3 comments about Ariel Sharon: An Intimate Portrait.

1. I enjoyed this biography of Ariel Sharon. The author, Uri Dan, had been a close friend of Sharon's and had insight into Sharon's thoughts. Much of the book is based on interviews Dan had with Sharon. Uri Dan did not mince words with Sharon about the Gaza pullout and other decisions that were controversial.
   The book was written recently and is fairly current. I found the book to be an easy read and recommend it for those that want to learn about Ariel Sharon.



2. Great insider's view, and basically an awesome history of the entire state of Israel. Well worth the read.



3. This book is the story of a friendship, between a journalist and a major military and political figure. The focus however is on the life, and most importantly public actions of one of the great leaders of modern Israel, Ariel Sharon. The book traces the career of Sharon from the Israeli War of Independence in 1948 to his final actions as Prime Minister of Israel when on January 2, 2006 Sharon suffered a massive disabling stroke. A short while later Uri Dan himself came down with terminal cancer and passed away before his revered friend.
   Dan was for many years accused in Israel of being only a 'yes-man' for Sharon. But that is hardly the case. The book is filled with instances of disagreement in which Dan openly as good friend gave Sharon his critical advice.The greatest difference was in Sharon's decision to make a unilaterial disengagement from Gaza in the summer of 2005. It is interesting that in an earlier section of the book Sharon explains why two of the settlements which were removed were of vital security significance.
   The overall story however is not focused on differences of opinion, but rather on cooperative action in service of a cause and ideal - end both Dan and Sharon believed in with all their hearts, the founding and defending of the state of Israel. It is their total committment to this cause which was at the heart of their friendship.
   Sharon's deeds are so numerous and legendary that it is difficult to know where to begin to chronicle them. He is of all the great Israeli modern soldiers Dayan, Rabin, Meir Har- Tsion, Avigdor Kahalani the one who is great at at every level of operation. He is the founder of the 101 Unit which combatted Arab terror in the fifties. He was the one who formulated the Israeli battle- orders by which an officer ideally goes forward first always saying 'After me" He illustrated more than one time the principle of not leaving wounded soldiers behind . He was of all the Israeli military leaders the one who truly understood the futility of static defense, the Bar- Lev line, and the one whose turnaround action in crossing the Suez Canal in October 1973 turned an Israeli military defeat into a victory.
   Dan was not an armchair journalist but trained specially so as to be able to accompany Sharon on the field of battle. His descriptions of Sharon's control and command , his low sure voice at the most critical moments of battle help explain why Sharon's soldiers so loved and trusted him.
   Dan gives a lot of space here to Sharon's controversial part in the First Lebanon War. He makes a strong case that the Kahane commission and Chief Justice Barak did a great injustice in blaming Sharon for what the soldiers of the Phalangists did to the Palestinians. Dan also describes the famous libel suit in which Sharon unprecedentedly won a retraction from the American magazine 'Time'.
   Sharon has been not only a major military but a major political figure in Israel. He was instrumental in helping found the Likud which in 1977 became the basis of the first non- Labor party led government in Israel. Dan also tells the story of Sharon's massive election victory over Ehud Barak and his struggle to restore badly damaged Israeli security which had come in the wake of the Oslo process.
   Without going into the family story at great length Dan touches upon major events such as the loss of Sharon's first wife , the death in a shooting accident of his eleven year old oldest son. Dan also indicates what was a well- known public fact in Israel Sharon's very successful marriage to Lily who was his principal help and source of support. Though Dan does not speculate upon this many believe that her death from cancer had a deleterious effect on Sharon's political policies.
   Insiders , and close- followers of Israeli politics will note certain emphases and omissions in the book. Dan gives great credit to one Sharon adviser Aryeh Genger while saying next to nothing about the person thought to be Sharon's right- hand man in his last few years, Dov Weisglas. Dan does not say much about the role of Omri Sharon and his influence on his father's politics. He mentions without comment Omri's conviction for election- fraud.
   The book contains narrative sections interspersed with interviews with Ariel Sharon. In these we again see his fighting spirit, his optimism, his dedication to and concern for the security of Israel, his committment to the Jewish people.
   Sharon was by some affectionately and by some pejoratively called in Israel, 'The Bulldozer' He was time and again whether it was in founding the whole settlement movement , or removing Yamit from Sinai the one who could do what no one else would do. Instructively in an early conversation with Ben- Gurion cited in the book, Sharon is asked about Moshe Dayan's appointment as Minister. Sharon says then that he thinks that Dayan is suitable for every position, save one, Prime Minister. And this because Sharon says Dayan tends to avoid taking responsibility. Sharon of course was the opposite of this. He took responsibility and more than responsibility for countless actions taken in the defense of Israel. At times he was ( During the Lebanese War) the most vilified person in Israel.In his last years he was the greatly esteemed leader who would have won reelection in 2006 had he not been incapacitated.
   Uri Dan's last words in this book tell about his reaction to the news of Sharon's second and finally disabling stroke. He said that he began to cry and has been crying ever since.

1 comments about The Life of Washington (American History Through Literature).

1. This is the source of most of the legends involving the "Father of Our Country." "Parson" Weems tells us about the early years of Washington that not even historians know. How about this famous nugget? "George," said his father, "do you know who killed that beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden?" "He bravely cried out, "I can't tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet." This legendary book was a favorite of Abraham Lincoln, one of the books he used to teach himself to read and write. A must for any American History buff or scholar. Is it history or legend? You decide.
   Also recommended: Devil and Daniel Webster; Paul Revere's Ride, and Kolak of the Werebeasts.

No comments about Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Making of Modern America (Weekend Biographies).

2 comments about Betty Ford: Candor And Courage In The White House (Modern First Ladies).

1. This book made no real effort to consider the alchemy of the Ford marriage - looking at and attempting to analyze the private and personal influence of the First Lady on the President - it simply deals with the face value of public reaction. Thus is severely underrates the influence of Betty Ford. There is a lack of any human depth to this work and in attempting to be dry and objective, entirely loses what was the unique kind of power that First Ladies like Betty Ford can have - different no doubt than those who undertake specific legislative agendas, but one that the public responded to. The wrong author for a great subject.



2. Because the current Republican first lady easily can double as an extra in a "Stepford Wives" film, we must not forget that she is only one, and certainly does not reflect all her predecessors within either the White House institution or the Republican Party. Betty Ford certainly proved that.
   
   John Robert Greene's biography of Betty Ford does justice to a woman who was so clearly ahead of her time, and certainly not afraid to admit it either. Whether people love or hate her, they ultimately admit that Betty Ford has ideas of her own. Greene, a historian, previously authored biographies on George H.W. Bush and (appropriately) Gerald Ford.
   
   After Spiro T. Agnew and Richard Nixon's resignations, Gerald Ford unexpectedly became the nation's president. Although he is relatively liberal by current Republican standards (which was issue of contention in the 1976 Republican primary) Ford was conservative when compared to his own wife.
   
   Even though she was from the World War II era generation---who weren't supposed to support women's liberation, Ford instead championed the Equal Rights Amendment and gave public thanks that abortion was `brought out of the back woods' in interviews which were undoubtedly path-breaking in their own day.
   
   In a time when the new right was preparing for the Reagan and Bush eras, Betty Ford was a true lightning rod. Effectively defusing an idea that only `radicals' or `wide eyed youth' wanted policy AND cultural changes, she helped to successfully infuse women's rights with a public `respectability' that several other public female supporters were not able to achieve in 1974-1976. Being First Lady gave Mrs. Ford the ability to draw middle America to the very social movements which they otherwise might have feared.
   
   For instance, after finding a lump in her own breast, Mrs. Ford encouraged other women to talk about breast cancer---and promoted the early detection which is now commonplace in America. Because then prevailing sentiment had been to `keep quiet' and attempt treating cancer in later and ultimately more difficult stages, Mrs. Ford has saved many women's lives. When compared against the Republican Party's subsequent and current `pro-family' ideology which actually attempts hiding frank discussions of human anatomy, her actions truly were `pro-life'.
   
   For all its celebration, the book does pointedly acknowledge that Ford had a substance abuse problem. Again turning personal experience into public enlightenment/growth, Ford lent her name to the Betty Ford treatment center in California. If the center has subsequently become the stuff of pop culture, it also has humanized first ladies; they experience problems AND also have opinions how to end those problems.
   
   Even if she was never actually a co-president and was generally content as First Lady, Betty Ford had ultimately opened the door for successors Rosalyn Carter and Hillary Rodham Clinton to increase the public role in ways which Eleanor Roosevelt had only dreamt about. This book is recommended for historians and political scientists, particularly those interested in theories about the power and influence of First Ladies on public policy.

1 comments about Roosevelt the Explorer: T.R.'s Amazing Adventures as a Naturalist, Conservationist, and Explorer.

1. H. Paul Jeffers' Roosevelt The Explorer: Teddy Roosevelt's Amazing Adventures As A Naturalist, Conservationist, And Explorer is an outstanding biography of American President Teddy Roosevelt and one which focuses specifically upon his work in the areas of conservation and exploring. Dwelling on Roosevelt's enthusiastic appreciation of nature, and his struggles as President against tough opposition in order to create a system of national parks and to protect America's forests and wetlands from the depredation of development, Roosevelt The Explorer is a thoughtful, environment-oriented, biographical study of a truly great American leader, family man, outdoor enthusiast, and human being.

No comments about Abraham Lincoln A History.

5 comments about The Women In Lincoln's Life.

1. This was absolutely the most ridiculous book I've read regarding Lincoln. Jason Emerson's review listed below says it all. Winkler should have written a book about his ancestor, and not bothered those of us who are not interested in reading about her.



2. I was very disappointed in this book. I had hoped to learn more about the women in Lincoln's life, but as it turns out, the author is related to Ann Rutledge (supposedly the love of Lincoln's life), and the author spends way too much time telling us how wonderful she was. He keeps bringing her name up in other contexts ("If Ann had been alive..." and so forth), and you'd almost expect that he would suggest that she be cannonized as a saint. It gets rather tedious, to say the least.
   
   Consequently, many other women that he met (such as Sojourner Truth) get mere mention or a few paragraphs, and of course, Mary Todd Lincoln is portrayed as an absolute nutcase.
   
   It's a shame--this could have been a great book.



3. It seems to me that a few reviews of this book have been extremely unfair, especially those by Mr. Emerson and someone who calls himself "kdpsyd." Mr. Winkler is an accomplished scholar and award-winning author who has written the first full-length book on this intriguing subject. I purchased the book after reading reviews from authoritative sources, and have found it to be extremely informative and fascinating. As "Civil War Times" noted, this book is "important and highly provocative and readable." "Civil War News" called it intriguing and engrossing and "quite thought-provoking. . . with careful notes and an impressive bibliography." "Today's Books," an independent report to the news media on the book-publishing industry rated this book "a best read." Such recognition is given only to "the top ten percent of new books published and distributed in America each year."

   Building upon the latest published Lincoln scholarship, Mr. Winkler has developed startling new insights and added fresh information about Lincoln's New Salem years, including the most complete story in existence of Ann Rutledge's life and the
   Lincoln-Rutledge romance.

   The book is obviously based on solid research and should be read by anyone interested in what previously has been a puzzling aspect of Lincoln's life.




4. I was quite thrilled when I saw this book in the bookstore. I have read numerous books on Abraham Lincoln, however, this was a perspective about his life I had not read much about. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed reading this book. It was very well-written and engaging; enough so that it only took me two days to read it. I was captivated. Yes, at times the book seemed prejudicial against Lincoln's wife and biased in favour of Ann Rutledge, however his point of view was very interesting to note. I highly recommend this book to anyone willing to get a firm grasp on all aspects of Lincoln's life. It was just incredible!!!



5. The author shows a limited understanding of Lincoln. He failed to research his subject. The author is misguided and misinformed. This book is an insult to Lincoln scholars.

No comments about The Press and the Ford Presidency.

1 comments about George Washington's Legacy of Leadership.

1. The Legacy of Leadership is NOT just another biography about George Washington. After attending a lecture and book signing given by the author it is obvious that this book is a labor of love reflecting years of research. As stated in the preface "The purpose of this book is to bring George Washington back into the life of all Americans." Ward Burian has certainly accomplished that and more. This book is very readable, keeps your interest and fills in all the details you have long forgotten or never knew. I especially enjoyed the information provided on all the key players of the American Revolution and how they related to washington and to each other. Ward has done a great job of tying all the pieces together. A separate chapter on "The Genealogy of George Washinton" was most enlightening as I had never seen this information presented before. The chapter "Washington's Relevancy Today" confirms that this is not just a history book but that some ideas and principles are still valid for us in the 21st century. I most highly recommend this book for everyone. Even if you think you know a lot about Washington, be assured there is much more to the story then you ever imagined.

No comments about Mao Tse-Tung: Una Vida En Imagenes/ a Life in Pictures.