Joshua, and sails from Alameda California. I saw it because it was at the annual wooden boat festival in Port Townsend, Washington.
   
   Spectacular.



4. Wish I had been a little more careful before I selected this edition. It's a tiny book with stiff pages and cover which doesn't stay open unless you want to break the spine. Just awful. I'll find a different edition at the library.



5. this edition has no illustrations, a cheap edition, very frustrating because the book is very good. I was forced to buy another edition with the illustrations, but have had problems with the shipping from the vendor, the book has not arrived, so I will have to buy a third edition !! Very frustrating. The first time this has happened to me at Amazon.

5 comments about Senator Mansfield: The Extraordinary Life of a Great American Statesman and Diplomat.

1. Michael Joseph (Mike) Mansfield's approach to Congress could instruct many of the politicians in power today. Unlike his bombastic, controlling predecessor, Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, Mansfield, as Senate Majority Leader, retreated from the glare of publicity so that his fellow senators, from both parties, could take pride in successful legislation that they initiated, all the while guiding that body with a steady hand.
   
   Because of the statesman's honesty, his intellectual capacity, his ability to connect immediately with people, no matter their views, and his brilliance as a public servant, his home state Montana kept him in Congress from the year they first elected him in 1942 to 1977, when he retired from the Senate. They loved him because he put their interests first, regardless of what was occurring on the world's stage.
   
   When Mansfield retired from the Senate, he expected to "loaf, read, and think," but the government couldn't let go and sent him to Japan where he served as Ambassador, a position from which he retired in his mid-eighties. After that, Goldman Sachs hired him to be its East Asian Advisor.
   
   Above all else, human relationships ranked highest in importance for Mansfield. When his wife died, he said during her eulogy that without her he would have been nothing. Early in their marriage she urged him to leave his work as miner and mining engineer to pursue and complete his education.
   
   I recommend Don Oberdorfer's "Senator Mansfield" to readers interested in a look into the bowels of politics, particularly during the Vietnam War era and its aftermath. I felt as if I were hiding under a desk eavesdropping. Reading parts of the tapes that Nixon made of himself, I couldn't decide whether to laugh or weep.



2. I had known of Senator Mansfield, but this biography was essentially my first real glimpse of the man. It was a genuine treat to come to know him, even in this limited way, and the author has given us one of the best biographies in many years. Yes, this is a tribute and it is clear that the author has great respect for his subject (as he should), but he does not ignore the complexities of Mansfield's career in the public arena. Admittedly there is little about Mansfield's private life (outside of the early, pre-government years), but I found that refreshing as what we need to know about Mansfield is what he contributed to the country and what we can learn from his long career. Nevertheless, we do get a sense of Mansfield's intellect, his charm, and his appeal across ideological divides. His greatness is never exaggerated and after finishing the book, one gets a sense of sadness as we consider what could have been if only he had been listened to regarding Vietnam.



3. Don Oberdorfer's biography of Mike Mansfield brings an extraordinary American to life. Not only does the reader gain deep insights into Congressman then, Senator and, later, Ambassador Mansfield; but also Private Mansfield of the U.S. Marine Corps; and copper miner Mansfield of Butte, Montana; high school and college student Mansfield which he completed simultaneously, and professor Mansfield of the University of Montana in the 1930s and 40s.

   Besides a wonderful and inspiring portrait of a truly unique American, the book portrays the relationships Mansfield developed with American Presidents beginning with FDR through Ronald Reagan. The entire middle third of the book focuses on the Vietnam era and Mansfield's heroic, behind the scene, effort as the Senate's Asia expert and Majority Leader to persuade Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford to, first, avoid committing American troops to a mainland war in Asia and, second, to withdraw troops once they were tragically in place in Vietnam.

   Mansfield's analysis showed the Vietnam problem to be 9 parts diplomatic/political and one part military. Therefore, he argued American policy in Vietnam could not be resolved using a 9 part military solution to only 1 part diplomatic/political. Essentially, Mansfield believed a military response is rarely indicated and far too often, riding coattails of false intelligence and phony patriotism, militarism acquires a fatal and unstoppable momentum of its own. In retrospect it turns out that the "attacks" by North Vietnamese torpedo boats against the U.S. Navy in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1965 that were used by President Johnson as a pretext to go to war were a monumental and, likely, willful intelligence failure. Almost 40 years later, on a much larger scale, American intelligence now seems to have failed to provide an accurate analysis of Iraq's WMD. It is clear American Presidents still base their decision to take the country to war on often misleading or patently false information.

   This book provides an apt but sober warning for policy makers working on contemporary Middle East who are designing President George Bush's war on terrorism. This is a great read about a unique American who lived through a compelling time in American history and whose values in public life are sorely missed in today's divisive and disfunctional political climate.




4. For young soldiers returning from the war in Vietnam, Senator Mike Mansfield was a literal legend in his own time, the consistent voice for greater moderation, caution, and reason during the escalation of the war in Vietnam. As chronicled so marvelously in this new biography by noted historian Don Oberdorfer, from the very beginning of the sordid Vietnam affair Mansfield had cautioned long-time colleagues as friends John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson as to the absolute futility and danger associated with pursuing a military victory in Southeast Asia. A long-time member of the Foreign Relations committee in the Senate, he was well aware of the complexities and national aspirations simmering under the surface of the region, and recognized the morass we might soon find ourselves in if we succumbed to the siren song of the so-called `domino' theorists, who posited the loss of South Vietnam would lead inextricably to the loss of Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Mansfield maintained the domino we needed to worry about was Vietnam itself, which might well topple our whole far-eastern strategy if we allowed ourselves to become entwined in its silken grips.

   Alas, no one among the `best and the brightest' of either the Kennedy or Johnson administration listened, and instead dragged us into more than a decade of death, destruction, and depravity. Yet in this fascinating biography, we learn that Mike Mansfield had many more facets to his marvelous personality and many more intellectual insights to offer the American people during his long and illustrious career as a public servant. He presided over the U.S. Senate during the difficult and angst-filled deliberations over the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964, its companion bill for Voter Rights Act passed the following year, and the donnybrook that ensured over the initial passing of Medicare legislation. A man of almost encyclopedic knowledge, he spoke carefully and constructively, and listened as intently as he had spoken. Like his predecessor as Senate majority leader, LBJ, he was a master of personal one-on- one persuasion, and his soaring intellect and engaging personality made him scores of friends and precious few enemies in his many travels and engagements. He was, however, much like Harry Truman in terms of being both a straight-talker and a straight shooter, and he was known to be a man of incredible principle and integrity.

   His only regret in later serving as Ambassador to Japan was that it took him so far a field from his beloved Montana, a place he could sometimes become almost doggedly appreciative of. He was a hunter, an outdoorsman, and an early champion of what was then called conservation and is now better understood as environmentalism. His was a life that spanned a myriad of different concerns, causes, and conflicts, and although we will always remember him best for his earnest, informed, and heartfelt opposition to the war in Vietnam, Mike Mansfield was certainly a public man for all seasons. This is a wonderful book about a noteworthy American who until now has been seriously under-appreciated. Enjoy!




5. This book is mandatory reading for anyone seeking, or currently in, public office. Oberdorfer's analysis of Mansfield's writing, thinking, and speaking style is first rate. For serious students of American politics, Oberdorfer has given them a look at the making of one of the most important men of the century. I know it must have been difficult because Mansfield steadfastly refused to allow anyone to be his biographer. Mansfield believed that biographies should be written only after a person had been dead for 75 to 100 years. Therefore I was extremely happy to see that Don Oberdorfer had accomplished what many Mansfield devotees couldn't...capture the essence of one of the most important men (and his absolutely incredible wife Maureen) of the 20th Century. The 510 pages devoted to Mansfield are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. His influence on members of the Senate, his understanding of world affairs, his unshakable and sometimes frustratingly rigid belief in Montana, and his ability to say so much in as few words as possible, could fill a dozen more volumes.
   I wanted to be Mansfield's biographer. I was his foil regarding the complex and vexing problems surrounding US-Japanese defense policy from 1985-1988. During his trips into the Pacific Command, we had long conversations about Asia, American politics (especially LBJ and the course of the Vietnam war), the teaching of history, and getting inside the mind of the Japanese. Ambassador Mansfield, who rarely carried on long conversations, spoke in 50-minute segments and one only got three minutes to answer the questions he would pose afterwards. To engage in a conversation with Mansfield was a dangerous thing if one was un- or ill-prepared. Those segments, which came from his encyclopedic and near perfect recall memory, would tie everything in his life starting as a 14 year old seaman to an up-to-the-minute analysis of the world in general and Asia in the specific. Two days with Mansfield could qualify anyone to CLEP an examination in world history! I would rate him as the finest professors of history in the United States.
   Mansfield once told me that the preparation time to smoke a pipe was the equivalent of preparing for a conversation. Slowly and deliberately, he would think about what he wanted to say, say it, then command from the listener that three minute reply. I never heard him ever raise his voice. I never saw him ever become rude or angry. When he felt it was time to leave a dinner or conference, he left, regardless of who was in the room. His coffee making always put people off guard, immediately humbling them and defusing their anger.
   Whenever he came to Hawaii for medical checkups, or conferences, he had a shopping list to buy small yet significant things for the lowest ranking members of his embassy staff. For the secretary pool, See's chocolate candy...for his US Marine Embassy guards, the newest rank insignia for their next promotion...for his Japanese staff members, Hawaiian macadamia nuts. For himself, he always bought Prince Albert pipe tobacco; two large cans worth so he could "mediate and reflect" on what was best for the United States of America.
   Read this book, for it is the true and good and troubled history of the 20th century of the United States. Mike Mansfield personified all that is good and decent about politics. Mike Mansfield knew how and when to act when troubles arose. Mike Mansfield knew how to love his nation. Fortunately Oberdorfer was in the right place, as the right time, posing as the right agent, to capture Senator Mansfield as no one else ever will.

3 comments about A Black Woman's Civil War Memoirs: Reminiscences of My Life in Camp With the 33rd U.S. Colored Troops, Late 1st South Carolina Volunteers.

1. "A Black Woman's Civil War Memoirs," by Susie King Taylor, was first published in 1902. A new edition, edited by Patricia Romero and featuring an introduction by Willie Lee Rose, appeared in 1988. In that new intro Rose declared, "There is nothing even vaguely resembling Susie King Taylor's small volume of random recollections in the entire literature of the Civil War, or in that of any other American conflict insofar as I am aware." Indeed, this book is a rare and valuable historical document.

   Taylor was born a slave in 1848 on an island off the coast of Georgia. She gained her freedom and worked as a laundress for an African-American Union regiment during the war.

   Taylor recalls how she learned to read and write and then herself became a teacher. She offers fascinating details about her life with the troops. She had many different duties beyond laundry service. I loved the episode where she recalls concocting "a very delicious custard" from turtle eggs and canned condensed milk, and serving it to the troops.

   Taylor condemns the lack of appreciation shown for both black and white Civil War veterans. She also condemns early 20th century racism. Reading her book I was reminded of W.E.B. Du Bois' classic "The Souls of Black Folk," which was first published around the same time; I think the two books complement each other well.

   Taylor ends on a note of hope and pride, noting "my people are striving" for better lives. This book is, in my opinion, an important milestone in African-American literature.




2. It's a short book (especially when you consider the added historical footnotes and pictures), but very valuable. It's so rare to hear the perspective of someone who was a slave, and who then lived free in the post-war period. Her heartfelt tales of the bigotry of the _post_-war period to me were even more memorable than her focus on the war itself.



3. Amazon says this is out of print. NOT SO! It can be gotten thru the National Parks Service National Women's Museum in Seneca Falls, NY. The woman who wrote this lived an extraordinary life, as a slave child, and as a freed woman. Yet by many standards she is just an ordinary person living her life, doing what she CAN do. It's a nice read. She's not trying to be anybody's heroine, more simply I think she was writing to tell herself who she was, that she could survive, that she could be of service. Neither boring or exciting (so far), simply real.

1 comments about Lincoln: His Speeches and Writings.

1. This book, which is an abridgmment of Basler's larger 8-volume "Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln," is ideal for all students of Lincoln as a quick source for finding Lincoln's most well-known speeches, letters, and other documents. While other collections of Lincoln's writings do exist, Basler's is considered the most definitive. This one-volume edition of that collection makes the most popular and important Lincoln documents accessible to a larger group of people.