5 comments about Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.

1. 
   I recently finished a leadership training course sponsored by my company. One of the activities that we did in the class was to reflect on great world leaders and think about what qualities made them great. It came up during the session that some years ago the teachers had led a similar exercise, but had actually asked the participants to try to communicate with a living leader who had personally affected them. The idea had been for people to get in touch with a former manager or teacher. However, it happened that one of the participants (not having a manager who he or she had admired) contacted Nelson Mandela by email. To everyone's surprise, he responded quite kindly and shared some thoughts about leaders and leadership.
   
   When I was traveling in South Africa, I heard many similar stories. Tour groups who told about Mandela coming out of the parliament building to greet and talk to the tourists. Employees at Robben Island talked reverently about how he had taken personal interest in their lives based on the briefest of acquaintenceships. Every story emphasized his humbleness, his respect for others, and his basic approachability.
   
   Long Walk to Freedom, for me, confirms that image of Mandela as a man who is great in part because of his humbleness, and his resistance to myth. He emphasizes his role as the man in the middle, pushed by circumstances and common decency into greatness. He consistently avoids overdone bragging (the little that is there is surely allowed him) and looks hard at the actions that the ANC took in their quest for freedom.
   
   While it would have been interesting to read this before going to South Africa, I actually think that I got more out of it now after seeing the country first.
   
   I really enjoyed the book. It is not a perfect narrative. It suffers in parts from being written over a period of years. There are some little repetitions and awkwardnesses along the way. None of those things matter at all in relation to either the reading experience or the importance of the book. I liked it very much, and would recommend it highly to others. Do not be daunted by its size (625 pages, in my edition). It is actually a very quick read and kept me intensely interested the whole time. Genuinely inspirational.



2. This is a fantastic book that provides great insight into one of the most inspirational leaders in modern history. His story in particular and the anti-apartheid struggles in general are fascinating and provide extremely valuable lessons. With his humbleness and incredibly lucid and organized writing style (which admittedly did surprise me), this could be the best autobiography out there. One can only imagine how different the continent would be if other African Nations had such strong leaders with Nelson Mandela's courage and integrity.



3. This book recounts the life of Nelson Mandela beginning in childhood up to the present age. It is written by Mandela himself - it's honest, straightforward style seems to be an honest attempt by Mandela to portray himself objectively, avoiding the tendency to be self-serving.
   
   A fascinating book. It begins with Mandela in his young childhood living in a pre-industrial society of native Africans in the countryside of South Africa where white settlers have dominated industrialized society. It is an engaging society, - perhaps more advanced than our own - as one must reconsider what it means to live in harmony and in cooperation; A true democracy, based on the ideals that all are equal.
   
   Mandela undergoes culture shock when he runs away from his traditional homeland to seek his fortunes in the big city of Johannesberg. Here is encounters white society up close, and is mortified at the inequity that exists between the native blacks, and the immigrant whites that make every attempt to dominate their country and exploit its indigenous peoples.
   
   Mandela encounters a small group of educated, free-thinking educated blacks, and joins the African National Congress. Here he encounters several other oppressed peoples: Indians, Communists, and liberal whites. He slowly makes his life's objective to be a freedom fighter. A fighter for civil rights for all people. A life of struggle, where one must be willing to pay the ultimate price. And he nearly does.
   
   He becomes the inspiration for downtrodden average black citizen, nearly enslaved within their own country. He willingly faces grave danger, is tried several times for his political ideals, denounced as "treason" and is eventually sent to prison "for life."
   
   Mandela's life in prison is austere. But he and his colleagues never yield in their commitment to freedom for all South Africans. His wife, Winnie is an example of true dedication - equally a woman of integrity and worthy of the highest praise. She undergoes severe hardships being married to a "freedom fighter."
   
   Mandela avoids the tendency to give up in the face of severe conditions, showing true mettle as he remains dedicated to the rights for all people to live free in racist South Africa. 27 years later having risked his life and surviving harsh prison conditions, he emerges a national hero.
   
   A must read for anyone - Mandela is history in the making.



4. Full of humanity, integrity, sacrifice, humility, and character. This is an uplifting book about the power of the human spirit to overcome great adversity. I loved it and I do agree that this book should be required reading for everyone. Parts of this book brought tears to my eyes. It illuminates a great man and the struggle people had to endure to overcome a great blight. To think that the U.S. did not place sanctions on South Africa until the mid 1980's, when men like Mandela were fighting and dying for the right to be considered human. I read recently that Pat Roberston, the great American evangelical, was a supporter of apartheid. How incredibly inhuman. If you know anything about South Africa, you will know that by the end of his long incarceration, even Mandela's captors had acquired great respect for this man. A must read...in many ways, this is a life changing, life affirming book. Powerful.



5. I read this before my recent trip to South Africa and I'm so glad I did as it made me appreciate this amazing country and its people even more. I think anyone who visits Robben Island without reading this first misses out on an incredible history lesson. This should be required reading in all high schools.
   
   I will admit that it was a long read and difficult to get through at times, but it really demonstrates just how long of a road Nelson Mandela had to travel for his freedom. Amazing, amazing man. I only hope there will be "another Mandela" to lead this country in the future.

5 comments about The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

1. Franklin's life, works and thoughts have always been an inspiration to me. This time around I decided to wade through his autobiography to drink from the source itself. Upon flipping a few pages, I was sorely disappointed of the extremely tedious language. I found I was caught up more in re-reading a lot of sentences trying to comprehend the great man's words correctly and hence losing out on the joy to mull over his visions. For me, "Benjamin Franklin's the Art of Virtue: His Formula for Successful Living" is a more streamlined book and I am happy with the joy I derive from the inspiration this book evokes.



2. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography is an excellent look into the mind of a very important figure in American History. This book is important both for the autobiography literary genre and for its historical context. It is infinately useful for historians, especially those looking at the early life of this highly public-spirited man.
   
   There are also plenty of life lessons sprinkled throughout much of Franklin's writing, and his autobiography is no exception. Therefore it reads both as history, and a how-to manual.
   
   The only shortcoming of this book is that there is not more of it. It ends before the revolution and his employment as an ambassador abroad, so we don't have the same material for the more important and tumultuous period of his life.
   
   This book should be recommended for anyone interested in getting a closer look into the time period. If you want to learn more about Franklin's personality and motives there is no better person to tell you than the man himself.



3. Written over a period of nearly thirty years and covering his life only until 1759 (he died in 1790), the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin nonetheless established the lore associated with the man. While many biographies of Franklin penned since his death have attempted to officially correct the record and convey a truer picture of him, a sense of the old Franklin endures in no small part due to his autobiography.
   
   In this book, we encounter Franklin the reader, printer, civic leader, writer, inventor, diplomat and so much more. While perhaps the depths of his knowledge in his chosen fields are insufficient to classify him as a genuine renaissance man, he is, all the same, versatile, engaged, and devoted to self-improvement. Franklin is ambitious and desirous of seizing the day and enjoying all that life has to offer. He is also someone who is clearly proud of his accomplishments. Pride seems to be one contemporaneous arrow of criticism against him that found its mark. So much so, in fact, that he later added humility to his original list of 12 virtues. He writes that "there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride." Franklin is also quite forthcoming with respect to his own failure to acquire humility, although he admits to success "with regard to the appearance of it." It is, of course, possible that this introspection is all carefully constructed artifice designed to endear Franklin to the reader and to help secure his place in history as an enormously talented, but forgivably flawed man. While Franklin was certainly capable of shaping his public image, I think he reveals enough of himself for us to ascertain that there is truth amongst whatever tall tales or exaggerations exist in this brief volume.
   
   The first part of this book, considered by many to be the best, exists as a letter to his son. It is here that we learn something of Franklin's early life. We find a 12 year old, bookish Ben Franklin indentured to his brother James as a printer, despite his yearning to be at sea. Eventually, Ben manages to extricate himself from this arrangement by "asserting" his freedom and counting on his brother not to force the issue. While this was a success, he later believed it was somewhat unfair of him, even though his brother occasionally delivered blows to the young man. Franklin's maritime proclivities eventually wane and he makes his way to Philadelphia. It is here that Franklin comes into his own. The establishment of his printing business, invention of the Franklin stove, formation of the first "circulating library" in the U.S., and the first fire department in Pennsylvania is recounted. We are given accounts of his time in London, dalliances with women, and some of the "errata" of his life. Lest we forget, there are also the virtues which he intended to make a part of his character: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, and Humility.
   
   While the remaining parts of the book may not be as strong or cohesive, they still impart interesting information and insight into the man. The Touchstone edition of the book contains a short introduction by Lewis Leary that is a worthwhile preface to the autobiography despite his disapproval that part of the book is "burdened with morality." And yet, it is this morality and quest for "moral perfection" that is, above all, the driving force of Franklin. However future generations judge Benjamin Franklin, his contributions to the burgeoning United States of America and the reputation thereof are as undeniable and appealing as he himself is.



4. Benjamin Franklin, one of history's most remarkable human beings, was born in Boston in 1706. Largely self-taught, he became a respected scientist whose experiments on electricity received international acclaim. He invented the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, bifocals, the glass harmonica, an odometer and more. He was a self-made man who became wealthy as one of America's first commercial printers. He was a respected civic activist, a leading author, a politician and a political theorist. Many of the wise maxims expressed in his immortal Poor Richard's Almanack remain relevant and routinely quoted. Franklin is considered one of America's most accomplished diplomats. He served as minister to France during the Revolutionary War. In that post, he engineered a vital political alliance with the French, winning crucial military and financial aid. We think that anyone who loves history will find this spellbinding autobiography a rare delight. Franklin was on intimate terms with many of the most famous individuals in prerevolutionary America. Indeed, he seemed to have personal dealings with virtually everyone of merit in the New World. His autobiography, written in the best of the archaic language of the time, is a literary classic. Don't deprive yourself of this singular opportunity to learn what the American colonies were like during the prerevolutionary era, as reported by the extraordinary genius who first conceptualized the idea of the United States as an independent nation.



5. This book is a kind of time machine that puts you straight into the Eighteenth Century. Benjamin Franklin comes over as a fearless and open character, although he is at pains to present himself as a solid and successful businessman in the printing industry. He is very much a man of his time. He concerns himself with God and self-improvement, then after he marries he says how glad he is that he did not catch VD from 'certain low women' beforehand. This, certainly consciously, echoes St Paul's advice on why people should marry.
   
   Within the text are probably whole layers of meaning and allusions to contemporary events and news culture that are lost on twenty-first century readers. He is certainly working within religious and classical traditions of what an autobiography should be: a conversation with God, carried on in public? or moral examples and advice to the young.
   
   Sometimes he is having a laugh at the autobiographical and literary form itself. For example, it is a commmonplace of Eighteenth Century Literature that you-the writer-had no intention of publishing your book until you were prevailed upon by your friends or the public. Franklin opens the second section of his autobiography with a letter purportedly from a Quaker who says that a life of Franklin would be worth even more than 'all Plutarch's Lives put together.'This must have raised a laugh in his local club, his 'junto' as he calls it.
   
   However, within the same pages, Franklin describes, clearly with pride, how he swims from Chelsea to Blackfriars in London-which is quite a physical feat, it being two or three miles. He is also at some pains to place much of his financial success on hard work, simplicity and the avoidance of alcohol. These aspects of his life would bequite important for his Low Church readers.
   
   Interestingly-as negative examples- he reports that his London workmates routinely down six pints of strong ale a day, both at home and in the printing office. For his contemporaries, this was unusual from the point of view of the English printers being not just drunkards, but -for his audience- very old fashioned. English people in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuroes -including babies hence the phrases 'tiny tots' 'small beer' etc.- drank beer and ale as drinking street pump water was correctly suspected to cause disease.
   
   Here, through the implication that beer drinking is old fashioned and unhealthy, especially when compared to American coffee drinking, Franklin is presenting his American readers with the idea that-once again- the Colonies, rather than being a backwater, are more modern that their British counterparts in the Imperial Capital of London.
   
   At the heart of his political thinking seems to be the moral rather than political idea that with moral virtue-and thus God- on your side, you are unstoppable, and sees the United States' future greatness to lie in this.
   He takes pains to connect political greatness with the moral quality and education of individual citizens, laying particular emphasis on literacy, and reports with pride how he helped to establish the first lending library in the United States, in Philadelphia.
   
   As a moralist rather than a politician, his republican beliefs do not seem as universal as, say, those of revolutionaries like Robespierre or Tom Paine. For him, the American Republic seems to be uniquely American. At one point he is pleased to report, and say that it is an aspect of his success in life that he has dined with a king, and names him as the King of Denmark. Tom Paine would never have dined with a king, unless it were to poison him!
   
   Now the non-PC bit as bang go his green credentials. The 1726 Journal has Franklin helping to kill and eat dolphins while travelling by sea. He says they are good to eat, and regards them as fish rather than mammals.
   
   Enjoy this book!

5 comments about Hopes and Dreams: The Story of Barack Obama.

1. author writes well.is very able to express himself. excellent insight into
   to his excellentt mind.hope he becomes president !



2. This is MUST reading for all Americans and will give the reader a thorough understanding of the Barack Obama the media is trying to convince us we know nothing about. He lays himself bare -- his life, his beliefs, his thoughts, his ambitions and his plans for a better America for all of its citizens. I doubt anyone with an open mind will come away from this book unconvinced that he is more than ready to be the President we need in 2008.



3. I sent this book to my grandmother and she was very pleased with the pictures and autobiography of Barack Obama. She has been watching the election closely.



4. Good for those who want a quick look. Sentences are long, clause-filled, and difficult to follow.



5. My first impression of the book was that it would have great photos and little substance.
   I was correct about the photos,wrong about the rest.
   "Hopes and Dreams" is an overview of Barack Obama's life covering his childhood as a bi-racial child,his search for information about his father and how that affected him. His decision to pass up a Wall Street career and opting to take a lower-paying job training as a grassroots organizer in Chicago. It also covers his journey through politics and eventual decision to run for president.
   
   His mistakes regarding drugs is discussed as well as his middle name.
   
   Here are a few quotes from the book:
   
   "He is a voice of strength and moderation,an American success story."-John McCain page 46.
   
   "We must understand that the might of our military has to be matched by the strength of our diplomacy."-Barack Obama page 107.
   
   This book is what I call a "coffee table book". Loaded with photos and enough information to serve as an introduction to Barack Obama. I recommend "Audacity of Hope" also.

5 comments about Surrender Is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations.

1. This book is in a league of its own. This book takes you right inside the belly of the beast. If you have ever been remotely curious at how things really work - the inner workings of the UN, the politics at the highest levels of the US government, State Department etc. This is a must read.
   
   Blockbuster stuff. And the dirt on the permanent bureaucracy? Jaw dropping



2. I admit I rather admired Bolton before I read this book, but after reading it, I admire the guy even more, the white-mustached David taking on the UN Goliath--although in this case, David didn't exactly win, though he did make an impact. Bolton tells his entire life story, though, unlike some recent political biographies (e.g., Bill Clinton's), he doesn't assail us with every detail of his childhood in youth, fast-forwarding through those periods and bringing us up to his service in the State Department, the one government agency he consistently derides (and backing up his derision with mountains of data). The thing that makes the book so appealing is that Bolton is the Great Pragmatist, not fond of the UN, but willing to accept it as a flawed but potentially useful institution (as all human institutions are, of course). My one beef with the book is the TMI factor--Too Much Information, which I suppose will be useful to some future Ph.D. student doing a dissertation on US foreign relations. The book runs over 400 pages and I wouldn't have minded getting a Reader's Digest version at around 200 pages. But all in all, it is a great read, some delightful insights into George W. Bush, Colin Powell, Condi Rice, and especially UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.



3. thank god I did not pay for it. ANOTHER NEOCON who did not take TWO english classes in college. SAVE YOUR MONEY.



4. This is the book all future Presidents, Congressman, and elected officals should follow. A great book all Americans should read! In response to the reviewer who accused Mr Bolton of having a huge ego...Mr Bolton is not cocky, he is conifident: there is a difference, look it up!



5. Surrender Is not An Option is well written, and at times one wonders why so much detail in Bolton's narrative, but as you get into the book you discover it is necessary to really comprehend every problem he is presenting to the reader. I knew for years the U.N. was in trouble, but Bolton brings the dark problems to fruition. If one wants to understand the frustrations the U.S.A. encounters at the UN, read this book. Hurdrey-Angus Jordan

5 comments about The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York.

1. This book, written by Robert Caro - probably the best living biographer, was his first book. It is a massive, thorough, detailed, engaging study of how one man - Robert Moses - planned, shaped and built - the modern city of New York.
   
   It is about the acquisition of power and its utilization by one man in order to bring his vision of New York City to fruition.
   
   Robert Moses - the primary subject of the book - together with the notion of power, and New York City itself as well as its residents being the other subjects - was trained in urban planning England, was a visionary, a planner, and a "Power Broker" - and thus the title, whose materials where New York City, planned, designed, built modern New York by stamping his vision in the form of new parks, spaces, roads and parkways, new neighborhoods, new subways/rail-lines, new beach and recreational facilities and areas, had an impact on the way millions of New Yorkers as well as visitors to NYC experienced NYC - experienced NYC - for decades. His shape of NYC is still shaping how humans experience reality in such city.
   
   This is a tour de force. This is a good book for those interested in New York City, local and state government politics, the modern bureaucratic / administrative aparatus of government and those who wield the helm. Whether you agree with Robert Moses vision of NYC or not, he had a tremendous impact. The impact was not limited to NYC. Seen as the expert on urban planning, his model, his vision, his views, spread throughout the entire field of modern urban planning. Thus, his impact is not just local or state. It is in fact national and international. Modern cities - the leadership of which visited or modeled their cities on NYC - where shaped by his creations.
   
   A long book. A detailed book. A hard book. But excellent, very interesting, and well worth the effort and time. Probably the prime example of what an excellent biography is and should be. It made Robert Caro, its author, into the preeminent biographer of the last several decades. It set the standard. I don't know if it has or will ever be matched.



2. I have been waiting to read this book for a very long time, and the wait was well worth it. Mr. Caro presents a massive, well-researched piece on one of New York's most influential (and controversial) public officials. I am a sucker for great detail, and so I enjoyed Caro's painstakingly detailed portrait of how a young, idealistic reformer evolved into the ruler of a huge bureaucratic empire. What Caro makes very clear is how Robert Moses became so corrupted by power (and self-importance) that he failed to grasp how his projects were not always in the public interest. Moreover, Caro paints a vivid picture of Moses' cynicism and shrewdness, and how he parlayed those into greater and greater power. For instance, Moses realized that most state legislators were political hacks who never bothered to read the fine print of the laws that they passed. He played on this to insert such fine print into legislation which made him virtual Tsar of development in both New York State and New York City. In addition, Moses was able to convince most New York politicians that he was indispensable to them, and so had them virtually eating out of his hand (i.e., his tactic of threatening to resign, unless he got 100% of what he wanted). At once fascinating and frightening as to how one man could harness such a degree of power!
   
   While Robert Moses' achievements are the main focus of this book, Mr. Caro also devotes a great deal of attention to the political situation that existed in New York during the era of Moses. In doing this, he gives readers a fine education on how New York and its municipalities were governed at that time (and in many ways, are still governed), along with an in-depth look at other contemporary political figures (i.e., Al Smith and Fiorello LaGuardia). I would equate reading this book with taking a college-level course, as you learn and think so much while reading it.
   
   On a critical note, not all of Mr. Caro's conclusions about Robert Moses are universally accepted. For instance, Mr. Caro accuses Moses of single-handedly wrecking the Bronx with the Cross Bronx Expressway. However, many people have argued that this was only one of many factors that destroyed the Bronx, and not all of these things were brought by Moses. Perhaps Mr. Caro should have given space to opposing viewpoints regarding the Moses legacy. Overall, though, I think that it is a great book: required reading for anyone interested in the development of New York during the 20th century.



3. Robert Caro's biography reads like an extraordinary work of investigative journalism - damning, erudite and compelling - that surely would have been appreciated by Robert Moses had he not been the subject.
   
   It is a fascinating study of the evolution of government in New York City and Robert Moses' ability to shape laws as the "best bill drafter in Albany" and to seize upon prevailing trends and work the levers of the City, State and Federal governments to his advantage. It is during the Great Depression when Moses is able to mobilize maximum resources, largely from the Federal government, for some of his most ambitious projects.
   
   While at most times a scathing indictment of Moses and his methods, Caro does credit Moses - New York City's first Parks Commissioner - for his contributions to green spaces in the city and his creation of a premier state park system.
   
   Caro insists that judgment about Moses' legacy is premature and that one can only say New York would be a very different place without Moses. New York was indeed a very different place at the time of publication of the Power Broker; Caro has recently commented that some of Moses projects, such as the Triborough Bridge, have been a boon for city residents. Although he never cared for mass transit, it's a shame Moses couldn't come back to start work on the stalled new Penn Station.



4. After 40 years of writing biographies, Robert A. Caro deserves an all time winning award in history. In 1974 he wrote the biography of Robert Moses, Big Bob the Builder in New York. It is an incredible biography. By focusing on one person, Caro succeeds in revealing the peculiarities of this particular epoch in New York. It is a detailed account of how power works in New York between 1934 and 1968. The book is about personalities, Robert Moses of course, but also about the Rockefellers, Al Smith (the governor of New York), La Guardia (mayor of NY). And the book is about building. Every student in building ought to read this book. Robert Moses was a genius in obtaining power, preserving it and ruthlessly exercising it. The resuls are dazzling. Nowadays New York shows a multitude of Moses battlefields. The high ways, the parks in and outside New York, the playgrounds, the tall apartment houses. Robert Moses, Big Bob the Builder once was a celebrity in New York,. His fall after so many years of exercising of power could be no surprise,. His legacy is in doubt. Did he neglect the possibilities of mass transport and were his investments exclusively focused on cars? Did he have solid preferences for the middle class and did he try by all means to neglect the needs of the lower class? Every builder, urban planner, politician, municipal employee, developer, student of history shoud read this book. It is a big big six star
   luuk oost
   
   [...]



5. I purchased this after having read the author's works on Lyndon Johnson. Very much like those books, this is a study of what makes a bad person who accomplishes great things tick. My one grip about all of the books by the author is his tendency to belabor a point - the repeat over and over the same set of facts at times. At times I wonder if this was due to the writer having too many research cards and not being able to discard any of them when actually composing his thoughts. Overall, this is a very thorough historical work that is definitely not 'dry' in its narrative style and should be read by anyone interested in power and motivation.

5 comments about Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America's Enemies.

1. I was stunned by this book, and outraged by many many lies that have become the accepted "truth" about Senator McCarthy. The book is presents a wealth of facts that are extremely persuasive support for the author's thesis - that the senator was smeared by his enemies and that our common understanding is almost 100% wrong about him.



2. The author is and has been for many years a highly respected conservative intellectual,columnist,editor,writer and author. So, I looked forward with anticipation to this work. I was not disappointed. With painstaking precision the reader is taken back thru McCarthy's speeches, testimony, hearings and writings. It can be tedious at times. But, the proof is there that McCarthy was correct in his mission of exposing communists and their fellow travelers. Anyone on such a mission needed to be besmirched and destroyed by the liberal establishment. He may have been intemperate at times. But, it is well proven that he was essentially correct in charging that it was too easy for persons not loyal to the best interests of this country to hold important government positions. His downfall, unfortunately, was brought about by a republican president and his eastern establishment influenced administration.



3. With the focus on the opening salvos of the Cold War and Senator Joe McCarthy, author M. Stanton Evans pens a chilling account on how history and news is written, twisted & interpreted and its ramifications in domestic & foreign policies.
   
   Peeling back layers of fiction that has been taken for fact, Stanton Evans reports on a number of disturbing issues; missing documents in federal archives, copies of media coverage of events permanently lost and the continuing disinformation that - in the present - destroys the past for those wishing to seek real answers to historical questions.
   
   The research is outstanding and the book is a grim reminder on the lost and found nature of history surrounding Sen. McCarthy, the Cold War and the games played in the offices of the most powerful players in The Beltway.



4. Unlike all other histories of the period, including a recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Evans thoroughly documents every one of his assertions. No innuendo, no truisms, nothing to be taken on faith. It turns out that McCarthy was not evil, he was just honest and happened to be right. The Roosevelt/Truman/Eisenhower administrations could never forgive him for showing up their flaws and set out to destroy him. Spying for the Soviets was perhaps inappropriate, but proving it was cause for character assassination. It's a shame that a whole generation and then some has been poisoned with lies in books, magazines, and movies about a man who just tried to protect his country.



5. Finally a book which covers all aspects of the McCarthy question and traces the sources for his words and actions. I have read all of the major works on McCarthy (pro and con) and Evans' book is singularly THE BEST I have ever seen. Everyone interested in 20th century American history should own a copy and give a copy as a present to family and friends. It is hard to imagine that anyone will ever surpass Evans' attention and explanation. THE BEST!

5 comments about Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations.

1. Much has been said about the book's contents in previous reviews. What I would like to add is that the author did a masterful job with bringing history so alive. The historical facts were well researched before the book was written. Instead of presenting them in a rather factual manner Georgina Howell converted them in a gripping story which makes it hard to put the book aside. She stays humble in the back and let the protangonists speak for themselves. When reading books of popular history one often gets the impression that writers project their personalities into the stories. This is absolutely not the case with this book, except perhaps with respect to the author's interest for clothing matters which is not distracting however. The relations between Gertrude Bell and her environments are so well described that one gets literally the feeling to become part of them. This only happens with extraordinary books to which this one certainly belongs.
   
   I got interested in this book through a similar well written book by Ronald Florence on the relation between Aaron Aarohnsohn and T.E. Lawrence. Reading both books gives a good impression of the Arabist and Zionist views after the fall of the Ottoman empire. Both also demystify the role of T.E. Lawrence in shapening the Middle-East whose epic book "Seven pillars of wisdom" I find a rather boring read.



2. One measure of a fine book is if it captures and holds the reader's attention even if the subject is outside the reader's background and interests. This is such a book. Gertrude Bell (1868-1926)led an extraordinary life, whose many facets are captured in this superior biography. Born to a wealthy Yorkshire family, she was the first woman to receive a First Class degree in modern history from Oxford. She next took up challenging mountain climbing (my only criticism of the book is too much space is devoted to this topic). But the book's core is the period when she becomes interested in the Middle East, which the British designated as Mesopotamia and TransJordan, but which we know today as Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
   
   She mastered the pertinent languages (Turkish and of course Arabic among others), traveled all over the region between 1900 and 1914 conducting archeology research and photographing sites (many of which photos are available on the web in the Gertrude Bell Photographic Archive of Newcastle University), authored a number of books, and became well acquainted with the Bedouin tribes that roamed the area. Later she joined the British colonial administration in Baghdad, and helped (along with her friend T.E. Lawrence) foment the Arab uprising against the Turks during WWI that is the central element of the "Lawrence of Arabia" film. She argued for self-determination for this area at the Versailles Peace Conference, and even confronted Churchill on the issue when he had responsibility for colonial administration. She helped map the boundaries of what we now know as Iraq, was instrumental in selecting Faisal as its first King, and played a prominent role in the governance of the new nation. As if this was not enough, toward the end of her life (she committed suicide in 1926, probably due to advanced lung cancer) she founded the National Museum of Iraq, the same museum that the American military allowed to be ransacked during the Iraq War. She is buried in Baghdad.
   
   The book is over 400 pages in this paperback edition, but it moves along quickly as it is quite a fascinating tale. The author has included extensive notes, some excellent Bell photographs, a chronology, and a fine bibliography. A major side benefit to reading the book is that the reader learns quite a lot about the background of Iraq and Saudi Arabia, obviously topics greatly on our minds at the present. To have led such a life is amazing; to have contributed in so many ways during that life is even more so. The book Ms. Bell deserved.



3. The author gives absolutely no insight into Gertrude Bell and just recites the itinerary of one trip after another. Bell is made out to be an obsessive cartoon character running around the map like Bugs Bunny. After climbing the Matterhorn, she mysteriously decides to expensively explore the desert -- alone. I'd really like to know more about her. Someone suggested Desert Queen" by Janet Wallach.



4. I have come to enjoy memoir because it is full of feeling as well as information. But Georgina Howell's biography is so full of excerpts from the letters of Gertrude Bell--the subject of this excellent book--that we get a comprehensive sense of Bell's feelings. Howell makes it clear that Bell consistently understated the difficulties in her life. It is certainly a life to know about and to be celebrated.
   
   Gertrude Bell, who died in 1926, is known as the woman behind the creation of modern Iraq. She was born into a wealthy socially conservative family and displayed her brilliance and non-conformity early on. She attended Oxford and was the first woman to attain First Class Honors in History. She traveled to Persia, began her studies of Persian language and literature in Teheran, and fell in love with a man unacceptable to her family. She returned to England, where she continued her studies, adding Arabic to the mix. Never one to live life half way, she discovered the challenge of mountain climbing and conquered several peaks in the Alps, sometimes being the first woman to do so.
   
   Bell made three trips through the uncharted Arabian Peninsula, visiting archeological sites, carefully creating maps, and dropping in to visit sheiks in full evening wear. An important purpose of her travels was to learn about the alliances and customs of the numerous tribes. This knowledge was applied when she began working with the British government to build a unified Arabic nation after the defeat of the Germans and their allies the Turks in WWI.
   
   The unification was a struggle. Howell writes: "The army wins the territory, and the administration takes over; but in Mesopotamia the struggle to install conditions conducive to peace and eventual prosperity would prove as daunting as the battlefront itself...Arabs spoke a common language but were not a common people..." This struggle, which took place almost 100 years ago, has many similarities with the Iraq struggle today. Bell's later life was so intertwined with the founding of Iraq that the details of the political struggle cannot be left out.
   
   Howell does a splendid job of bringing the astonishing Gertrude Bell to life. Her descriptions of the often bleak landscape, the oases of sheikdoms, and the contrast of desert life with Bell's luxurious wardrobe, living style and traveling entourage enliven the biography. Fortunately for us, Bell's family and friends saved her detailed letters. Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations illuminates the many centuries-old causes of the current struggle in the Middle East.
   
   by Judith Helburn
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



5. Well written---engaging story. Historically comprehensive. Provides valuable insight into historical background of current Iraq conflict.

5 comments about Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World.

1. I finished this book over a month ago. It it is unusual for me to take thirty days to review a book. However, this book continues to ricochet through my being.
   
   Admittedly, Samantha's last book, The Pulitzer Prize winning "A Problem From Hell - America in an Age of Genocide" occupies a prominent place in my personal library. Chasing The Flame - Sergio Vieira De Mello And The Fight To Save The World" has earned the space next to her former book.
   
   Once I began, I couldn't put Chasing The Flame down. Power has a literary and researcher's skill that that is unequivocally unique. The documentation and sheer magnitude of the effort are mind-boggling. Why? Why, one may ask would someone take the 4 years it took to write this story?
   
   For me, versus many other reviewers, the lessons of Vieira de Mello's life and the most poignant aspects of the book are NOT the failures and demise of the U.N.
   
   Contradictions - the human experience is one inhabited by contradictions. Some of those contradictions are self-initiated and self-imposed. Others are systemic and emanate from socio-economic, social structural inequities that evidence themselves throughout human history. Our response to these contradictions (as individuals, groups, organizations and government entities of all types) is particularly poignant. Vieira de Mello's life and career are evidence of that. This book is not an end to the discussion of issues it covers...it's a chronicle of a whole host of issues we can and must begin to discuss and act upon.
   
   The human capacity for evil - Once again, Power chronicles this truth. I remain distressed at the ongoing capacity we as a species have for ignoring human atrocity and our penchant for "standing by" and/or failing to respond immediately and adequately to these situations as they arise --- as well as our penchant to ignore the conditions that continue to spawn them.
   
   The United Nations - I am unequivocally convinced that the charter of the U.N. has been bastardized into a current state that has diluted the essential capabilities that the world currently requires from it. It's not the UN's fault. Frankly, it's ours and the member governments that comprise it. I am also hopeful that a restoration/re-engineering of the U.N. (long overdue) newly empowered and FULLY funded has the unrealized potential to prevent and address vastly more effectively the human suffering that is thriving all around our planet.(with prognostications of it's ever increasing frequency and depth of seriousness).
   
   The face and being of anger seems to have a myriad of revitalized and new expressions of both form and substance here on Earth today. As stated by Jean-Salim Kanaan, a French-Egyptian political officer stationed in Iraq: " And God knows how much harm angry people can do."(p.436). We seem to have a tendency that has evolved with NGO's where we avoid the angry people (particularly the one's who are armed and inflicting death and destruction on innocent people). Vieira de Mello's life is evidence of an approach to the contrary. He sought out these people and spoke directly to them --- unarmed. Power's work has substantive implications for the urgent genesis of a new approach by the U.S. and others to foreign policy and international diplomacy.
   
   Another incredibly poignant truth that we must revisit that emanated from the life of Vieria de Mello is captured in the following: "Although Vieira de Mello became an explicit advocate for human rights late in his career, he had lobbied on behalf of human beings for decades.After his death, the quality of his that was most often admired was his regard for individuals. His colleagues took note of how surprisingly rare it was, even in the world of humanitarianism, to find and official who actually looked out for human beings, one by one, as he or she encountered them." (p.530). This attribute of Vieira de Mello's life is pregnant with meaning for the individual citizen of planet Earth today. Imagine what might be possible if people began to act upon the quote above and actively begin to seek out the rescue of orphaned children, refugees etc. who require a new chance at life via removal from the hell of their current life conditions? --- 1@aTime. Perhaps we're being encouraged by Vieira de Mello's life to consider new ways of living --- I'm speaking to those who have a home, resources, seats at the kitchen table and a refrigerator with food in it. In a world where the delta between the haves and have-nots is becoming increasingly wider, the individual with resources continues to be ensconced comfortably with increasing social distance from the suffering that inhabits this planet. Vieira de Mello's life story begs the questions: "What can (must) I do? How can I help? Can I become a part of the solution?"
   
   Vieira de Mello's statement that, "We live in fearful times and fear is a bad advisor" (p. 364) is a clarion call to a reawakening from the darkness of the nightmare that has cast it's pall over all of us, particularly during the past eight years. Hope and dreaming of new possibilities always sheds the light that destroys fear. However, it must be accompanied by new, risky, courageous forms of action that Vieria de Mello's life demonstrates for us all.
   
   "Humanitarian crises are always political crises" (p. 219) is a truth revealed throughout the life of Vieira de Mello. Again, a wholesale readjustment in the thought processes and actions of governments and our approach to human rights atrocities (and their prevention) continues to be a tremendous challenge, yet an opportunity, during this, the 21st century.
   
   For all those who are trumpeting their excitement over the possibility of a forthcoming movie about this book --- I remain reluctant. There is simply no substitute for reading this superbly crafted literary art form. Samantha Power has dedicated her life to bringing us Pulitzer Prize caliber insights into the plight of human rights atrocities that continue to decimate this planet....now chronicling the amazing life of one of the foremost participants in the amelioration of this devastating reality - Vieira de Mello's Chasing The Flame deserves the same serious Pulitzer consideration as well.
   
   I was changed by this book. You will be too. Buy it, Savor it. Ponder it. Get involved. Speak out. We can change this world. Together.
   
   Bill Dahl



2. The ingredients that make for a great biography are the same as those that make for a great work of fiction: A strong cast of well-developed characters, a rich setting of details and complexity that draws the reader in, a gripping narrative that keeps the reader turning the pages... Witness, for example, Walter Isaacson's biography of Kissinger, a tour-de-force recreation of the world of 1970's international diplomatic intrigues. Mr. Isaacson, of course, may have an easier task, as Henry Kissinger is not a martyred humanitarian hero and in many ways much easier to poke fun at. But Ms. Power's subject, Sergio Vieira de Mello, was also a fascinating character in his own right. Like Kissinger he was a man of striking contradictions - a prodigious workaholic who could live for months on end on a spartan diet of rice and chocolate bars in the field, yet at the same time a bon vivant of such vanity that he carried around packets of fabric wipes so his starched khakis would always remain spotless after a day through the mud.
   
   Vieira de Mello had led a fascinating life, and Ms Power's book did paint a well-rounded portrait of the man. However, the book could have benefited from much better developed supporting characters, not to mention more insightful expositions of the complex events that revolved around them. It was also too long, and plodding at times. Over all the book would have been a much better read if the author had focused on fewer episodes of VdM's life with more depth. This is the sort of book that the reader may wish to read selectively. Personally I found the chapters on the Balkans, Cambodia and Iraq to be the best reads.
   
   Nonetheless, the book gets 4 stars for the unique perspective it provides into the workings of the UN. Its many fly-on-the-wall accounts of high level UN decision-making provides not only insights into substantive policy debates but also the clash of personalities. Calling this a "fawning hagiography" is unfair, although the author does tend to be overly reverential and a bit too ready to take people's words at face value. The Vieira de Mello that emerges, for all his strengths and foibles, is an apt embodiment of the UN. High-minded and sometimes truly heroic, he was generally at his best working on projects of relative moral clarity, over which there was broad consensus, such as the successful return of over 350,000 Cambodian refugees to their homes. When he ventured into more murky political waters, the qualities that served him well at the UNHCR became liabilities. A knack for charming powerful people is useful when negotiating food shipments. The same eagerness to be liked turns into a tendency to side with power in tough political negotiations. In Bosnia he was so ready to cave in to the Serbs that people started calling him "Serbio". And it wasn't simply a matter of pragmatism - at the end of his tenure he was so determined to remain on good terms with all sides, that he spent an entire afternoon shopping for a going-away present for Milosevic, even as other branches of the UN were investigating Milosevic fo war crimes.
   
   De Mello never mastered the art of saying no. When it counted, such as during the debates leading up to the Coalition invasion of Iraq, his instinct was to stay on the fence rather than risk courting unpopularity. He did not speak out when the US began building pressure for war in the fall of 2002. He declined to take part when Rund Lubbers, the UNHCR commissioner, attempted to rally senior UN officials to jointly oppose the war on the eve of its outbreak. Even in the face of mounting evidence of Coalition mis-steps in Iraq, de Mello, then serving as the UN High Commissionerr on Human Rights, was so evasive that one British TV interviewer lost patience and asked outright, "Is the human rights commissioner too scared to speak out against the United States?"
   
   Cynics claimed that he was angling to succeed Annan as Secretary General down the line. He might or might not have been, but he was certainly loath to antagonize powerful people in the Bush administration. His reward was to become the administration's preferred choice to head the UN mission in Iraq. De Mello often insisted that even if he had spoken out, it would not have made one whit of difference in US policy. Perhaps. But his own life might have been saved.
   
   In the last chapter of the book the author drew a number of lessons from de Mello's many achievements. All very worthy, but perhaps an additional lesson can be drawn from his failings: For a statesman, popularity is the least achievement of all.



3. Samantha Power reveals in this book why she is deserving of a Pulitzer Prize. A humanistic view of a man who was not only a human but also one of the world's greatest humanitarians. Changed my corrupted view of the UN into one of understanding and appreciation. Thank you to Sergio and his family & friends for your dedicated service to humanity.



4. About half-way through Chasing the Flame, Sergio Vieira de Mello advises a younger UNHCR official to "be very graphic because that is how you grab people's attention. And our success at UNHCR depends on our ability to get and hold people's attention."
   
   It's a piece of advice that the book's author, Samantha Power, brings to life throughout the book. From the Khmer Rouge shooting at a UN helicopter that was lowering a housing container into the jungle, "not aggressively...but trying to alert the strangers that they were on the verge of making house in a minefield," to convincing Serbian smugglers to sneak 80,000 blankets into Bosnian territory by handing them certificates saying "UN Consultant," to Laurent Kabila's high-heeled lizard-skin disco dancing shoes (worn together with his starched uniform), Power has an amazing ability to pull out complex details that both grab/hold the reader's attention and act as metaphors for the bigger picture.
   
   These are not the affect-oriented visuals that one associates with UNICEF commercials - the exceptions, like a scene of a Rwandan man committing suicide by drowning himself in a shallow puddle, are so powerful they could never fit into a cliché - rather, these moments are effortlessly telling precisely because they are complex and many sided. Power's writerly decisions turn the book into a page-turner as gripping as any novel, but their cumulative effect creates a picture of layers of our world that we don't normally see. The details accumulate and become more than themselves.
   
   Other reviewers call Sergio a "hero." I don't know about that. I'm not even sure I came out of the book liking the guy. What did come through to me was a well-rounded picture of a very interesting man who kept learning as he shuttled from one tragic focal point of the world to another. Through Sergio, Power paints a real-life picture of the ultimately unsolvable tensions between pragmatism and idealism, and, more generally, of the way power and people interact in some of the most difficult conditions on our planet. If each detail is an expert brush stroke, then the painting, in the end, is not merely a portrait of Sergio. It is a complex portrait of a complex world, with Sergio simultaneously a fully fleshed out, conflicted, real person, and an archetype - the human being that, in the end, is the fulcrum of all tensions and decisions. What makes this book so important, besides its art, is that these are the real life tensions and decisions that have defined the world we live in.
   
   To be honest, I only picked up Chasing the Flame out of respect for its Pulitzer-prize-winning author. A biography of a bureaucrat is not a subject that I would normally find interesting. But Power chose her subject well. For all his faults, Sergio was an extraordinary man whose willingness to keep learning from the awful historical moments in the centre of which he continually found himself -- which he, in fact, chased throughout his life -- makes him a powerful lens through which Power clears away layers of murk to show us a side of our world that is normally obscured. Chasing the Flame doesn't give easy answers, but it does give a graphic picture of the man who would have been the next UN Secretary General, and of the world behind the headlines in the international section. It's an extraordinary book.



5. An extraordinary book about the life-work of an extraordinary man. Those who rated this book poorly simply because they want something more exciting (and not too intellectual) will have to stick with fiction.

5 comments about Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor.

1. Any list of most successful politicians throughout history must include the Emperor Augustus at the top. Victorious at Actium in 31 BC after the chaos that followed the death of Julius Caesar, he was the most powerful man in the Western world until his death in 14 AD. Anthony Everitt's lucid biography gives a great description of the times and political life of the man who established the Roman Empire.
   
   I found this book particularly satisfying after reading "I Claudius" and viewing the HBO production "Rome". The author provides an excellent description of historical context for this fascinating rise from obscurity to preeminence.



2. `Augustus' by Anthony Everitt
   
   In this eponymous titled work Mr. Everitt tells the remarkable story of Rome's first emperor, Augustus. Clearly, it is brilliantly researched, extremely well written and a really enjoyable book to read. Anyone looking for an entry into ancient history would be well served reading this book. Mr. Everitt does spend an inordinate time on Octavian, Augustus' name before he became emperor, however the book remains a comprehensive source of information not only on the life of this truly unparalleled Roman leader, but the Julio-Claudian family overall. The family lineage, which is a difficult feat for anyone to successfully describe, is very well laid out and clearly organized in both text and helpful chart inserts.
   
   I had read Everitt's earlier work on Cicero and was immediately hooked on his writing style. Fans of the aforementioned book will not be disappointed with his follow up, `Augustus'. Enjoy.



3. Although a well-written and well-researched book, it becomes obvious very quickly that Anthony Everitt does not like his subject: Augustus. This shouldn't have surprised me, considering Everitt's unflattering portrayal of Caesar in his previous biographical effort (Cicero).
   
   Despite Everitt's disdain (and the challenges inherent in reading a book from such a biased perspective), I recommend this considering the amount of rich, historical detail present.
   
   Silvestre Vallejo



4. Very good read. It gives great insight into the life of Rome's first emperor. The book is very well reserched.Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor



5. Having read and enjoyed his biography of Cicero I immediately wanted to read his follow on book about Augustus when it came out. It is a solid piece of biography.
   
   However, I was a bit put off when he started his book with the dramatic scenario of Augustus' wife poisoning him. This is generally considered by classicists (disclaimer: I have a graduate degree in Ancient History) as a bit of character assassination from the time period and not likely to be truthful. The author by the end of the book does readdress this scenario and say that this is questionable. Beyond this my only nit-pick is I would have liked to have seen more time spent with Augustus when he was Augustus. Over half the book covers his early life as Octavian. Interesting and important to be sure, but to cram his very lengthy and highly successful Principate into less than half of a biography was disappointing.
   
   Having said all this he covers the material and writes it in a readable fashion. There aren't that many biographies of Augustus out there considering his importance, and I would say this is one of the better ones.

5 comments about The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr..

1. It's an inspirational read and clearly establishes King amongst the finest examples of portraying a 'Purpose Driven Life" in recent generations.



2. I haven't quite finished the book yet but I am impressed at how well the book is written. Martin Luther King,jr. is one of the most memorable historic figures in history and this book eloquently accomplishes portraying him as such.



3. THIS BOOK WILL INSPIRE YOU TO DO GOOD. ITS VERY INSPIRATIONAL. A GREAT MAN WHO DIED TO YOUNG LIKE SO MANY OTHERS. KING NEVER WAS ABLE TO WRITE HIS OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY. THIS AUTHOR TOOK ALL THE INFO AVAILABLE TO HIM TO CREATE THIS PHENOMENAL BOOK. AFTER THIS BOOK I FELT I COULD DO ANYTHING. ITS JUST SO INSPIRING. I WOULD BUY IT IF I WERE YOU. SEE YA.



4. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a very brave man, an unyielding pacifist---and a radical leftist who greatly damaged the United States. He literally argued that his own country carried out a racist and imperialist war against the Vietnamese. MLK believed in affirmative action programs and socialism. He pushed the myth that right-wing conservatives assassinated John F. Kennedy instead of the committed Communist, Lee Harvey Oswald (Camelot and the Cultural Revolution: How the Assassination of John F. Kennedy Shattered American Liberalism). And no, you don't have to take my word for it. Clayborne Carson has put together the hard evidence. King was also a plagiarist who didn't hesitate to steal other authors' writings. Nonetheless, we know for sure that these essays were at least approved by him. Many people who read MLK's approved texts for the first time will be appalled. This is especially true for those who reject the morally relativistic notion that a few lies on behalf of a noble cause can ever be justified.
   
   There is another book you should read. Theodore Pappas released his own meticulously researched Plagiarism and The Culture War : The Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Other Prominent Americans only a few months earlier than Carson's. It turns out that MLK's PhD was not earned. At best, he was a pseudointellectual. Hard core left-wingers like Stanley Levinson and Andrew Young took full advantage of his shallowness. Americans need to learn the truth about Rev. King. The fact that these two books were published roughly ten years ago is not relevant. You should put them on your must read list for 2008. Truth is always more valuable than even the most well meaning deceptions.



5. I really enjoyed reading this book. The style of prose used by Dr. King is very easy to follow and flows very well. The book is also an inspiring example of how civil disobedience can change the world.
   
   I also am glad that he did not sneeze. (If you read the book you will know the context of this statement).
   
   The only reason that I did not give the book a 5 star rating is I thought that the editor could have added an addendum or chapter on the end of the book concerning the assassination of Dr King and how this affected the rest of the Civil Rights movement and the rest of the country as a whole.
   
   But I would definetely recommend this book.