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

5 comments about Crazy Horse: A Lakota Life (Civilization of the American Indian).

1. The author evidently did a wonderful job of researching Crazy Horse for this book. I can scarcely imagine a more in depth chronical of his life. However the author is too wordy, too much detail is introduced into the book without the benefit of any flow. The reading is like reading a trial transcript. Very dry, often boring if it were not for the fact the key figure is Crazy Horse. Perhaps life in general is dry, but one has to imagine that the man who defeated Custer at the Little BigHorn, was somehow larger than life and must have led a life that rose above the average Lakota. The authors constant use of Lakota words and language is distracting. The book is one that could have been shorter by at least 150 pages and still told the same story and lost nothing in the story. Excellant research, but the author should have edited out much of the text that adds little, except to make his book look more impressive.



2. This is a thoroughly researched book about an inspired Sioux leader who gained the respect of his people while helping his people try to achieve a preservation of their nomadic and hunter-gatherer way of life. The author helps us to understand the culture of the Sioux tribes, their history, how they migrated to the Black Hills and how they came to believe the Black Hills were the sacred place of their people. They were viewed by one military authority quoted in this book as "the best light cavalry in the world". Their battle strategy, mobility, courage, tenacity, defense of their families and the numbers of strong leaders they produced enabled the Sioux tribes and related allies to hold out against the overwhelming power of the United States Army for longer than anyone may have expected possible.
   
   The author first gives the reader a grounding in Sioux culture and history, in organization of the tribes, and in the way in which Crazy Horse became a brave and the most capable and daring warrior among his people.
   The we learn about the pressures placed upon the Sioux by the Western Push of the European easterners.
   The decimation of the buffalo. The disruption of the hunting grounds, food supply, of the Sioux. Battles are described in detail with maps which, while a bit difficult to follow, are adequate to support the text. Then, as now, greed and avarice combined with state power, can contrive to displace a people from their homeland.
   Today we call it "eminent domain" or urban growth or economic displacement. In the time of Crazy Horse, the displaced indigenous peoples had nowhere to go but to a reservation where they would be greatly diminished in terms of personal freedom and reduced from independency to dependency. Some chose to resist at the point of a rifle on their side and cannon on the side of the US Army. Others chose to accept settlement, annual stipends, and the reservation.
   
   The author presents us with the internal politics that took place among the Sioux leadership; those that favored peace at a price versus those that chose freedom at any cost. The book is full of surprises, things that I did not learn in school or in the popular press. The capability of the Sioux leadership in their negotiations was of interest. The impact of bias and prejudice and how it impacted upon choices made by US Army leaders is a theme we still see played out today in governments and countries around the world. Many of the Sioux chose to resist and many gave their lives in defense of their way of life. History tends to be written by the victors. The author gives the Sioux a chance to tell their side of the story. The ample photographs breathe further life into the narrative and there are plenty of good footnotes should a reader wish to explore further. Of course, the most important aspect of the book is that we get to see a lot of the action and the politics through the eyes of Crazy Horse and those close to him, many of whom would follow him into the fire.
   
   One might find some ideas in this book to help one with one's personal philosophy regarding modern times and how indigenous peoples are treated today, well and poorly, in many parts of the world, including the USA.



3. The best book ever written on Crazy Horse! Puts Mari Sandoz's version to shame. The real stuff that comes as close to the truth as it gets.



4. Bray's books is clearly a top work and exhaustingly researched account of the Lakota known as Crazy Horse. The book is exceptionally deatiled and has a comprehensive set of notes of extreme value to those wanting additional information. I was somewhat surprised however that this book is a little less a direct biography and a bit more an in-depth look at Lakota social and political life during the 1840-1870's period. Although the book is strong, it could have been stronger if it included more maps, a genealogical chart, as well as some additional background on Lakota bands and clans. In addition, I was a bit annoyed with the author's overuse of a few words: "coterie", "harangue", etc. A good editor probably would have urged that he re-phrase some of his work but that should not deter anyone from reading and referencing this great book.



5. A thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully written and informative true story.
   This book opened my eyes to the life and times of not only the Lakota Indians but to the hardships of the Native Americans in general.
   
   A worthy first book by Kingsley Bray and I patiently wait for his next.

5 comments about The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga.

1. 
   
   I have a couple other recent books by this author, and coming upon a hardcover copy of THE FITZGERALDS AND THE KENNEDYS at the local Goodwill for .75 cents, how could I lose.
   
   I was in high school when Jack ran for president, and as many others I was for him all the way. Too young to vote, however, and though down through the years of military and college I have continued to have memories of him (he was my commander in chief during those military years) I no longer have 'stars' in my eyes as back then. But I do still admire the practical politician he was, and think had he been allowed to finish his second term this country might be much different than it is.
   
   This book is excellent history and politics as most reviews here will admit, however, I personally do not feel or see the Kennedy family as 'royals' as some put it. Favored family they may have been up to a point, but never royals. Where do people get this feeling? Also, Doris has been given the rap of caring or fawning too much on this family, but my feeling as a sometime writer would be, why write on any subject you dislike. A writer has to have some affinity to the subject being written about, and in many cases, as was recently said of David McCullough when writing JOHN ADAMS that he fell too much in love with his subject. I suppose that is a danger present in any biograpy, but I would rather read a sympathetic, factual bio than a hateful, factual bio. Why bother to write of some figure from history if all you are going to do is trash them due to subjective dislike.
   
   As far as plagarism, who cares in this instance. To loosely paraphrase what Abraham Lincoln said of Grant 'he fights better drunk than my other generals who are all sober. Send him another keg'. So with Doris I say, IF she plagarised, she still writes better history than most other writers. Love her work and the subjects she picks for her work, FDR and Lincoln, especially.
   
   Having had a mother who claimed to be Irish (now deceased) and an Irish wife (very much alive) I am glad to have this book in my home library; maybe on a lesser historical plane I can learn something of practical daily use from this large book. Hah!
   
   Semper Fi.



2. Another book I bought for my wife's birthday from Amazon. My wife is an ardent reader and enjoys Doris Kearns Goodwin. My wife loves to read about all different types of people. In fact she is on the back porch now reading a book. This book was in excellent shape and the supplier shipped the book right away, and for a reasonable price.
   Thank You, William D. English



3. Dr. Goodwin writes wonderfully about American politics, the Irish Catholic immigration and integration into the polical landscape of Boston, and two families, both with terrific strengths and well noted weaknesses. The writing on Rose Fitzgerald and Joe Kennedy, Sr are particularly good. One gets a visceral feel of destiny as the desire to succeed, almost at any cost, throughout her well researched and written work. Much has been written about "plagarism" or a lack of proper footnoting (corrected in the paperback edition). I would encourage all potential readers to not allow such an unfortunate circumstance in her many years of teaching and writing to get in the way of reading this important piece of U.S. history. This book is a well researched and incredibly well written and readable account of immigration, politics and the rise of 19th Century immigrant families to economic, social and political prominence.



4. I was thoroughly enthralled, gripped and engaged in this story of three generations of the Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys. The story begins in 1863 with the baptism of John Francis Fitzgerald in Boston and concludes almost 100 years later with the inauguration of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The families' roots are traced back to the great immigration following the Irish potato famine in the 1840's. From immigration to becoming the American royal family in just three generations is a remarkable achievement that is chronicled in fascinating detail in this comprehensive, definitive narrative.
   
   Even though it is more than 800 pages, the book is not a dry history text, but rather an intriguing glimpse into the lives of the charmed and sometimes tragic lives of this huge Irish Catholic clan. Nothing is omitted, from the affairs of Joseph Kennedy, to the flirtations of Kathleen, the appalling lobotomy of Rosemary, and the sexual antics of John F. Kennedy. The political shenanigans of the elder Fitzgerald provide an interesting examination of Boston politics in the early 1900's...rife with graft and insider manipulation.
   
   The author's writing style is rich, powerful and mesmerizing. For instance, to describe the ascent of JFK into the limelight of American politics, she writes: "For his capacity to arouse the questing imagination of his fellow citizens, and of much of the world beyond America's borders, was to elevate the family saga past the borders of mythology. By the beginning of the fifties he already contained all the elements which his leadership was to be compounded, forged in tumultuous experience, anchored and given direction by his often resented but always unbreakable links to his extraordinary family."
   
   The level of detail and insightful analysis into the complex characters and relationships in the family is well worth your investment of time in reading this tome. A book you won't soon forget.



5. this is the best book about the kennedys.
   it'svery complete. the book ends when jack becomes president, i hope she will write a follow-up. there are a lot of rares photos.
   she's tells us mainly about the golden trio( jack, joejr and kathleen).
   i suggest all the fans of the kennedys to buy it.

No comments about Eminent Persians.

5 comments about Catherine the Great.

1. i hard to believe a little german priness would become the most powerful woman in europe.but that catherine story .married to a stupid czravish who had no sense. he was determine to stay greman in russian,but katherina made show she learn langauge ,religion and people.she learn the art of policital when the time was right she took over.brought a new age not seen since peter the great.i would had like more about here early life in german but this book was well done.



2. This is one of the very best biographies I have ever read. Troyat has taken a very interesting but not particularly palatable historical figure ( My mother-in law referred to Catherine as "that awful person")and brought her to life with all of her fascinatingly complex character in a well wrought historical background.



3. Bad translation of a mediocre and sappy history. I couldn't stand it and have gone looking for a different biography of Catherine the Great.



4. Prior to reading this book, the only information that I had on Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, was that she was an 18th century Czarina of some repute and that she was essentially a nymphomaniac. While the author disputes my clinical characterization of Catherine's sexual prowess, he certainly does take great pains to point out her long list of conquests, right up until her death at a then advanced age.
   
   This book is very informative and quite enlightening as it relates to the political and social mores of Eastern European and Asian aristocracy during the period of Catherine's reign. The tangled webs of shifting alliances during the roughly 50 years covered by the book are many times fascinating and at times hung by the thread of whether a 16 year old heir to a throne was enchanted at first site by a 13 year old princess. Entire nations hung in the balance.
   
   Especially interesting was the author's repeated juxtaposition between Catherine's espoused liberal "enlightened monarch" ideals and her actual rule over, and disposal of millions of enslaved serfs. Her fascination and financial support of many liberal French and Swiss political reformers and philosophers and then her horror when such philosophies actual came to fruition in the French Revolution.
   
   Ultimately, Catherine was a woman of her times and indisputably proved to be a most able successor to the earlier Peter the Great inasmuch as she made Russia a major player on the European stage and greatly expanded the territory under her control. The personalities involved make for a highly entertaining read.
   
   I've seen some of the comments labeling the prose as dry or tedious and tend to disagree. Certainly, writing style of non-fiction historical biographies differs from that seen in fictionalized accounts. In addition, this is a translation which perhaps hinders certain elements of style that others might prefer. All in all, I was not dissatified with the writing or the content. I recommend this book to any seeking an understanding of Russian or Eastern European history and/or culture during the mid to late 18th century.



5. Troyat needs no bolstering from me: his credentials as a well-known documenter of Russian monarchic history are legion. I relished every page of Troyat's documentaries on Ivan IV, Pjotr I, and Aleksandr I (ranking in strict chronologic order). However, his bio of Yekaterina II--while unquestionably meticulously researched--is dry. For one thing, it is quite overlong, which one must question right out of the starting gate insofar as Henri Troyat's book on Pjotr I--also a fabulous monarch of critical importance to the emergence of the empire, arguably even more so than Yekaterina II--was brief and swift. (Indeed, every paragraph literally burst with fascinating facts and characterizations.) Troyat goes on and on and on about every minor detail to the point where the essential message is basically lost amid the sheer volume: a crystalline example of forest-amid-trees overpowering. As a basis for research, for high school papers, etc., "Catherine the Great" is to be most highly commended. However, as an armchair read for the history devote [only one 'e': I can't render accent aigu through this medium, and devotee is the feminine form--Ed.], it plays marked second fiddle to Henri's Ivan, Peter, and Alex.

5 comments about Ho.

1. David Halberstam was a reporter in Vietnam from 1962-1964 and revealed what was happening. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1964. Halberstam used his knowledge of Asia and his abilities as a political reporter to write this biography of Ho Chi Minh. The 'Bibliography' lists his sources. Bernard Fall seems to be his main source. This book lacks an index, a table of contents, and photographs. This 1971 book is basically a magazine article. There are history books that go into more detail and have the advantage of hindsight. Ho Chi Minh liberated his country from colonial rule, a feat that is unusual in history.
   
   Chapter 1 tells how French colonialism began in 1856. In precolonial Vietnam taxes were low, landholdings were small and dispersed, and there were few rich people. The French brought heavy taxes, loans and usury, an increasing poverty among the peasants with rich owners of lands (p.11). The defeat of the French at Dienbienphu was an example to other colonial peoples (p.15). Ho eschewed a cult of personality in favor of simplicity. Chapter 2 tells of his life in France and his becoming an advocate for Vietnamese freedom (p.31). In France Ho sided with those who took the side of people in colonial countries (Chapter 3). Ho lived a clandestine life while traveling to Russia, Western Europe, and Asia. Ho cleverly eliminated a rival (p.44). The VNQDD started a revolt against French rule but they were suppressed and eliminated (p.48). Industrialization increased the number of laborers and strikes.
   
   Vichy France allowed the Japanese occupation of Vietnam (Chapter 4). The Vietminh were the only group that was against both the French and the Japanese (p.69). They also had their military force (p.70) under the leadership of Giap (p.72). The surrender of Japan allowed the Vietminh to take over Hanoi and Vietnam as the legitimate power. A weak France was preferred to a strong China (p.83). The rest of Chapter 5 discusses and explains the victory against the French. The Vietminh won because they had the support of the Vietnamese people. The costs of the war to the French was too great (p.101). Chapter 6 tells about the American involvement in South Vietnam. The land that had been distributed to the peasants was taken away; this created enmity for the Diem government (p.109). Diem depended on American support; when this was withdrawn Diem was finished. The Vietcong was winning by 1964 (p.113). American escalated the war in 1965. The Tet offensive had both a military and a political aim (p.115). Ho Chi Minh died before Vietnam won its independence.



2. I wouldn't order the item if I did not want it or think it of merit. I wanted a copy of the book formyself, and one for my nephew in Oregon. Seemingly your Web page would not allow me to enter two different shipping addresses. Is there a trick, when I entered my home address, my nephews would default to that address. When I entered my nephew's address, then my address would be overwritten by his. Is there a remedy for future orders?



3. Nations at war like to demonize the leader of their enemy as part of propaganda. This is fine as long as the nation's leaders themselves do not believe in their own propaganda, but instead do their homework and get to truly understand their enemy. This crucial step was missing from America's policy makers during the Vietnam War. Every president involved; JFK, LBJ, to Nixon, did not bother to fully understand Ho Chin Minh, the leader of the Vietnamese Communists. This is why books like this one are so important; written by private individuals, they offer unbiased, insightful glimpses at the other's leader.
   
   This book by David Halberstam is one of his less read books, but being so short in length, it is probably the most focused of his books. This book describes the life of Ho, both private and public, his role in the Vietnam War, and his relations with other world leaders and governments, both before, during, and after the Vietnam War. The treatment of his private life is shorted at the expense of covering more of his public life.
   
   The book does a good job of describing his personal traits that made him a leader: patience, self-sacrifice, humility, and foresight. The book also does a good job of contrasting his personality with others he encountered in battle; Western generals, Western soldiers, and Western politicians. The book is also worth reading because it offers a viewpoint of the Vietnam War as seen by Vietnamese, specifically Ho and his leadership.
   
   I highly recommend reading this book; it is short and easy to read. It is also impartial and straight-to-the-point history, as expected from an author like David Halberstam.



4. Ho Chi Minh was, in many ways, a mysterious figure. This book reveals some of those mysteries. But also, his stalinist tendencies which caused the death of many of his fellow countrymen and women. Although a revolutionary, he was a stalinist in many ways. Halberstam is such a brilliant writer though, its worth a read.



5. This book was less about Ho Chi Minh, and more about why the United States should not fight him. This reader was hoping for a more detailed discussion of Ho's life, his philosophy, etc. This book does over some insights into Ho Chi Minh's character and life, but I was left with the feeling that the book was written for other purposes. The book was originally published in 1970, a year after Ho's death so the book also smacks of the eulogy, glorification of the dead variety.

5 comments about House of Wits: An Intimate Portrait of the James Family.

1. 
   this is one of the best biographies ever. The story of 8 members of the James family, plus vignettes of friends and of the national life of the country during their lives. This should win one of the major prizes for biography.



2. Dr. James Fisher is a professor of American Literature at Wellesley College in Boston. He is an expert on the family of Henry James Sr. His new volume of over 600 densely written pages is a detailed exploration into the lives of this important nineteenth century family of authors, oddballs, soldiers and scientists.
   Henry James Sr was a Princeton Seminary dropout who was wealthy due to a huge inheritance from his father. The James came from Albany, New York where HJ Sr. was born. He lost a leg during a horrible childhood accident in which he was attempting to assist in the extinguishing of a fire. James was a scholar of Swedenborg and his philosophy. He wed the plain but rich Mary and they embarked on a long marriage filled with traumas enought to keep psychiatrists busy for aeons!
   James Sr. was an alcoholic but gave up John Barleycorn in his later years. He was in the transcendentalist circle of Concord intellectuals counting the eminent Ralph Waldo Emerson as among his friends. James traveled widely in Europe where he got to know such luminaries as the crusty Scots philosopher Thomas Carlyle and the novelist William Makepeace Thackery, author of "Vanity Fair." Mary was a longsuffering wife as she put up with his dalliances with other women (none of which was probably consumatted) and his minor fame on the periphery of literary and lecturing fame.
   What a house of wits was produced by these two midcentury New Yorkers!
   The five children were:
   William James-the eminent Harvard doctor who was the leading proponent of the pragmatism philosophy. He was the author of "The Variety of Religious Experiences". James married late and was neurotic always being worried about his health (as were all the James!). William had an intense rivalry with his younger brother Henry though the two loved each other.
   Henry James-Born in 1843 he was the author of over 20 novels, essays, short stories and travel pieces which have won him literary immortality. Among his novels are "The Wings of the Dove"; "The American"; "The Ambassadors" "The Golden Bowl"; "What Maisie Knew" and "The Portrait of a Lady." Henry was a homosexual who had many close relationships with men. His closest female friends were two authors: Constance Fenimore Wolston and Edith Wharton. Henry lived in England for over twenty years becoming a British subject in 1915. He was angry with the USA for its refusal to enter the war. James won the Order of Merit. He was secretive, quiet and kind. He became disillusioned with his failure as a playwright and the loss of his parents and sibilings who all preceded him in death. It is impossible to understand him without examining his family. Fisher has done this!
   Wilkie and Bob were the two James brothers who saw combat in the Civil War. They were failures in marriage and in life. Bob died as an alcoholic and Wilkie never made a success of himself living in Wisconsin in a number of boring job.
   Alice died at 38. She was a woman who had major health problems though she has won a measure of fame for her diary. She never wed. Alice was known for her intelligence and wit. She was a lesbian who lived with a woman. Alice was brilliant but was restricted by the second class citizenship meted out to women in the Victorian era.
   The James family was dysfunctional but produced geniuses in William and Henry. The Fisher work allows us to get a better understanding of them and their time. Boston, New York, Paris, London, Venice and other locals of the James travels are well described. The James were constant travelers as they sought to flee their restricted lives of study and literary labor. It is often hard to make the lives of intellectuals interesting but Fisher has succeeded in an outstanding book of biographical inquiry and insight. This book will become essential in the study of any of the James.



3. I've been reading books by and about the various Jameses for years and this is one of the absolute best for its range, wit, compassion, and modernity. The author isn't afraid to look openly at the dark side of this remarkable family, but he also doesn't overdraw conclusions. What I like best is that Fisher gives you a profound sense of the fault lines in the James clan, the allegiances, the jealousies, the ways in which they depended on one another and undermined each other. And the family exists in each historic period it passes through, so that the impact of technological and cultural shifts is always present. His grasp of the material is flawless, his insight sharp, and his writing is so good I read some passages aloud. This book marks a new era in James studies, but you don't have to know anything about the clan to be riveted by this complex story of wealth, ambition, despair, defeat, genius.



4. I love this biography. I grew up in the Albany-Saratoga area, lived in New York for many years and now live in Boston. Paul Fisher brings these places alive through his beautiful writing of this complex, troubled yet lovable family. It's a great book.



5. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Fisher presents detailed, compassionate portraits of seven (plus) dauntingly complex individuals, as well as providing a highly textured sense of time and place. This biography goes far beyond recounting pedigrees and achievements to convey a real sense of the individual human being (in this case, each individual in the James family). I particularly enjoyed Fisher's careful attention to the less prominent family members. The "intimate" point of view (rendering events from the perspectives of family members) is compelling and effective in recreating this fascinating family. The author's opinions are presented respectfully and provide much food for thought without reducing the complexity and ambiguity of real people and events. This book--its rendering of a generation, its stories, its wonderful photographs--is a gift.

5 comments about Things We Couldn't Say.

1. I bought this book at the American Book Center in The Hague, Netherlands, a few years ago. As I knew many of the places mentioned in the book, it took on an even deeper meaning for me. I love this book, and I list Diet Eman and Hein Sietsma as heroes. Definitely 5+ stars!



2. The true story of true Christians, and Dutch patriots, Diet Eman and Hein Sietsma, and their courageous risk of everything to resist Nazi tyranny and hide thousands of Dutch Jews.
   True Christians always love the Jewish people and Israel, and true nationalists are opposed to both Communism and Nazism, both the antithesis of national self-determination.
   Diet recounts her own life, and experiences and what she saw and heard, as well as her deep faith in G-D, that guided her in all she did and thought.
   Diet recounts her experiences in Scheveningen prison, where she describes how Jewish families, who were caught in hiding, were hauled into the prison, mothers, fathers and children: 'On the nights the guards brought Jews in, we always heard the children crying all through that place. It was bad enough for us to have to suffer through a place, like Scheveningen, but it was terrible to hear those poor innocent children crying.'
   It is up to true Christians and righteous gentiles to stand by the State of Israel today, in the struggle for her survival and that of her children, against the monstrous Islamic-extreme leftist hate machine.



3. Excellent book. The book is fast paced, exciting and touching.
   
   The risks and sacrifices that the author and her fiance went through for their beliefs and for unkwown people amazed and inspired me. Highly recommended.



4. The account of the author and her experiences fighting the German occupation of Holland during WWII is harrowing. It is hard to imagine that any human being can display so mush courage at such a young age.



5. I have read more than 75 books of this genre depicting this period of history. "What would I have done under the same circumstances?" That is the question I am always asking of myself whilst reading these stories. This is the story of a group of people with the courage of their convictions...Diet's story is inspiring and touching. It illustrates perfectly that the power of prayer is undeniable and when 'all one can do is pray' one has done everything.

5 comments about American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans.

1. Eve LaPlante's life of her infamous ancestor is a labor of love. It is chock-a-block with details about Hutchinson's descendants and about the current state of various places she visited that most likely will be of interest only to ... Hutchinson's descendants. Yet, it is more than that: it is a sympathetic account of perhaps the most eminent person to be thrown out of Puritan Massachusetts.
   
   The issue over which Hutchinson ultimately suffered the fate of Roger Williams and, later, the Massachusetts Quakers was that of the sufficiency of the Scriptures to Protestant life. According to Hutchinson, she had received her un-Puritan ideas directly from God. This contradicted one of the two basic Protestant principles, _Sola Scriptura_ -- that the only authority a Protestant need recognize is that of the Scriptures, which supposedly spoke clearly and for themselves.
   
   LaPlante is angry with the Puritan authorities, but what else could they have done than what they did? As in Williams' case, it is not as if Governor John Winthrop's opponent gave him a lot of choice. The alternative to banishing Hutchinson would have been to see her unshakable self-righteousness continue to fracture the Bay State. This meant the failure of the New England experiment. In individual cases, as the Puritan authorities understood it, it meant that particular people persuaded to adopt Hutchinson's way of seeing things would be condemned to eternity in Hell.
   
   Contrary to the Publishers Weekly review above, the Puritans certainly DID NOT teach that the covenant of works was the only guarantee of salvation. What they held was essentially that faith without works is dead (gee, I wonder where they got that idea). LaPlante recognizes the difficulty posed by Hutchinson's position: that it would mean that there was no real indication in this life whether the individual believer was "saved," to borrow a contemporary term.
   
   LaPlante joins Karlsen in insisting that her subject's fate would have been different if only she had been a male. Yet, with Williams in mind, she should have known better than that. Irresistible though this trendy idea may be, one doubts that the several men expelled as part of the anti-Hutchinson purge would have found it very persuasive.
   
   Hutchinson had her revenge, of course: her descendants included a governor of Massachusetts, two governors of Rhode Island, and three presidents of the United States (at least one of whom seems as blissfully, fanatically self-righteous as his forebear), and she has been declared to be in good odor in recent decades by the government of Massachusetts itself.
   
   If feeling less charitable, however, one might note that Hutchinson's devotion to an incomprehensible, insupportable, and indeed ultimately nonsensical theological position does not make her a very sympathetic figure. Her hard-headed certainty that she knew the mind of God led to the brutal murder not only of Hutchinson herself, but of several of her children. Winthrop's response to the news of that event was very ugly, but he was right to hold that her odd views accounted for her end.



2. If you are looking for a readable description of Annne's life and discord with the early colonials, this is a good option. The book is both interesting and factual, additionally it provides commentatry relating colonial beliefs and lifestyle with the current day.



3. Anne Hutchinson is one of those figures of American history I'd catch fascinating glimpses of - the Hutchinson River Parkway (named for a woman!), a few lines in Paul Johnson's History of the American People, a portion of a lecture in a Women's Studies course - but could never find her whole story in an accessible form. Until now.
   
   Eva LaPlante has the luxury of a well documented life in Anne Hutchinson. From her birth to her death, Anne was the rare non-royal woman of her time to leave her mark and her words. The centerpiece of this book is Anne's trial for "traducing" the ministers of Boston. Defying the conventions of acceptable behavior, Anne held her own, defending her own actions and quoting scriptures to support her claims. She very nearly won and even LaPlante has to admit that Anne pretty much grab defeat from the jaws of victory.
   
   But the Anne Hutchinson in these pages would have gladly taken honorable defeat over kowtowing to those she believed were corrupting the word of God. It's not easy to enter into a world where extremely fine points of religious doctrine excite such passion and controversy but LaPlante wisely uses the trial transcripts to let Anne's own words convey the passion. This was life and death, not of teh body but of the soul to Anne.
   
   LaPlante also does an admirable job of placing Anne's boldness in context. She was an educated, forward-thinking woman in an age when women were allowed no public voice. The mere idea of Anne "preaching" was heretical, let alone her content. I thought LaPlante avoided over-reaching the case, however, as she doesn't claim that Anne was the "first feminist" or other slightly silly claims. She keeps Anne's acts in their time and they are all the more compelling for this.
   
   The book has two narrative strains, the first is the trial and the second (woven around the first) is the chronological story of Anne's life. This can make for a disjointed feel but I adapted to the flow by chapter 4. The are no photos in this book but the maps included are fascinating. For those interested in early American history, religious history and just who "The Hutch" is named after this is fine popular history.



4. American Jezebel, a scholarly work about the life of Anne Hutchinson, told through an examination of the primary sources of documentation about her life, is a well written and compelling biography of one of the true founders of what became the United States. That our educational system does not give the same attention to Anne Hutchinson's life, as is afforded to the "founding fathers", is compelling proof of the sexist nature of recorded history. Eve LaPlante, though a direct descendant of Anne Hutchinson, handles this work with both objectivity and thoroughness. Her book filled in a large gap in my knowledge of early New England. After reading this book, you will never again think of Massachusetts as that charming land of happy pilgrims and may develop, as I have, a deep antipathy for John Winthrop, a man revered in our history books, largely as a consequence of ignoring his cruelty to greater persons such as Anne Hutchinson and Mary Dyer.



5. I'm mystified by the rave reviews here. Hutchinson is indeed a fascinating figure, but LaPlante's oddly-arranged book obscures more than it illuminates. LaPlante presents Hutchinson as a proto-feminist rather than a zealous religious dissident. Although LaPlante acknowledges that Hutchinson exhibited as much moral certitude as her prosecutors -- she believed, for example, that she could personally identify those chosen for salvation by God -- the majority of the book either downplays the significance of theological dispute in favor of gender politics (John Winthrop was primarily motivated by a desire to keep women in their place, etc.), or twists itself into knots trying to recast arch-Calvinist Antinomianism as a progressive movement. Incredibly, there is no serious discussion of theology until 50 pages into the book.
   
   Gender is naturally significant to the story (we are, after all, talking about a woman in seventeenth century Boston who brazenly challenged the city's Cambridge-educated male leadership). But the reason for Hutchinson's banishment -- like that of the more influential and sophisticated Roger Williams a few years earlier -- was theological, and the faith of Hutchinson and her slippery mentor John Cotton (grandfather of Cotton Mather) was no more rational and no less fanatical than that of Winthrop, whose tendency to seek conciliation actually marks him as a rather moderate fellow by Puritan standards. Unlike Williams, whose radical separatism led him to become one of the first notable advocates of religious freedom, Hutchinson was primarily concerned not with political liberty but with denouncing those who she believed to be under a "covenant of works." This category included all the ministers in Massachusetts except for Cotton and her brother-in-law, John Wheelwright.
   
   LaPlante is evidently not an expert on Puritan New England, and she has trouble with theology. To give one example, she employs the word "orthodox" as a general term of abuse -- using it at one point to describe the Puritans' Anglican opponents in England, and at other times to describe the Puritan leadership in Boston. Like Howard Zinn (who blurbs the book), she sympathizes with the underdog to the point where underdog status alone is apparently an indication of righteousness. In retrospect, we can see that Hutchinson's religious views were no more enlightened than those of her enemies; Hutchinson was ahead of her time only in her belief that women are as able to interpret scripture as men, and in her relatively humane views regarding Native Americans (which she shared with Williams and Samuel Sewall, among others).
   
   Of course, historical figures should not be chastised for every transgression against contemporary sensibilities. But as someone with no dog in the fight between between varieties of seventeenth century English Protestantism, I was irritated by LaPlante's verbal gymnastics on behalf of her ancestor -- especially after she declares in the intro that her work will avoid the "exaltation" found elsewhere. While we get a sense of Hutchinson's admirable qualities, including her sparkling intelligence and stubborn bravery, criticism is limited to the occasional throw-away sentence, and there is little in the way of psychological insight. LaPlante's Hutchinson is opaque and two-dimensional -- a symbol rather than a human being. LaPlante is not (thankfully) one of those historians who dismisses all historical figures as benighted and morally backwards, but she makes an equally serious mistake in attempting to transform a proud, complex, and extraordinarily devout woman into a straightforward, easy-to-digest hero for contemporary readers.
   
   Three final points, two negative and one positive: (1) LaPlante has an unfortunate habit of substituting her own language for that of the protagonists, leading to some confusion about who is saying what. Quotes end abruptly, replaced by LaPlante's paraphrasing. I suspected at several points that her summaries were generous to Hutchinson (facilitating her transformation into a Puritan version of Susan B. Anthony) and less than charitable to her opponents. The book is at its best when LaPlante isn't speaking at all, since her commentary adds little to the drama. (2) Although LaPlante does voice some minor criticisms of Hutchinson, the general tenor of the book is hagiographic. Many of the quotes that LaPlante culls from other histories of the era seem to have been included only because they are highly complimentary of Hutchinson. LaPlante defends her subject in an almost lawerly fashion, informing us, for example, that "Harvard University" credits Hutchinson with its founding (actually, one Harvard professor!), and that Hutchinson founded Rhode Island (only very technically true, since Williams had settled Providence a year earlier). These are minor details, but combined with the suspicious paraphrasing, they undermined my trust in the author. An honest defense of Hutchinson would have been fine, but this book attempts to lionize its subject using sleight of hand. (3) I learned some things from "American Jezebel" that I had not found in other books on this period. Particularly interesting were LaPlante's discussions of Lincolnshire and Boston, England.
   
   For better books on pre-Revolutionary New England, I suggest Philbrick's Mayflower, Morgan's Puritan Dilemma (on Winthrop), Gaustad's Roger Williams, and Richard Francis' wonderful book on the admirable Samuel Sewall (another LaPlante ancestor on whom she has apparently written). American Jezebel isn't worthless, but it would be unfortunate if anyone picked up their whole education on the Puritans here -- as many of the other Amazon reviewers seem to have done.

5 comments about Laura Bush: An Intimate Portrait of the First Lady.

1. I liked this book but it wasn't great. I was wanting some insight to Laura Bush and her marriage. Mr. Kessler didn't do that. He repeated numerous stories that the media had already reported and responding to Kitty Kelley's The Family book. I felt like this book was rushed. He didn't go into a lot of explanation and I felt that her childhood along with the governor years were very glossed over. I wanted Mr. Kessler to talk about the librarian/school teacher years of Laura Bush's life. After reading this book, I wanted to feel like I knew her. Instead I feel like I barely scratched the surface. Some of that may be that Laura Bush is a private person. I don't know. I just had higher expectations after reading some Mr. Kessler's other books and he didn't not fulfill my expectations.



2. I loved this book. I bought this book after reading a library copy.
   
   This book is based on interviews with Laura Bush's friends. It reveals friendships that are full of caring, insight, jokes, loyalty and sincerity. I would like to be as good a friend to the people I love as I think Laura Bush is to the people she loves. Laura Bush is still friends with schoolmates from high school and college! And they are very smart and also funny!
   
   In reading this book, I found out that Laura loves to clean. One of her friends said cleaning supplies are Laura's favorite substances. No one in my family feels that way! But I find Laura's attitude inspiring, funny and helpful. Now, when something around here needs cleaning, I think of Laura's enthusiasm. I find that it is much easier and more fun to tackle cleaning with enthusiasm than to go through it with a dismal attitude.
   
   I liked Laura Bush before I read this book. Based on the impressions shared by her friends, it seems to me that she always tries to do her best but without taking herself too seriously. She is smart, sensible, witty and also kind. And she loves to read!! And I love to read!! And I love people who love to read!!
   
   I liked her very much to begin with, and having read the book, I like her better. In fact, I have added Laura Bush to my virtual team and I consider her an awesome virtual friend and consultant.
   
   I wish her well and thank her for her contributions as First Lady. Thank you, Laura!
   
   I think this is an excellent book, with revealing insights into Laura Bush's friendships and life. It is not a snarky critical book and I was grateful for that. I'm not interested in snark and criticism (well, hardly at all). I'm interested in encouraging people to be their best and to enjoy life. I think this book does that, and I highly recommend it.



3. He lets us feel as though we are "right there" - a moving story of this woman's life. You don't want to put the book down til you're done...very interesting presentation.



4. I admire Laura Bush and enjoyed learning more about her. But I appreciate authors who can provide some objectivity. This one falls all over his subject rather than providing a sophisticated eye. Laura herself is very diplomatic and more non-judgmental than most of us. But the author betrays the spirit of the First Lady with his pot shots at others, particularly the Clintons. It's almost as if he wrote the book to state his own opinions rather than to state hers. He is politically naive and less than a stellar writer. His transitions from one topic to another are very weak. Read this book if you want to learn more about Laura but don't waste your time if you are looking for a well-written piece.



5. This book was worth waiting for! I admire the First Lady greatly, and this book did not disappoint me. It is written with all the grace and elegance Mrs. Bush is known for. A great book.