5 comments about All the Presidents' Children: Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of America's First Families.

1. This is a book that fills a void in the historical record of Presidential Families. There is piecemeal information in other volumes, but this book brings all the history into one very readable account. Mr. Wead is known to be close to the Bush Family, and thus he appears to have a personal reason to research this aspect of the Presidency.
   
   I teach classes on"First Ladies", and my audience had urged me to tell them more about their children, but I had been largely unsuccessful at finding interesting, reliable information which covered the President's children, their joys, health, and trials and tribulations, including their similarities in how they coped with their celebrity with all its benefits and disadvantages.
   This is a book that anyone who is interested in people and history should enjoy and find enlightening. This is facts, not gossip.



2. This is a most fascinating book combining history, parenting and child psychology. It is written extrememly well and will engage you from the very first page. Each man who became president was a unique, high achieving, individual. How each president viewed his children, who in many cases, were simply bright, average kids, directly effected their children's future and happiness in life. The stories of some kids will break your heart, others will make you glad for their success. After reading this book, high achieving parents will be much less likely to try to mold little clones of themselves (which as you will read, can meet with distasterous, unhappy results), but encourage their children's interests, perhaps different from your own, and help them along their path in life. I have given and recommended this book to my parents and friends and everybody has said it was one of the best books they have ever read. I also recommend the book Doug Wead wrote about presidential parents.



3. Doug is not only a great author, but and excellent speaker. So fortunate to have met him.



4. This book is chock full of history. It tells the stories of the lives of the Presidents children.
   
   The book tells about such things as:
   
   The life of George Washington's step-son John Park "Jacky" Custis who embarrassed the first President
   
   Abigail Adams-the daughter of John who wanted to please her father
   
   Letitia "Letty" Tyler Semple: the daughter of John Tyler who did not like her step-mother and did battle with her over the affections of her father.
   
   Quentin Roosevelt: the son of Teddy who was shot down during World War One.
   
   James "Jimmy" Roosevelt- son of FDR who used his connections with the White House to help his business
   
   Martha "Patsy" Washington Jefferson Randolph: one of the only surviving children of Thomas and Martha Jefferson who helped her father entertain after the death of her mother.
   
   Robert Todd Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln's son who was with three presidents when they died
   
   Caroline Kennedy Scholssberg-daughter of John and Jackie Kennedy a writer and mother of three.
   
   Maureen Reagan: daughter of Ronald Reagan and his first wife Jane Wyman who grew up to be an actress and was also in politics. She died of cancer shortly before her father past away.
   
   Michael Reagan-adopted son of Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman a radio host
   
   Patricia Ann "Patti Davis" Reagan-daughter of Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis a writer who uses her mothers maiden name to write.
   
   John Ellis "Jeb" Bush-son of George H.W. Bush and Governor of Florida
   
   George W. Bush-son of George H.W. Bush and "President" of the U.S.
   
   And many more interesting stories that will keep you fascinated for hours.



5. Interesting details for purposes of camparison for those who have done other reading about the presidents and their families and a sort of quick informational format for those who have not. There is not a whole lot of deep-thinking required, and the book does provide entertainment and information.

5 comments about No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II.

1. Doris Kearns Goodwin did a remarkable job of not only recounting the hietorical events which took place from 1940 to 1945 but especially of giving us - the readers - an insight into the feelings and behavior of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanot Roosevelt and all the people surrounding them during this particularly trying period of time in our history. I was really impressed by the way she gained the insignts she did and by her skill as a writer in presnting them to us. All too often we learn about history as if it is merely a series of events which can be presented to us in a chronological chart denoting what happened and the date that it took place. Here, in this book, Goodwin filled in the "spaces" among the events by revealing to us how people felt not only about the events but also about one another as they tried to use their roles in life to move what was taking place in a direction which they felt was desireable.
   
   Franklin Roosevelt is portrayed as the consummate politician - practicing politics as "the art of the possible" ususually with a sense of what it was desireable to do, but always attending to the matter of how far he could go in the pursuit of what he felt should be done without loswing the powere which his position enabled him to exercise. Eleanor Roosevelt is portrayed both as a heroine - if you agree with her ideals and admire her peristent desire to bring about the changes she thinks should occur in our society - and as a very insensitive person blinded to her own egotism bu what she thought were her ideals. A complicated person, she seems ofte toplace her own needs ahead of every thing else because she is utterly convinced of the worthiness of the causes she espouses and the impotance of the role she must play in bringing them about. The relationship between Frnklin and Eleanor forms a great part of this story and leaves the reader with many questions to ponder, particularly with the effect that they both had on their children as they, themselves, played the role of mother and father.
   
   As the story is unfolded about this "no ordinary time" Goodwin does not spare us the painful exposure to the shortocomings of our society, particularly with reference to the treatment of Blacks and Jews which was so evident during this time. Over and over again we are reminded of the all too prevalent himan disosition to place nationality and culture and race ahead of humanity in defining our relationships with one another.
   
   She is an excellent historian and writer and I reccomend this book enthusiastically to any one.



2. Are there many Roosevelt lovers out there who are under 70? I'm one of them, but I can't for the life of me understand why. It is perhaps because of the low esteem in which I hold the Presidents of my life time: Kennedy, Johnson and so on. God, how low we have come. It is surely a period of unprecedented mediocrity in national leadership. Can one honestly compare Bush, Clinton, Carter, or Ford to the likes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt? Why is this? That FDR was hated in his time is now more understandable to me, as I hadn't before understood how radical his policies were. Of course, none of his experiments has lasted and this may explain why he is so easily loved. Only Social Security survives. I love the personal anecdotes the author has assembled to tell the story of the President's ordeal. We see again how much he suffered. Those four terms really were too much for him. The author of this work is a "petticoat historian," part of the feminist movement in history to tell the grand historical stories from the point of view of the bathroom and bedroom. If it were not deemed to personal and in bad taste, Goodwin would describe the President's bowel movements. One might very well say "why not?" but the point that bothers me is why such things are of such great interest to the author. Surely, the Battle of Stalingrad is a wee bit more important than Roosevelt's breakfast menu. Nonetheless, Goodwin is discreet and tasteful and, therefore, the anecdotes she shares are personal but never vulgar. She possesses an entrancing style, which makes this a quick and delightful read. That we have had such a sorry group of Presidents since FDR is a sad thing but, who knows?, with new crises approaching, the country may yet produce another great man.



3. I ordered this book with the understanding that there was sufficient time for it to be received before we left on vacation. No quarrel with the book selection, but the mailing date mysteriously changed when the order was confirmed. Unfortunately, the "new" mailing date was just about two weeks later than what was advertised.



4. There are only a couple of prominent historical authors that I would put in the same class as our native Pittsburgh author, David McCullough. Goodwin is most definitely in this class as an author. Not only is the research of her topic concerning FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt during 1939 to the death of FDR in 1944 impecable, her writing is so riveting, that I found it near impossible to put the book down. I certainly didn't read anything else until I finished this book.
   
   I never could understand why my parents who grew up during this time period kind of bad mouthed FDR. I suspect it was from hearing their own parents, who were conservative. AFter reading this book, I understand their attitude even less...I'd ask them, but try hard to avoid things that may bring on a fight at their age. Anyway, even though it's obvious that both these people had their very large problems (especially in dealing with each other and personal relationships), given the type of presidents I've experienced during my lifetime...I sincerely doubt two other people could have handled so many issues correctly during this time of war. I am beginning to understand why this was called the Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw, in fact, reading this book makes me want to read that one. I am awed by the overwhelming personal sacrifice that so many young men (and their parents and their spouses) made to serve in the military when the chance of coming home at all was slim. I am also awed by the effort of the entire U.S. workforce to enable Roosevelt to create and supply the Lend-Lease program that allowed our Allies to fight until the U.S. became involved in the war against the Nazis. If they hadn't been able to carry on, the chances of crushing Hitler and cronies with their armed might was slim.
   
   Roosevelt was an enigma. I don't understand his apparent need to be surrounded by pretty women who listened to him talk, while at the same time admiring his wife and wanting her by his side. However, his oversight of all the parts of the U.S. during the war seems to be exactly what was needed. Whatever else he did wrong, no one can possibly state that he did not enable us to win the war. If they do say that, they are wrong. The weak presidents we have now would never have been able to accomplish what he did back then. His political ability and personal charm allowed him to hold all the reins of the economy, military, deal with Congress, continue to promote social change and programs is beyond the powers of modern men. Not since Lincoln had a strong president been able to control so much during a time of war, and succeed so spectacularly. Add to this the fact that he was disabled by polio and the effort of all this was taking a toll on his body, that in this day and age would have been controlled by diet and medicine. However, the medical care as demonstrated by the author was so bad that it led to his early demise at age 63. If he had lived now, so much more could have been done to save him...but at that time, so little was known about the heart and its care that even his personal physician was incapable of reading the signs Roosevelt showed of decline due to stress among other things.
   
   Goodwin wrote so lovingly of Eleanor, that I want to read more. A woman who cared so strongly about other people, and who was such a strong advocate for social equity and change...I would have loved to met her as I am an advocate for disabled rights. We could not possibly have made the changes in society towards the disabled without the changes made in civil rights for African-Americans. This is another reason to respect that generation, both those who needed to learn to put aside their prejudice and many did, and those who advocated for that social change...and many did, including an elderly white woman who could have sat back in wealth and totally ignore the needs of others. She couldn't do that. Wow...she was impressive.
   
   I loved this book. I was sorry it ended, and I am probably going to read her other stuff as soon as possible.
   
   Karen L. Sadler



5. THIS BOOK WAS INFORMATIVE AS WELL AS FASINATING. ANY HISTORY BUFF SHOULD READ. TO REALIZE HOW UNPREPARED OUR COUNTRY WAS, AND ULTIMATELY VICTORIOUS, WHEN WE WERE COMPELLED TO ENTER THE WAR, SHOULD GIVE US COURAGE IN THESE TRYING TIMES.

5 comments about Lincoln.

1. Well written book with great detail. The depth of research must have been great to give this reader a special feel for each progression of Lincoln's amazing journey though life. I'm really enjoying this book.



2. After hearing all of the hype about this Lincoln bio I finally got around to reading it. OK, I am spoiled, I read Sandburg's bio and it is hard to find anything close to that-certainly not in this book. To sum up my feelings, I don't know Lincoln any better after reading this than before. Prof. Donald misses the mark and I think he is somewhat awestruck that he can't seem to get any deeper. It is well researched and well written, but a bio needs much more.
   Here was a man with barely any formal education, not particularly succesful as a politician, elected over many who who knew they could do better and then the nation splits apart into Civil War. Not only did he face the undaunted task of trying to hold the nation together, but learn to be a general of sort, let alone his home life. Other bios show how Lincoln rose to the challenge to hold our nation together and finally find the right general, Grant, and become probably our greatest president.
   Somehow, Donald's book does not do it for me.



3. In giving this book five stars, it is easy to confuse the book with its subject. Who doesn't love Lincoln? (Well, I guess there are some, but there are even people who don't like Bob Seger.) Like many people, particularly those (like me) who grew up right in the heart of the Lincoln country of Central Illinois, I thought that I knew Lincoln, but there is a feeling that most of what I knew was mythic legend rather than facts. The biographies of Lincoln are many, and the classic ones are multi-volume and would take years to digest. Donald has given the English-speaking world the gift of condensing all of that into a thorough and modern account that can be easily consumed, and maybe leave the reader healthily interesed in more.
   The book literally begins with what little we know of Lincoln's birth, and ends just moments after his untimely death. The entire singular focus of the book is Lincoln. Precious little is devoted to any detail outside of Lincoln's life, so some prior elementary knowledge of Lincoln's place and times (including the Civil War) would be helpful. I think that the one deviation from Lincoln that I noticed was on the topic of Booth and his tragic plot to kidnap and, as it eventually turned out, to kill the President. Other than that, the reader is shown the world and its events as Lincoln saw and knew them, for the most part. I felt that there was enormous and significant gaps in the narrative in places, but it was also obvious to me that the gaps are the result of what we don't know about Lincoln; after all, for most of his life, Lincoln was not a historical figure, and he went about his life and career without keeping minute records of it, just as we all do. What we know of his early life (birth in Kentucky, the surprisingly many years that he spent in the wilderness of Southern Indiana as a young boy, and the New Salem years) we gather from the interviews and biographical accounts that were collected after he was elected President and the world had an interest in these otherwise forgotten facts. We can know much about his adulthood from the accounts of his law partners, fellow legislators, and others who worked and lived with him, and who no doubt recorded their thoughts and memories after it was clear that they had walked with one of history's true giants. Given the sometimes thin detail, I noticed that nowhere in the book were the smallest things noted with more triviality than in the few days between the end of the War (April 9th) and his murder (April 14th/15th). Clearly, those ironically joyous days became more important to the eyewitnesses, and every detail was recorded for posterity. So, whereas there are many important events of which we know little (say, the deliverance of the Gettysburg Address), in the final days and hours of Lincoln's life, we know almost every quip, word, and gesture that he produced. It is precious information, but also sad to reflect on.
   Like other reviewers here, I was astonished to learn of the evolution of the man. His country beginnings cannot be overstated: he began life with absolutely no advantage whatsoever, except for the very chemistry that drove him to become truly a masterful President. In one of the book's (that is, the historical record's) many gaps, I missed the force that drove him to leap into his successful law career, but looking back we can see that he parlayed a skill for analysis, speech, and human manipulation into a political career that catapulated him into the White House. This was a time in the young country when such things could be accomplished - even by rough-hewn country lawyers from the "West." The reader also sees his evolution from an inexperienced executive who has the very future of the Union on his shoulders, and whose political mistakes and challenges were as many as they were life-crushing, into a shrewd master of not only the Presidency but the known political world as well.
   I was surprised to find that there were places in the book where I find Lincoln to be unlikeable. His contempt of his father is hard to understand, as was his sophomoric early philosophy of "Reason." He certainly seems like he would have been a neat guy to know (major understatement), but he also seems to have been sometimes cold, too driven by his career and politics, and a bit of a jerk to those he could not tolerate (and there were many). Was he "Honest Abe" who would walk a mile to return a few pennies change? Yes, I guess so, but he was not a pushover.
   Anyway, this is a review of the book and not the man. Great book on a greater subject. I like what Donald has done: put together the singular and readable biography, and presented one of history's top subjects without too much editorializing or sentiment. Having now read it, I cannot imagine being an American and not doing so.



4. Dr. Donald's book is an excellent one volume biography of our greatest President, an historical figure of truly Biblical stature who led America and humanity through truly epochal changes. It should be required reading.



5. Read Leadership: Past, Present & Future by Carlos M. Rivera and then read this book. You will love both books.
   5 Stars

5 comments about The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York.

1. I have been waiting to read this book for a very long time, and the wait was well worth it. Mr. Caro presents a massive, well-researched piece on one of New York's most influential (and controversial) public officials. I am a sucker for great detail, and so I enjoyed Caro's painstakingly detailed portrait of how a young, idealistic reformer evolved into the ruler of a huge bureaucratic empire. What Caro makes very clear is how Robert Moses became so corrupted by power (and self-importance), that he failed to grasp how his projects were not always in the public interest. Moreover, Caro paints a vivid picture of Moses' cynicism and shrewdness, and how he parlayed those into greater and greater power. For instance, Moses realized that most state legislators were political hacks who never bothered to read the fine print of the laws that they passed. He played on this to insert such fine print into legislation which made him virtual Tsar of development in both New York State and New York City. In addition, Moses was able to convince most New York politicians that he was indispensable to them, and so had them virtually eating out of his hand (i.e., his tactic of threatening to resign, unless he got 100% of what he wanted). At once fascinating and frightening as to how one man could harness such a degree of power!
   
   While Robert Moses' achievements are the main focus of this book, Mr. Caro also devotes a great deal of attention to the political situation that existed in New York during the era of Moses. In doing this, he gives readers a fine education on how New York and its municipalities were governed at that time (and in many ways, still governed), along with an in-depth look at other contemporary political figures (i.e., Al Smith and Fiorello LaGuardia). I would equate reading this book with taking a college-level course, as you learn and think so much while reading it.
   
   On a critical note, not all of Mr. Caro's conclusions about Robert Moses are universally accepted. For instance, Mr. Caro accuses Moses of single-handedly wrecking the Bronx with the Cross Bronx Expressway. However, many people have argued that this was only one of many factors that destroyed the Bronx, and not all of these things were brought by Moses. Perhaps Mr. Caro should have given space to opposing viewpoints regarding the Moses legacy. Overall, though, I think that it is a great book; required reading for anyone interested in the development of New York during the 20th century.



2. Robert Caro's biography reads like an extraordinary work of investigative journalism - damning, erudite and compelling - that surely would have been appreciated by Robert Moses had he not been the subject.
   
   It is a fascinating study of the evolution of government in New York City and Robert Moses' ability to shape laws as the "best bill drafter in Albany" and to seize upon prevailing trends and work the levers of the City, State and Federal governments to his advantage. It is during the Great Depression when Moses is able to mobilize maximum resources, largely from the Federal government, for some of his most ambitious projects.
   
   While at most times a scathing indictment of Moses and his methods, Caro does credit Moses - New York City's first Parks Commissioner - for his contributions to green spaces in the city and his creation of a premier state park system.
   
   Caro insists that judgment about Moses' legacy is premature and that one can only say New York would be a very different place without Moses. New York was indeed a very different place at the time of publication of the Power Broker; Caro has recently commented that some of Moses projects, such as the Triborough Bridge, have been a boon for city residents. Although he never cared for mass transit, it's a shame Moses couldn't come back to start work on the stalled new Penn Station.



3. After 40 years of writing biographies, Robert A. Caro deserves an all time winning award in history. In 1974 he wrote the biography of Robert Moses, Big Bob the Builder in New York. It is an incredible biography. By focusing on one person, Caro succeeds in revealing the peculiarities of this particular epoch in New York. It is a detailed account of how power works in New York between 1934 and 1968. The book is about personalities, Robert Moses of course, but also about the Rockefellers, Al Smith (the governor of New York), La Guardia (mayor of NY). And the book is about building. Every student in building ought to read this book. Robert Moses was a genius in obtaining power, preserving it and ruthlessly exercising it. The resuls are dazzling. Nowadays New York shows a multitude of Moses battlefields. The high ways, the parks in and outside New York, the playgrounds, the tall apartment houses. Robert Moses, Big Bob the Builder once was a celebrity in New York,. His fall after so many years of exercising of power could be no surprise,. His legacy is in doubt. Did he neglect the possibilities of mass transport and were his investments exclusively focused on cars? Did he have solid preferences for the middle class and did he try by all means to neglect the needs of the lower class? Every builder, urban planner, politician, municipal employee, developer, student of history shoud read this book. It is a big big six star
   luuk oost
   
   [...]



4. I purchased this after having read the author's works on Lyndon Johnson. Very much like those books, this is a study of what makes a bad person who accomplishes great things tick. My one grip about all of the books by the author is his tendency to belabor a point - the repeat over and over the same set of facts at times. At times I wonder if this was due to the writer having too many research cards and not being able to discard any of them when actually composing his thoughts. Overall, this is a very thorough historical work that is definitely not 'dry' in its narrative style and should be read by anyone interested in power and motivation.



5. This is an astonishing book. For at least three reasons. First, Robert Caro is a master of exhaustively-researched biographies, and this book is remarkable in the comprehensiveness of his portrait of Robert Moses. From details of his youth and college years, to a blow-by-blow description of his fall from power as an old man, the writing is detailed, opinionated, and razor sharp. Second, the life of Moses is astonishing in itself. The book gives a portrait of how idealism can be quickly turned to stubbornness, incuriousity, and corruption. Robert Moses was one of the smartest and most talented bureaucrats of the 20th century, and he split his energies 50/50 on beautiful parks and cutting red tape on the one hand, and destroying neighborhoods and building networks of cronies on the other hand. Third, the book is astonishing in its length, to a point where it becomes almost a reference rather than a book to be read cover to cover. Repetitive in places, filled with unnecessary detail in others (although in some cases, the detail adds to the brilliance of the book), the reader sometimes wishes that Caro had been forced to cram his encyclopedic knowledge about Moses into a mere, say, 500 pages. It would have been possible to cover the lessons of Moses' life, the brilliance, the arrogance, the great feats, and utter disasters, in that space. Nevertheless, this book has, for more than 30 years, been absolutely essential reading for people interested in New York, urbanism, power, and the art of journalistic biography.

3 comments about Lincoln's Rise to the Presidency.

1. William C. Harris, professor emeritus of history at North Carolina State University, fully deserved the Henry Adams Prize for 2008 from the Society for History in the Federal Government for this pathbreaking book, "Lincoln's Rise to the Presidency," published by the University Press of Kansas. In this seminal work, the author presents a very good case for reinterpreting Lincoln in the 1850s not so much as a political moderate but rather as a conservative in the best sense of the term that reflected well his heritage as an old conscience Whig, his background in rural central Illinois, his overall cautious nature, and the internal politics of his home state.
   
   Lincoln had a significant pragmatic streak and was able to bring together diverse interests to establish the Republican Party in Illinois during the 1850s as a coalition of old Whigs (his own political heritage), anti-slavery Democrats, elements of the Know-Nothing Party, and others. The common element of all of these groups was opposition to slavery. Lincoln's moral opposition to slavery was critical throughout this effort, and he gradually became more committed to it, but his political efforts to deal with the institution were fundamentally conserving of the American experiment. This reinterpretation of a much-studied subject is insightful and opens a new perspective on Lincoln's political ideas and influences and offers a fresh understanding of one of the nation's greatest presidents.
   
   "Lincoln's Rise to the Presidency" is a fair and even-handed account by a veteran student of Lincolniana. It seeks to modify the public's perception of Lincoln as a radical; one of the most striking of the transformations that came to his reputation after his April 1865 assassination. It is an excellent work whose interpretation will require careful consideration by all students of the Civil War era.



2. An historian's scholarly and detailed look at the political route taken by Abraham Lincoln to the highest office in our land. Not for the person wanting a general biography of our greatest president.
   
   I liked the fact that Professor Harris avoids injecting into his narrative views on family matters and guesses at psychological motives: this is straight political history. While sometimes the text is dry, if you want to know more about how complex pre-Civil War party politics were juggled by Mr. Lincoln and his key supporters, you would profit from reading this book.



3. Abraham Lincoln was probably our greatest president. Not surprisingly, then, many Lincoln historians have focused the spotlight on his presidency. Others have focused on Lincoln's personal life, and the development of the moral convictions and rhetorical skills that made him successful once in office.
   
   In this fascinating book, William Harris sheds new light on a third aspect of Lincoln -- his leading role in the formation of the Republican party. Lincoln made it a strong party by fusing together two powerful political forces -- the economic conservatism of the old Whigs and the moral conservatism of the new antislavery movement. Harris shows Lincoln's great political skills and shrewdness in building this coalition. Then, standing on that broad and sturdy platform, Lincoln launched his successful run for the presidency. Finally, having won with such a clear mandate, Lincoln had the political power to govern during the turbulence of the Civil War.

5 comments about The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

1. Written over a period of nearly thirty years and covering his life only until 1759 (he died in 1790), the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin nonetheless established the lore associated with the man. While many biographies of Franklin penned since his death have attempted to officially correct the record and convey a truer picture of him, a sense of the old Franklin endures in no small part due to his autobiography.
   
   In this book, we encounter Franklin the reader, printer, civic leader, writer, inventor, diplomat and so much more. While perhaps the depths of his knowledge in his chosen fields are insufficient to classify him as a genuine renaissance man, he is, all the same, versatile, engaged, and devoted to self-improvement. Franklin is ambitious and desirous of seizing the day and enjoying all that life has to offer. He is also someone who is clearly proud of his accomplishments. Pride seems to be one contemporaneous arrow of criticism against him that found its mark. So much so, in fact, that he later added humility to his original list of 12 virtues. He writes that "there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride." Franklin is also quite forthcoming with respect to his own failure to acquire humility, although he admits to success "with regard to the appearance of it." It is, of course, possible that this introspection is all carefully constructed artifice designed to endear Franklin to the reader and to help secure his place in history as an enormously talented, but forgivably flawed man. While Franklin was certainly capable of shaping his public image, I think he reveals enough of himself for us to ascertain that there is truth amongst whatever tall tales or exaggerations exist in this brief volume.
   
   The first part of this book, considered by many to be the best, exists as a letter to his son. It is here that we learn something of Franklin's early life. We find a 12 year old, bookish Ben Franklin indentured to his brother James as a printer, despite his yearning to be at sea. Eventually, Ben manages to extricate himself from this arrangement by "asserting" his freedom and counting on his brother not to force the issue. While this was a success, he later believed it was somewhat unfair of him, even though his brother occasionally delivered blows to the young man. Franklin's maritime proclivities eventually wane and he makes his way to Philadelphia. It is here that Franklin comes into his own. The establishment of his printing business, invention of the Franklin stove, formation of the first "circulating library" in the U.S., and the first fire department in Pennsylvania is recounted. We are given accounts of his time in London, dalliances with women, and some of the "errata" of his life. Lest we forget, there are also the virtues which he intended to make a part of his character: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, and Humility.
   
   While the remaining parts of the book may not be as strong or cohesive, they still impart interesting information and insight into the man. The Touchstone edition of the book contains a short introduction by Lewis Leary that is a worthwhile preface to the autobiography despite his disapproval that part of the book is "burdened with morality." And yet, it is this morality and quest for "moral perfection" that is, above all, the driving force of Franklin. However future generations judge Benjamin Franklin, his contributions to the burgeoning United States of America and the reputation thereof are as undeniable and appealing as he himself is.



2. Benjamin Franklin, one of history's most remarkable human beings, was born in Boston in 1706. Largely self-taught, he became a respected scientist whose experiments on electricity received international acclaim. He invented the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, bifocals, the glass harmonica, an odometer and more. He was a self-made man who became wealthy as one of America's first commercial printers. He was a respected civic activist, a leading author, a politician and a political theorist. Many of the wise maxims expressed in his immortal Poor Richard's Almanack remain relevant and routinely quoted. Franklin is considered one of America's most accomplished diplomats. He served as minister to France during the Revolutionary War. In that post, he engineered a vital political alliance with the French, winning crucial military and financial aid. We think that anyone who loves history will find this spellbinding autobiography a rare delight. Franklin was on intimate terms with many of the most famous individuals in prerevolutionary America. Indeed, he seemed to have personal dealings with virtually everyone of merit in the New World. His autobiography, written in the best of the archaic language of the time, is a literary classic. Don't deprive yourself of this singular opportunity to learn what the American colonies were like during the prerevolutionary era, as reported by the extraordinary genius who first conceptualized the idea of the United States as an independent nation.



3. This book is a kind of time machine that puts you straight into the Eighteenth Century. Benjamin Franklin comes over as a fearless and open character, although he is at pains to present himself as a solid and successful businessman in the printing industry. He is very much a man of his time. He concerns himself with God and self-improvement, then after he marries he says how glad he is that he did not catch VD from 'certain low women' beforehand. This, certainly consciously, echoes St Paul's advice on why people should marry.
   
   Within the text are probably whole layers of meaning and allusions to contemporary events and news culture that are lost on twenty-first century readers. He is certainly working within religious and classical traditions of what an autobiography should be: a conversation with God, carried on in public? or moral examples and advice to the young.
   
   Sometimes he is having a laugh at the autobiographical and literary form itself. For example, it is a commmonplace of Eighteenth Century Literature that you-the writer-had no intention of publishing your book until you were prevailed upon by your friends or the public. Franklin opens the second section of his autobiography with a letter purportedly from a Quaker who says that a life of Franklin would be worth even more than 'all Plutarch's Lives put together.'This must have raised a laugh in his local club, his 'junto' as he calls it.
   
   However, within the same pages, Franklin describes, clearly with pride, how he swims from Chelsea to Blackfriars in London-which is quite a physical feat, it being two or three miles. He is also at some pains to place much of his financial success on hard work, simplicity and the avoidance of alcohol. These aspects of his life would bequite important for his Low Church readers.
   
   Interestingly-as negative examples- he reports that his London workmates routinely down six pints of strong ale a day, both at home and in the printing office. For his contemporaries, this was unusual from the point of view of the English printers being not just drunkards, but -for his audience- very old fashioned. English people in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuroes -including babies hence the phrases 'tiny tots' 'small beer' etc.- drank beer and ale as drinking street pump water was correctly suspected to cause disease.
   
   Here, through the implication that beer drinking is old fashioned and unhealthy, especially when compared to American coffee drinking, Franklin is presenting his American readers with the idea that-once again- the Colonies, rather than being a backwater, are more modern that their British counterparts in the Imperial Capital of London.
   
   At the heart of his political thinking seems to be the moral rather than political idea that with moral virtue-and thus God- on your side, you are unstoppable, and sees the United States' future greatness to lie in this.
   He takes pains to connect political greatness with the moral quality and education of individual citizens, laying particular emphasis on literacy, and reports with pride how he helped to establish the first lending library in the United States, in Philadelphia.
   
   As a moralist rather than a politician, his republican beliefs do not seem as universal as, say, those of revolutionaries like Robespierre or Tom Paine. For him, the American Republic seems to be uniquely American. At one point he is pleased to report, and say that it is an aspect of his success in life that he has dined with a king, and names him as the King of Denmark. Tom Paine would never have dined with a king, unless it were to poison him!
   
   Now the non-PC bit as bang go his green credentials. The 1726 Journal has Franklin helping to kill and eat dolphins while travelling by sea. He says they are good to eat, and regards them as fish rather than mammals.
   
   Enjoy this book!



4. I've just finished reading the Autobiography of Ben Franklin, and I have gotten a belly laugh out of just about every chapter. The man is hilarious. I really haven't decided whether the whole book is an outright tongue-in-cheek put-on, or that old Ben is just such a practical, unemotional fellow, that his guidelines for living a virtuous life sound like a biology professor trying to explain to a slow student how to rationally distinguish his left hand from his right.
   The story of his courtship with "Miss Read", his eventual wife, I'm sure, is not something that "Miss Read" cut out of her husband's book and hid away in a trunk of loving memorabilia in an upstairs attic, along with her first love poem and a piece of her wedding cake. She was "deserving ... pitiable and a good and faithful helpmate", says Ben. And, believe it or not, she nearly lost Ben's attentions by her inability to get her parents to cough up one hundred pounds as her dowry. In fact, she did loose Ben for a good period during the negotiations, and in the interim Ben being left hot to trot explains that; "In the meantime, that hard to be governed passion of youth had harried me frequently into intrigues with low woman that fell in my way." He goes on to explain his thankfulness at not catching "distemper" or something worse.



5. Ben Franklin is the most amazing figure of American revolution. The essence of American life, a hero, a political figure, a self-made man, a scientist, a diplomat - turns out to be just a guy next door, a neighbor.
   
   I got this book on audio from a local library - and spent 6.5 wonderful hours listening to a friend, a teacher, a wise man. He is entertaining - but serious at the same time, he goes into great details of his dealings with people, business partners, politicians - but is never boring.
   
   Anyone who wants to learn how to connect with people, to become a better person, to grow a business and wealth, to be a good friend - and more - should read this book.
   
   I would recommend an audio format if you have choices - it really turns it into a conversation with Ben Franklin.

5 comments about The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (P.S.).

1. Perhaps no where is that more in evidence, than in this story, the story of a man, Dr. Minor, confined to an insane asylum, becoming one of the leading contributors to the Oxford English Dictionary.
   
   His story, the story of Dr. Murray, editor of the OED, how they got together and how the dictionary was compiled and edited makes for fascinating, marvelous reading. An intriguing, fascinating story well told, well written. Surprises, twists and concerns every few pages.
   
   The book does deserve criticism for its sometimes long and laborous detail about putting the dictionary together, but as a story, the story of the two men, Murray and Minor, it is a worthwhile and fascinating read.
   
   Winchester tells the story well, with an eye for detail, then and now, and with an empathetic if not sympathetic perspective for the humanity and the odd twists and turns involved. Good read. Buy it. Read it.



2. It is an understatement to say that the main character of this book had an unfortunate life. Driven by madness, this man lost his career as a surgeon after committing murder. The story could have ended there, but Dr. W.C. Minor ended up making a major contribution to the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Although the story of Minor is sad, in a way this contribution offers some redemption. A story about the creation of a dictionary could very easily become dull and that was my expectation, but the author, Simon Winchester, brought the subject to life through the characters he writes about. His descriptions of the actual process of constructing the dictionary were weak, but fortunately this was not the main point of the story and so did not detract from it. Winchester has a talent for bringing this type of story to life as he demonstrated in The Map That Changed The World, a story about geologist William Smith. I am confident enough now in Winchester's ability that I look forward to reading his other book about the OED, The Meaning Of Everything. Overall, I enjoyed The Professor And The Madman and would recommend it to those readers who have a fondness for the English language.



3. Interesting story about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, and one of its most prolific 'authors.'
   
   There's not a great deal of depth here, but this is a well written book that makes a great companion to the OED itself.



4. This is an absorbing story of, as the title states, the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. You'll gain an appreciation for dictionaries and the people who have labored to produce them for us. You'll also get a stranger-than-fiction depiction of the life of a man whose prolific contributions to the OED were essential to its creation. This is great non-fiction writing and would probably appeal to those who like the works of Erik Larsen.



5. One of the things I've learned to love about non-fiction is how so many different things can be tied together in one topic.
   
   If I were to say, "this book is about the making of the OED", most people's eyes would glaze over, and rightfully so.
   
   However, it's also about a notorious murderer, the civil war, Samuel Johnson, Victorian treatments for mental illness and VD, and so many other things.
   
   The information runs the gamut from the funny to the strange to the interesting to the incredibly sad. I did like that, though much of the book made you feel compassion for Dr. Minor, the madman in the title, the epilogue reminds you of the heinous crime he committed.
   
   In all, though not the easiest read (it is the making of the OED, after all), this was a great book.
   
   (*)>

5 comments about The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks).

1. I knew little of TR's life prior to reading this book, but having read it, I feel like I have a very good understanding of the man. In this thoroughly researched book, you are treated to every struggle TR had, starting with his battle with asthma and continuing through his political battles. The man loved a challenge and if he didn't have one, he created one. Love him or hate him, he was a fascinating man, and this biography does justice to his life. Once I started the book, I couldn't put it down.



2. Excellent and highly entertaining book. Arguably the greatest President in US history. Reading this makes you realize some people are truly born to do great things and make a true and profound difference in this world....Theodore Roosevelt without a doubt is one of these people. If there was any way we can make TR reappear today and take over the country I'd do it in a heartbeat. We need someone like him today...unfortunately we don't and it's painfully obvious there's no one like him on the horizon either. I know this book pertains to his life before he takes office, but the seeds of those years are sewn here..A++++



3. While the debate over the who the best president was, you could put Theodore Roosevelt on the top of the list. Genuine, Respected, Hard Working and an inteltual. One of the smartest to hold the office next to Thomas Jefferson.
   
   His talent far out way what he did in office and he only wanted the best for the country. After the book was writen, he earned the Medal of Honor and has been give many tributes such as his likeness at Mount Rushmore along the other great presidents.
   
   This book shows Roosevelts life in it's entirety and with great passion. One of the best biographies I have experienced in many years.



4. I enjoyed going through the condensed version of Edmund Morris' book on the rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Please notice that the book abruptly ends when President McKinley dies after being shot, leading to TR becoming President. At times I wondered what I was missing by experiencing a shortened version, but, nevertheless, I enjoyed the 8 CD set and got a much better idea of who TR was. I'm currently going through the second part in the trilogy, which focuses on TR's presidency. The third in the trilogy will be about TR's life after the presidency and has yet to be written. My guess is that TR ascendancy is the most exciting part of his life to read about.
   
   I most liked learning about TR's rise through New York City and New York State politics, his championing of fair play and the individual, and his valiant attempts to deal with long-standing corruption in New York City (Tammany Hall). Having said that, I do wish the book delved more into TR's relevance today and his more long-lasting affects. I also liked learning about his personal life, his two marriages and his upbringing, and his truly admirable publishing accomplishments, writing several most highly respected books on history and science.
   
   Of interest, David McCollough wrote "Mornings on Horseback" which covers the same period of TR's life as "The Rise of TR". I wonder how the two books compare? I know both books are top rate, and I am seriously considering either reading or doing the CD version of that one, too!



5. My dad said this was the best book on CD he has listened too. He is a Roosevelt fan and really enjoyed the book.

5 comments about Tesla: Man Out of Time.

1. One of the better biographies on Nikola Tesla. My husband is a teacher and uses this for one of his text books.



2. This is a story of a big talent. About a 100 years ago Tesla invented numerous things that we use until now and actually take for granted - alternating electric current, radio, radar, you name it... Big BRAIN!



3. While there are many books on the life of Tesla, few come close to the quality of Man Out of Time. Margaret Cheney has created a well balanced book that tells both the positive and negative aspects of Tesla, without bias. Not only does she cover the history of the man, but explains the relevance of each event in his life in a way that is entertaining, fluid and engaging.
   
   I have read a great deal of books on Tesla, but this is the only one I buy to give to others. It isn't a laundry list of every invention, it is instead about the journey of the man through life, his relationships with industry leaders like Westinghouse, Edison and others. No other book explains the man himself like this one.



4. Even 65 years after his death, Tesla still stirs such intense emotions that he seems less a scientist than a spiritual leader. Some consider him the greatest mind in science with near-mythical powers of observation and ratiocination; others dismiss him as a fuzzy-minded thinker who envisioned great things but executed on few of them. This sharp disconnect clouds Cheney's biography, which introduces the reader to both sides of Tesla but clearly leans toward the worshipful respect and the dismissal of critics as conspiratorial cranks.
   
   Bare facts: Tesla's ideas were instrumental in the invention and practical application of AC electric power generation, transmission, and distribution, and of wireless radio broadcasting (confirmed by the U. S. Supreme Court shortly after he died). He bested Edison technically in proving the superior benefit of AC (vs DC) power.
   
   He announced ground-breaking theories in many other areas, but was both perennially short of funds and psychologically unprepared to do the research and development to bring these ideas to practical fruition. From this monetary misery and method of madness arises much of the dichotomy of feelings about Tesla's place in science. Those who worship Tesla place the blame for these unfulfilled theories on parsimonious money men unwilling to fund the future or on shadowy conspiratorial enemies (governments or competing monopolies) who wanted to live in the past. Those who take a more traditional view of science credit Tesla for his theories, but are disappointed by his failures to experiment and to publish and present his ideas in traditional professional scientific refereed venues.
   
   What to do? Many of Tesla's wildest ideas have since been proven out and implemented by others. Some of his documented experiments have yet to be replicated, indicating that he was a thinker ahead of his time. The idea of wireless transmission of electricity seemed fantastic on the face of it, until I googled it and found this web site from June 2007 reporting on a successful test of "witricity" (a name Tesla would have loved):
   
   http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/07/mits-wireless-electricity-demoed-dubbed-witricity/
   
   On the other hand, especially as he advanced in years, his amazing mental powers seemed to diminish to the point that his unexamined ideas appeared to be less valid theories than frantic ravings of an old man obviously losing his ability to reason. Communications to and from Mars and death Rays that could surround the borders of the United States and melt enemy World War II planes in mid air have yet and are likely never to be taken seriously.
   
   Much is made of the disappearance of his papers after his death in 1943. Cheney considers options, but makes the mistake of crediting conspiracy in the absence of firm knowledge.
   
   In any case, Tesla was an amazing individual, whose life, even in the most even-handed of tellings, seems as fantastic as his craziest ideas. He was truly a "man out of time" in all its possible meanings--a man who belonged to the ages like Lincoln, a man ahead of his time like Da Vinci, a man who ran out of time to finish so much of what he started.
   
   See my review of the new novel The Invention of Everything Else that adds a fictional gloss on many of the events from Tesla's life that Cheney documents here. I was surprised, having read the novel first, how much I thought was fantasy turned out to factually based; while it adds nothing new to the biography, the novel does capture the mind of Tesla and the way he affected the world he created.



5. When a biographer chooses to write about science and/or a scientist one would presume the writer is going to be read by those who are interested in such matters. Those readers are likely to be at least somewhat put off by less than scrupulous dating and order of events. TESLA: Man Out of Time falls short in that area.
   
   However Tesla is of such preternatural and enduring fascination that I was only nit-picking. This book is a fine read, especially as an introduction to the great inventor and visionary.

5 comments about Boone: A Biography.

1. You could make a pretty good argument that Daniel Boone is the most noted American historical figure at this time, and probably throughout our history. There have been hundreds upon hundreds of books, articles, poems, songs, movies, plays and stories featuring him as the central subject since even before his death in 1820. It is possible that more people have heard of George Washington, but I doubt it. Few men or women have captured the imagination of an entire people as this one individual. In many ways, he has become, and been used as a symbol of the young American Republic, and indeed rightfully so, both the good, and to a lesser extent the bad. Quite a lot of information that most of know of Boone is pure legend, or at worse, pure myth. With all the material out there, why on earth did Robert Morgan choose to write another biography? The reasons here may be multiple, and actually have little to do with this review, but lets all be grateful that this author did choose this particular man as the subject of his first biography.
   
   Boone: A Biography, by Robert Morgan is a well crafted and certainly, as far as I can tell, well researched bit of work. The author has gone to great lengths to clear up and separate myth from reality. This was no easy task. There are great gaps in Boone's life, where so much is actually unknown or has been clouded by well meaning biographers, movie makers and the public in general. Morgan has been very quick to point this out, and when he does delve into the area of speculation, something all or most biographers must do from time to time, he lets us know. What is so absolutely fascinating, for me, is the fact that the truth, in this case, is so very much better than fiction when it comes to Daniel Boone. What the man actually accomplished in his life is so much more impressive than all the "tall tales" we have all heard since childhood. The "real" Boone is much more exciting and much more dynamic than the "fairy tale" Boone.
   
   With this book, we not only get the benefit of a well written biography, we also get another chance to savor the prose of the author of Gap Creek and eight other wonderful novels, as well as twelve volumes of poetry. Folks, this man can write! His description of the country which Boone explored is absolutely worth the read alone. Another aspect that separates Morgan's work from many other biographers is his attention to the women of that era, not only Boone's immediate family, but many of those women around him. This is an aspect of frontier life often overlooked. The author has also given quite a bit of attention, and given a good account, of his subject's relationship with the Native Americans, who played a major role in his life. I also appreciated the way the author has included the names of many of the common people he dealt with on a daily bases. He has not only included the famous of the time, but the not so famous. This, to me, is quite refreshing. If I want to read a book on the life of say, George Washington, then I will pick up a biography on him. Truthfully, I am much more interested in Joe Nobody, who happened to live up the hollow, and helped Daniel skin a deer once, on such and such a day.
   
   What I did not realize, was the tremendous influence that Boone had upon our literature of the time, and consequently the literature of our time. Thoreau, Cooper, Whitmen, Emerson, Lord Byron, Faulkner, Guthrie, and many, many others were influenced by Boone the man and his deeds. His life also had a major impact over one of our first major schools of art, the Hudson River School. (Being a bit on the romantic side, this is one of my personal favorites).
   
   I have read quite a number of biographies and stories about Boone over the years, and will quite likely read more, given the time. This work though, stands at the top of my list of informative and enjoyable reads on the life of a very unique American and indeed, is one of the better biographies I have read over the past couple of years.



2. 
   
   In 1729 there were paid scouts in Kentucky over fifty years before Boone. Even earlier there were a few hunters and trappers. That is not soon after the first to arrive. Morgan does a good job with his character of Boone. The people liked and trusted Boone. They knew he did know where there was good land for hunting. The long-hunters killed game for their skins and not caring that they weren't eaten. By Ruth Thompson author of "The Bluegrass Dream" and "Natchez Above The River"



3. This is a very well researched and written bio on Daniel Boone, one with all known anecdotes and history, adventures and accomplishments of a great man of his time and his peers. I am a g,g,g, etc.,grandson of two of his sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, and so directly to his parents. I have an interest in the people at the time of our Nation's birth, when Daniel, and all the many other woodsmen, could have really cared less about whether they were British or not. This is a better book than most (although others are excellent) because it discusses Indian relations and Indian misfortune from all sides - French, English, Colonial, other native Nations. Though not explicitly blaming whites for destroying wilderness and displacement of native peoples, the book is all about it - through tales of forts, stations, roads, battles, kidnappings, adoptions and betrayal, land speculation and title wars. A longer book than many it reads very well, the result of the author's talent in fiction and the poetic vein. I found my Boone and surname kin to be as interesting as they were odd, not the patriotic heros who sent the Brits home, but the tough thieves and deerslayers who bought and stole Kentucky after settling North Carolina and Virginia.



4. A good read that would be enhanced by maps. The lack of maps, large and small, make the reading far less interesting than it could be.



5. So far, I have found this to be a book everyone should read. Especially if one is a History major or just interested in Early American History.
   The book itself is beautifully bound and the paper that is used is representative of the early times, the type is well chosen and easy on the eyes.
   We often read about Daniel Boone in high school history class, however, not many history teachers know enough about him to realy give the account that is given by Robert Morgan. The author gives facts about Boons's real life and not the folk lore that most people have of him.