5 comments about RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon.

1. I must first warn the reader that this book is 1000 page plus. Second, the 1000 plus pages are a great read. I won't write a very long review- 1) because I read this book over 2 years ago, and 2) I'll just go right to the main reasons why this book is great, 3) previous reviewers have good insight into the book for people who are considering reading this book and I've found their reviews well written.
   
   This book, unlike a few of the other presidential memoirs, begin with Nixon's birth to the end of his presidency. It spans his entire life before the Presidency, and his entire political career, not just his life in the White House. (Nixon begins the first chapter by saying "I was born in the house that my father built" or something to that effect). While Nixon wrote his first autobiography, Six Crisis, after losing his first bid for the White House to John F Kennedy- he repeats much of his explanations on the 6 crisis in this book as well.
   
   It is pretty fun following Nixon's career from Congress to the Vice Presidency to his bid for the White House, losing it, losing the California Gubnatorial (spelling?) race, his thoughts on the 1964 election and his life in the wilderness and then finally to the Presidency. I don't know if a ghost writer was used, but the book is very fluent and flows really well. It is not a tough read and reading it makes time pass well.
   
   Nixon doesnt spend too much time in great detail on unimportant aspects or policies, unlike some other presidential memoirs. His writing on the foreign policies that he took is great: the China trip is the highlight of this book. His discussions on the Vietnam War and the actions he took is extremely interesting. I am sure historians had great fun reading this book.
   
   Nixon goes on to describe very well why he started taping his own conversations on the phone and in the Oval Room. He begins by explaning how Lyndon Johnson showed him all the recording devices he kept.
   
   The book takes a downturn when Nixon begins to describe how he was completely innocent during and after the Watergate break-in. He goes onto extremely minute details to describe how he had absolutely no idea about the break-in and how he was in the dark for a long time after the fiasco. While Bill Clinton takes the blame full on to himself for the Monica Lewinsky scandal and admits guilt in his book, MY LIFE, Nixon uses various tactics and scenarios to indicate how he knew nothing. The descriptions go on and on, confusing the reader as to what the hell is happenning. But even when he goes on to begin describing the incident(s), it becomes obviously clear that he knew and was involved in the cover-up and the illegal actions that he took. He quickly skips over the part where the 23 minute (was it 23?I cant remember) is deleted and blames it on his secretary. Reading this book proved to me that Nixon was guilty.
   
   After I read the book, I was very fascinated by President Nixon. I watched Oliver Stone's movie 4 times in over 5 years. Nixon was definitely a complex character. He indeed was a man who could easily have been a great man. I do feel sorry for him; and am happy that by the time he passed away, he regained much of his stature - although as Nixon himself admitted, he will always be remembered for Watergate. As I mentioned above, after reading this book, I've become very interested in all things Nixon, like his movie, his other books, articles about him, his relationship to other Presidents, other world leaders and Henry Kissinger- and also on what they thought about him (Gerald Ford - "Sometimes I don't know why I pardoned the bastard"). For the political geek- this book is definitely a must read.



2. It was risky business for Nixon to write an autobiography for at least a couple of reasons. First, his many detractors would clearly be quick to jump on any discrepancies in the work. Second, as more and more classified information is released by the government, Nixon stood to become a well-documented liar, assuming that there were a few stretchers herein -- and Nixon would have known that such information would be forthcoming someday. Still, he had the brass to write it, and it's a darn fine book.
   
   This autobiography is somewhat unusual in that, not only did Nixon write the book, he also wrote IN to the book, even though he, himself, may not have realized this. In other words, we can tell a LOT about Nixon just by reading between the lines of this one. We can detect when he felt adversarial about someone (the media, for example), and we get a clear feel for some of his well-known (and often well-deserved) paranoia.
   
   Some will bluntly say that Nixon was a crook. Perhaps this is correct but he was an incredibly intelligent and complex man and many positive initiatives were achieved during his long tenure as U.S. President. Of course, he covers all these events in the book and we get a feeling of having the inside scoop for having read about them in this work. So, really, this volume is an excellent "history book" for the era that it covers (essentially, the period from Nixon's birth up through the Watergate affair).
   
   Probably the most profound facet of "R.N." that I picked up on was that Nixon was a huge patriot. He fostered incredibly strong beliefs in manifesting his visions for a great America -- of course, his facilitation of some of those ideas is what got him into trouble.
   
   Nixon remained necessarily vague in certain details of the Watergate scandal and a few cracks in his story have already emerged as a direct result of Privacy Act releases. No doubt, a few more will be forthcoming. But honestly, many of these "events" are simply a matter of perspective, Nixon's paradign versus that of his enemies. In these cases, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
   
   I most enjoyed reading about Nixon and his family as he grew up which is a large portion of the book. Nixon was a hard worker and, frankly, I admire his achievement of becoming President, since he was one of the few who made this life-leap, absent a silver spoon.
   
   I read MANY books (3 a week for years) and "R.N." is one of the top 20 books I've ever read and it's in the top 5 of my non-fiction list. Don't be put off by politics in this instance -- this tome of an autobiography is a real page-turner and well-done.



3. what this man did was wrong in terms of his involvement and his support of bullying in the whitehouse. This man was seen as one of the most liberal presidents and founded the Environmental Protection agengy as well as food stamps and strove to implement far reaching welfare reforms. He did many things we equivocate with democratic setbacks, and we have to wonder how much the nation suffered. He tried to protect himself under the presidency: Was he attacked? The FBI tried to sheild us from this man, and we have to wonder where the balance lies. Surely this man did great things perhaps as no president has done after him for social reform. Much to ponder. In later years, he confessed to wrongdoing and advised several presidents without want of attention or credit.I tend to like Mr. Nixon, but tend also to grieve his past actions against the war demonstrators in terms of actions he could not implement as he did not have the support of the FBI. The problem was the wire tapping of journalists, and the breaking into a psychiatrists office to try to get info on one of the journalists who oppose Nixon. Yes,much to think about. Am I bothered by racial remarks he's made on tape when he tried to institute the largest welfare program since FDR saved us from the depression? Save for perhaps Kennedy..No. I think his actions counterbalance the remarks he's made. The wiretapping and the break in are his shame, more so the wiretapping as I'm not sure about the extent of the involvement he had in that. I enjoy Mr. Nixon's attempt to guide the nation via advice of succeeding presidents and look forward to reading thE progressive social policy that's in his seven books.



4. I read it twenty-five years ago and just read it again. Fast paced until he gets bogged down in justifying his actions in Watergate. Nixon was an excellent writer, but his self-justification requires you to read other bios of the 37th President. From Jerry Vorhis to Alger Hiss to John Dean, a great take on postwar American history by someone who was there.



5. Nixon became president the month I was born and had left the scene before I became politically aware. Nobody spoke of him during the 70's, or of Johnson for that matter - they belonged to a past era which nobody much wanted to revisit, and so I knew very little about either of them as a kid or teen.
   
   By resigning Nixon had admitted at least some guilt in the vast number of things he was accused of and his abdication was a political cataclysm. Through my childhood years he lived out his old age as a pariah off in San Clemente, California, the personification of the period of enormous turbulence during the height of the Vietnam war. He was the living embodiment of the dark heart and excess of the GOP, and everyone, especially in Democratic Massachusetts, considered him a cancer on the body politic and was happy he was gone.
   
   But his resignation was sincere and he was mostly contrite. In retirement he was a sad old giant in exile and after a while the Press which had hounded him out of office allowed him some dignity as an elder statesman and left him alone.
   
   He's nothing like the caricature I expected. I have to say - I really like him. He's very thoughtful, well spoken, modest, with good intentions towards the country and had a warm, respectful dialogue with the major statesmen and characters of the day.
   
   It's a beautifully written book. It was easy to see how he had become a leader. He had the air of solid, calm composure and reasonableness which I admire. As for doublespeak tendencies, the clues are missing for someone who didn't live through that time period.
   
   The contrast with Bush could not be more clear. Maybe the candor came from Nixon's retirement, but I can't imagine Bush being this straight and honest with his audience. POTUS 43 isn't smart or eloquent enough to write this kind of book, and he's too secretive to make that leap of trust with the little people to allow them into his mind.
   
   Of course Nixon was at least as bad as Bush - he was famous for having a blind-spot as big as a barn, which one can see in his writing. Despite the resignation, he wasn't entirely remorseful - he saw himself as the victim of many media conspiracies and other antagonists, both real and imagined. But Nixon has the breadth of worldview and honesty with himself, and by extension the reader, to allow us into his world.
   
   His dark tendencies had other origins. In an era when 30 soldiers were being killed in Vietnam every single day - over ten times the volume of Iraq - and the world convulsing in protest and chaos around them, Nixon's lieutenants and were just brutalized by their environment and lost their sense of direction and fought back with every realpolotik' weapon and dirty trick they could imagine.
   
   Nixon himself is much too close to the action to see how complicit he was - and as the leader he was de-facto fully culpable. But he did take responsibility resign over it - so if it is noble to forgive, then he deserves some rest.
   
   My folks on the other hand strongly disliked Nixon because they thought the GOP machine had sabotaged all the moderate Democratic primary candidates, leaving only Muskie and worse, McGovern, who were far too weak and radical. So he had effectively dismantled the American democratic process - even aside from the Watergate bugging and coverup. Nixon's Southern Strategy of making the GOP a safe place for whites upset by the Civil Rights movement, is still the dominant fault-line in American politics.
   
   Now, after the cancer has been lanced and we have survived him, Nixon's transgressions feel like water long past under the bridge. I'm only sad and sorry that he passed away. He was a wise, complex man and this book shows that his shadow is still very large.

5 comments about Lone Star Rising: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1908-1960.

1. For the foreseeable future, I think it's safe to say Dallek's two volumes will be the definitive LBJ biography for the simple reason(s) that it's unclear if Caro will finish his works and it is doubtful that anyone will soon take on the onerous task of researching Johnson's extremely complicated life ... and find anything new. This volume tracks LBJ's life up to the 1960 election and everything is here ... and I mean everything, from Johnson's lineage, his childhood and education, his work as a New Deal caretaker and Texas politician, his dubious "military service", his meteoric climb through both the House and US Senate, including his "election" to the latter and finally his acceptance as JFK's vice-presidential running mate. The reader meets the big (and small) personalities in LBJ's life including FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Sam Rayburn, Richard Russell and Hubert Humphrey as well as the truly dedicated people who worked ungodly hours for him. Dallek also does an admirable job in tracking the development of LBJ's character and motives, (and ego) while parsing through, at times, the frenetic activity of his life. Where this biography differs from others, (especially Caro's), is in Dallek's self-restraint in judging LBJ's actions and behaviors, (and there is a lot to judge). Others have made this out to be an omission on the author's part, I would beg to differ and label it as evenhanded. Dallek presents the facts and lets the reader make the call while other authors, (again Caro), have stepped into the breech and passed judgement. (This doesn't mean I disagree with those judgements, in fact in most cases I do agree. It's hard not to.) I just appreciated Dallek allowing me to come to my own conclusions. If there is a fault with this book, (and the second volume), and this is a nit, it's that too much detail is provided and at times can become mind-numbing. In Dallek's subsequent bio of JFK, at least in my opinion, he does a better job of not overwhelming the reader with at times, repetitive details.



2. Over the last several years, I've read more than 30 presidential biographies, usually letting Amazon reader's guide me to the best choice. I assure you Robert Dallek's first volume of his LBJ biography is one of the top five or six biographies I've read thus far. This volume provides the details of LBJ's life until he became vice president. Lone Star Rising is well written. Most of all it is balanced presenting numerous sides of a very complex man. Also included are the anecdotes of LBJ's life that led me to laugh out loud or shake my head with disbelief.
   
   Lilly Tomlin once said, "I try to be as cynical as I can be, but sometimes I just can't keep up. " She could have been talking about Southern politics in general or LBJ in particular. Dallek shows LBJ's warts, but he also describes Johnson's genuine desire to help the poor and the South.
   
   LBJ rose from poverty through a combination of incredible drive, unbelievable moxie, a willingness to do anything to win, a refusal to admit defeat, and a sense that the world was his stage with all of the characters being actors for him to manipulate, bamboozle, and control. These traits helped LBJ reach the presidency, but they also led to a stubborn refusal to get out of Viet Nam (see volume 2).
   
   I truly wish every president could have a biographer as skilled as Dallek. Finally, I'd like to stress the 1200 or so pages of the two vlumes are worth the effort. While the second volume gets bogged down covering our bogged down war in Viet Nam, I would not have wanted to skip over a page of volume 1



3. Dallek's two volume work is probably a bit more even handed in dealing with LBJ than some of the biographies of recent years. While it is certainly not a collection of "way to go LBJ" chapters, it does go out of it's way to point out much of the good Johnson accomplished. The book appeared to be well researched and read easily. While I feel that it could have pointed out and examined Johnson's many, many flaws and their underlying source, there are indeed many other works which do so, so another good LBJ bash book was and is not probably needed at this time. I did enjoy this one and am glad I added it to my collection.



4. Dallek's biography has the virtue of being written by someone who clearly admires Johnson. As such, it is somewhat of a counterweight to Robert Caro and I suggest both be read for balance.

   Nevertheless, in presenting the "good Lyndon", Dallek downplays the worst of Johnson. There is nothing particularly wrong with this (Dallek certainly doesn't ignore the flaws, just tends to gloss over them a little), but it does lead to a fairly tepid book, one that is nowhere near as much fun to read as Caro's. Thus, if I could only read one (which of course many readers will do considering the length of both Caro's and Dallek's presentations), I would read Caro's. Caro's second and third volumes (covering the 40's and 50's, roughly the second half of the Dallek volume being discussed here) are possibly the best political biography ever written. It is against that "competition" that Dallek's book must be weighed and I found, in the balance, that Dallek's work is merely ordinary.




5. Dallek's two-volume examination of LBJ is a dramatic and nuanced examination of one the most complex figures in 20th century American history. Even almost three decades after his death, there are no shortage of people who see LBJ as the ultimate villan of American politics. Many people of this camp dislike Dallek's work, because he puts his subject in his context.

   While Dallek does not excuse the sort of election fraud in which LBJ engaged, he does explain that it was wide spread. Some find this an unacceptable defense, but one should note that the sorts of tricks he describes have been wide spread in the US for most of the 19th and early 20th century. To dismiss LBJ for engaging in such activities who require similar condemnation of every US president from Adams to FDR.

   Dallek in fact, is unflinching in discussing LBJ's negative side. His pension for strong arming opponents, his abuse of his staff, his womanizing and drinking, and his dirty tricks are all layed bare. At the same time, Dallek reviews how crucial LBJ was as part of the New Deal and his brave role as a champion of civil rights.

   The other major LBJ biography by Caro is far less balanced in its approach to this complex and ultimately tragic figure. For a truly great and complete biography of LBJ, I suggest that you read this one.

2 comments about Terry Texas Ranger Trilogy: Terry's Texas Rangers, Reminiscences of the Terry Rangers, the Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd.

1. I have been interested in Civil War history and wanted to read about Terry's Rangers since they came from the part of Texas I live in. This trilogy further reinforces how poorly equipped many of the Southern troops were and how much of their time was foraging the land for food, water, and horses. This was a good book.



2. This book is a must have for anyone interested in Terry's Texas Rangers (8th Texas Cavalry). It contains three rare first person accounts of the Ranger's activities during the Civil War including the diary of Ephraim Dodd who was unjustly hung as a spy by Federal troops. There are also several photos and an excellent introduction by Thomas Cutrer. I highly recommend it.

No comments about Twenty-Four Years a Cowboy and Ranchman in Southern Texas and Old Mexico: Or, Desperate Fights with the Indians and Mexicans.

5 comments about The Day John Died.

1. John Jr. was known as the "Master of Disaster" to his friends because of his willingness to accept physical challenges and daredevil nature.

   Chapter 1 focuses on the day John died giving his, his wife's and her sister's itineraries then proceeds to takeoff followed by a fictionalized account of what probably went wrong during their flight. Andersen interviewed other pilots who'd flown that day and some who knew John's abilities in order to put that part together. The scene is so gripping that I felt was flying with them!

   Chapters 2 opens in 1960 chronicling Jackie's first pregnancy, which ended in a miscarriage and goes through John's early life. Chapter 3 begins in 1963 with the assassination and gives a lot of background at what was happening to the children at this time. It's a very poignant chapter guaranteed to move the reader to tears. Chapter 4 deals with RFK's assassination and Jackie's fear for his children's safety. She always believed that they were primary targets.

   Chapter 5 discusses Jackie's marriage to Aristotle Onasis and the world's reaction to the destruction of the Camelot mystique. It seemed that people believed that the love between Jack and Jackie was perfect and they felt Jackie should remain America's dowager queen. Jackie was a compulsive shopper, which irritated Ari to the point where he cut her allowance. After his only son Alexander died in a plane crash, Ari made it clear he wanted nothing to do with the Kennedys. He referred to her as "The Widow"and his friends and family referred to her as "The Black Widow" blaming the Kennedy Curse for all Ari's misfortunes. When Onasis died, Jackie had to battle his daughter Christina to get her inheritance.

   Jackie overshadowed John controlling much of his life and tried to force him into politics to carry on his father's legacy. Consequently, John held a series of different positions before starting George Magazine. In an interview with Fidel Castro, Fidel disclosed that he admired John's father and apologized for not giving Lee Harvey Oswald an entry visa in October 1963.

   John's relationship with Carolyn was stormy but it would seem that there was true passion behind it. John was not forced to marry Carolyn, as his father had been to marry his mother purely for political expediency so he had the option to get a divorce but never sought one out. A lot of their troubles were caused by the constant intrusion into their private life by the media and the public. Carolyn simply was not used to this; but John took it in stride since he'd grown up with it.

   The text takes John's life from Chapter 2 onward right up to Chapter 9, which covers the search and recovery effort for his plane.

   A great companion book to this is by All Too Human The Love Story of Jack and Jackie by Edward Klein, which focuses on Jack and Jackie's relationship. I simply could not put either book down!




2. Christopher Andersen, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller "The Day Diana Died" tells the story of American's son, John F. Kennedy, Jr. It's the bittersweet tale of the American Icon and sadly the unfulfilled fate of his tragic death.
   

   
   If anyone would hear the name of John Kennedy, Jr. knew he was destined for greatness. He once quoted of himself saying: "People keep telling me I can be a great man. I'd rather be a good one." On the day John died that July 16, 1999 it seemed known only to God of his father's assassination and the death of Princess Diana was the most distinct moment to affect our lives. The world would never be the same. On the day President John Kennedy died, I was a little girl of 5 years. On the morning of Nov. 22, 1963, I walked into the living room. My mom sat on the couch motionless in front of the TV in tears. I asked her what was the matter. She said, "They assassinated President Kennedy." From that day, thirty some years later since little John, Jr. saluted his father's casket in that famous snapshot to the present time in 1999. It is something that we all live with for the rest of our lives. Where were you on July 16, 1999? When a nation's grief would be buried in the ocean along with John, Jr., his wife, Carolyn Bessette and her sister Lauren where they died and where they are at rest.
   

   
   Andersen writes in detailed form the beginnings of the Kennedy legacy and the legend that John, Jr. would live with. It was a time not far in the past that two lives paralleled between Britain's Princess Di and America's John Kennedy, Jr.. Both of their persona of power and elegance inspired the dreams of their generation. Whatever these two did in their lives whether it was weaknesses and failures they were more loved by the public. The public follows John's life as he failed his bar exam twice, his romances with Christina Haag, Madonna and long time love Daryl Hannah, dodging the paparazzi, the famous fight in the park with his future wife, his struggle to find his own career path in the shadow of his legendary parents and the unveiling of his magazine, GEORGE.
   

   
   In the coming few years up to the time of his fated future. John enjoyed time flying. It was the only chance he could get away from the demands of his busy life and the paparazzi. It was such a shame that on the day of his tragic end. It had to go so quickly. As one would put it 'Gone Too Soon.' The lives John, Jr. touched while he was here with his remarkable legacy of a family that endured both triumph and heartbreaking tragedy. His sister Caroline stands alone. The only sole survivor of America's American family. Everyone took solace along with her in her sorrow. In this life that John Kennedy, Jr. lived he never follow in the footsteps of his father's career. Never did he write a book, do any great heroics or discover anything. Just because simply he existed. Everyone knew him. He belonged to all of us. From that beginning John Kennedy, Jr. was America's son. You'll have to read the book to know what I mean.
   

   
   NOTE: The book includes photographs that chronographs his life from his youth to his death with sources, chapter notes and selected bibliography.




3. This book is not a detailed account of the plane crash that took JFK JR's life, the book is an attempt at a biography of his life. If you have looked at the book then you know that this is a bio that is going to fall more in the Kitty Kelly area then a deep historical work. I was looking for more of an account of the forces within his life pushing into politics and his thoughts that lead him away from politics. We did get a little of these types of details, but the main focus of the book was to get the more tabloid type facts to the front of the chapters - sell more books. The author does give us some of the highlights of the Kennedy family history, but he does not connect how the events may have affected JFK JR's thoughts on a public life.

   I was interested in some of the insight on Jackie relationship with him. It did seem like she held a bit of power over his life, but that could have been the author tying to sell more books. There are also lots of details about how many incidents he got into growing up that could have been physically dangerous. As I said we do get a broad overview of the Kennedy family over the past 100 years but it almost came off as filler, like there may not have been enough on JFK JR. for the full book.

   This is a light, gossipy book that touches the surface of his and his family's life. If that is what you are looking for then this book is a good one. The writing is good; easy to read and fast paced. Overall, I felt that this book was just too light.




4. Maybe I am not in enough awe of the son of a dead president, but then I don't understand where the glamor of being hired by the American people makes a person glamorous or even smart.

   JFK, Jr. died, and killed 2 women with him.

   It's worth maybe an hour's reading, since it's mostly invented dialogue and gossip, this is literally a page turner.




5. Christopher Andersen has written a book that is symbolic of taking a walk down memory lane. The title is misleading, as this writing is a recount highlighting the Kennedy family history.

   Andersen paints a believable story of John, and one that sees him in a much more human light than in most writings. It is refreshing to note that as a child, John did get into his fair share of mischievous adventures. As a young man, these adventures became more daring and life threatening. Andersen writes of accounts of John experimenting with drugs, and makes it clear that John did not have a drug problem. However, Andersen sketches Jack as one that became hungry for speed. Strangely, John is described here as scatterbrained, and unstudious, yet rather smart. John seemed to have the knack of keeping friends and family happy, and also maintaining happiness for him at the same time. For Jackie, John's escapades had to be unnerving and her power over her son wavered. Andersen's writing of Jackie, depicts a much stronger woman than the media portrayed in the 60's. Jackie protected John from the worst Kennedy family influences; squashed John's ideas of an acting career and was most powerful in decisions John had in the romance arena. Jackie and Caroline were opposed to relationships he had with several women, and John seemed to abide by his mother's and sister's wishes, to end less-than-suitable relationships. Even though John may have broken the hearts of many young women, his classy reputation stands untarnished, as all of his ex's still maintained friendships with America's son.

   John's marriage to Carolyn Bessette , and their happiness will always remain a mystery for us. We can speculate, but John tried to keep his personal life out of the spotlight, as he demonstrated with their secret wedding.

   Uncanny as it may seem, Jackie had premonitions of John's plane-crash death. She begged her son not to pursue his love of flying. But this time, John only postponed his lessons for a short while, then continued the lessons without Jackie's stamp of approval.
   
   At the end of this book, John is viewed as less of a celebrity figure and more of a friend, who touched the hearts of so many. He will be sorely missed.

5 comments about The Custer Myth.

1. It was great to find a book published well over 50 years ago, so I could see what "spin" the author had on the battle. Surprisingly, the author did not laud Custer--the title comes from the author's belief that Custer was more made up than real. The author, though retired military, made what appeared to be a fair attempt to reconstruct the attacks from the Indian's point of view. The book does not compare to "Lakota Noon" in analysis, but the author states at the beginning he is just presenting the facts as reported by others. The book also contained other interesting information from Sitting Bull that even my boss, a Lakota, had not seen. Be warned, though: It's a long book with a lot of self-serving statements by Army officers.



2. It is my opinion that the three most famous battlefields on US soil are (in no particular order) the Little Big Horn, Gettysburg, and the Alamo. Each has a legion of students and enthusiasts accompanied by a number of printed resources. Stackpole Books has added to the printed resources on the Little Big Horn with its' collection of books known as The Custer Library. The most important of these books, in my opinion, is "The Custer Myth" It contains just about all of the available first person accounts of the battle known to exist. Many of the accounts are rather short but all are interesting. For the "Last Stand" buffs, it is like waking up on Christmas morning to find that you got everything you wanted except actual newsreel footage. For the casual observer of the subject, this may be the downfall of the book. After all, the stories greatly overlap and repeat each other. In doing so, they add another dimension of personalizing the battle even more. No Custer enthusiast should be without this book and no private library of American History is complete without it either. Do yourself a favor and add it to your library as well.



3. This book gives no definitive answers on the biggest puzzles of Little Big Horn ... which is its greatest strength. By pulling together all the available testimony, from both sides and all angles, it's proof of how 'the fog of war' -- as well as participants' own agendas -- makes any battle more confusing to its participants than to those who come after. For the reader, piecing together the conflicting accounts, and assessing the characters/viewpoints/axes-to-grind of those giving them, it's a total immersion not just in the facts but in the feelings, prejudices and atmosphere of the time. A wonderful book. And one that should be basic training for every student of history, whatever their period. This is how history is.



4. This is Graham's great collction of testimonies about Custer and the Little Big Horn from the Sioux, Cheyene, Rees, Crows, scouts, officers, soildiers and others. An incredible collection of material laid out in categorical chapters. Graham lays this often quoted collection out without prejudice and although he questions the Indian participant's accounts due to their lack of perception of exact time and spatial realities, he presents it all the same. What is quite fascinating are the virtual raw letters of Benteen to William Goldin. The letters show Benteen's bitter side particularly toward Custer and demonstrates that Reno was also not held highly on his list, if anyone was. Also, has Godfrey's great history of the battle and the book even includes challenging letters from Grahams critics to his personal responses. A great book for those that want to know all from multiple perspectives of the participants.



5. By far the best of the vast Custer literature. Graham gathers together in one place primary data and lets you draw your own conclusions. On Custer, Graham is the only author I have read who writes without massaging his data to support some preconcieved theory. This book, incidently, was published in 1953, not in 1993.(It would be helpful if Amazon would note first copyright dates in book listings.) This book was not bashed out to meet a schedule or catch a market window; Graham gathered data literally for decades. Being an army officer-- Judge Advocate Corp--gave him access to files and access to survivors who were eyewitnesses to the fight at Reno's end of the field.

No comments about Well Satisfied with My Position: The Civil War Journal of Spencer Bonsall.

5 comments about Jack Kennedy: The Education of a Statesman.

1. You'll find Barbara Leaming's marvelous book very difficult to put down. Somehow she has uncovered entirely new source material which sheds light on Kennedy's early years in Great Britain when his father Joe was Ambassador to the Court of St. James. Introduced by his sister Kick to a circle of bright young aristocrats, the connections made in these early years would last a lifetime and shape his world view in a dangerous time for the US and for the world. What struck me particularly in the book was how much of what Kennedy learns is still enormously relevant in today's world. This book should be required reading for our leaders in Washington and especially our Presidential candidates for 2008! I cannot wait to see what subject Ms. Leaming takes on next.



2. everything about this transaction was first class.



3. The is a marvelous blow by blow description of how WWII statred
   
   Also a wondreful blow by blow of the Cuban Missle crisis
   
   The research was fantastic



4. A child when Kennedy was assassinated, I grew up with a mix of fact and mystique in what I knew of President Kennedy. Barbara Leaming's book introduces me to a Kennedy not unrecognizable from the Kennedy I was aware of growing up, without whitewashing his actions.
   
   I really enjoy the way she brings across Jack Kennedy in the various points of his life. It does seem to dwell a little overlong on his sister Kick's story, but it's a really satisfying read and she really brings historical moments of the time to life and shows them in relation to Kennedy's life.



5. What a clever idea Barbara Leaming has for a re-examination of John F. Kennedy's life. She explores the impact of his relationship with movers-and-shakers in England, concentrating on David Ormsby-Gore, one of Kennedy's sister Kathleen's Smart Set in pre-World War II London.
   As a long-term Kennedy biography reader, it's fascinating to revisit experiences in his life from a new richly-textured perspective. The meatiest part of the book is easily Kennedy's introduction to Ormsby-Gore and friends, when Kennedy's father is appointed Ambassador to Great Britain. Reporting becomes thin in the last year of Kennedy's presidency.
   Chapters dealing on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty would have been greatly improved by stitching in some primary sourcework on Nikita Kruschev, perhaps from his son's biographies of him. Another help might have been incorporating Schlesinger's or Bundy's perspectives on the British influence on Kennedy on these issues. More voices, more analysis might have mitigated the ping-pong like effect in these chapters --- Kennedy said, Ormsby-Gore said, Macmillan said.
   Also, perhaps because Leaming's indebtedness to British peerage for valuable first-person accounts of what JFK was like at the time, reader is shorted in several respects. Scant mention or analysis of Kathleen Kennedy's infatuation with another British peer, married with a child, after her first husband dies. There's some insinuation that Fitzwilliam, the second peer, was randy, representing another type of British upperclassman. But, there's nothing to indicate why the sister would embrace the darker side of British Aristocracy nor what impact this had on Kennedy himself. Ditto scant info at the end about Ormsby-Gore and wife, post Kennedy, other than mention that they're killed in separate auto accidents. That said, an engrossing read. A must for Kennedy biography fans.

1 comments about THEY ALSO RAN: Losing Candidates in the United States Presidential Elections 1789-2004.

1. an accurate mechanical no spin account of us presidential contests. is this important? if there is any kind of interest in u.s. history then the answer is YES -
   
   also recommend Irving Stone's book of the same name (written in 1950's and updated thru 1960) used copies available thru amazon (of course) Stone gives personal views of the great (and some not so great) who should have been/should never have been president.
   
   the two books are great companion books.

5 comments about Amelia Earhart Lives.

1. i read this book in the early 1970's. it was, bar none, the most fascinating book that i have ever read. fast moving, and informative.



2. I could not put down this book, and yes I believe! The main investigator is Joe Gervais, who I believe is very credible considering he was a command pilot in the Air Force and also an aircraft accident investigator. According to Mr. Gervais, when he visited Ameilia's sister, Muriel Morrissey, she told him to not open his breifcase and refused to see any material from his investigation. It is interesting that so many road blocks were put up for Mr. Gervais, and there are those that went to great lengths to find out what he was uncovering while at the same time not wanting him to find out anything. I believe Irene Bolam is/was Amelia Earhart.

   For those interested, there is a new book out this month continuing this investigation by Rollin C. Reineck. It is published by the Paragon Agency. I could not find it here at Amazon to my surprise. I had to order it direct from Paragon. Mr. Reineck's book follows up what transpired after Gervais and Klass book came out, and what happened to Irene Bolam. An article was in the LA Times a few weeks ago about the new book.




3. As a young high schooler, I read the original publication and visited A.E.'s sister and asked her about the book. Mrs. Morrissey said that she had both spoken with the supposed A.E. and determined that she was not her sister. Mrs. Morrissey then said that the author had produced faked photos of the plane and that he was only out to make a buck. Shame on the new author and publishers!



4. This is a great book from an apparently knowledgeable author. The story is gripping and reads like a novel. A must read for anyone interested in a true mystery and its possible resolution.



5. The first few pages of book mention Bob Dinnger, Well, Bob and I had lunch with each other,in Santa Rosa, Calif, every week at Rotary. I would ask Bob about all aspects of the book. I believe this book is real, very interesting and a good read.