2 comments about Sex Lives of the Presidents: An Irreverent Expose of the Chief Executive from George Washington to the Present Day.

1. In case anyone would say "Why are you reviewing this trash?" the answer is that this reviewer is a fan of all United States Presidents. Plenty of eliminations take place before someone becomes President of the United States. Even the worst had some good qualities. Now for the book. It's been out for a few years and it was read entirely back then. The newspapers and history books had already told us plenty about Bill Clinton, John Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt, Warren Harding, Woodrow Wilson and Grover Cleveland. In this book nobody escapes scrutiny. Since all Presidents were married men with the exception of James Buchanan, how well they kept marriage vows is the subject of this book. James Buchanan was appartenly heartbroken over a relationship with a woman early in life and never managed to marry. Truman and some other Presidents come across well in the marriage virtue department. Is the book recommended for the average person to read? No. But it is difficult for fans of Presidents not to read it if they know about it. Presidents, regardless of difficult private lives, showed great leadership and courage when called for.



2. I thought this might be a tabliod type expose, but to my delight, it really is a thorough, factual work. Each and every president is covered and the historic research is evident. Many sections are dry and boring only because those presidents weren't particularly sex driven men. But the notable exceptions like Lyndon "Bull Nuts" Johnson, Jack Kennedy and others make this an eye opening and shocking account of what our presidents really are doing behind closed doors. After reading this book, you want to give this country back to King George! 5 stars to Nigel for his tireless research and fact finding.

No comments about Leaders of Men: Ten Marines Who Changed the Corps.

2 comments about War of Words: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War Press.

1. This book is interesting, but not compelling. It illustrates Lincoln's use of the printed word to influence the tide of history, but is not told in a compelling manner. The reader will have to dig for its importance.



2. Spin.--the calculated interpretation of a statement or event from a particular or partisan viewpoint.

   Spin doctor.--a person employed by a government, political ty, or company to present or interpret facts or events in a favorable light.

   Spin control.--the manipulation of news, especially political news; slanting the news from a certain perspective so that it will be interpreted favorably (or unfavorably, if so desired) by the public.

   Nowadays the word media includes newspapers, radio, television, and the internet. During the Civil War, however, the most important (and virtually, the only) source of information was the press: newspapers, journals, and magazines.

   In WAR OF WORDS: ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND THE CIVIL WAR PRESS, Harry J. Maihafer has written an engaging, reader-friendly account of how our 16th president (1861-1865) dealt with the press, putting a "spin" on events from his perspective as commander-in chief, so that the public would interpret the news in the most favorable light.

   The most influential Northern newspapers in Lincoln's day were in New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Three newspapers in New York--the Tribune, the Times, and the Herald--were of supreme importance in shaping Union sentiment.

   Maihafer describes in fascinating detail Lincoln's relationship with five "movers and shakers" of the Fourth Estate:

   o Horace Greeley, the volatile New York Tribune editor who often waxed hot and waned cold, swinging back and forth from Lincoln supporter to Lincoln critic.

   o Henry Jarvis Raymond, the editor of the New York Times, who was generally supportive of Lincoln and his administration.

   o James Gordon Bennett, Sr., editor of the New York Herald, an obnoxious Lincoln critic who described the president as a "joke," "a buffoon," and a "pigmy."

   o Joseph Medill, editor of the Chicago Tribune and solid Lincoln supporter.

   o Wilbur F. Storey, editor of the Chicago Times, whose criticism of the Lincoln administration often included vicious personal attacks on the president.

   Lincoln once remarked that Horace Greeley's constant criticisms and misrepresentations [in the New York Tribune] annoyed him "probably more than anything which happened during his administration." As a consummate politician, however, Lincoln shrewdly wooed and courted newspaper editors and journalists, always seeking to put the best "spin" on his administration's policies and programs.

   "In waging war against the South," write Maihafer, "it must be admitted that Lincoln was willing to trample on civil liberties. Suspending the right of habeas corpus in September of 1863, and leaving it that way throughout the war, may have been his worst mistake."

   Nevertheless, Maihafer realizes that desperate times call for desperate measures, and his portrait of Lincoln is essentially a lionizing description of a man who was the right man for the right time--the helmsman who guided the ship of state through a treacherous storm--a bloody and brutal civil war.

   WAR ON WORDS is an impressive overview of a tragic era in our nation's history. Maihafer not only introduces us to a president who was a statesman of the first rank and a decent human being, but also takes us into the inner workings of the White House. Moreover, he presents a masterful bird's-eye view of the progress of military events: key battles, strategies, and tactics.

   WAR ON WORDS is a model of concise, cut-to-the-chase writing. In its less than 300 pages, Maihafer says more than other volumes that are two or three times its size--and does so with class and style. This volume is first-rate.

1 comments about Franklin Delano Roosevelt (American Presidents Reference Series).

1. ".....Ideal for research or general reading, THIS BOOK PRESENTS AN INFORMATIVE PERSPECTIVE ON ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST INFLUENTIAL PRESIDENTS....."
   [from the book of the back cover]

1 comments about Faces of the Civil War: An Album of Union Soldiers and Their Stories.

1. Even casual readers about the U.S. Civil War have seen the haunting images of young soldiers staring stiffly into the
   camera for posterity. About to embark into a war of unimagined horror, few of their particular stories were preserved or documented. "Faces of the Civil War" takes those personal mementos and visiting cards as a hook to pull the reader into many previously untold stories. This winning combination of powerful images, extensive archival research, and accessible journalistic writing provides a welcome addition to anyone's Civil War book collection. It also can grab and hold student's interest in this endlessly fascinating era of U.S. history.

5 comments about Barry Goldwater.

1. It has been said that Barry Goldwater ran for President in 1964 but was elected in 1980. This refers to the fact that he set the stage for the movement, back in the 1960's, that set the stage for the Reagan revolution in 1980. Goldwater energized a base of largely young conservatives and brought a whole new great of people into the process.
   
   The book also tells us a lot of details of Goldwater's early life. Most people probably don't realize the he is of Jewish heritage. He worked hard his entire life to get where he was. This is a strong contrast with the Kennedy family and many others (including George W. Bush) who were children of wealth.
   
   The book gives an excellent account of Goldwater's entire career including his retirement in 1987....such that he ever really completely retired.
   
   It is a faily well balanced book.....at least compared to most others. It is clear, as others have said, that Goldberg approaches the subject from the left. But it doesn't spoil the contents of the book and he doesn't revise history or distort Goldwater's record. It is a fairly good account of a great man's life!



2. Few people have had the impact on the American political scene that Barry Goldwater made in his career. Born into one of the wealthiest families in Arizona, his embrace of the Western myth and his opposition to increased role the government played in economic management after the Great Depression (one influenced by his experience managing the family's chain of local department stores) combined to shape his political philosophy. After service in the Army Air Force in World War II, he entered politics and became a leader of the effort to "clean up" the Phoenix city government - though Goldberg writes that, as most of the members of the effort themselves acknowledged, the charges of civic corruption that led to their victory were largely overstated.
   
   Upon winning election to the United States Senate in 1952, Goldwater quickly emerged as one of its most prominent conservatives, becoming chair of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee just three years later. The role played to Goldwater's gift for marketing, and he quickly developed a national following among thousands of Americans. He benefited as well from the emergence of a new radical right, fueled by growing concerns over race and embodied in organizations like the John Birch Society. With the publication of his 1960 book Conscience of a Conservative, Goldwater cemented his position as the leading figure of the movement, their natural candidate for the presidency.
   
   Goldwater got his chance in 1964. With the front-runner for the Republican nomination, Nelson Rockefeller, politically damaged by his divorce and remarriage, Goldwater was the front-runner. He accepted the nomination at a convention that Goldberg terms "the Woodstock of American conservatism," with a speech that galvanized his supporters. Goldwater's nomination became a pivotal moment in the history of the Republican Party. While Goldwater himself was defeated in the subsequent campaign by Lyndon Johnson (who succeeded in depicting Goldwater as an unstable reactionary ideologue), his candidacy signaled the party's ideological, social, and political shift away from its traditional base in the Northeast towards its new home in the South and West.
   
   Yet Goldberg sees Goldwater's candidacy as the high-water mark of his role as a conservative leader, as he began moving away from the ideas of the radical right and towards a more libertarian style of conservatism. Though he returned to the Senate in 1968, his support for Nixon's opening of relations with China and his backing of Gerald Ford over Ronald Reagan in their race for the Republican nomination in 1976 led many former Goldwater supporters to turn on their former champion. By the 1980s, Goldwater had become a leading opponent of the growing role of the religious right in the Republican Party, and he remained an uncomfortable gadfly after his retirement from the Senate in 1987 by speaking out against many of the actions of the party he did so much to change.
   
   Goldberg's biography offers a balanced examination of the senator's life and career that is welcome. He avoids the hagiography of earlier works, which distorted or excluded some of the details of Goldwater's life so as to better fit their image of a conservative paradigm. Though such information as Goldwater's financial donations to Planned Parenthood and his personal efforts to support civil rights (which he disguised so as not to alienate voters in the South) may call his reputation for honesty and bluntness into question, the result is a better understanding of the man and his role in the rise of American conservatism after the Second World War.



3. This biography is well written and researched. Unfortunately, it becomes painfully clear at times that the author, Robert Alan Goldberg, is writing from the Left. The book's strengths lie in his discussion of Goldwater's family history and upbringing. On the other hand, Goldberg's rants on Goldwater's racial complacency get old after a couple chapters, and do not relent. Goldberg essentially accuses Goldwater of turning a blind eye to racism, but then defends him by saying he himself was not racist.

   Of course Goldwater was not racist. He did not "accomodate" racism, either...Goldwater just wasn't a "Civil Rights" activist like Goldberg, but then again, who is Goldberg to judge a man such as Barry Goldwater? When he sticks to the facts, this book is good. When he strays, it is awkward. Overall, though, its at least worth borrowing from the local library.




4. Barry Goldwater,as someone once pointed out, last name speaks of the 2 most important things in the American west. this biography,meticulous in its balance,shows Goldwater from his lonely days as a western conservative ina republican party dominated with eastern power and money{how wird does that sound now?],to his latter days a conscience of the conservaties,who found little to cheer about from the new right who claimed its parnetage to him.From his biting prescience on LBJ and Vietnam, to his condemnation of modern politcs,Goldwater was an original.truly .Would his vision and sheer balls be available on this convuluted and viscious landscape of politics today.Very,very well written,balanced,nuanced biography of a seminal figure of modern america.



5. Goldberg's biography is the definitive work on Mr. Conservative, Barry Goldwater. Essential reading for anyone interested in Goldwater and an excellent reminder that Goldwater's brand of conservatism is a far cry from the conservatism of the religious right. The book is a balanced view of the man from Arizona written by a scholar with an engaging and highly readable writing style.

2 comments about Elvis.

1. I read this book when it was published in the 1980s and for over ten years, I felt it was the best book about Elvis Presley.
   
   However, Peter Guralnick produced a great piece of work with "Last Train" and "Careless Love" that captured the essence of Elvis that had been missing from every type of media that attempted to tell Elvis Presley's story.
   
   Marsh's book doesn't fare well when compared to either book but it was the first serious work that, for the most part, was able to correctly put Presley's life on paper.



2. As compelling as the two Guralnick books are, my favorite is this sprawling, wonderfully illustrated biography highlighted by Mr. Marsh's knowledgeable text. His list of song highlights in the back of this invaluable volume serves as a great "crash course" in the King's discography. Dave Marsh is a great fan of Elvis, but the book does not sink into gushy fan love letter stuff, nor does it go the Albert Goldman route. If I could award six stars, I would.

No comments about Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies).

1 comments about William Henry Jackson: Framing the Frontier.

1. A really well-written book. This is not a children's book as it lists. It can be easily read by a teen or adult, but certainly not the 4 to 8 catagory. Very enjoyable biography of one of the members of the survey party that helped make Yellowstone National Park a reality. Text flows and is not dry or too detailed (but detailed enough for a good picture of his life). Has lots of B/W prints of his artwork and period photos. Also has several pages of color plates with his artwork. He was not only a good photographer who happened to be in the right place at the right time, but a very talented artist. I highly recommend this book.

1 comments about In the Footsteps of Stonewall Jackson (In the Footsteps Of...).

1. In The Footsteps Of Stonewall Jackson by Civil War Re-enactor and history buff Clint Johnson is a unique character study of the famous Civil War general Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, one of the most pivotal military strategists and leaders in history. Following the trail of Jackson's life from the church where he was baptized to the museum that holds the stuffed hide of his war horse to the grave of the Confederate officer who ordered the volley that fatally wounded Jackson, In The Footsteps Of Stonewall Jackson is a singularly impressive tour de force as enjoyable for armchair travelers as it is for tourists who want to actively seek out more about this fascinating man's life and the role he played in America's bloodiest conflict.