4 comments about Madame Chiang Kai-shek: China's Eternal First Lady.

1. 
   Laura Tyson Li has assembled a spectacular bio. It's page turner with the authority and detail of an encyclopedia. LTL has managed to keep her opinions out of the text. It isn't until the last chapter when through an informed discussion on the Madame's possible motivations that LTL becomes subjective.
   
   While almost every aspect of this life is intriguing, certain people and episodes stand out. I had forgotten Zhang Xueliang until he emerged after a 50 year house arrest, after which he & his wife move to Hawaii. Apparently he was able to keep his pre-war fortune, or had been cared for financially; he is deemed a friend of the Madame. (Another 5 year house arrest of a physician who botches an operation of the General suggests house arrest is a common punishment for "friends" and other professionals.) Madame's war time US appeal for funds, with its cross country caravan of staff whom MCKS treats "as coolies" is certainly an episode worth a small volume. (The $800,000 she raises goes to her personal account.) While the Wendel Wilkie relationship (true or false) is intriguing, I fixed on the William H. Donald relationship, which may have been a professional friendship and refuge from her husband's authoritarianism, but her end of life treatment of him suggests something else.
   
   There are a host of issues worthy of their own books. Perhaps these books exist but I don't know about them. One issue is the "arrival" of 2 million mainlanders to the island of Formosa, who's 7 million citizens seemed to have some degree of prosperity under the Japanese. While the Chaings arrive with resources, others huddle in makeshift places and cry at night. "Invasion" appears to be a better word for this arrival (particularly after 2/28), but it is certainly not portrayed as such (or allowed to be portrayed as such) by the Nationalists who felt entitled to rule and had the resources to make it so. Even later, Madame objects to the appointment of Taiwanese to government posts.
   
   Another issue deserving its own book is Madame's money. Whether or not the NYC exterminators actually saw it, a closet of gold bars is not far fetched. For maybe 30 years, Madame's "charity" received a % of all imports to Taiwan. There were several "vacation" homes in Taiwan, one built at a cost of $2 million. Then, the resources brought from the mainland to Taiwan. This money provided Madame with luxury and a large staff until her death. How large was it? How was it acquired (any from the US war assistance?) and where did it go?
   
   MCKS can be noted for her longevity alone. There must be something Guinness-worthy about her survival despite many years in a war zone, continued medical treatments, operations including several for breast cancer, nervous afflictions, a late in life automobile accident, lifelong cigarette smoking (and potential drug abuse) and at least one assassination attempt. Any one of these factors would tend to predict an early demise, not a life of 103 years.
   
   If you read this book, it's riveting, so be prepared to give it time. Also, the level of detail might make continuity difficult if you have to make gaps in your reading time.



2. Reading "Madame Chiang Kai-shek: China's Eternal First Lady" was like going through everything in the attic and leaving nothing unexamined. Tyson-Li covers every aspect of Madame Chiang's life without ever letting us forget that life's relevance for today. The "Dragon Lady's" significance never disappears in the wealth of the personal, historical, political, psychological, medical, and religious dimensions of her complex life. Her fanatical anti-Communism calls to mind Richard Nixon's personal crusade. Her use of religion to define her and her husband's sense of destiny parallels certain leaders who employ religious language for similar ends. Her manipulation of people and events exceeds the ambitions of any demagogue who has come to believe his or her own public statements.
   
   All this and more the author achieves with vivid prose that takes you into private parlors where Madame Chiang herself has invited you to tea, but leaves you feeling that just maybe everything you've heard is really true and that your hostess is neither monster nor statesman, but an enigmatic individual using the world as a stage to work out her insecurities.



3. This is a book to dive into, and lose yourself for days. Madame Chiang Kai-Shek is that good a story, and this is that good an account of her life. Madame Chiang used her political cunning and legendary drive to seduce supporters to her side of China's epic civil war during the middle part of the 20th century.
   
   The Nationalist regime, headed by her husband, was hated by the Chinese people for its notorious brutality and corruption. But as portrayed by Madame Chiang, especially to American audiences, Chiang Kai-shek's government was a modern, educated bulwark of democracy and freedom for a country whose history had allowed little of either. Indeed, Madame Chiang personified the vaunted hopes, bitter disappointments and complex misunderstandings of the U.S.-China relationship, which vacillated wildly during her exceptional 105-year lifetime. Laura Tyson Li's incisive new biography, rises to the tall task of capturing this pivotal figure in all her splendor and humiliation, against a backdrop of war, revolution and unending political turmoil. Li, a journalist with a decade of experience in Asia, accurately portrays her as "beautiful, vain, witty, spirited, capricious, scheming, selfish, and driven."
   
   What a character. What a tale.
   
   The book opens in the waning days of China's second-to-last emperor in the late 1890s, when Mayling Olive Soong was born in Shanghai, the youngest daughter of a businessman who had made a fortune selling Bibles and presided over a family of savvy, idealistic and recklessly ambitious children. One married Sun Yat-sen, China's first president. Another became finance minister and acting prime minister of Nationalist China. Another became one of China's richest women. Mayling became Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
   
   In an era when few girls learned to read and fewer traveled, Mayling was schooled in Georgia, then graduated from Wellesley College, where she excelled at French, violin and religious studies. She returned to Shanghai in 1917 just as China lurched into a bloody warlord period, and soon she was courted by the most severe warlord of all, Chiang Kai-shek. He divorced one wife and sent another off to Columbia University before Mayling agreed to marry him.
   
   During World War II, Madame Chiang became a superb envoy to the United States, where her address to Congress in 1943 thrilled Washington, and her barnstorming across the country won renewed support and money to defeat the Japanese. In China, she was a poised partner to her husband, softening his imperiousness while sharpening his political machinations.
   
   In Li's telling, husband and wife (who shared a bedroom with a screen separating their beds) could not have differed more. He was an early riser; she stayed up late watching movies. He was ascetic; she insisted on luxury. Still, they called each other 'Dar' (short for 'darling') and for years collaborated to cement fragile political alliances and keep a shaky hold on power.
   
   The book has delicious tidbits, such as an affair with Republican presidential nominee Wendell Wilkie and her insistence on getting silk sheets when she stayed in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's White House.
   
   Overall, Li delivers a thoughtful portrait of a complex woman and resists the considerable temptation to crucify her. That is a refreshing contrast to the shock-and-awe approach seen in so many recent books on prominent figures in China's recent history. Li deconstructs critical historical events with skill: the Xian Incident, when Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by rebellious generals; the 50-year house-arrest of the leading kidnapper, with whom Madame Chiang developed a curious friendship; Madame Chiang's mysterious disappearances for months at a time, caused, Li thinks by physical and mental illnesses, including debilitating hives, breast cancer and nervous breakdown.
   
   More reporter than writer, Li assiduously draws on Madame Chiang's extensive personal correspondence, from archives around the world, to explain each stage of her drama. It's a spellbinding period of history. And it does not end well for the Chiangs. The Nationalist regime crumbled to the Communists in 1949. The Chiangs fled to Taiwan, admitting no fault, but blamed President Truman and vowed to retake the mainland. That dream faded gradually after Chiang Kai-shek died in 1975.
   
   Madame Chiang's antagonistic stepson, Chiang Ching-kuo, would oversee a murderous suppression of dissidents as head of Taiwan's intelligence network. Paradoxically, as president, he later paved the way for the launch of Taiwan's democracy just before his death in 1988. That year, at age 90, she tried to rally Taiwan's Old Guard and prevent the onset of democracy she once spoke of so often. She failed.
   
   Madame Chiang lived out her days in New York, watching China and Taiwan as one became capitalist and the other became a democracy. Despite her illnesses, she lived until 2003.
   
   Ultimately, Madame Chiang was "a deeply flawed heroine," Li writes, "that rare creature who stuck resolutely to her beliefs, however misguided some of them may have been, through the decades and the trials."



4. It's surprising to note that this is the first biography of one of the most politically influential women of modern times, but MADAME CHIANG KAI-SHEK: CHINA'S ETERNAL FIRST LADY remains the only title to provide the complete story of a woman who seized unofficial and official power during China's civil war. Her position against Chinese Communism and her diplomatic relations affected decades of Chinese-American relations, so this book is key to a thorough understanding of not just the woman, but Chinese politics and influences in particular.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

5 comments about Thomas Cranmer: A Life.

1. I have'nt finished this book but as you've asked me I respond. The book is heavy going,but probably no one will ever do better owing to the subject i.e Cranmer's deeds are known in all their inconsistancies in the earlier years,but nothing is known of the personal reasonings that gave rise to them.
   Even the glories of his style of writing just seemed to come from nowhere,but the Author does a good job in explaining its inimitableness



2. I took "Thomas Cranmer" on in order to make sense of a seeming paradox: What I already "knew" of him did not square with the theology I had begun to discover in his Collects and Prayer Book. I was curious!
   
   MacCulloch does a masterful job at presenting this complex, and sometimes contradictory figure of the early English Reformation. Despite the derrogatory review given by "a reader," I found very little bias and no axe-grinding in this work. Actually, I came to the book expecting some bias. Even being thusly prepared and properly skeptical, I found only a very few times that MacCulloch let his own opinions show through. (When he does, it is in parentheses with exclamation points!!) You can almost hear him chuckle at times.
   
   I read the book in 9 or 10 days, and never found it to be a chore; in fact, the most difficult thing was putting it down and going to bed! While the book is scholarly, and masterfully written, it is definitely not tedious or boring.
   
   I came to the end of the book with a deep respect for Cranmer. I have many points of disagreement with him, and yet a certain admiration for his eventual willingness to heroically stand where he believed the Gospel compelled him to stand. Fr. James DeKoven, an early Anglican theological hero in Wisconsin, once said "We live at a time when cowardice in matters of religion has been elevated to the status of virtue." Archbishop Thomas Cranmer proved, in the end, to be anything but a coward.
   
   I have corresponded several times now with Professor MacCulloch, and find him to be humble, dedicated, and helpful. I am now reading his "The Reformation: a history," and I plan to read everything else of his that I can get my hands on!



3. Many Anglican history books have an axe to grind. But not this masterful biography. The Thomas Cranmer of MacCulloch is very human, but no villian nor an unblemished hero.
   
   We see his theological evolution from a fairly orthodox Catholic to a stauch Protestant who went to the stake in defiance of Bloody Mary and the "Antichrist" Pope.
   
   MacCulloch also takes the reader into the historical sources and their reliability. These, along with his extensive footnotes will be of interest to any serious student of Anglican history.
   
   Yet this longish book is very readable and rarely gets bogged down, again unlike some other Anglican histories.
   
   If you want to learn about Thomas Cranmer or about early Anglicanism, this book is a must read.
   
   
   Mark Marshall is the author of God Knows What It's Like to be a Teenager.



4. MacCulloch's book provides access to the singularly foundational figure of the reformation in England. Most who recognize Cranmer's name at all know him only as the author of the first Prayer Book or the man who attained Henry VIII's annulment from Catherine. MacCullogh gives depth to Cranmer as a flawed yet faithful agent of the Church, one who sought with conviction the reformation of the Church of England but was also willing to slavishly follow his prince in order to achieve that reformation. The final chapter, chronicling Cranmer's fall and ultimate martyrdom, reads with the pace of a good novel. For Episcopalians and others with an affinity for the Anglican tradition, insight into Cranmer's life and thought is crucial, and MacCulloch presents that insight with skill.



5. MacCulloch seeks to present Archbishop Cranmer as a radical protestant with little scholarly interest or knowledge of the early church, and also that the "via media" of Anglicanism that resulted from the English Reformation was contrary to Cranmer's radical protestant beliefs and is a "myth." While MacCulloch may have written a biography he failed to examine the source of Cranmer's beliefs and theology. MacCulloch claims that Cranmer's eucharistic theology stems from the Swiss Reformed tradition: one had only to read Basil Hall's essay in "Thomas Cranmer: Churchman and Scholar" edited by Ayris and Selwyn to see that this is demonstrably false. Cranmer was heavily influenced by Lutheranism as well as by the "exposition of the most holy and learned fathers and martyrs" of "the holy catholic church of Christ from the beginning" (Cranmer's words) and as such his theology clearly stands in the same line as that of Richard Hooker and Lancelot Andrewes. This sort of "scholarship" with an obvious ax to grind is perhaps the worst sort. If you want to know Cranmer's views on the Sacraments (as most Anglicans or scholars of the Reformation do) please read him in his own words in "A Defense of the True and Catholic Doctrine of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ" (if you can find a copy in the library) or in "Thomas Cranmer: Churchman and Scholar."

2 comments about Barack Obama: The Politics of Hope (Shapers of America).

1. The bubble has yet to burst on Barack Obama's campaign to get the Democratic nomination for president, but whether he returns to the U.S. Senate or becomes the first president of African-American descent, this juvenile biography will provide a solid introduction to Obama for any young reader who is inspired to find out more about the man. Although copyrighted for 2008, "Barack Obama: The Politics of Home," has already been published and it tells the story of how a "Kenyan Kansan" ended up in Washington, D.C. Author William Michael Davis provides a look at Obama's entire life, spending as much time on when "Barry" was in school (like his young readers) as when Obama starting running for office to "create a better politics."
   
   Davis begins this biography at the moment that many Americans were first introduced to Obama, when the obscure state senator from Illinois delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and suddenly gained a national reputation. Obama's speech was reminiscent of Barbara Jordan's keynote at the 1976 Democratic National Convention and Mario Cuomo's keynote in 1984. Both of those celebrated orations thrust their speakers into national politics--there was talk of putting Jordan on the ticket as vice-president and Cuomo was considered a potential candidate for a decade after his dazzling oration--but only Obama actually became a candidate for the highest office in the land. So even if young readers do not remember the speech or its coverage, telling the story of the impact it made is a great starting point for this biography.
   
   After looking at Obama's speech, chapters are devoted to Barack Hussein Obama being raised in Hawaii by a mother from Kansas, a father from Kenya, and a step-father from Indonesia, going to college, becoming a community organizer, and attending Harvard Law School, where he was the first black president of the "Harvard Law Review." The second half of the book looks at how Obama set down roots in Chicago's South Side, became a state legislator, and was then elected to the U.S. Senate. The final chapter, "We've Got to Create a Better Politics," covers the decision to run for President, the main opponents he faces for the Democratic nomination, and what running a presidential campaign is like these days. Davis does not get into Obama's political positions, instead focusing more on his optimistic political philosophy.
   
   Reading this book I am reminded of some juvenile biographies of Colin Powell that I read a decade ago when there was speculation that he might throw his hat into the ring and run for President. I remember thinking they should have waited for Powell to decide because there could be more to the story to tell. That did not prove to be the case with Powell, and whether Obama goes on to the White House or simply has a lengthy career in the U.S. Senate, Davis's book explains why so many people are excited about him as a politician. The back of the book includes a Chronology of key events in Obama's life from 1961 to 2007 when he announced his candidacy, Chapter Notes documenting all of Davis's sources, a list of articles about and books by Obama for Further Reading, a trio of useful Internet Resources where readers can go to find out more, and a standard Index. The book is illustrated with dozens of photographs, both color and black & white.
   
   This book is one of the early releases in a series of eight Shapers of America volumes that offers an interesting cross-section of figures from American history. In addition to Obama we have "Jim Beckwourth: The Man Who Opened the West," "John C. Calhoun: Champion of States' Right," "John Marshall: The Man Who Made the Court Supreme," "Billy Mitchell: Evangelist of Airpower (Shapers of America)," "J. Robert Oppenheimer: Father of the Atomic Bomb," "Sacagawea: Lewis & Clark's Pathfinder," and "Ida Tarbell: Crusading Journalist." Obama hardly qualifies as one of the Shapers of America given that roster of Americans, but there is no question that he is inspiring millions of young kids to becoming interested in politics and to accept the idea that if he can run for president, then maybe we all are created equal in this country.



2. Part of the "Shapers of America" series, Barack Obama: The Politics of Hope is a remarkably extensive biography for young adults about the charismatic African-American state senator from Illinois who has become one of the Democratic Party's most prominent figures. Tracing the journey of his life from Hawaii and Indonesia to Harvard Law School, Chicago's South Side, and the halls of Congress, Barack Obama is illustrated throughout with black-and-white as well as color photography. Chapter notes and an index round out this highly accessible resource especially recommended for school and community library collections.

2 comments about Of Rats and Men: Oscar Goodman's Life from Mob Mouthpiece to Mayor of Las Vegas.

1. Of Rats And Men: Oscar Goodman's Life From Mob Mouthpiece To Mayor Of Las Vegas is the inherently fascinating biography of Oscar Goodman, a man who deliberately became a pre-eminent defense attorney for alleged gangsters for 35 years. Accused but never proven of being more than a mouthpiece and defense attorney for organized crime, Oscar Goodman somehow managed to successfully defend his clients without becoming part of organized crime itself -- at least according to the voters of Las Vegas who eventually elected him as their mayor twice. Of Rats And Men is very highly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in the history of organized crime in America or who wish to avail themselves of a unique insight into the life and philosophy of an accomplished trial lawyer who specialized in defending members of established crime families.



2. The copious notes and eight pages of bibliography supporting John L. Smith's meticulously researched biographical look at Oscar Goodman, former mob attorney - presently the two-term mayor of Las Vegas, impressed me.

   Talk about "insider" information! Smith has long been quoted as a preeminent authority on mob history and "wise guy" relationships. In his book, "Of Rats and Men: Oscar Goodman's Life from Mob Mouthpiece to Mayor of Las Vegas," Smith names a Who's Who of notorious clients, alleged criminal activities, and egregious political innuendoes surrounding the controversial bonds between Goodman and friends. Scared me! While it is obvious the attention-seeking mayor was generous in his interviews with the author, Smith kept me up nights as he interpreted what Goodman would have us believe with his [author's] own extensive background knowledge and investigative prowess. John L. has balls of brass to write as honestly as he does.

   Don't let an easy read fool you. This book is a gem for all who follow gaming history, or the Las Vegas / mob connection - to say nothing of government ineptitude (now, that was a hoot!).

5 comments about Bismarck: The Man and Statesman.

1. Taylor's "Bismarck: The Man and the Statesman" is an accessible piece to the casual reader as well as a provocative piece to the more seasoned historian. Taylor's evaluation of Bismarck's character is the primary strength of this work. More specifically, the author paints Bismarck as an epic statesman who thrives on conflict to the extent to which he needs to create conflicts where they may not exist. He also toys with Bismarck's megalomania in a non-accusatory way--leaving the reader to make such a judgment. The reader is also left to assess whether Bismarck was an opportunist or one who created opportunities. Concerning Bismarck's character, Taylor demonstrates a subtle, tongue-in-cheek (which could be read as anything but subtle or tongue-in-cheek) sense of humor which increases the allure of this book.
   
   The genius of "Bismarck" is the author's treatment of the great statesman's strategic negotiations with Russia and Austria-Hungary. Less stellar, but still impressive, is the analysis of Bismarck's means and ends of German unification.
   
   Taylor is less adept in his evaluation of Bismarck's domestic policies. Notwithstanding the fact that Bismarck's foreign policy legacy has overshadowed his domestic policy triumphs, Taylor offers little more than a perfunctory analysis the creation of the most extensive social welfare state of the 19th Century. The author even goes so far as to deem the socioeconomic safety net as the model for other European states. If this is the case, and I agree that it is, then it deserves more treatment. A second weakness is Taylor's unremitting comparisons to William Gladstone. Taylor openly concedes to the futility of this parallel, then goes on to fruitlessly draw this parallel throughout the book. A final chink in the armor of this otherwise sturdy biography is the final chapter, "Into the Grave and Beyond", in which Taylor unsuccessfully tries to superimpose the legacy of Bismarck onto two World Wars and Cold War diplomatic relations. Though I appreciate Bismarck's impact on these eras, I can't help but wonder if this deserves either a more thorough treatment or no treatment at all. Of course, perhaps I selfishly just want Taylor to elaborate on Bismarck's legacy.
   
   Taylor's "Bismarck" is highly acclaimed and rightfully so. It will satiate the curiosities of some readers and further inspire the curiosities of others.



2. this portrayal of Bismarck gives him a more human aspect.For one thing,Taylor quotes Bismarck's memoirs often,in regard to his motivations and decisions.The other author of a bio on Bismarck,Crankshaw in particular,believes Bismarck's memoirs are not reliable at all and are in fact clouded due to the Iron Chancellors bad memory and multiple(at time unconscious layers of deceit. So being familiar with Crankshaws more recently published bio,it sort of deflates Bismarcks bombastic,philosophic,at times idealistic quotations that Taylor generously sprinkles his bio of Bismarck with.Taylor is aware of Bismarck's duplicity in politics,however the difference between Taylor and Crankshaw is one of degree.Crankshaw's is a supreme deflation of the puffed up Chancellor.Taylor gives credit to Bismarck however for designing social legislation that was later copied by most European governments.Bismarck's 3 wars against Denmark,Austria,and France were contained and had limited objectives,and according to Taylor "cost thousands of lives whereas the wars of the 20th century have cost millions of lives".You can see from a read of Taylor's book how the German govt. could have believed that the War started in 1914,would probably be over as quickly as the other 3 successful wars that lasted a month or two during Bismarck's tenure ithe 1870's.Of course in Crankshaw's work he would say that Bismarck's 3 relatively bloodless wars helped to set up the greivances that led to WW1.Taylor also injects alot of his own philosophical musings into his works. One quote is an an oftake about learning from history,he says,basically that sometimes governments in attempting to correct errors of the past commit even bigger ones in the effort.Still you can't help but believe from Taylor's book that there been a "Bismarckian" type figure in 1914 WW1 could have probably been avoided or have at least been on a smaller scale.But was Bismarck responsible for thwarting coalitions in German government and as a result making the German confederations too dependent on a strong central person?Both of these bios on Bismarck are worth a read and complement each other.Crankshaw seems to take amusement by mentioning that Bismarck's wife became known in later life as a "malicious gossip".He also spends time on Bismarck's son Herbert who Crankshaw characterizes as a dud.This despite being carefully groomed by the Iron Chancellor in the hopes of a little nepotism.Crankshaw concludes it was a "bad hair day" for Herbert.Taylor indulges in none of this type analyzation in his bio,although I'm sure he was aware of the facts or lack of facts.Numerous references to Bismarck's "Lutheranism" is mentioned in the Taylor work,but he was willing to work with Catholic interests if they didn't interfere with the Iron Chancellor's views on a strong and united Germany.



3. I really love books like this one. Now this book may not be the definitive, authoritative biography of Bismarck and it certainly leaves out some key points, but the book is only 288 pages. The book is not supposed to be the definitive work on Bismarck's life. I don't see how someone could pick up a book that is less than 300 pages and think that it will have everything they need to know about one of the greatest politicians the world has ever seen.
   
   So why do I like this book enough to give it five stars? The book is very well written and Mr. Taylor has a nice style so the book is entertaining and easy to read. It is also filled with very good information and, for its size, the book does a very good job hitting the major highlights of a very important historical figure. I think the book does a fantastic job giving the reader a lot of information for the pages read.
   
   I really like these short, well written books on history. They make reading about a topic that is outside one's course of study or interest accessible. The relative small size of the book means it isn't as intimidating as other works and hopefully gives the book a wider audience.
   
   The main thing is know what you're buying here and you won't be disappointed. You cannot get a definitive biography of Bismarck into 300 pages or less, but you can get a really good book that is informative and fun to read. I really liked this book and I think others will enjoy it as well.



4. This has been one interesting read that I just could not put down! A.J.P. Taylor really knows how to make history interesting, concise and maybe a bit too explicatory.



5. Bismarck may be read by high school students,housewives and educated men and women...A.J.P Taylor wrote to several audiences at once. So I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a well written book and wants learn about the facts of Bismarck's accomplishments. Furthermore "Bismarck" is a great example of what politicians do and say. The Difference between what constituents want to hear and what great politicians actually do. Examples are when British politicians make anti-Euro currency declarations in order to gain votes, while at the same time quietly adopting European integration measures. Conversely Italian politicians agreeing quickly to sound pro-European Integration,while all the while in practice stalling every European integration measure so as not to loose voters. This book is a great introduction into Parliamentary and extra parliamentary manoevuring,the basics on Right,Center,Left and the Grand coalition,or all party initiatives for US readers.
   Summing up,Bismarck is a pre-requisite to understand European politics and history as well as great lessons in practical politics.

3 comments about Back on the Road: A Journey Through Latin America.

1. A diary that is rambling but compelling to read. Hard to put down. Shows transformation of Motorcycle Diaries Earnesto (Che) Guavera into soon to be Commandante Che of Cuban Revolution--the endearing kitten who grows up to be the feral and rather large cat in the living room. It starts out as a story of a young man with itchy feet who cannot tolerate boredom (ADHD comes to mind). Soon, however, he becomes embroiled in an intense politcal struggle which begins in Guatemala. The outcome of the Guatemala struggle develops Che's adult vision of a united Latin America, free of United Fruit and "Yanqui" domination, which continues for the rest of Ernesto (Che) Guevara's brief life.
   
   This book shows a part of United States and Central American history of which few North Americans are aware. I know I wasn't.



2. I found Back on the Road at Shakespeare & Co. in Paris. I had not know about this book and it is a splendid companion to his Motorcyle Diaries, in fact reading both books let's you look into Che's mind and what made him a Revolutionary. His style of writing appeals to me, he writes about what he sees, how he feels, and best of all, his friends and lady friends, he seems to have been catnip to women, but, he writes in a style that does not talk down to either sex and this makes him easily the best revolutionary writer of his time. Che is very popular in Europe and not just with the younger generation. Buying this book will open your eyes to what Che was really like.



3. Having just read "Motorcycle Diaries" and loving it, I was eager to read this book. The problems with it are two-fold. It was edited by his widow and not by Guevara himself as the first book was. In the preface it is noted that she extracted parts of the original text. The second fault is that it is a journal but it is written with very few dates. There are no breaks between daily entries so as you read along from paragraph to paragraph several days worth of entries are present. It makes the text hard to follow. His writing is still interesting but also several times he writes that nothing new is happening. It seems that his "heart" is not in this journal. There is some very interesting information included though ranging from the disaffected tone about which he writes to his mother about his first marriage to his firsthand observation of the overthrow of the Guatemalan government. The highlights of the book are the letters he wrote home to family and friends. It is a short book and definetly worth a read but don't have the expectation that it will be as good as "Motorcycle Diaries".

1 comments about Letters to My Mother: A Message of Love, A Plea for Freedom.

1. There are two letters. The first is Ingrid Betancourt's letter to HER mother, written in October 2007, then "captured" during the arrest of a FARC rebel in December, 2007. The second letter is that of Ingrid's children to THEIR mother in response.
   I'd read the US government's official translation excerpted, i.e. omitting most of the family details, shortly after it's release early in the year, and saw Ingrid's eloquence. However, when I read the entire letter, as published (in English) in this book, I recognized the soul of a poet. Because the book includes her original Spanish (along with a French translation), I was reminded once again of (1) how passionate a language Spanish is; and (2) the difficulty of translating such beauty and passion into English.

5 comments about Warrior: An Autobiography.

1. Warrior An Autobiography This is one book I can review without having finished reading it. He is one of the great generals of our time even ranking with MacAuthor, Patton, Swartzkoff,Etc. My own personal opinion he is tops. He had to help try to save a country when there was little help from the rest of the world. As a political figure I,ll also stick with him. He may have made some mistakes according to others but no one else did any better. I stay away from politics as most have no idea of what they are talking about any way. I think he had his country at heart either way.



2. I enjoyed this autobiography of one of modern Israel's giants.
   The book was written in great detail on many of the historic battles and decisions that Israel faced. Sharon played a large part in the fledgling country's struggle to survive the onslaught of hatred and terror. Sharon also touched on the personal hardships he faced.
   The only problem with Warrior was that Sharon wrote it so early in his career (1980s) that I was left hungry for more information. I had to go and buy a more recent biography of Sharon to bring myself up to date on Arik's life and career.



3. 
   
   There are many references to Pierre and Bashir Gemayel (leaders of the predominantly Christian-Phalanges Party).
   Most of Lebanon, and the Christian Leaders had been particularly confounded by the rash and dash with which the Israelis' conducted their war against the Palestinian Militias, and Beirut was awash with gossips that the Lebanese Forces - LF - (mainly Christians) would perform, alone, a sweeping military - mop up - operation in support of the Israelis.
   Such was a request Sharon had asked of Bashir during his first and short `look-see' visits to Jounieh - Lebanon (East) but did not evoke clear-cut answer (nor commitment) from Bashir because LF had not been able to give viable practical assistance, least of all to do any `street fighting' in a densely populated Beirut (West).
   If LF entered the important green line (Sea port area) rushing into Hamra Street, civilian losses would have been immense.
   Sharon wanted to infuse his sense of urgency into LF leaders in order to gain time and face the Israeli Cabinet with a fait a compli situation of which the Cabinet had never approved before.
   Sharon left Jounieh under the impression he and Bashir had concluded an agreement -in principle- of `a military operation' to be performed when the proper time called for it and now the next phase was for `joint planning'. Bashir was led to believe that Sharon was highly depending on LF supportive participation.
   Sharon thought Bashir had fully understood him to support a `do it alone' military operation, i.e. that LF would attack independently from the East when the Israelis had tightened the noose on Beirut (West).
   Mismatch in person-to-person communication took on new impetus.
   In the first place, it had never occurred to Bashir to attack West Beirut because he was heading for the Presidency and his `election' was imminent and inevitable.
   Bashir's priorities were 1) Never to put himself in disfavour with the Muslim communities and 2) Should not destroy political bridges with Syria (Hafiz al Asad) that would come after he's elected to the Presidency.
   
   Sharon, a military man to the bones, could see nothing relating to `Lebanese Politics' in the middle of his `war against the PLO - Arafat'; he had found that the Lebanese appreciation of his sweeping moves - having also neutralized the Syrian Army in Lebanon - were meant to ask him to revert to the idea of `independent action in West Beirut. Sharon should begin, and the LF would follow'.
   
   As there are no secrets in Lebanon, pulling the blankets of `no commitments' over their bodies resolutely did not refrain Philip Habib - not yet tired of repeating to Bashir - `at no time give a pretext that would obstruct your election to the Presidency'.
   
   And the `drama' has never ended..............



4. A very good book. It goes into a bit more depth with strategy and such than I could really grasp in a few spots, but on the whole I found it very interesting. Good descriptions of and insight into politics, history, and his accomplishments and ideas. I hadn't known how much he had done outside of the military before reading this book: founding Likud, advancing agriculture in Israel and in Africa, and forging relationships throughout the world for a fledgling Israel. A good book from a most impressive man.



5. The short, turbulent history of modern Israel has called for extraordinary leadership. Ariel Sharon is clearly one of the most important of the leaders who have shaped the history of this vulnerable young country.
   
   I suppose any autobiography could be said to be self-serving. Still, I have always believed that any man has a right to have his own assessment of himself be taken into consideration in any evaluation of his life.
   
   But my purpose now is not to give an assessment of his life. Rather, it is to give an assessment of this book, as a means to understanding that life. As such, I would have to say that I think you will find it useful. This is due, in part, I think, to the fact that Sharon was a man of strong feelings who expressed them openly. But it is also due to the fact that Sharon always lived his life in a manner which gave him plenty to talk about. He had a zest for life, and a fearlessness toward death that inclined him to an extraordinary life.
   
   Sharon also had the good fortune to be associated in time and proximity with several extraordinary men, and he made decisions that put him on a level with those men that might otherwise have been quite different. His bold military initiatives brought him to the attention of David Ben-Gurion during the critical early days of Israel as a nation. Later, after he had retired from the military as a part of a national policy to retire generals before they got too old, he entered politics without getting the permission or trying to earn the favor of established personalities. He was lucky, of course, because at the moment he decided to found the Likud, Begin desperately needed something just like that to build the kind of coalition that could bring him a national position. But he was also decisive. That's the key. He didn't wait to hear what everyone would think, he just did it.
   
   Sharon's defense of his actions during the invasion of Lebanon are convincing, but in my mind, they do not completely remove the necessity for him to step down. I think he had to leave at that point. I do not believe he ordered the massacre of civilians. I didn't need his book to come to that conviction. I didn't believe it at the time, either. But it happened on his watch, and there just was no escaping the impression in the minds of so many people, that he could have done more to prevent it.
   
   As could be expected from any autobiography, there are several things that Sharon does not address. This is why the whole picture can seldom be obtained by reading only autobiography. At some point, you have to balance autobiography with objective studies by reputable scholars who can address questions the individual in question hesitates to mention, and address them fairly. Sharon's oldest son was killed by a neighbor kid who was playing with one of Sharon's guns. How did this happen? How in the world did a couple of young kids get access to a loaded weapon? The incident itself, is of course, a poinant part of the book, but some of these questions any reasonable person would ask are simply not addressed.
   
   But taking into account the limitations of autobiography, this book provides a very useful insight into both the man and the country. It will be on every reading list for future historians of Israel for a long, long time to come. Fascinating character. Fascinating book. Fascinating country. Read and enjoy.

1 comments about The Portable Thomas Jefferson (Viking Portable Library).

1. "The Portable Jefferson" consists of a vast collection of Jefferson's works. It provides us with valuable insights into his mind and his world.

   The longest entry is "Notes on the State of Virginia". It provides a multifaceted assessment of the Virginia known by Jefferson. Politics, the economy, topography, populations, flora and fauna are all included in this report. I read with particular interest the reports on areas of French settlement in what is now Illinois, areas in which my ancestors were living but to which Jefferson had never traveled and about which he had to have learned from the reports of others. Many insights into the Virginia of his day are very interesting.

   Jefferson's July, 1774 tome on "A Summary View Of The Rights of British America" give a preview of America's grievances on the eve of the Revolution.

   The next segment consists of Jefferson's public papers and addresses. Some are well known, such as the Declaration of Independence, while others are obscure, but often no less interesting.

   The last segment of the book consists of many private letters written to a host of correspondents. Some of these are rather mundane matters of personal interest, while others are occasions for expositions of political views and comments on the news of the day. I found particularly interesting his comments on developments in France during its Revolution.

   I have long had an interest in Jefferson. This book enables the reader to see him in new and deeper lights. His thought, the breath of his interests and his genius shine on the pages of his book. This is a book to read and then keep handy for reference.

3 comments about The African Dream: The diaries of the Revolutionary War in the Congo.

1. I must commend Guevara for his courage and idealism. I also believe that the diary was a candid appraisal of the circumstances and events of the Congo war in 1965. The book is easy read, interesting, and at times funny (his description of the Congolese guerrillas shooting with their eyes shut was hilarious.) The book is not overburdened with ideological mombo-jombo.
   
   Having read a detailed history of the Cuban Insurrection (Bonachea), the History of the Cuban Revolution (Thomas), and Guevara's own Bolivian Diary (which is also a very interesting book), I find Guevara to be a much better writer than he was military commander.
   
   My reasoning is the following: The books speak for themselves; they are reasonably well written and honest. On the other hand, his military career started with a triumph; the Cuban Revolution. There was a country-wide insurrection going on in Cuba by the time both Castro and Guevara landed in Oriente in 1956. While most other anti-Batista leaders were killed during the next two years, Castro and Guevara survived to lead the insurrection to victory against the terminally corrupt and incompetent army of Batista at the end of 1958. As the old say goes: "the courage of your enemy honors you"...not much honor in that triumph. Batista's troops did not fight.
   
   Six years later Guevara abandons everything in his quest for other struggles and revolutionary glory. It is now 1965 and he goes to Congo. He clearly (from his writings) counted on his fame rallying all the guerrillas to his banner and do an encore of the Cuban rout of 1958. He was wrong on both counts. Government troops fought well. He had to flee and he blamed the Congolese. Then he tried again in Bolivia. Once more he faced a determined enemy, his ego alienated the Bolivian communists, he blamed the Bolivians, and met his end.
   
   Guevara was more of a Robespierre than of an Alexander.
   But the book is good.



2. While it might not have been intended as such this is actually a pretty funny read. 'Che' may have been motivated by high ideals but in his diaries he documents the nitty gritty of daily life and the trials of trying to whip a revolutionary army into shape. Frequently beset by attacks of 'the runs' (many times a day) and having to deal with Congolese soldiers who wanted nothing more than to run away from the first sign of trouble unless they had consumed their magic drink that made them impervious to bullets, the campaign seems to have been doomed from the start. If you want to get a different view of the reality of revolution from that presented in manifestos this strikingly honest diary seems like a great place to start.



3. The African Dream is a great book for people interested to learn what happened during the first of Che's 2 "lost years." In April, 1965, Che left Cuba, not to be seen again until his murder in Bolivia in October of 1967. Che first tried to bring about revolution in the Congo, which was undergoing the beginning of the Apartheid government that was to take the lives of millions of innocent Africans in the coming years. In Che's own words, you will gain massive insight into what went on during that nearly year long struggle for freedom and justice.