1 comments about Simon Bolivar's Quest for Glory (Texas A&M University Military History Series, 86.).

1. This book is largely fact based description of Simon Bolivar's military and political exploits. While the authors' writing style is a bit disjointed at times, they reveal few biases in their writings. They obviously respect Bolivar's strengths but don't ignore his flaws and their occasional dry wit is a welcome addition. A small minus are the maps, they tended not be very detailed, so the reader is left wondering the location of some events. However, that isn't enough to drop the evaluation.
   
   The story itself seems to be well-researched. It has one flaw that plagues many military histories, perhaps by necessity, of focusing too much on the exploits of the generals rather than the troops who do the fighting. On the whole, this book certainly leaves the reader with a good overall description of the life of Simon Bolivar and the era in which he lived.

2 comments about Admiral William A. Moffett: Architect of Naval Aviation (Bluejacket Books) (Bluejacket Books).

1. This book is the authoritative biography of Admiral Moffett, a man who would not only help to shape the world of Naval Aviation so dominant today but would also help to change the Navy from a group of gun lovers to a group of power projectors. In this book you will read about Moffetts exploits as a child and then as a young adult before he became a sailor and then you will read in excellent detail and prose about the effects he had on the people and the institutions he was involved with up until his tragic death. If you are looking to learn about a father of Naval Aviation or just an interesting man this is the book for you.



2. William F. Trimble's Smithsonian History of Aviation Series biography "Admiral William A. Moffett: Architect of Naval Aviation" is an outstanding work about the father of American Naval Aviation.

   Trimble paints a clear picture of Moffett as a dynamic man of distinct vision, great patience, and remarkable talent who clearly discerned the basic philosophical and organizational ideas necessary to make aviation a part of the fleet. He may have been less clear on some details of the technology, but his broad-ranging vision of the future impact of aviation on navies was completely correct.

   Trimble treats the dispute between Billy Mitchell and William Moffett as diplomatically as Moffett did, but no less finally. Nor does Trimble shirk from cataloging Moffett's numerous political battles within and without the Navy to establish Naval Aviation. He also clearly details the admiral's dealings with the many and sundry personalities that impacted his quest to establish aviation in the Navy.

   One remarkable fact that comes out is that Moffett was a battleship captain before he became a champion of aviation. Also conspicuously absent in this work is any real finger-pointing at a supposed cabal of "battleship admirals" reputed by legend to have stymied the growth of Naval Aviation. Instead one finds a trail of Congressional penury, and bureaucratic in-fighting, almost none of which spoke to or even disputed the military value of Naval Aviation, much less cast it in opposition to the battleship.

   What Trimble brings out is that the early "opposition" to Naval Aviation had almost everything to do with a bureaucratic "turf war" between Moffett's new Bureau of Aviation and the Bureau of Navigation (later called the Bureau of Personnel). The other--"material"--Bureaus bowed out with relative good grace once the technical necessity of BuAer became clear and they grudgingly surrendered control of their shares of the budgetary pie and personnel necessary to develop aviation as a weapon for the fleet. However, BuNav launched a bitter campaign to retain its prerogatives respecting its ability to control personnel assignments and pay.

   That battle was still underway when Moffett was killed in the crash of the airship USS Akron, and it was left up to others such as Ernest King and John Towers to continue the fight.

   That Moffett was lost in an airship accident is viewed by many as poetic, given his championing of the technology of rigid airships. Ironically, Moffett was not so uniquely or rosily linked to this nascent aviation technology as legend would have it. He pressed every aspect of aviation technology in the Navy, including float planes, sea planes, catapults, and carrier aircraft as well as rigid and non-rigid airships. At the time of his loss aboard Akron, Moffett had been entertaining serious doubts about the effectiveness of airships and pressing the Akron's commanders hard to demonstrate the worth of such expensive vehicles. Clearly, Moffett's support of airships was neither unthinking nor unwavering. His devotion to evaluating any promising technology was, however, total, so he wasn't going to axe rigid airships without good cause.

   Beyond his foresight of what aviation could bring to the Navy, and his superb political and organizational skills, Moffett was most importantly a leader. His ability to quiet radical air power advocates in the Navy's own ranks and persuade non-aviators in the fleet of aviation's future importance were instrumental in winning the battle against Billy Mitchell's idea of a unified Air Force controlling all military aircraft ashore and at sea. Had Navy non-aviators been unconvinced of aviation's future utility, they might happily have given up such an expensive burden; had Congress perceived great dissention and support of a unified Air Force in Naval Aviation ranks, it might have mandated Mitchell's approach.

   The true measure of Moffett's skill with people was the adroit high-wire act he managed, suspended between traditional naval officers who abhored political activity by officers on one side and the highly charged Mitchell-led air power lobbyists on the other. Despite muttering and outrage on his obviously political activity from within the Navy, and often intemperate attacks by the air power lobby from without, Moffett befriended, wrote to and influenced numerous politicians, industrialists and socialites. On many occasions the intervention of Moffett's bevy of friends proved crucial in the political battles raging around Naval Aviation.

   The man who became this leader is also revealed by Trimble's writing, but what becomes apparent is that first, foremost and always, William Moffett was a naval officer. That was the consuming task of his life, and when he discovered aviation it too became central to who he was and what he did.

   It is abundantly clear from Trimble's writing the magnitude of the loss the Navy and the nation suffered 20 minutes into 4 April 1933.

1 comments about Daniel "Chappie" James: The First African American Four Star General.

1. I watched a couple shows that touched on General "Chappie James & I immediately became interested in him. From his personal triumphs & beliefs, to the influence/words of wisdom from his mother, I had to know more. I read some articles & web pages, but I really wanted more information in the form of a biography.
   
   I found a couple on Amazon, but none had reviews (which is the reason I decided to leave one after reading this book). I searched the internet for reviews, but again I came up with nothing. I decided to take a chance & order the biography by Bracey.
   
   Well, first the good news. If you are doing research or a thesis on Gen. James, get this book. It basically does the leg work for you. No library searches needed, it's all here. Unfortunately, that's the only good thing I can say & it's also the reason I didn't enjoy the book at all.
   
   I found the book almost painful to read. There is no flow, no method, and the book is constantly jumping from quote to quote, excerpt to excerpt. The author makes no attempt to form an overall picture of the man, instead the author tries to be too fair by writing from all angles, citing as many quotes as he could, & it makes for a very distracting writing style. As soon as one quote is cited and the author writes his interpretation of it, there's an opposing point of view quote with another interpretation by the author. After a couple pages, you're left with 10 quotes, the author's definition of each, and a choppy paragraph at the end trying to tie it all together. This goes on from start to finish & you can't get any clear picture of the man the book is about.
   
   Just look at these numbers, 18 chapters plus an epilogue comprising only 203 pages. If you add up the references to notes at the end of each chapter plus the epilogue, they total 647 (and over 200 entries in the bibliography & an index of 7 pages of double column entries in small font). The book is one giant bibliography.
   
   I give the author credit for doing his homework, but he just couldn't put it all together into a successful, informative, enjoyable biography. Just too much info, crammed into to small of a book, with no real chances taken by the author to write on his own.
   
   Overall I was very disappointed in this book & it did no justice to the legend of General James.
   
   I plan on reading another biography on James & I hope with different results.

No comments about Confederate Guerrilla Sue Mundy: A Biography of Kentucky Soldier Jerome Clarke.

No comments about Hitler: The Policies of Seduction.

1 comments about America's First Black General: Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. 1880-1970 (Modern War Studies).

1. This is an excellent biography of Gen. Davis. He was a great soldier, who managed to become an officer in the US Army in the face of Jim Crow racism. His career was held back and often endangered by this racism. Yet he never turned his back on serving his country or gave up his career in the face of so many obstacles. It is a truely inspirational story about a great American.

3 comments about Cuban Confederate Colonel: The Life of Ambrosio Jose Gonzales.

1. This is not the easiest read, the author sometimes gives too much information. That makes reading more cumbersome but at the same time it does have many interesting details and tidbits. If you are intereted in Cuban and US history as it relates to filibusters and Cuban history prior to independence buy the book.



2. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cuban Confederate Colonel and recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Civil War or Cuban history. It's apparent from the quality of writing and comprehensive documentation that a significant amount of time and research went into this work. De la Cova's writing is very descriptive and engaging and the story flows smoothly. The chapters are organized chronologically, but also entitled by major milestones in Gonzales' life and make it easy to move around the book.

   Of particular interest to me was the complicated relationship between Gonzales and his in-laws, the wealthy Elliott family of South Carolina. Gonzales was first introduced to the Elliott clan in 1852 through his friendship with fellow Freemason, William Elliott, the family patriarch. During the next three years, Gonzales socialized with the family and carried on a platonic correspondence with one of Elliott's elder daughters, Emily, who fell in love with the Cuban. However, the attraction was not mutual, and Gonzales' subsequent marriage to Emily's much younger sister, Hattie, set the stage for a lifelong feud between the spurned sister and Gonzales. Emily's jealously and bitterness, at first manifested in subtle ways, later became overt attacks on Gonzales' character as she attempted to poison his relationship with the family, especially his children.

   My favorite chapters dealt with the reconstruction period when the Gonzales/Elliott families struggled to put their lives back together. Born into wealth and privilege, they initially appeared ill equipped to survive under the conditions of poverty and hardship forced upon them in the aftermath of the South's defeat. With a little cooperation between the families and some creative financing, Gonzales purchases one of Elliott's former plantations, Social Hall, and begins his quest to provide financial security for his family.
   
   The author's skillful use of quotations from the family letters throughout the book allows the principals to speak for themselves and brings them vividly to life as their story develops. I also appreciated that quite a bit of information concerning the Gonzales children as adults was included. This is a fitting epilogue to the story and does not leave me wondering what happened to everybody else after the subject dies.




3. Very few people, Cuban or American, are aware of the role that Cubans have played in United States' history before the rise of Castro. However, Cubans were in the United States for more than a century before Castro's revolution. Not just bystanders, waiting for Spain to get out of Cuba, they were full participants in events around them, where ever they may be.

   This biography is a fascinating look at one Cuban's involvement in the Cuban freedom movement as well as the American Civil War and his struggle for survival during reconstruction. At the same time, the author seamlessly integrates the story of Gonzales' family life, in particular his marriage into a wealthy Southern family and life long love affair with his wife, Hattie. Although very well documented and suitable for a textbook (and priced like one), this book reads like a novel and held my interest throughout. Highly recommended!!!

5 comments about Vespasian.

1. I am incredulous that one reviewer would term Caligula, Claudius, and Vespasian as "boring." There are dozens and dozens of boring Emperors. But these guys? Caligula, dressing up as a Pharoh (or a woman) and parading the streets of Rome with a fake falling-off beard. Claudius, proclaimed Emperor by the Praetorian Guards as a joke--that backfired. Except for his choice of wives, such as his niece Agrippina (too bad about that. It gave the world Nero. Oh, and Messalina, the party girl!) he did rather well. And Vespasian himself, who would have thought! He brought stability to the empire, paid off the debts, put a tax on urine, and got to sleep with Antonia Caenis as well. These guys were anything but boring. And given the paucity of solid stuff on Vespasian, I'll take what I can get.



2. The previous half dozen reader reviews of this book (mostly lukewarm) have fallen into two catagories: quibbles by other period specialists and complaints from those who wish Levick would try to impart some readability to her scholarship. Of course the specialists beg to differ, that's what specialists do. No two would ever make the same choices in attempting to capture the same complex period. Those who assert that this book is very "dry" are right, but those who dub it "boring" have missed the point. Try to find another booklength biography of Vespasian in English! If one wants to learn about this man, this is an essential book and for that reason it deserves more than three stars. Levick is a scholar emerita. We can regret that she did not learn her craft in an era when some historians recognize the value of writing for a wider audience than the tiny circle of their fellow cognoscenti, but we do her wrong if we fail to credit her with writing a work that is the first of its kind.



3. I have read all of Barbara Levick's works and find them consistently dry, ponderous and distorted with one-sided theses. To be fair, the work is well researched and intricate, yet is at the same time lacking the spark of fascination so characteristic of Roman history but so difficult to describe. Because a book is devoid of imagination, spirit and narrative for an emphasis on sheer exegesis does not neccesarily make that work particularly "scholarly": in fact, it makes that work boring. More's the pity for Roman studies.



4. This book is better termed a history of the Flavians rather than a biography of Vespasian. Despite a glowing review (in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review), I have reservations about the achievement of Barbara Levick in writing this book.

   I was looking forward "Vespasian" since, until now, there has been no biography in English about this emperor. Aside from a history of his reign, I was hoping this new book would provide some insight into Vespasian's personality and his relations with Titus and Domitian. To an extent, Professor Levick fulfilled this expectation but not on the level I was hoping. For example, I was interested in a broader assessment of the fortunes of the Flavians, particularly their rise under Caligula and Claudius and Vespasian's fall from grace. I would have liked more about Titus' education with Britannicus and his presumed presence at the poisoning of Claudius' son. I think the latter instance is pure Flavian propaganda.

   The Judean War is related as a recitation of the facts with little elaboration. We do not get a full picture of Titus's role in the war. He was an inexperienced commander and showed this in more than a few mistakes he made. If Vespasian allowed him the glory of capturing Jerusalem he made sure that his son has a seasoned professional to advise him: Tiberius Julius Alexander. Titus' pivotal role was in handling the delicate negotiations between the parties involved in the Flavian rebellion met with scant attention. Without his traveling from person to person, Vespasian's rebellion would never have happened. The role Queen Berenice in these negotiations is not brought up. Since her brother, Agrippa II, was in Rome until after the Flavian rebellion began, and she was romantically involved with Titus it would have been interesting to have more insight into her role.

   A discussion about Nerva from Professor Levick is sorely wanting. He is briefly mentioned, which I think is odd for such a pivotal Flavian supporter. I would like to know her ideas about his mysterious contribution to the Flavian cause that earned him an ordinary consulship with Vespasian, the only consulship he did not share with Titus.

   The best parts of the book for me were the last two chapters (Vespasian and His Sons and Conclusion) where Professor Levick brilliantly sums up the Flavians and their impact on history. However, Vespasian does not emerge from this book as a flesh-and-blood personality. Some of the chapters, particularly Restoration of the Roman World, which deals with events in every part of the empire, would have benefited by adding headings in the text. This would provide easy access to the information. I was perturbed over Professor Levick's shorthand in referring to ancient sources. The Annals of Tacitus, for example, are abbreviated TA and the notes are crowded. The source is not immediately identifiable and I wish more intuitive abbreviations were used.

   I cannot agree with other reviewers that Professor Levick selects "boring" emperors. Tiberius and Claudius were anything but boring, and their reigns were pivotal in the history of the principate. I think that there is room for another biography of Vespasian, written in the form of a true life of the subject, and including chapters dealing with the state of the empire, army, art and literature. Ms. Levick's book is not the last word on her subject.




5. There is no fault to be had with Levick's attention to detail, or her painstaking research. Where Vespasian falls flat, however, is in style and organization. Levick eschews the narrative, and spurns a chronological approach to her subject. She chooses instead a subject-oriented organization; not bad in and of itself (Michael Grant largely pulls that off in The Severans), but her dry style and over-attention to obscure details and constant quarrels with other scholars make the absence of a narrative approach nearly fatal.

   Levick also buries any hint of her own voice or feelings. Obviously, she must have a keen interest in Vespasian to have invested such a large amount of work in the book. Yet none of her interest comes through. Contrast that with historians such as Norwich, Tuchman, or Runciman - a passion for their subject shines through each of their works. The best historians set out with the mindset, "This is a fascinating era of history, and I'm going to show my readers why they should think so, too." Levick seems to have other priorities.

   Perhaps academics can appreciate Levick's work (and perhaps the Italian translation is more gripping); for the amateur, however, looking for an enjoyable, educational foray into Imperial Rome, Levick's Vespasian is best avoided.

No comments about Camouflaged Bruises: A Memoir of Loyalty and Betrayal.

5 comments about Back in Action: An American Soldier's Story of Courage, Faith and Fortitude.

1. Rozelle's book protrays an interesting story about his personal journey. Well worth the read.



2. CPT Dave Rozelle is a true hero and American Patriot. This amazing true story is a must read for any of the War on Terrorism's many critics. Whereas many in our great country sit back and point fingers at those making decisions and fighting overseas, CPT Rozelle is actually doing his part. It's easy to sit on the sidelines, but Dave has fought, been severely wounded, and fought again. He now commands amputees at Walter Reed, getting them in shape to fight again. You can't help but feel even greater respect for our men and women in uniform after reading this one. CPT Rozelle and his men are true Americans, and need to be acknowledged by reading this book.



3. This book was tough for me. As a military wife I was drawn to Capt. Rozelle's story. However, his book didn't live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, Capt. Rozelle is to be commended for all that he has accomplished and all that he is still accomplishing. The problem, for me, was that in his attempt to show the military in such a great light he came off as somewhat unrelatable. During the first part of the book, he seemed unable to show any sort of failure or flaw. It wasn't until after his injury that he let the reader see his humanity. He finally told stories of how he let himself down and how he eventually picked himself up and went forward. My only gripe is that he failed to show this same side of himself in the earlier portions of the book.



4. If you believe that troop-morale is low this book should change your mind. I've heard Capt. Rozelle on Laura Ingraham's show telling his story and each time I hear him I'm more confident, proud and optimistic about what we're doing in Iraq. Rozelle provides great insight on what's really going on and is highly critical of the poor press coverage of the War in Iraq.



5. I was eager to read Capt. Rozelle's book and compare with others by combat veterans from previous conflicts as far back as the American Revolution. Though the Captain has been exemplary in his actions as a soldier, and in his determination to overcome his disability, I was dissapointed and offended by the use of profane and vulgar language in the text. I realize the useage is common in the military, (I am a veteran myself), but it is never appropriate in an historical text to be read now and for generations to come.
   
   I am also dissapointed in Regnery for not providing better editing.