5 comments about Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce.

1. William Wilberforce, for those of you who are as clueless as I was when I started reading this book, was the British parliamentarian who spearheaded the campaign to abolish the slave trade, and then slavery itself, in the British Empire. This book is the story of this man who fought persistently, even when he suffered defeat after defeat, for a cause he knew was right.
   
   But this little book (76 pages) isn't so much about the historical facts of Wilberforce's life, although it includes many of them, as it is about the faith (or the religious affections, to use Wilberforce's own quaint language) that made him the force that he was. What changed him from the lackadaisical parliamentarian that he was as a young man first elected to parliament at twenty-one? How did Wilberforce's faith influence the causes he chose to pursue? How did it help him persevere in despite defeat? How did it make him a man about whom it was said, "His joy was quite penetrating?" What was the content of his faith? What set him apart from the Religionists (another of Wilberforce's own words) of his day? These are the questions John Piper is seeking to answer in this book.
   
   When I first saw the size of the book, I was disappointed that it wasn't thicker, since I really love reading a thorough biography; but after finishing, I've decided that it's better as a short book with a narrow focus. For one thing, that makes it accessible to those who don't have the time or inclination to tackle a longer biography. For another, its focus sets it apart from the other biographies of Wilberforce, and there are many. In addition, in a longer and more detailed biography, the lesson of this bookthat sound doctrine is necessary in order to persist in fighting for social justice because good fruit over the long haul comes from a healthy rootmight have been lost.
   
   As you can probably guess by now, Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce is a book I recommend. I enjoyed it; I learned from it. What more could I ask from a book? It prodded me to consider some things I hadn't considered previously, and I'm still thinking about the lessons in it.



2. Nearly universally, the inquisitive mind is better served to delve deeply into a subject matter through literature rather than taking the quick, easy, and intellectually dishonest route of cinema.
   
   I had high hopes to get some further insight into the trials and tribulations of the Father of The Abolitionist Movement through Piper and Atkins work.
   
   Unfortunately, a similar book (if it exists) by Marvel Comics would have relayed as much information and in doubtless a more entertaining fashion.
   
   Go get the DVD of Amazing Grace, and if that doesn't satisfy your curiosity, find another book to relieve your inquisitive nature on this topic.



3. If you want a brief biography of Wilberforce this is the one to read. It is short and easy to read and tells you what motivated the great reformer. It was his evangelical Christian faith which he evidenced in a joyful personality despite his long struggle to abolish the slave trade, his personal infirmities and problems with his errant eldest son. This was a man who was transformed by his Christian faith. He could probably have been prime minister, but he eschewed personal advancement. If I have one small criticism it is that Piper has produced something of an hagiography with no really critical evaluation of Wilberforce. For this one should read Tomkins. For the answers to Wilberforce's critics, read Hague.



4. I am not a history buff by any means, so it was safe to know that I had no clue who William Wilberforce was. I picked up the book because I am sucker for both John Piper and biographies.
   
   This book was intriguing being it is so small and wasn't in one of Piper's "Swan Biographies," and was on someone that I wasn't familiar with. I didn't know what to expect from a small biography, and to be honest, wasn't expecting much.
   
   The biography really is just a mere introduction to the life of Wilberforce and his convictions. He was a young rich man in British Parliament that ended up, through a close friend, surrendering to Christ. After his conversion he was wondering whether politics was a calling or curse from God and was thinking of leaving his post in parliament. That all changed when he met with another pillar of the faith in John Newton on December 7th, 1785. Newton challenged him to stay within the confines of parliament to change it for the glory of God and Wilberforce did just that. He not only was the sole reason for the abolition of slave trade in Britain but he was also the reason behind the complete abolition of the practice of having slaves as well.
   
   This small biography gives insight to the man and his mission to do all things to the glory of God. It is well intentioned and a great introduction to "tease the mind" to want to learn more of this man's convictions.
   
   For this reason I would recommend the reading to anyone, but don't expect this to be a very deep biography or one that will give you all the ins and outs of the circumstances of the life of this defender of glory and righteousness. But, I also don't think that was Piper's intention, but his attention was to get the reader to be introduced to another dead man that stood for Christ, another man that we can imitate, as he imitated Christ.



5. This sounds like it was a speech, transcribed, and then read by someone else to cheesy music. The book was repetitious. It did way too much hinting at what was coming next. In Piper's sermons it works fairly well, but in such a short book, it was a little annoying.
   
   The book was a short attempt of explaining how Wilberforce's theology made Wilberforce so successful and increased his endurance for doing good. This was interesting, but it seemed pretty light weight to me. I'm sure there are better biographies out there. I know Piper does a magnificient job of explaining the concepts written in this book elsewhere.
   
   All that being said. It was an interesting look at Wilberforce's life and work.

No comments about Angel at the Fence: The True Story of a Love that Survived.

5 comments about Every Farm Tells a Story: A Tale of Family Farm Values.

1. I loved this book on American farm life! It is well-written, interesting and one of the best on this subject, in my opinion. I have just ordered several other of Jerry Apps books.



2. Jerry Apps magnificently captures the heart and soul of growing up on a small family farm in EVERY FARM TELLS A STORY. His youth was spent in rural central Wisconsin half-a-century ago, but the character of the culture he writes about was not unlike that of much of rural Middle America in those times. The book is based on his Ma's journal accounting of all the family's expenses and revenues through the years, but the anecdotes take you back to all the stories behind those numbers. Apps shares with us how all the entries were, indeed, more than just numbers - they had meaning and context in the bigger picture of what farm life was all about. In a comfortable and enjoyable style, he tells stories of family values, the hard times and good times, the honest dealings and fair play that caused most farm kids back then to grow up with integrity and a solid work ethic. EVERY FARM TELLS A STORY is a great read, but it's much more than just nostalgia. In a personal and sometimes almost poetic way, it documents a significant part of our country's historical heritage.



3. I really injoyed this book, laughed out loud several times. I really enjoyed all the old farm ads also. Great picture of how farming used to be.



4. Farm values and management can offer many lessons, especially when told through humor, as Jerry Apps demonstrates in Every Farm Tells A Story; A Tale Of Family Farm Values. Tucked into an inviting chronicle of changes in farming over the decades and resulting changes in values and methods, readers receive a fine blend of business savvy, history, and humor lending to light, easy reading.



5. I have just come across a book you all should read: it is called EVERY FARM TELLS A STORY, A TALE OF FAMILY FARM VALUES, by JERRY APPS. it is published by Voyageur Press and is a wonderful story about growing up on a farm near Wild Rose Wisconsin in Washara County in the north central part of the state. As most of you know, Cousin Tom Larson and I spent a number of summers on the Bergum farm north of Wheeler in Dunn County; and almost everything that Jerry Apps describes in the book is something we did with Uncle Nelmer (who Tom and I still consider the greatest man in the world) and Aunt Selma (our second mother) and Kon and Stanley on that farm: threshing, making wood, cultivating, feeding chickens, stripping cows; old fashioned crank telephones, freeshows, feed mills--everything. The book is illustrated with period advertisments. This is a brilliant nostalgic journey. It's a neat
   companion to my own The Reunion. But all of you should take a trip in EVERY FARM. this is a story that speaks to those of us who have had anything to do with farm life. it's a wonderful book for all my cousins and for all of us.
   
   Steven Fortney
   Author of The Reunion.

5 comments about Ten Green Bottles: The True Story of One Family's Journey from War-torn Austria to the Ghettos of Shanghai.

1. The account of a Jewish familys' descent in Vienna through the Nazi hell to the foreign shores of Shanghai is interesting from an historical perspective. The writing is amateurish with the point of view jumping around and the verb tenses as well. It could have used a good editor.



2. The story of the blind hatred and inhumanity whipped up by the Nazis needs to be told - and told often. But it deserves a more nuanced telling than this single-dimensional presentation. This account is all bright colors (first quarter) and darkness (remainder), with little in between.
   What is particularly striking is that the narrator makes no effort to relate to the suffering of Shanghai's indigenous Chinese population. Her flat and parenthetical references to the pervasive poverty, disease and oppression reveal little or no interest in the historical or social context that created such dreadful conditions, not to mention any empathy with the people so afflicted. Its detachment is disturbing. Could it be that one's humanity is so degraded by abuse that one cannot see beyond one's own suffering? Perhaps, but without any attempt at explanation it comes across as heartless indifference.
   As a tribute by a daughter to a mother and a family who endured hideous persecution the book is a worthy effort. But in providing any real insights it falls sadly short.



3. I thoroughly enjoyed "Ten Green Bottles". Unlike other books on Shanghai of that period, I particularly relished the intimate glimpse of the extreme wealth and decadence that was ongoing alongside the abject poverty of the immigrants that fled Europe. Much is written here of how people of many nations with unimaginable wealth made Shanghai their "sumptuous playground" between the stench and filth of the city.
   
   In particular, the author's description of the Bolero Club through the eyes of Nini, who worked as a hostess there, was so exciting and so descriptive and so alive that I was sure I was in the room with some of the most powerful men and glamorous women of the time. Her detailed description of the opium den next door, a "grand salon" established exclusively for the very rich, is breathtaking.
   
   This book is a must read for anyone who wants to live the Shanghai of World War II from its lows to its highs.



4. This story about the experiences of a Viennese Jewish family in Shanghai perfectly fulfills two raison d'etre of books - on the one hand it allows the reader to enter a time-warp machine and be transplanted to another time and another place and vicariously live through the emotional upheavals, the smells, sights, sounds and most importantly the feelings of fear, frustration, Angst and yes, fortunately also joy, of the main characters. Vivian Kaplan is a master of setting the scene and allowing the reader to slip into the protagonist's skin. I have lived and worked in Vienna and also in Northern China (albeit at a much later time) and Vivian's writing rings true. The chapters in the book are like 3-D images conjured up for the reader (and would make a very gripping screenplay). The other raison d'etre of books is to preserve and hand down important happenings and narrate them in a gripping and thought-provoking manner. The manner in which the Jews in Austria and elsewhere were treated by an Austrian madman who managed to come to power in Germany should never be forgotten. More importantly, we all need to be vigilant that such events happen less and less frequently in the history of humankind. Although familiar with the story of displaced Jews from German-speaking countries as I (like the author) am offspring, I was unable to put down the book. What Nini Karpel's mother had to experience in one short lifetime is more than most people should have to live through. The book also helped me understand the initial inertia of many Jews in Vienna to the anti-Semitic flare-up in the 1920s and 30s. "Oh, we've seen this many times, let's just lie low and wait for it to blow over". Writing in the present tense made the story more immediate. However, despite the fact that the book had its share of gruesome scenes, overall the manner in which Nini viewed the world seemed overly rosy-colored and syrupy sweet. The naive tone that permeates the book distracts from the serious situation in which these refugees find themselves. Even a five-year old would know better than to state 'we are awed by the changes in the baby within his first year. Every day he seems to learn some new word...' p.5. Should the book get reprinted, I suggest a German-speaking editor correct some of the German words. The great Ferris wheel in Vienna is no 'Reisenrad' p.77 and the 'Fuhrer' should be spelled 'Fuehrer'. But overall we are better off for having another story capture the senseless suffering human beings will inflict upon one another.



5. 
   Ten Green Bottles is one of the most powerful, emotional, fascinating and beautifully written books I have ever read. Where has this author been?
   
   The story begins in the early 1920s in Vienna where a five year old Jewish girl, called Nini, begins to experience what it is to be the youngest of three sisters. It is written in Nini's voice and throughout the book you seem to live every moment of her life as if you were in her skin. You laugh, cry, feel and experience everything that happens to her as if it were happening to you, yet the book is non-fiction.
   
   The story tells of her life in a growing family and the hardships of her mother in raising her children and carrying on their business after her father's death. As Nini grows into her teenage years, your senses are filled with the excitement of Vienna and the thrill of skiing in the mountains nearby. Then the Nazis come and everything changes.
   
   As Jews are now considered vermin, they must flee the city or they will surely die. With the help of a gentile lawyer they are able to leave Vienna for Shanghai. On arriving in this no-man's land with almost no money, they find themselves in the middle of another war between China and Japan. Living in squalor and trying to survive, their life is made even more miserable. Japan, an ally of Germany, forces them and about 20,000 other Jews into a small ghetto with over 100,000 of the poorest Chinese. The story tells of their life and the life of the Jewish community as they try to make it through to the end of the war under the most deplorable conditions imaginable. They are eventually liberated by the Americans and stay until the Communist takeover in the late 1940s when they leave. The story ends with their exceptionally well written arrival in the white winter of Canada where they do not have to fear anymore.
   
   I read a lot and to me this book was a literary masterpiece. I also learned about a very interesting part of the Holocaust that I had not known.

3 comments about Echoes from the Holocaust: A Memoir.

1. Mira lived to tell the tale of the holocaust. She's carried the message of strength and forgiveness, of working through the horrors she's lived by bringing the message to all who will listen. This is a strange and different book: on the one hand, so repulsive, so unbelievable, yet, on the other hand, compelling. Several questions ran through my mind: how does a person continue to live with any humanity at all after such an experience; why does one person live, while all the rest die; what kind of magnetism did Mira have that encouraged people to help her?
   I've met Mira; she lives here in my home town of Oak Ridge. She will speak before my class. Perhaps my questons will be answered, and I will know who Mira is after all.



2. Echoes from the Holocaust by Mira Ryczke Kimmelman is a riveting memoir that recounts her life as a child in Danzig to her life in the United States after World War II. Mira describes how the innocence, effulgence, and peace of her youth are shattered once the Nazi troops force her family to leave their home in Poland in October 1939. Embracing her Jewish heritage, Mira tells of how she strives to preserve her identity and pride as a Jew alive by receiving secret Hebrew lessons, attending prohibited Jewish gatherings, and becoming a member of the Zionist movement. Kimmelman refuses to let herself become discouraged when she learns that more than twenty of her family members and friends are killed by the SS officers.
   
   Infused with aspirations, Mira does whatever she can to cope with the persecution she and others receive at the ghettos and concentration camps. After suffering from typhoid, physical torture, starvation, horrendous living conditions, and simple dehumanization, Mira continues to be a burning flame among all the melted candles. All her struggles and lucky moments become learning experiences.
   
   Mira is able to move on with her life, after the end of the war in 1945. She marries Max Kimmelman, another Holocaust survivor, and has several children and grandchildren after. She gives them the names of her relatives and close companions so that her memories of them will live on. Although life in the United States becomes a bit of a struggle, Mira manages to carve out a content life with her husband and family. She continues to encompass her traditions and tell her story of survival.
   
   The memoir is written simplistically, but with very powerful imagery and episodes, that capture Mira's moments effectively. Metaphors, similes, or hyperboles are not necessary to make this memoir memorable. The book is divided into several short chapters that make it an easy read. With cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, this book becomes a real page-turner. An atmosphere of hope surrounds the events Kimmelman depicts and reiterates the idea that Mira has survived for a purpose. No history book can tell a story such as this one. To capture the meaning and depth of the Holocaust, one must go out and read Mira Kimmelman's account.



3. From a priveleged upbringing in pre-war Gdansk, the author and her family are deported first to Warsaw then to other ghettos and camps. The book is written in a frank, no-nonsense fashion and she really states the facts about what happened to her and her family. An amazing book and one that everyone should read.

5 comments about John F. Kennedy: A Biography.

1. My fascination with John F Kennedy comes from when I first saw him riding down Lehigh Avenue in Philadelphia in 1959 when I was 9 years old. He was running for president back then. After he became president I used to like watching him on TV verbally sparring with news reporters. What a difference in how the "powder-puffs" we have today on TV avoid, hide and pretend we have no problems. I'm definitely no Democrat but JFK had a lot more courage, intellegence and insight than most of who you see on the scene today in political arenas. He had a specail way of moving people to action that just doesn't seem to exist anymore. Hopefully someone else will eventually come along again like him who actually becomes an excellent president. Maybe someone like Sarah Polin?
   
   I'm also a big fan of well-written biographies and found this book to be amazing. What I liked about this book is how different aspects of JFK's life were catagorized and separated so that you could gain a real insite to how John Kennedy must have looked at the world. I liked that the author did not spend very much time on his assassination since there are already too many theories, stories and legends about that unfortunate incident.
   
   JFK appears to have been the consumate listener which to me is probably why he was so smart about common sense aspects. He listened and did not want to block that part of life out since it does make a positive difference. And yes he liked the ladies (he was so charasmatically attractive does that surprise anyone?) and he seems to have taken his job as president seriously. He often went to the people whenever he needed to really get an important point across. Had he remained president that wind-bag who took over, president Johnson, would have went back to his ranch in Texas instead of helping to kill so many young people during Viet Nam.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a more realistic idea of who JFK was, what he was really about and what his principles really were.



2. The 1960 election was one of the closest. John Kennedy was Catholic, and many voters were against him for that reason. Kennedy's critics still question whether the Vietnam War would have been fought had Nixon won. It may not have been. On the other hand, there may have been a nuclear war. We will never know. It is part of the controversy of those years. Kennedy is remembered for his moon speech to Congress in 1961: "I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth." In 1962, Kennedy confronted Khrushchev over Cuba. The U.S. could not allow Soviet missiles 100 miles off the Florida coast. John Kennedy and First Lady Jackie brought an elegance to the White House emulated by successors Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Kennedy's assassination in Dallas in 1963 is something America is still dealing with, like Pearl Harbor before it and 9/11 after it. Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone when he assassinated Kennedy. Conspiracy theories are false. The grassy knoll is a figment of the imagination. Oswald was a loner and a misfit. He was a marksman. He shot Kennedy from the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository as his motorcade passed below. He fled and hid in a theater but was quickly apprehended. Jack Ruby shot and killed Oswald. He said he did it out of sympathy for Jackie. There was no reason not to believe him.



3. This great biography was written by an academic historian who gathers and compares several sources, yet the publisher to cut costs cuts the footnotes, which are of essential and greatest interest. In our era of intellectual property and knowledge as commodity, the publisher did not wish to provide the reader with specific indications for further study through the footnotes. With the collapse of the Internet we may never know what amplifications and insights the author may have included in these footnotes, which were no doubt as exhaustive as the work itself. How could the once great St. Martin's have been so academically irresponsible for commercial purposes? It is as inexplicable as our once great nation's journey from the intelligent JFK to the solipsistic W.



4. I read this book after reading the Caro series on Lyndon Johnson and this book fell short of my expectations. I felt that too many facts and stories where thrown together without a supporting theme or purpose. Also, I thought a disproportionate amount of time was spent on Kennedy's private life.



5. Michael O'Brien is to be commended for writing a lengthy, well-written tome at this late juncture on the late, great JFK, especially post-Robert Dallek's masterful "An Unfinished Life", a VERY hard act to follow, indeed. O'Brien's book is a worthy companionn to Dallek's and, while it treads a lot of familiar ground, it is worthwhile for all Kennedy fans. Get this!

No comments about Abraham Lincoln Comes Home.

5 comments about Benedict Arnold's Navy.

1. This book probably doesn't break any new ground, but it is quite readable with short chapters and subheadings within each chapter. The only problem I had was that the author talks about the various kinds of vessels involved without illustrating what they are. What exactly does a "row galley" look like? How does a sloop differ from a schooner and a frigate? Some illustrations comparing vessel types would have been helpful.



2. on dubious character. This battle really was a significant factor in the war. It is very well written and explained. Perhaps the only drawback is the end which only briefy touches on why Arnold did what he did in turning against the people he fought so hard for. Highly recomend this to all readers.



3. This outstanding narrative documents the Battle of Valcour island but it is much more. My 9 year old recently asked about Benedict Arnold and I replied with the standard dogma of "Arnold the traitor". This book has caused me to revise that narrow view. Benedict Arnold was one of the greatest military commanders of his day. Had he remained true to the Cause, history would have remembered Arnold in the same breath as George Washington. I was amazed by Arnold's heroic determination to defend and establish the American ideal - even as the Continental Congress seemed determined to let the dream slip away. Congrats to James L. Nelson for an outstanding book that is a must read for Revolutionary era fans!!



4. I met James Nelson two years ago at a book signing at Colonial Williamsburg. I purchased one of his books on that occasion and have since read everything he has written to date. He is a master weaver of stories and a master historian. His work is refreshing and spellbiinding. I heartily recommend Benedict Arnold's Navy. It offers an eye-opening look at the Revolutionary War era from both land and sea (or lake, as the case may be).



5. I had the pleasure of purchasing the book from the author while taking part in the 225th Yorktown Reenactment last year. I thought the these of the book was interesting and unique. As a result, i felt it should be worth adding to my collection. What i got, was much more than I could have ever hoped.
   
   The book provides one of the best and detailed accounts of the initial taking of Fort Ticonderoga by Arnold and Allen. The book details the make up of the men that were present and not just centering on the leaders themselves.
   
   The work goes into detail regarding the invasion of Canada in 1775, the portion on the western attack may be the best and most in debth coverage ever given. While the book is not the first to cover Arnold's march to Quebec, it may be one of the first to so detail the other half of the invasion and the fights that took place there.
   
   In the end, the book does cover the retreat from Canada and the building of the Navies on the lake. The detailed descriptions of the ships involved was very well worth the read.
   
   The great dramatic detail in the work gives you the feel of reading a novel, but for the notes detailing the sources betraying it as a non-fiction book. Of course, this simply means that a work of non-fiction can be every bit as exciting as a work of fiction...that is what sets Nelson a part.
   
   If you are greatly interested in filling your shelf with an easy read that would give you plenty of information on a part of the war most histories forget (1776 outside of Washington v Howe) this is the book to do it. Buy the book, read the book and keep it. This will be the main source on the subject matter for years to come.

5 comments about Warren G. Harding (The American Presidents Series).

1. This little book seeks to defend President Harding, and does a fair-to-middling job of it.
   
   By focusing on Harding's pre-presidential life, Dean paints a reasonably interesting portrait of Harding's personality: genial, a bit pompous, smarter than generally believed. However, Dean's use of detail is uneven. Sometimes he provides an almost tedious level of detail; other times, his discussion is so sketchy that it reads like a few sentences are missing.
   
   In particular, Dean's portrait of Harding's presidency is a little scattershot. By devoting a page here and there to lots of issues, Dean misses the opportunity to focus more on Harding's major achievements (healing the economy, balancing the budget, liberating political prisoners, partially desegregating the federal workforce). To be sure, he mentions all these things- but a more detailed discussion of each issue and a more liberal use of statistics would have sharpened his defense of the Harding Administration. Instead Dean wastes space focusing on the minutiae of railroad strikes and other ephemeral issues.
   
   On the other hand, there are some things I really liked about this book. His discussion of the 1920 Republican convention is mostly excellent. I had always thought that Harding sat passively by while a few bosses nominated him in a smoke-filled room. In fact, Harding's strategy was quite ingenious: he knew that most delegates were committed to three major candidates whose supporters hated each other. So his campaign contacted delegates asking them to consider Harding if their first choice faltered in the early ballots. After the convention appeared deadlocked, these delegates turned to Harding (a choice facilitated by the delegates' lack of desire to pay for an extra day in hotels; the final ballot ended early in the evening). However, Dean's discussion of Harding's vice presidential choice could have used more detail. He writes that Harding preferred Sen. Irvine Lenroot to Calvin Coolidge, and writes: "Before Lenroot could inform Chairman Lodge that he did not want to be nominated, his name had been offered." Does that mean Lenroot declined the nomination? That delegates rejected him? Surely, Dean could have explained a bit more.
   
   Dean's discussion of the general election campaign also contains some surprises. Just as today's smearers accuse Barack Obama of being a secret Muslim, some Democrats accused Harding of having African-American blood. One key difference between now and then: the Internet allows smears to be spread more easily. By contrast in 1920 the mainstream media's refusal to print such rumors may have kept them out of public view.
   
   Dean also has a good discussion of Harding's civil rights record: I was surprised to learn that in addition to hiring African-Americans for federal jobs, he went to Birmingham, Alabama to speak on civil rights, calling for "economic equality between the races" and "equal educational opportunities."
   
   Of course, all of this begs the question: why does Harding have such a bad reputation? Partially because some of his appointees were corrupt (though others were excellent, including future Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes at State). Also, his widow's decision to destroy many of his papers allowed scurrilous rumors to pass without rebuttal.



2. Interesting factors. John Dean (of Watergate note) authors this biography of Warren G. Harding in The American Presidents series. And he grew up in Marion, Ohio, where Harding lived for many years. And, against all odds, Dean makes Harding seem much less the failure that he has been branded over time. Does the author succeed fully? Each reader will have to judge for himself or herself, but I did come away from this book with a different impression of Harding than the one I brought with me as I sat down to begin reading this volume. One thing to Dean's advantage--access to Harding's papers which were not available to many earlier biographers.
   
   Dean makes his view plain at the outset (Page 1): "Warren G. Harding is best known as America's worst president. A compelling case can be made, however, that to reach such a judgment one must ignore much of the relevant information about Harding and his presidency." As with all books in this series, we begin with a brief introduction to the character's life, in this case starting with his birth in Ohio in 1865. He tried studying law and selling insurance, but only came into his own when he managed to purchase the Marion Star, a daily newspaper. He appears to have been good at managing the paper and serving as a reporter in addition.
   
   He began to be active in Republican politics in Ohio and, down the road, with the help of some political pros, he was elected as a state senator. Shortly thereafter, he became one of Ohio's two Senators in Washington, D. C. He came to national attention with a speech at the 1916 Republican convention. Some even thought of him as a dark horse candidate to get the nomination, but he chose to bide his time. His career in the Senate was not characterized with any major legislation bearing his name (and he often "missed" roll call votes on divisive issues, thus not offending either wing of the Republican Party). He decided to run a low key campaign to be the Presidential nominee of his party, surmising that no single leading candidate could gain enough votes to clinch the nomination. His suspicion turned out to be correct. He received the nomination and won the election.
   
   His presidency, as described by Dean, is an interesting mix of positive steps, such as his effort to undo some of Woodrow Wilson's racist policies, his foreign policy, and even his choices for the Cabinet (most were very fine, although Albert Fall, of course, represented a major exception!), but not a presidency where major accomplishments emerged that caught historians' eyes later on.
   
   One will have to evaluate the extent to which Dean makes Harding appear to be something more than the worst president in American history. I think he has made a case that the reader must confront, however, and that itself is something of an accomplishment.



3. I could't wait to read this book. After seeing all the reviews with most being positive and some being highly negative I was intrigued about this book causing so much debate in its reviews here on Amazon. I must say the book did not disappoint me at all! It is a excellent must read book! It made Harding a human being, not some ogre, dummy or crook who never did a good thing as some would have you believe. It showed him in his best moments, in his bad moments, showed his shining achievements and his terrible failures. Harding comes through as a big hearted well-meaning man who learned much from being President and was growing into the job as he went along. The book also shows his shortcomings and his own coming to realize his own limitations and how he tried to compensate for these. While the book leaned more to the positive, it also did not diminish or apologise for his mistakes, shortcomings or bad decisions. However, it was nice to see his achievements, advancements, victories and strengths applauded and explored. What a refreshing breath of fresh air to read about Warren G. Harding in this light and this alone makes this book a must read! If you want to see Warren G. Harding in a more balanced way do read this book!
   
   Unlike many books this one is well-researched. It has tons of footnotes so you can check out the statements, quotes and if they are taken in context by John Dean. Check them I did, and I found no misquotes, misstatements or anything taken out of context. Excellent job by John Dean in this area! I like well-researched books that can back up their claims with documentation. I also like the fact that this author uses the papers of the Warren G. Harding administration in drawing his insights and conclusions. Excellent job in documentation makes this book much more powerful in its presentation.
   
   It was refreshing to read about Warren G. Harding in a positive light. Some would have you believe that nothing good happened under the Harding Administration. This book describes very well the accomplishments that most overlook when Harding is considered. Every President has their failures and accomplishments and this book touches upon both bringing a much more balanced account of Harding and his Presidency than most books in the past have. However, John Dean does play up the the positive side slightly more, but with good reason. So much negative press has been given in the past with regards to this President and his Administration that to dwell upon this would not justify a new book on this topic. By reading this book in combination with others, which are more negative, one gets a much more balanced account of President Harding and his Presidency.
   
   I liked how John Dean also explored the negative claims and clarified them, putting blame where blame is due and through documentation and use of other's first hand knowledge he refuted some of the more outragious claims. His use of Colonel Starling's quotes is one example of documentation that is helpful. I've read Colonel Edmund Starling's book and his being a Secret Service Agent from Woodrow Wilson thru FDR's years is interesting, informative and eye opening in regards to the Presidents he served and protected. John Dean perhaps plays a bit too lighty upon the negative, but in the introduction Dean does state he was concerned at how to best portray the truth of who Harding was, how he was elected and how he operated and performed as President. I feel he accomplished his goal very well with this book.
   
   The flow of the book was done very well also. It was a pleasure to read and I never found myself bored, distracted or the reading tedious. It is a very well written, very well organized, very well researched and a very impressive book. You will come away from this book with a very different view of Warren G. Harding and his Presidency. For me I see him now in a much more balanced light. He made good and bad decisions. He had some of the best and some of the worst Cabinet members. He saved the government lots of money only to have some in his adminstration steal quite a bit. He had his moments of brilliance and his moments of either extreme ignorance or extreme naivete. Warren G. Harding was a very human President who did some very good things and made his share of mistakes. Was he the worst President ever? I don't think so, but I sure do not believe he was anywhere near being a great one either. If you want a much more balanced look at this man who I believe did the best he could do and achieved more than we are led to believe read this book! Five Stars.



4. I've read every known book about Harding and own most of them. He certainly was an interesting man; bad presidents are often more fun to read about than good ones. I've been through Harding's house in Marion, Ohio, several times, listened to docents there try to beatify him outrageously and visited his and the Duchess's magnificent tomb in Marion. I've even tried to listen to Harding's speeches on the record put out by the Ohio Historical Society, but that was too painful. As H.L. Mencken said, Harding strung words together like wet sponges. If Harding was trying to say something, it was all lost in droning and alliteration.
   
   John Dean, whose other books I admire, just tried too hard, I think, to redeem Mr. Harding with a coat of whitewash. He never should have been president--by experience, by education, by leadership qualities, by common sense. He prefered to play poker and dandle Nan Britton on his knee, perhaps even at the White House. He liked to golf and write mushy letters to another lady friend--letters on U.S. Senate sationery while sitting in the senate, in session. He paid lip service to prohibition and drank alcohol, but only one glass per day, Dean explains. It seems doubtful that Harding ever really understood the real issues. In short, he was a bungler and a hypocrite. Oddly enough, that makes him fascinating, in a way that, say, Jimmy Carter is not.
   
   Fortunately Harding was president at a time when he could do no great immediate harm, although his opposition to the League of Nations may have contributed to the disasters that followed. His biggest fault was probably naivete. He was simply done in by some really bad friends, such as Fall. Forbes, Smith, Daugherty, Means, Denby et al. As Truman is quoted in the introduction to this book: "The buck stops here." Harding, like Nixon, is responsible for the sort of people he attracted and put into government.
   
   Mrs. Harding comes across in Dean's encomium as an attractive and rather self effacing woman in the Dean book. She was older than her husband by several years, and there was nothing attractive about her, physically or intellectually. No wonder Harding slipped out of the house at night to drink with the boys, play poker and whatever. One observer at the time said Mrs. Harding had a voice that would etch glass and called her husband "Warrrn."
   
   The biography by Mr. Dean tries to polish off all the rough spots on Harding's CV, but it just doesn't work. Harding wasn't the worst president we've had, but he wasn't a good one either. The Dean book doesn't change that.



5. There is nothing wrong with giving a broader perspective on Harding, but the documented facts are never going to go away. Anyone who says Harding wasn't responsible for Teapot Dome and all the other corruption scandals that went on during his administration (such as the Veteran's Administration) simply doesn't understand the concept of Chief Executive accountability. While no one has ever said that Harding himself was corrupt, the fact that so much of his inner circle was corrupt says all we need to say about the man. Harding was a simple man who gave a great speech and had an authority about him. He had a cold wife but he was a man of privilege who preoccupied himself with the pleasures always afforded such men: good cigars, women on the side, golf and other activities with his male peers of the day. He left the day to day running of the country to a set of cronies who ultimately proved to be thoroughly rotten. Apologetic Republicans would like to re-write this little stretch of history because it is a cautionary tale of cronyism masquerading as conservatism. The fact that John Dean penned this book makes it all the more interesting, but Harding was no Nixon by any stretch of the imagination. Nixon may have left office in disgrace but I think that he was still one of the most intelligent and innovative presidents of the 20th century, and he was running his own show, not somebody else. Harding was more like George W. Bush, a mouthpiece for a staff full of robber barons.

2 comments about Ronald Reagan and the Triumph of American Conservatism (Library of American Biography Series) (2nd Edition).

1. I was disappointed in this book. It was too short for the massive subject material about Reagan.



2. Dr. Jules Tygiel uses simple, forthright prose to assess the accomplishments and evaluate the legacy of one of America's most popular presidents.His admiration for Ronald Reagan's political skills is fairly balanced with his reservations about some of the unfinished business of the two-term administration.This is a book for general readers, not scholars. There are no footnotes and only a brief bibliography, but the tenor of the text is factual and earnest, rather than fanciful and laudatory. All admirers of the 40th President will surely want to read this concise, stylishly-written biography in order to preview the judgements of future generations of historians concerning Ronald Reagan.