5 comments about America's Fighting Admirals: Winning the War at Sea in World War II.

1. Tuohy's "America's Fighting Admirals" follows his earlier "The Bravest Man: Richard O'Kane and the Amazing Submarine Adventures of the USS Tang". Tuohy's new book is easily one of the most readable, comprehensive and well-researched books I have seen about America's top naval leaders, their adversaries and the war at sea in World War II. His fast-paced and wide-ranging account concisely examines and summarizes key actions and players at war in the vast expanses of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea.
   
   Tuohy analyzes the strategy, detailed planning and execution of the war's major campaigns by America's fighting admirals and provides brief, but concise overviews of each major battle from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo and North Africa to Normandy.
   
   The roles of great personalities such as King, Nimitz, Halsey, Spruance, Fletcher, Mitscher, Turner and Kinkaid are well covered, but Tuohy provides new details on lesser-known flag officers such as Jack Towers, "Slew" McCain, "Ching" Lee, "31-knot" Burke, "Uncle Dan" Barbey, "Tip" Merrill, "Pug" Ainsworth, "Close-in" Conolly and many others. Tuohy's battle coverage includes the Fighting Admirals' counterpart foes in the Imperial Japanese Navy such as admirals Yamamoto, Nagumo, Ozawa, Kurita, Nishimura, "tenacious" Tanaka and others.
   
   This well-organized 400-page book contains an introduction, 31 chapters, an epilogue, brief biographical highlights of 54 admirals, plus Marine LtGen Holland M. "Howlin" Mad" Smith and Army Gen Douglas MacArthur, a list of sources, chapter notes, maps, 14 pages of flag officers' photographs and unit, vessel and general indices.
   
   I highly recommend this book. For the historian, it provides a fresh look at well-documented events and personalities. For the layman, it provides a sweeping picture of the greatest naval leaders of the greatest fleet fighting the greatest naval war in history. It supplements earlier works such as Pfannes and Salamone's The Great Admirals of World War II: The Americans, Boyne's Clash of Titans and Howarth's Men At War. I thoroughly enjoyed Tuohy's excellent book and give it five stars.



2. As a retired Naval Officer and student of Naval history, I found this book filled in many of the "holes" I had in my knowledge of WWII. The very striking parallels between those Admirals who actually WON the war, because they were warriors, and those who observed because they were bureaucrats and the current state of today's leadership is simply stunning. A must for those who want to understand how things worked and what must be done to succeed then and NOW.



3. I'm not convinced as some others that this is a great book. I was expecting something more thorough that looked into the personalities and leadership styles of the great US admirals of World War II. What I discovered was another book laying out the history of World War II at Sea. And this one is not very detailed. This could have been better organized. I would have organized it by having a chapter on each key fighting admiral of World War II starting with the ones who were famous at the beginning and leading to the end. That way, it would have focused more on the admirals and not be just another history of World War II at Sea.



4. The American naval actions of the second world war were some of the most dramatic in the history of sea warfare, taking place over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans alike with an admiral overseeing each action and battle. The battles are here described from the perspective of American admirals who fought them and comes from a World War II navy veteran who not only covers all major campaigns and admiral leaders, but analyzes strategy and decision-making challenges during battle. Serious World War II military collections, particularly those with strong naval history sections, need AMERICA'S FIGHTING ADMIRALS: WINNING THE WAR AT SEA IN WORLD WAR II.



5. "America's Fighting Admirals" is a history of the United States and its fighting admirals in World War II.
   
   Pulitzer Prize winner author William Tuohy discusses more than fifty US Navy admirals and how they won the war at sea.
   
   This brilliantly written work is a compelling read and is full of new insights on the American Navy and its opponents in World War II. Particularly interesting were the sections on the Japanese Imperial Navy's Long Lance torpedo and Japan's Kamikazes, which haunted the Americans until the closing days of the war.
   
   This book is recommended for anyone interested in combat leadership, the United States Navy, and naval warfare in World War II.

2 comments about Red Tail Captured, Red Tail Free: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman and POW.

1. Col. Jefferson has written an excellent personal memoir that is a unique addition to the literature of those who fought and served America so well in World War II and after. I bought the book after hearing the author speak (to a standing ovation) and was pleased to get the additional well written and presented detail of his experiences. His numerous drawings of the places he served, especially the POW camp, helped transport the reader to a better understanding than from merely a written description.



2. Among the many groups to whom we owe more than we can ever repay there is the Tuskegee Airmen. Determined to become Army Air Crop pilots and to fight for America, these men enlisted in the army. In spite of the determination of some to make them fail, they didn't. In spite of a 'quota' as to how many would be allowed to graduate (not discovered until many years later) some 900 made it through the system. Most became fighter pilots, after all if they flew bombers they might have had white crewmen under them and in those days that just wouldn't do.
   
   Lt. Jefferson made it through. And eventually he flew with the famous 332nd, the Red Tails. Most of the missions of the 332nd were to escort bombers. NO Bombers were ever lost to Enemy Aircraft while being escorted by the 332nd.
   
   On his 19th mission Lt. Jefferson was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. He spent the next nine months in a German POW camp. When finally returned to the United States after being liberated he walked off the ship to be told, "Whites to the right, niggers to the left."
   
   Thank you Alexander Jefferson for all that you did, including writing this book.

5 comments about Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs: The Unknown Story of the Men and Women of World War II's OSS.

1. I was very satisified with the condition of the book when I got it and how quickly I received it.



2. It is a very valuable piece of historic mosaic.
   
   E.g. one of many fascinating parts is how blatant were Soviet spies in the State Department when they torpedoed any effort by OSS to obtain intelligence on the Soviet Union.
   
   However, the presentation is too dry and too fragmented in my view.



3. This book was not only entertaining it was also informative. The book discusses an area of WWII that has not been fully covered. The descriptive stories and tales almost make you feel you were there.



4. Where are they now?
   
   Where are people like 'Wild Bill' Donovan, Corporal Drake, Elizabeth Pack, Moe Berg today? We need them in the 'War on Terror.' Instead we have the 'Keystone Cops.' Today we spy on Americans, perhaps because don't have enough intelligence agents who speak Arabic.
   
   In early August, 2001 - a month before Sept. 11, the Keystone Cops of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. were offered intelligence that Osama bin Laden and Al Queda were planning `something.' They turned a blind eye and deaf ear. After Sept 11 they said "Figure out how Saddam did this."
   
   This book is criticized by other reviewers for offering the facts but little context and less analysis. However, you could also say that it provides the facts, as remembered by the men and women of the OSS, and invites us to draw our own conclusions.
   
   There are between the lines criticisms.
   
   "OSS's first African American operator, a Corporal Drake.... Drake's membership in the OSS was purely happenstance since OSS, like the rest of America's armed forces, had not been integrated."
   
   "Only 143 Americans died in the line of duty.... However, hundreds of foreigners were killed while working for the OSS."
   
   And a singularly subtle reminder of who we fought.
   
   "German intelligence dismissed the group as `a perfect picture of the mixture of races and characters in that savage conglomeration called the United States.'"
   
   O'Donnell's book is a good read for a plane, beach, or weekend. The anecdotal style makes it easy to put down. The pace and content make you pick it up again and again to read thru and review.



5. This book has a wealth of information. With so much, the author managed to organize everything in a sensible manner. The information builds on previous chapters. It can be hard to remember, but the author does manage to add some reminders.

1 comments about To Benning & Back: Volume I: The Making Of A Citizen Soldier - My Journals of Daily Life in US Army Basic Training and Officer Candidate School (2nd Edition).

1. Monroe Mann's "To Benning and Back: The Making of a Citizen Soldier" is an honest portrait of the United States Army's Basic Training at Fort Benning and the New York Army National Guard's Officer Candidate School at Camp Smith. Military literary sketches are often crowded with heroic jargon and feats of super hero performances, whereas, LT Mann's story tells of the heartache and uncertainty a soldier feels while undergoing some of the toughest training in the military. He holds nothing back. Not even the heroic jargon and super hero feats. This is Monroe's honest story of his ups and downs, his highs and lows, his good decisions and his bad. "To Benning and Back..." should be required reading for anyone considering the Army National Guard's Officer Candidate School.
   
   Hooah,
   
   Rudy

1 comments about Diary and Correspondence of Count Axel Fersen, Grand-Marshal of Sweden Relating to the Court of France.

1. How lovely it is to have a book that gives so much
   insight into the person themselves! We find much out
   about the man himself (Count Fersen) from reading his
   own thoughts written in letters to his father and others
   and from their letters to him. This book is definitely
   well worth the read and to have as a resource on the
   happenings during the French and American Revolution.
   
   If I had it to do all over again, I would buy the
   hard cover edition though. My front and back cover
   to the book, while in excellent condition when first
   received, began to curl back as soon as it hit the
   moist, humid, subtropical air here in Florida. I've
   never had a book do that quite so quickly before.

5 comments about With Lawrence in Arabia (Prion Lost Treasures).

1. 
   Most reviewers, even the detractors, reckon this book as extremely well-written. Well, it isn't. It's written like a 1930s American newsreel - flash, upbeat, parochial, excited. Nevertheless, in parts it's great, and overall it's well worth reading for the information it provides and the insight it gives into the character of T. E. Lawrence.
   
   There can be no question that Lawrence was a great figure in Middle Eastern history, together with his flaws, his depth, his many mistakes and his fantastic successes. The vast majority of the time it's easy enough to tell when Lowell Thomas is writing for effect and when he is simply relating facts. He does not try to hide his excitement for the campaigns or his fondness for Lawrence.
   
   It's well worth reading this book for yourself and making up your own mind. As an eye-witness account of an important part of Middle Eastern history, it can scarcely be beaten. Virtually everything that happened in the Middle East during the time of Lawrence has had a direct bearing on the events of today.



2. Thomas' book is worth reading because it's a nice antidote to the Lawrence revisionism that reached it's hysterical peak in the late eighties with David Fromkin. A Peace to End All Peace, which has been quoted on this website as some kind of definitve debunking of Lawrence, is now sixteen years old, an eternity in the world of Lawrence ebb and flow. I know of five biographies of Lawrence published since then including Jeremy Wilson's definitive work. The pendulum has been swinging back the other way for over a decade and the mainstream thought now among military historians is that inspite of one or two exaggerations, Lawrence's masterpiece, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, is an accurate account of one of the most remarkable military adventures of modern times. Lowell Thomas, who was an eye witness to some of Lawrence's exploits, also captures the essence of why Lawrence was important. If you had to read only one, of course you should read Seven Pillars. In the March 1, 2004 London Times there are actually two different articles addressing the vital relevance of Seven Pillars of Wisdom for those fighting Arab guerrillas in Irag today. It seems the sales of this great work has exploded. In the Oxford Companion to Military History published in 2002, Lawrence is given credit for virtually inventing effective modern guerrilla warfare (see the entry "guerrilla warfare"). According to this distinguished reference book, every formidable guerrilla fighter from Mao, to Che, to the Israeli guerrillas of the forties, to the Arabs, to the Viet Namese etc., have used Lawrence's writings and experiences as a model for their efforts. Lawrence is back and very relevant, so Thomas' account should be read as an enthusiatic if flawed version of an extremely important development in military and middle eastern history. A word about Fromkin and some of the other out dated debunkers. Lawrence stepped on a lot of Arab, Zionist and British Establisment toes. It's as important to examine the motives of a revisionist as it is to scrutinize the intergrity of an enthusiast.



3. David Lean included a journalist, Jackson Bentley, in his epic film "Lawrence of Arabia," an obvious take-off on the great journalist and author Lowell Thomas. In fact, Thomas was with Lawrence in Arabia and used the experience to make a name for himself and to create a legend. Sadly, it is also true, that T.E. Lawrence did not want to be a legend. As a biography of Lawrence or an introduction to the Middle East this volume has suffered a bit over the years..."it's all right," but there are better books on each subject. Still, this is something special, at least for this writer. This was the first book on the Middle East that I read and when combined with Lean's film which I saw about the same time in early 1963 I was hooked. I have studied, taught about and written about the Middle East ever since. Lowell Thomas and David Lean were inspirations for this modest scholar. I had the privilege to spend part of an early evening with Lowell Thomas in 1973, in of all places a press box awaiting a football game at the University of Utah. It was an unexpected and rare treat. Thomas seemed quite moved that he had encouraged the work of a graduate student. He was was quite a man. His greatest talent was to tell stories, and that he did, with some dramatic embellishments. This work on Lawrence is not unfactual, indeed it provides a good deal of fact. It is also quite sympathetic to Islam and the Arabs, as it should be. Lawrence seems larger than life. But in truth there are men like that. Both Lawrence and Thomas were such men and that can be seen in this wonderful book. It reads well, and it educates, even if some of it is the stuff of legend.



4. In writing his book about Lawrence of Arabia, Lowell Thomas knew how to package a story for selling it to a wide variety of audiences. Thomas was, after all, a multi-media professional. Thomas sometimes took liberty with his subject such as how he recalled his first meeting with Lawrence (pg. 1). At other times, Thomas indulged in histrionics (for example when he grew emphatic about the most brilliant and spectacular military operation in the world's history) (pg. 179).

   Despite these shortcomings, "With Lawrence in Arabia" has the merit and talent to make a complex man accessible to the great majority of people. "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by Lawrence himself, though a literary masterpiece, is not an easy read compared to Thomas's recollection of Lawrence's exploits. Furthermore, Thomas has defended himself with conviction when he reminds in his foreword that he has not created the myth of Lawrence of Arabia (xiv). Lord Beaverbrook put it nicely when he commented on vain attempts to smear Lawrence's reputation: Every great man is subject to vicious, venomous attack. There are no exceptions. The one who will suffer will be the author (xviii). Lawrence had admirers such as Winston Churchill, Field Marshal Viscount Allenby and Viceroy and Viscount Halifax, to name a few, who knew Lawrence's strengths and weaknesses from personal experience. Most Lawrence's detractors did not know him at this level.

   Most importantly, "With Lawrence in Arabia" gives contemporary readers valuable insights into the Middle East. The last chapters are probably the most fascinating and also the most actual of all. Thomas recalled how Lawrence helped his old friend, King Feisal, become king of Iraq after being kicked out of Syria by the French. Media-savvy, Lawrence convinced the British Empire to come to the realization that the occupation of Iraq was a burden both to the Imperial Exchequer and Mesopotamia (pg. 230-234). The Coalition in Iraq knows it very well and is working on a transition plan to help Iraqis regain their sovereignty. Probably elections will be held across Iraq in the near future to accommodate the concern of the Shiite community.

   After these elections, the mandated framers of the new Iraqi Constitution could proceed as follows:

   I. On Iraqis and their rights

   The U.S. Bill of Rights could serve as a source of inspiration to govern the relationships between Iraqi citizens and the state. However, the wording of some constitutional amendments should be slightly amended to be fully understandable to a 21st century audience. Although the predominantly Islamic character of Iraq could be stressed in the Fundamental Law as a concession to the Muslim clergy, the separation of religious institutions and state should be made very clear to preserve the rights of religious minorities. Finally, the incorporation of economic, social and cultural rights and their corresponding obligations into the Fundamental Law could be considered as well.

   II. On Power

   Separation of powers and checks and balances should define the legislative, executive and judiciary powers and their respective competences. The Constitution should also promulgate that the Iraqi federal authority only has power in the matters that are formally attributed to it by the Fundamental Law and the laws carried in pursuance of the Constitution itself. Finally, the Iraqi presidency could be modeled after the provisions of the German Fundamental Law because of the recent dictatorial past of the country.

   III. On Federal Iraq, its components and its territory

   The Belgian Constitution could serve as a useful model to regulate the relationships between the center and the regions as well as between regions in Iraq. Unlike other regions such as former Yugoslavia, Rwanda or Northern Ireland, to name a few, Belgium, sometimes branded as an "artificial state," has been very good at making possible for different communities to live at peace with one another for many years. The "Belgian compromise" could work wonders in a country under stress of centrifugal forces.

   IV. Energy-revenue management

   Because easy money encourages corruption in most energy-producing countries, Iraq should set up a fund after the example of Norway. Part of the money should be reinvested to modernize the aged Iraqi infrastructure; part of these funds should be redistributed directly to Iraqi citizens based on census data to strongly discourage manipulation of the fund.

   As Lawrence himself put it, "whether the (Iraqis) are fit for independence or not remains to be tried. Merit is no qualification for freedom. Freedom is enjoyed when you are so well armed, or so turbulent, or inhabit a country so thorny that the expense ... is greater than the profit (pg. 234)." Light at the end of the tunnel, hopefully, is in sight for Iraqis to rebuild their country with success after decades wasted by a variety of ineffectual dictators.




5. Reporters have been known, now and then, to play fast and loose with the facts to entertain their readers or elevate themselves. This phenomenon is not limited to our own age. For proof, look no further than this fanciful volume.

   In 1917, Lowell Thomas was a 25-year-old part-time instructor at Princeton, a "fledgling showman from Ohio who had knocked about North America in search of fame, fortune and adventure," according to historian David Fromkin (A Peace to End All Peace). Thomas then raised enough money to travel to Britain and the Middle East front as a World War I cameraman. With this coverage began the Lawrence of Arabia myth.

   Thomas was "in search of a salable story with romance and color," Fromkin writes. He found one in Lawrence, who dressed in Arab robes and lived with Arabs. Thomas altered the facts to meet his own mercenary needs. Backed by the New York Globe, Thomas returned to New York with a false story of an Arab revolt he claimed had destroyed the Ottoman empire. At Century Theater in 1919, Thomas played a slide show and lecture, which soon moved to Madison Square Garden, then to London's Royal Opera House and Albert Hall. It eventually became With Lawrence in Arabia.

   Unfortunately, many readers still accept as gospel the Lawrence of Arabia myth that stemmed largely from Lowell Thomas' hype. This was long ago debunked, along with critical points in Lawrence's own Seven Pillars of Wisdom, but not everyone seems to know it.

   Fromkin writes that in 1920, when poet and scholar Robert Graves proposed to describe the liberation of Damascus, Lawrence himself warned Graves, "I was on thin ice when I wrote the Damascus chapter...." A onetime junior officer in the Cairo Arab Bureau, Lawrence admitted that Seven Pillars of Wisdom included a false tale of Arab bravery to aggrandize the followers of Sharif Hussein of Mecca and his son Feisal. As early as 1818, reputable newsmen reported that the Australian Light Horse division liberated Damascus from Ottoman control, not Feisal's Arab troops, who marched in afterwards, for show.

   Efraim and Inari Karsh write (Empires of the Sand) that Lawrence's victory in Damascus was "less heroic" than he pretended: Feisal was "engaged in an unabashed exercise in duplicity and none knew this better than Lawrence, who whole heartedly endorsed this illicit adventure and kept most of its contours hidden from his own superiors." Yet Lawrence basked in the limelight, attending at least five of Thomas' London lectures.

   By 1921, Fromkin writes, Winston Churchill was in charge of Britain's Arab policy in Mesopotamia and tapped John Evelyn Shuckburgh to head a new Middle East department and Foreign Office man Hubert Winthrop Young to assist him. They arranged transport and supplies for Feisal's Arab army, earning hearty endorsement from Churchill's Masterson Smith committee, which simultaneously took grave exception to T.E. Lawrence as a proposed Arab affairs adviser. The committee considered Lawrence "not the kind of man fit to easily fit into any official machine."

   Fromkin reports that Lawrence was frequently insubordinate, went over his superiors and in 1920 publicly disparaged Britain's Arab policy in the London Sunday Times as being "worse than the Turkish system." He also accused Britain of killing "a yearly average of 100 Arabs to maintain peace." This was of course untrue. Those who want to know what really happened should consult A Peace to End All Peace and the Karsh's Empires of the Sand.

   Clearly, With Lawrence in Arabia is well written. But Thomas took liberties, to say the least. William Carlos Williams and Archibald MacLeish, two of his contemporaries, became more famous as poets than as journalists. Yet unlike Thomas, they wisely kept poetic license out of their reporting. Alyssa A. Lappen

1 comments about Blackhawk Mission: From Europe to the Pacific in World War II.

1. This book gives an overview of one man's experiences in WW2 with great detail and substance. It addresses the fearful aspects of war and the funny aspects as well. It is a very personal account and tells a great deal about the extraordinary person who was a squad leader who took very good care of his men. The author has a keen eye and an entertaining style. I found it interesting, informative, and entertaining.........

5 comments about Chickenhawk: Back in the World: Life After Vietnam.

1. Thankyou Mr. Mason for helping me understand the Vietnam war and it's impact on those who fought. I was born about the time that you were touching down at your first LZ, and only grew to know the war from television and from my uncle, who was a helecopter pilot as well in vietnam. This book is a must-read sequel that will also shed light on what soldiers returning from the Gulf area must be going through. Congratulations on such a contribution, and Jerry Fowler is right, God is working through you without a doubt. You're an inspiration, I am just sorry that you and your family had to suffer so much.



2. This is a great book, as you can see by the previous reviewers!
   
   What I want to know is why this book has been out of print for so long?



3. This book was recommended to me by a veteran that flew with the First Air Cavalry. He commented, "This book described my life in Vietnam".

   The book is vivid in it's descriptions and extremely well written. I have read the book twice and both times have been moved by the ending. If you enjoy reading about flying, the Vietnam conflict, and people, this book is for you.




4. I have read this book three times. I know what an extraordinary story this is and have tried to turn others on to it.
   Bob Mason's transformation from eager pilot trainee to jaded combat veteran/burnout, while probably not anymore remarkable a story than any other pilot's is well written and that is what makes it great! After reading the book I felt as though I know Bob Mason. Not a bad thing.
   When Mason describes the deck inside the chopper,covered in blood you can almost smell it.
   Serious life and death stuff with some of the funniest stories of human screw ups wrapped up in a truly memorable account of one
   helluva chopper pilots' experience in Vietnam.
   It's like I say:" 'Chickenhawk' is the best damn war movie they never made!"



5. unless you stumbled onto this book somehow, you probably picked it up because you had been through the "chickenhawk" experience with him in his first book by that name. this book is the perfect sequel to his vietnam story. mason's deeds in the war were heroic, and yet,he ends up struggling for his life even more as soon as he is "home". he is brutally honest about his own misdeeds--to his wife and son, his friends and associates, and to himself.you feel that you are trying to claw your way upward with him, as his life spirals downward.his salvation lies in his ability to tell his story, and you become part of it as you read this book

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.

5 comments about Open Doors: Vietnam POWs Thirty Years Later.

1. The book was quick to read and the type was easy to read. There were numerous photographs and reasonably good writing. The POW issue is one everyone should be aware of, especially since there were so many men left behind and so many returned POWs who are living witnesses to that fact. Most of these men who survived and returned home have gone on to live active and productive lives.



2. Perhaps the most striking part of this book to me is the simple number, the number of days that these men spent in captivity in Vietnam: 2,381; 2,432; 2,676; 3,113. To me this made a stronger impact than saying 5 years or whatever. Three thousand days. These people sat there with nothing to do, scared, being mistreated, tortured, no idea if they would ever return home.
   
   But return home 661 did. And the overwhelming percentage brought home with them a dedication to life. Most seem to have stayed in the service (some of them had been promoted twice while in captivity), most after the service went on to successful careers in a wide variety of fields. Coming to mind is the title of David Halberstam's book, 'The Best and the Brightest.' It would be difficult to find a better group of men than these.
   
   This is the story of what happened afterward to thirty of these men.



3. This is a captivating little book that reveals how 30 Prisoners Of War (POWs) from Viet Nam have coped with life after their horrible privation and suffering while imprisoned in North Viet Nam. A number of well known POWs, like Senator John McCain and Medal of Honor winner Bud Day, are included. Authors Howren and Kiland have skillfully probed the inner man within each of these heroes, revealing to the reader the unique traits these men possessed that helped them survive their ordeals. These traits more often than not have stayed within their personas and have helped to mold them in their post-POW lives. Very professional black and white photographs show these men, often with family members, in contemporary settings and the photos reveal their essential humanity better than the written word ever could. While their POW experiences were horrific, these men come across thirty years later as not only quite normal, they seem to possess very unique insights into the persons they have become. Each POW's story is presented in two parts; the first is their thirty years later story, followed by a separate section with photos from before or just after their captivity ended and more comprehensive career histories. This arrangement gives a "before and after" which clearly shows the contrasts in their lives over time. The last portion of the book includes some excellent analysis of the demographics of POWs and insightful discussion of some myths and facts that help put them in proper context. This is a unique and professionally done book, easy to read and sure to hold the interest of anyone who wondered what became of the POWs of Viet Nam.



4. This is a Great book that every patriotic American should read. I served in Viet Nam and our group is a much greater group of veterans than we will ever get credit for. The ultra left media and Hollywood has blasphemed us unjustly for years. Thanks to Mel Gibson for making "We Were Soldiers" also.



5. I just can't get enough of this book. It's simply amazing to ponder that these men have been imprisoned and tortured, some for as long as eight years. Then you see their recent pictures and they're almost all smiling. Some in their offices, many outdoors, some with their wives, some with grandkids and dogs. But smiling genuine smiles.
   
   It's a tribute to the human spirit that these men not only endured their captivity but actually thrived in life after the war. Some went on to become renowned government officials, others in Academia, and others in the private sector, but all were able to find balance and joy beyond the horrors of their experience.
   
   The book accomplishes more that one could reasonably expect and the authors did a great job. In one black and white photo and a couple of pages of text, the reader gets a real feel for the POW and what makes him tick. I'm glad that the book's focus is on the positive achievements these men have accomplished since the war, and only addresses their incarceration in how it strengthened their core values or how that experience helped them later in life.
   
   This book can be seen as a catharsis for what ails us today as a society: It puts what is important in life into perspective, and makes the reader truly thankful for and appreciative of his or her blessings. It should be required reading for high school students.