2 comments about Mr. Bojangles: The Biography of Bill Robinson.

1. You can't find anything better if you're looking for information on the great Mr. Bojangles.



2. "Mr. Bojangles: The Biography of Bill Robinson" not only serves as a crucial historical document, but also as a vivid portrait of a truly special man. An original in every sense of the word, Bill Robinson created a unique style of tap dancing, along with breaking the racist barriers of his time. This book superbly chronicles (with the help of first-hand source materials and interviews with people who knew him) the life of this incredible artist, entertainer, and humanitarian. You will not only learn what the world was like when Mr. Robinson struggled in his craft, but you will discover the values and convictions that drove him forward. You will be moved by the benevolence of this man's spirit--a spirit that could coin a phrase such as "Everything's Copasetic!" This is a touching and informative biography that informs the evolution of tap AND the human experience.

1 comments about 100 Essential Lincoln Books.

1. I HAVE READ THIS BOOK AND I OWN ALL OF THE BOOKS THAT ARE MENTIONED ON THE LIST OF 100.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

5 comments about The Brave: A Story of New York City's Firefighters.

1. I finished "The Brave" this weekend; I closed the book with a tear in my eye and a lump on my throat. I was deeply moved by the story and it was sad to see a 20 year chapter of your life end on such a sour note with the inappropriate accusations from that Chief. The book did a wonderful job of revealing all of the different emotions, triumphs and defeats that you and many others were faced with on a day-to-day basis. It showed the deep compassion that the fire fighters have for those they could and could not save while enduring the jeers and lack of respect from the very people they were charged to protect.
   
   I, and I am sure the public in general, was truly unaware of how little rest these men really get and how often they are hurt, only to rush back into the fight and be chastised at any point when they failed to be absolutely perfect. I can see where you, the fire fighters would truly be a "Band of Brothers".
   
   "The Brave" would make an excellent movie; in fact you could make a movie out 1/3 rd of the material in the book.
   
   Thanks for enlightening me,
   
   Joey Lee



2. The Brave takes you right into the Heart of Firefighting in 70's New York. As a fellow Firefighter who loves to put pen to paper I am always keen to read the experiences of other Firefighters in this vastly underrepresented market.
   
   Every book shelf these days seems to be full of Celebrities, Politicians, Soldiers or sports personalities telling us their stories. It make a refreshing change when a Firefighter, Medic or Policemen puts pen to paper, these people are fighting a never ending war every day on the Streets of our Countries.
   
   The Brave tells the story of Life in a Firehouse on the Lower East Side of New York City in the 1970's, a period now remembered by the Veterans of those days as 'The War Years'. Recession, social unrest, poverty and crime were the catalyst for may Fires in many run down cities in the World. Very Few Cites saw the Fires that New York saw in that period and fewer Still Firemen saw the Fire Duty that the Men of the FDNY saw at this time.
   
   George Pickett has an ability to drag the reader down the stinking burning hallways of the tenements. You can feel the heat searing your skin and the smoke choking your lungs. Time and again you follow page after page wondering will the heroes of the FDNY reach the victim before the room erupts all around them, more often than not they do...frequently with seconds to spare.
   
   I finished this book in 24 hours, such was the draw of the story unfolding before me. I found every possible excuse to pick the book up and start reading again. If action is what you want then give the jungles of South America or the Desert of the Middle East a rest..opt instead for the action in the Blazing sweatshops, tenements and flop houses of New York City in the 70's.



3. WOW!! The Brave is full of action from start to finish and would make a great movie! The Brave keeps your attention and makes it hard to set the book down. It gives a great picture to how challenging life is as a NYFD firefighter. The storey is compelling and truthful and I'm sure will be around for a long time. Congratulations to George Pickett on this GREAT book!



4. Few books have captivated my attention as much as George Pickett's "The Brave: A Story of New York City Firefighters". Both as a native New Yorker growing up in the 60's and 70's in the Bronx, and a volunteer firefighter in Westchester County, NY, I can rerlate to the many references in this action packed book.
   Pickett brings the reader into every fire call, every dark smokey hallway and heat searing room. The reader is there, holding the irons, the nozzle or climbing the ladder.
   Above all the book is truthful. Clearly, the author;s integrity and honest is eveident during each story-both the flattering and humiliating. George Pickett should be proud of his career, family and work on the compelling effort to document the life of a New York City Firefighter. Bravo!!!
   -Michael J. Deegan



5. A page turning account of life as a New York City firefighter. A little slow at the start, but captivating and exciting by the second chapter. George Pickett does a great job of taking you along on the big red trucks, down the burning halls and into the mindset of the men, who New Yorkers call The Brave. Not only a great story but an important history lesson for anyone who wants a better tomorrow for us all. A Great read! 5 Stars!!! Thanks George!!

3 comments about The Life and Death of Pretty Boy Floyd.

1. Author Jeffery King has provided us with an interesting account of the short and violent life of Charles Arthur Floyd. Floyd was one of many depression-era desperadoes who focused on bank-robbing as a way of life. One of the things that struck me was the relative ease of breaking out of jail or prison during this time. Another was the putting on display of the dead bodies of gangsters during this time period for the curious public. Floyd was defended by his mother who claimed he didn't do as many things as he was accused of. He apparently agreed to surrender to authorities if he could be assured of life in prison and not get the death penalty. When no such deal was forthcoming, Floyd realized that his time was short and he would be shot to death. Also of interest in this story is the jealously of F.B.I. Director John Edgar Hoover towards officer Melvin Purvis. Hoover had Purvis leave the scene of the shooting of Floyd immediately to minimize the credit given to him. Maybe Hoover should have been focusing on big time mobsters instead of small time hoodlums like Floyd. There also is controversy regarding the death of Floyd and if it was, indeed, necessary to kill him after he had been wounded in an Ohio field. The author has done an excellent job researching this book, and it is worth your time to read it if you are interested in depression era gangsters.



2. At last an author has examined the documentary evidence of Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd's extensive criminal career, rather than simply relating family and "good ole boy" fables of Floyd's Robin Hood qualities. Or relying on the fantasies of "Blackie" Audett, a minor bank burglar and later Justice Department stool pigeon at Alcatraz who invented tall tales of having known or worked with Pretty Boy, Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, the Barker-Karpis gang and just about every other major criminal of the '30's. Audett claimed to have witnessed the crowning achievement of Floyd's career, the Kansas City Union Station massacre--except that by his account Floyd wasn't there and someone else did the shooting. Various other authors--Lou Louderback, Michael Wallis, and Jay Robert Nash (who also bought Audett's tale of having helped Dillinger make a permanent escape by having a double slain in his place!)--have accepted Audett's story of Floyd's innocence. Many of us who have researched the massacre with more care have long been skeptical of Audett's claim but only Jeffery King has bothered to ascertain just where Audett was at the time of the massacre. He was in Leavenworth until July 1933, a whole month after the Union Station killings! King makes a good case for the complicity of Floyd in the massacre and does an equally admirable job of tracking down the elusive details of Floyd's early career in crime, including the fabled Akins post office burglary, which did not involve the theft of $350 in pennies, the probable true origin of the famous nickname, and the many bank robberies. He also nails down the often-doubted but very probable (and brief) association of Floyd with Dillinger and "Baby Face" Nelson and gets us as close as we'll probably ever be to the real story of Pretty Boy's death at the hands of the FBI. This is investigative journalism at its finest and also displays an objectivity sadly lacking in the thicker sweeping bio offered earlier by Michael Wallis.



3. Jeffrey King has produced a well-researched biography of Pretty Boy Floyd, one of the most infamous bank robbers of the 1930s. Although filled with documentation, this book reads like a novel. I appreciated King's historical analysis of the evidence regarding Floyd's life and death and I had a hard time putting the book down. I found the book to be especially gripping in the section dealing with the final hunt for Floyd by the FBI and Floyd's demise in a rural area of Ohio. The book is reminiscent of John Toland's "The Dillinger Days," which is another fine volume about famous bank robbers of the Depression Era. My only criticism of the book is that King failed to emphasize sufficiently the self-centered, sociopathic character of Floyd. For example, on the last page of the text of the book, King stated that Floyd "had many virtues, such as courage, loyalty to his family and friends, and compassion for those who struggled to survive during the bleak days of the Depression" (p. 210). On the contrary, Floyd cheated on his wife (he often lived with another lover, Beulah Baird, and was known to frequent brothels), and stole from, expoited, threatened, harassed, kidnapped, or killed many innocent victims, including many poor and middle class people. Today, Floyd would be diagnosed as an antisocial personality disorder and he was a sinister man whose criminal deeds, including numourous murders, reaped havoc on dozens, if not hundreds of people. This shortcoming does not overshadow the rest of King's fine work, however. In conclusion, I commend King on completing an excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a compelling read.

1 comments about The Mysterious Private Thompson: The Double Life of Sarah Emma Edmonds, Civil War Soldier.

1. "The Mysterious Private Thompson" is a first-rate, riveting book about a woman who ran away from home to avoid an arranged marriage and disguised herself as a man to make her way in the world. She first became a successful traveling book salesman and then, astoundingly, served as a Civil War soldier for two years. Not only is the story fascinating as to how someone could maintain a disguise so effectively for so long a period of time, but the story's historical context is so carefully researched and deftly conveyed that you are almost unaware that this is a history book as well as a human interest story. I learned more in this book about the Battles of Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, the Battle of Fredericksburg, plus Generals McClellan and Burnside, than I had in all my years of school. Laura Gansler is a brilliant, gifted writer and I highly recommend this book.

3 comments about Broadcasts from the Blitz: How Edward R. Murrow Helped Lead America into War.

1. ...hearing Murrow's "This is London." The first time was while visiting my grandparents. My grandfather took me into the kitchen and closed the door before turning on the radio because my grandmother didn't want to hear it. I was only 10 years old, and I'm sure I didn't understand the full significance of what I heard until much later. Nevertheless, it has stuck with me. It was one of the nights when Murrow was outside and we could hear the air raid siren in the background. (If I stop to think about it for a moment, I can still hear the siren's distinctive wail in my "mind's ear.") Seib's book is a superb addition to the shelves of books about the beginning of World War II because it deals with an aspect of how U.S. involvement came about that I do not recall reading elsewhere. The focus is on Murrow because he was so influential in forming Americans' opinions about the importance of sustaining England as it fought the Nazi menace alone, but the work of other journalists is also cited. (I have a small nit to pick here: the name of The New Yorker writer is Mollie Panter-Downes, not Painter-Downes.) Seib writes well, and his narrative moves quickly and to the point. There are no wasted words. Anyone with an interest in the early days of the war should read this book.



2. The difference between reporting the news and leading the country has never been clear, and Edward R. Murrow was a master at both.
   
   While reading this book on his broadcasting from London during the early days of the war, don't forget his broadcast that ended the career of Joseph McCarthy. Murrow understood that his reporting influenced American public opinion.
   
   There are those who rail against his sense of ethics in combining reporting the news with what you might call propaganda. Perahps he should be judged instead by the result. He helped prepare the US for a war that we could probably not avoid.
   
   This is the story of a strange time, and what one key player did.



3. BROADCASTS FROM THE BLITZ: HOW EDWARD R MURROW HELPED LEAD AMERICA INTO WAR is for any who would understand early broadcast journalism's effect on war and peace. Murrow's 'This is London' opening brought the blitz home to Americans who would've otherwise been distanced by war events: he told why Americans wouldn't be able to avoid involvement, and he prepared the country with his moment-by-moment broadcasts of events. His agenda was to bring America into the war - and more than any politician, he alone helped prepare the American public for such involvement. This far-reaching story will interest a wide audience, from students of broadcast journalism to those interested in military history and social issues alike. Highly recommended indeed.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

2 comments about The Making of a Confederate: Walter Lenoir's Civil War (New Narratives in American History).

1. The Making of a Confederate: Walter Lenoir's Civil War (New Narratives in American History)
   
   Good Read, but upon finishing the Introduction I became fully aware that the author was very much against any Southern slave owner identified in his research. You have to watch or he sneaks in his little jabs of self righteous contempt regarding the punishments given to the slaves of the subject family so very long ago.
   
   Of course, being a Professor of History at the University of North Carolina it was to be expected!
   
   Research appeared excellent for the subject matter.



2. I really enjoyed this book.Although it teaches us much about history, it is well written and reads like a novel.
   I must admit that Walter Lenoir is an ancestor of mine but I still highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning and reading about the Civil war.
   It is a EXCELLENT book!!!
   Kudos to the author.

2 comments about Daniel Boone: An American Life.

1. I blame television. When reading _Daniel Boone: An American Life_ (University Press of Kentucky) by Michael A. Lofaro, I realized that I didn't know anything about Daniel Boone. I thought he wore a coonskin cap and was a contemporary of Davy Crockett, and maybe fought at the Alamo. I discovered at the end of the book that Lofaro blames television, too. Boone's fame to my generation comes from "...Fess Parker playing the lead in _Daniel Boone_, a historical disaster for baby-boomers who still confuse Boone with Crockett" because Parker sequentially played one then the other in the mid-fifties. Lofaro had insight on my own ignorance, and his book is shot through with impressive scholarship that takes Boone, as much as possible, from myth and tall tales (and television-inspired error) and puts him into realistic historical perspective. There is plenty here that is inspiring, and fit for legend-making, and also plenty to show that Daniel Boone had essential trouble in managing to get along with society. And also (_pace_ Davy Crockett), Boone hated coonskin caps.

   He was born in Pennsylvania in 1734, to devout Quakers. His rudimentary schooling shows up in many excerpts from his writings here; for instance, it seems to be true that on an East Tennessee tree he carved the inscription "D. Boon cilled a Bar on tree in the year 1760." Boone did indeed become an accomplished woodsman and hunter, and was always less fit for the life of frontier farming. He had a pattern of reaching out to new lands; he had a wanderlust, to be sure, and encroaching civilization always meant that he had to move to new frontiers to hunt game, but he was always eager to apply the simple solution of moving away when having people live around him was just too complicated. He would be on the move all his life. He fought for the British (along with Washington) in the French and Indian War, and then against the British in the western version of the American Revolution, which consisted mostly of fighting Indians. He had prodigious skill in the outdoors, and there are many stories here of heroism and craftiness. Although he could always win battles against Indians, he could not win against lawyers, and was often in court because of disputed boundaries he had surveyed. He was guileless and always assumed that treating someone honestly would get him honest treatment in return, an assumption that he never seemed to learn was unwarranted.

   Boone was amazed that he became famous. There was a bogus autobiography printed in 1784, that was translated into German and French, and made Boone internationally known. He was painted by the young John James Audubon. James Fennimore Cooper based much of Natty Bumppo on him, and in a note to one of the Leatherstocking Tales said that Boone headed out from Kentucky to Missouri in later life "because he found a population of ten to the square mile inconveniently crowded." Tales of Boone's dry wit became staples. He did indeed, when asked if he had ever gotten lost in the wilderness, reply, "No, I can't say as ever I was lost, but I was bewildered once for three days." He blazed trails, most notably through the Cumberland Gap, and then was dismayed that they became widened for wagon travel and further encroachment by civilization. Ending up in Missouri, he spent his last years hunting buffalo and trapping beaver. He died at 85, as the nation was pushing further west and the wilds were more speedily declining. Lofaro's informative biography puts the brilliant pioneer and naïve citizen at the center of a complicated and longstanding war between settlers and Indians.




2. This book tells how Dniel showed honesty and cofidince. Everything about Daniel Boone is in this book. If you have a report due on a leader this is want you want. I prefer this book to anyone.

5 comments about Wesley K. Clark: A Biography.

1. For folks interested in the prestigious and impressive history of Wes Clark, this book presents the basics. While not the in-depth biography I hoped for, I found it - coupled with Clark's own "Winning Modern War" to provide a fairly fleshed out picture of one of our history's greatest Generals.
   
   Worth a read.



2. This is a great primer on the life of Gen. Wesley Clark. I think this would make a great pairing with Clark's own book "Winning Modern Wars." Both books gives the reader thought to how the military and the White House work together. In Felix's book she paints a picture of an American who not only worked towards his American dream he gives back to his country.



3. It's a good read, but didn't add much to what I already knew. But I doubt that it was written for avid Clakies.
   
   I'ts breezy, easy to read, and a good primer or introduction to Gen. Clark who don't know much about him.
   
   Stan Davis
   Lakewood, CO



4. This book is very thin as a biography; it appears as something produced in haste to take advantage of the national political scene. My interest was on General Clark's military career with an emphasis on the early years. The writing appears as a collection of comments from past officer efficiency reports and some of the narrative from awards and decorations General Clark received over his long career. It was obvious that the author doesn't know much about the military as an organization and it shows. General Clark deserves a better biography written some someone who understands the military culture as well as national politics; Ms Felix did the basic job of putting the facts together; she didn't take the time to do an interpretation of the facts. Over the past few years as more is know about General Clark, the critics both in and out of the military, are providing many valid questions for the next biographers.
   
   Full disclosure: I served as the brigade operations sergeant for then Major Wesley Clark in Bamberg Germany in 1977. Of the five operations officers over three years plus clearly Clark was the most brilliant, intelligent and complex of the five and two of them, still friends today, were really intelligent officers and worked well with the Noncommissioned Officers Corp. I was disappointed that his time as a battalion and brigade operations officer was skipped over. Besides, the biography misspelled the name of his rater Lt Col Dick Schonberger. All that not withstanding, I bought several copies of the book to give to others who were in Bamberg at the time.



5. Felix has written a very positive, but not especially deep, biography of former and probably future presidential candidate Wesley Clark. This looks like something of a political leap for her, since she has written bios, apparently equally uncritical, of Laura Bush and Condi Rice. But it's less of a leap than it seems; there is nothing in this book to offend the strongest Clark supporter, but also nothing to offend partisan conservatives. For instance, Felix mentions that Clark's decision to run for President in 2003 was motivated partly by his disapproval of the direction of Bush's policies, but goes into little detail about what he disliked or why.
   
   What she has focussed on is a list of the many highlights of Clark's life and career, from his early successes in High school swimming and forensics competitions to the numerous companies that invited him to become a director from 2000 - 2003. She particularly highlights the impressive list of awards and honors Clark has won, from "Boy of the Year" as a Little Rock teen and the oddly named Peruvian Army plaque (for 1st in his class at West Point) to the Presidential Medal of Freedom after his retirement from active duty.
   
   Most of the book is necessarily about Clark's career in the military. There's an important and potentially fascinating story here of how the US military rose from its disastrous post-Vietnam condition to become the efficient powerhouse of the first Gulf War and the Kosovo campaign. The generation of young officers who served as junior field commanders in Vietnam and then rose through the ranks, such as Clark and Colin Powell, played a big role in this story. Felix does show Clark's focus throughout his career on training and the welfare of his troops, but her account of Clark's rise is too much a listing of positions held, units commanded, and honors awarded to adequately tell this broader story.
   
   Certainly those unfamiliar with Clark and his background will learn a lot from this book; those already aware of the general story from the coverage of the 2004 campaign will be disappointed by the relative lack of new information. The book reads almost like one aimed at children due to its short length, simple vocabulary, and generally superficial treatments.

5 comments about Marine Rifleman: Forty-Three Years in the Corps.

1. A well written and represented book! This book gives the reader a totally " Gungy " feeling! Real to life excerts from day to day life with " Mother Green & her Machine" Col. Fox is a Marines Marine, his method of leadership and Esprit de Corps was like no other, I know , I served under his command and unknowingly absorbed many of his talents, wisdom and leadership trait's through following his training and command. Well worth it!!!!!!!!!!! Col. Fox is a Marine to model ones self after, a Great American!!!! ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK. Semper Fidelis



2. Recommended reading for all Marines and Wannabees which includes just about everybody.



3. Col. Fox's memoir is as educational as it is entertaining. This is a must-read book on leadership, which drives home two essential principles: the leader must set the example and the leader must look out for the welfare of subordinates (which includes correcting them or even steering them into better paths, if they don't fit the Marine mold). And he does it in an entertaining style. It's rare to find someone with his experience who is also such a fine writer.
   
   Though he holds the Medal of Honor, Col. Fox isn't at all full of himself. He's not afraid to say when he made mistakes, or when the system made mistakes. I found myself both wishing I'd served under Fox, and grateful I didn't, because I'm not sure I could have measured up to his very high standards. We should all be eternally thankful for Americans of this caliber.
   
   Give this book to the young man or woman thinking of joining the Corps.
   
   Robert A. Hall
   Former SSgt, USMCR
   Author of "The Good Bits"



4. I gave "Marine Rifleman" to my 17-year-old son last week, not to have him again revisit my Marine Corps "era" through this terrific book, but to have him exposed to these thoughts:
   
   -- "Normal" people can have a successful military career. And Marines are not cold-blooded killers to begin with, nor trained as such.
   -- Military careers can co-exist with a family lifestyle. The Fox family is a wonderful example.
   -- We owe a considerable debt of gratitude to those who have served, especially in combat situations. Our comfortable life is largely due to the sacrifices of thousands of military personnel since 1900. Many of these sacrifices are short of serious wounds or death, but are not experienced by or even known to the public-at-large.
   -- You can lead AND command without losing respect for your subordinates (very important today!!!), or having them lose respect for you.
   
   Does "Marine Rifleman" bring out these lessons? You bet it does. Get the book, read it, pass it on to others. The reader does not have to be Marine-familiar. It will be one of their better reads from the bewildering choices in the bookstores. Especially for young people. Let them experience the personal growth of this man Fox as he maintains his spirit and integrity through a demanding career.



5. Every Marine that has served can easily tell you about the types of people in the Corps. There are the people who do their job and are just waiting to get out, the less than desirable bottom "10%" and then guys like Wesly Fox: the super-hardcore, gungy types who eat and sleep Marine Corps and epitomize the professionalism and dedication of the modern warrior. Col. Fox spent 43 year in, making it to 1st Sergeant before being commissioned and ultimately obtaining his bird. Many field grade officers today remember him as the CO of OCS, and his reputation carries his name throughout the Corps, even today, a decade since his retirement. Gungy Marines only come along maybe once a year in a unit, and Marines like Foxonly come along once in a great while.
   
   The book is written by the author, and goes from chapter to chapter through each rank and his experiences in Korea, Vietnam, and all of his assignments (e.g. drill instructor, recruiter, MSG, etc.); He did it all. The prose is not extremely well written or memorable so much as the content of his story is remarkable. He seems to be a very warm and realistic man. There are almost no political views in the book, or rants about government or red tape, just his perspectives on the COrps and how it changed over 3 years. A great read, I feel it should be added to the Commandant's reading list.