5 comments about Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt.

1. Great details. I have no idea and how long it must take to do the research but I always enjoy Mr. McGullough's books. He lets you see the human side of heros without tearing them down but showing true life.



2. David McCullough's "Mornings on Horseback" is a biography of Theodore Roosevelt's early life, tracing his family background and telling the story of his youth until the time of his second marriage at age twenty-eight. The book's subtitle is "The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt."
   
   The subtitle gives a fair description of the book's contents, but, truth to tell, much of the early part of the book telling of TR's fragile health and pampered upper-class upbringing was a bit boring, even the recounting of a year-long trip to Great Britain and the Continent when TR was eleven years old, drawn from TR's boyhood diaries. In the next chapter, McCullough spends twenty pages discussing asthma and its effects both generally and how it affected TR.
   
   By Part Three of the book, interest picks up with TR going off to Harvard and, after graduation, his marriage to his first wife, Alice. And then, tragedy struck, his mother and his wife dying within days of each other in the same house, and to overcome his grief, TR threw himself into politics in New York and cattle ranching in the Dakota Bad Lands, where he made friendships with other gentleman ranchers like the flamboyant Marquis de Mores. He wrote two books about his time in the West, describing some of his adventures in "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman." "Mornings on Horseback" ends with TR's engagement and marriage to Edith Carow, whom TR had known since childhood, "a very known and admired quantity, as close to the family as anyone could be...."
   
   In an "Afterword," we read of TR's becoming the youngest President in history with the assassination of William McKinley in 1901, with a review of some of the political offices he had held previous to becoming Vice-President and his role as a colonel in the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War. One gets the feeling that all of this will be fleshed out in a subsequent book by David McCullough.
   
   Having read and enjoyed McCullough's biographies of John Adams and Truman and his wonderful book about the Panama Canal, "The Path between the Seas," I must say I was a little disappointed with "Mornings on Horseback." Perhaps it was the subject matter, but no doubt I will read McCullough's next book on Theodore Roosevelt, should he choose to undertake that project.



3. David McCullough is a world renowned and respected historian and Mornings on Horseback certainly reflects his noteworthiness. This work is remarkable in the volume of well researched information on the Roosevelt family (there is a significant reference section at the back of the book). Much of this is due to the fact that some members of the Roosevelt family were prolific writers of letters and personal journals. As a result, readers of MOH have access to the inner thoughts of a future president from the time of his youth to the threshold of his political success. We learn that Roosevelt's father (also named Theodore Roosevelt) was a fine, upright member of New York society who thoroughly enjoyed his family and was a loving, involved father and husband...not the standard behavior for the time in which he lived.
   
   Born in October, 1858, President Theodore Roosevelt died in January, 1919 at age 60. In those sixty years, he lived life to the fullest, mostly overcoming the asthma that plagued him so terribly in childhood, and building a strong body from a weak one. He loved his parents and his siblings, the later of whom spent their lives loving and admiring him (Elliot died in his mid-thirties and missed his older brother's political glory years). TR had an extraordinarily beautiful first wife, whom he adored, but who died of Bright's disease only hours after the birth of their daughter, Alice, and who forever after was not mentioned by him as part of his life. TR's second wife bore him five children, whose company he thoroughly enjoyed; however, his daughter Alice, struggled to find her place in his heart. Roosevelt was the pre-eminent politician of his time and dove headlong into every endeavor he ever attempted. He was president for virtually the first decade of the twentieth century and died peacefully in his sleep seven years after leaving office. He was a man of enormous energy, loved by many and hated equally by others. He was flamboyant, loud, egotistical, generous, brave, and he loved his country. Historians tell us he was the first son of a rich man to be president, that he loved the job, and that he was one of the most well-prepared men to serve in that office. I now understand why his personage appears on Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota (in addition to his love for the "wild west" and the Dakotas). He was unique in his own way as were his fellow presidents depicted on the mount: Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, all true giants in American history.
   
   Carolyn Rowe Hill



4. The reader will find an affinity and greater understanding towards "Teedie" after reading this well-written and well-researched biography of TR's early years. How is life is presented to the reader helps to explain why and how this great American is truly one of "America's Greatest." The most spectacular reading was during the North Dakota adventures. Indeed, TR was right when he said that being an Easterner, he never knew cold weather until the ones spent in North Dakota. This is a very highly recommended book.



5. David McCullough once again really had me enjoying reading about someone I have never been particularly interested in. This telling of TR's life story is different from most in that the story ends before he makes a big name in politics. TR would not have been the leader he was without the family that raised him and this is the focus of McCullough's book. We learn of his parents, his siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. We learn of his home-schooling, the family vacations, his severe childhood asthma (I learned a lot about asthma from this book), and his love of nature and natural history (though his habit of nonchalantly shooting every creature in sight, particular birds, and stuffing them is a little disturbing). Overall, it is a very interesting read.

5 comments about Eyewitness to the Civil War.

1. Purchased this book as a gift for my husband who has many books on the Civil War. He says this is one of the best books he's seen in years. He's very impressed with it and is quite happy with his gift.



2. "Eyewitness To The Civil War" is a wonderful book. It is large enough to be a "coffee table" book, and a great addition to anyone's Civil War
   library. I highly recommend it!.



3. The item came in great shape.Was very happy with my order and would order from them again..



4. We found this book to be a great overall picture of the civil war. Enough pictures and written information to satisfy most but the extreme history buffs.



5. One of the best Civil War books I have seen in a long time. Full of pictures and interesting text. A bunch of pictures I have not seen before. A must for any collector of Civil War books.

5 comments about Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1).

1. Homer Hickam grew up in a rural isolated mountain town but went on to win the National Science Fair.
   
   This book is his story and how he was successful.
   
   I bought 24 copies of this book to inspire my advanced 6th grade Reading class. They loved the book. In our discussions they mentioned never giving up. Homer and his friends kept trying until they had success.
   
   Thank you for sharing your life with us, Mr. Hickam.



2. ... "On June 4, 1960, the Big Creek Missile Agency, fresh from its medal winning performance at the National Science Fair, is sponsoring a day of rocket launches at its Cape Coalwood range. Everyone reading these words is invited..." This quote can be found on page 356-357 of a book called Rocket Boys; this statement showed me that the success of the main characters was a result of personal hard work and teamwork.
   
   "Rocket Boys" by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. is a nonfiction account of a group of friends from Coalwood, West Virginia in the early 1960's who have a fetish for making rockets. Homer and his friends have a dream to shoot a rocket up into the clouds. This story gives the reader a message that dreams really can come true.
   
   Rocket Boys is one of the strongest books I have ever read. The author accomplished his goals to tell people that team work is one of the most important things to know in your life. This book is recommended for people that like space and rockets and who want a hopeful book to read. Reading Rocket Boys really gets you thinking about team work and how far you can get with it.



3. I was a little disappointed by the ending and the fact that Homer Hickam gave John Kennedy the idea to go to the Moon but other than that I couldn't help but root for the band of misfits.



4. I bought this book and the audio tapes and my son and I listened and read this amazing book together. Our plan was to read for 30 minutes a night...however it was sooooooo good we listened and read for 5 hours!
   
   We are now going to rent the movie that was made from the film! All systems go....we enjoyed the adventure!



5. Children in West Virginia mining towns became coal miners. They did not become rocket scientists. But it did not matter how well-known this was, for Homer "Sonny" Hickam, Jr. there was only one way out. He was the right age and had the right amount of ambition when the United States and Russia became entangled in the Space Race and as far as he was concerned, his fate was sealed.
   
   Hickam's writing carried the comfort of conversation with an old friend. It was remarkable how easily I became nostalgic for neither a time nor a place that I had ever known. The story drips with the passion of a man who if he had to do it all over again, probably wouldn't change a thing. He understood and appreciated the importance of everything that happened to him and helped him on his way.
   
   One thing that I found particularly fascinating was how closely this book resembled the old proverb that It takes a whole village to raise a child. And I mean no disrespect to Mr. Hickam when I point out how amazing his circumstance was in that he could not have done it alone. The stars seemingly aligned perfectly so that one boy from West Virginia could capture the hearts of so many people that he would be able to get such invaluable assistance. There was probably no way anyone else could have done what he did. And that is to his credit. (The way his path was guided by fate, or something like it, reminded me of how Ruth Reichl became a food critic in Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table.)
   
   I loved this book for Hickam's ability to transport me from my favorite reading chair to a West Virginia high school in the late 50s. I found myself hanging on every word wondering what would happen next. There is something special about an intelligently written story about a successful man who takes no credit for himself, but rather gives it to each person who helped him make his dreams come true. Rocket Boys may now find itself among the short list of my favorite books.

4 comments about President Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman.

1. Wlliam Lee Miller's new book on US President Abraham Lincoln focuses entirely on the 1861-1865 period when Lincoln was chief executive and the nation suffered through a horrendous Civil War. Miller is an eloquent author and an expert on Lincoln. His book is a combination of narrative laced with a detailed study of several of the moral issues the Kentucky railsplitter faced in office. Among these Gordian Knot problems upon which Lincoln had to decide were:
   1. Whether to supply Fort Sumter by sea or allow the Charleston SC.fort to be surrendered to the new Confederate government without a shot being fired? Lincoln had promised to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution in his inaugural address on March 4, 1861. He believed the President of the United States should defend our territory so refused to give up on Sumter. The Confederates fired on the fort leading to a declaration of war with the United States. The Civil War would cost over
   600,000 lives-2/3 of them because of disease and insanitary conditions.
   2. Lincoln made the decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in Confederate controlled areas as of January 1, 1863. As a wily politician this act did not apply to slaves held in Union held but slave states. All African-Americans in bondage would be freed by the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution following the great emancipator's death
   by assassination on April 15, 1865.
   3. Miller cites several examples of Lincoln's mercy to soldiers convicted by court martial. He could be tough refusing to save the life of Nathaniel Gordon a slave ship owner and a man who shot a white officer leading a parade of black soldiers in Norfolk, Va. Lincoln was a kind and merciful man who was without hubris or self-glorification.
   4. Lincoln showed mercy to most of the Indians who had been involved in the war launched against white settlers in Minnesota in 1863.
   5. Lincoln was a great war leader getting rid of poor generals such as George McClellan and choosing fighters like Grant, Sherman and Sheridan to lead the north to victory. He favored a tolerant policy to the South following the war. Unfortunately he died before Reconstruction which proved to be harsh under Andrew Johnson.
   6. The Civil War, says Miller, was not total war as civilians were not targeted for death although their property was destoyed by armies. This especially occurred during Sherman's March to the Sea.
   7. Lincoln expressed the highest aspirations of republican government in his great speeches. He was in favor of the common person and had no tolerance for rulership by an aristocratic elite.
   Lincoln saw his purpose as President to be dominated by two major themes: 1. The preservation of the United States governed by the Constitution 2. The elimination of chattel slavery and the granting of citizenship to the four million Africa-Americans who lived in America. Lincoln was not a racist but a friend of blacks. He welcomed the black leader Frederick Douglass to the White House.
   William Lee Miller's book should be required reading in any course dealing with the American Civil War, Presidential Leadership or the life of Lincoln. This great and good man shows us that morality in high office can be practiced by a skillful politician.
   This books should be read in tandem with Miller's earlier book on Lincoln's virtues which takes our sixteenth president through his career up until election as President of the United States.
   A book to treasure!



2. This is a well written book and a must read follow up to the author's "Lincoln's Virtues". The book delves into Lincoln as he faces the many challanges as President and how his maturing as a politician and his moral beliefs affected that presidency. More than a "backcountry" political figure, Lincoln proves himself as one of our great leaders if not the greatest leader of all time. Any one truly interested in Abraham Lincoln should include both William Miller's "President Lincoln, the Duty of a Statesman" and "Lincoln's Virtues" as required reading.
   



3. William Lee Miller is one of the most readable and thoughtful of modern American historians. His utterly captivating "Arguing About Slavery," concerning John Quincy Adams' battle against the Gag Rule in Congress, made me a committed fan of both Adams and Miller. Miller followed with "Lincoln's Virtues," a meditation on the decency and moral character of Lincoln that focussed mainly on his life before 1861.
   
   "President Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman," is a delight. As the title reflects, this volume deals with Lincoln's years as President. Miller is well-versed in the vast reaches of Lincoln scholarship. Unlike the best-selling "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kerns Goodwin, however, Miller actually provides new and revelatory insights that further enhance Lincoln's reputation. Of the current coterie of authors on Lincoln, I have yet to find one who has spent the time Miller does on addressing the substance of Lincoln's critical July 4, 1861 message to Congress, where Lincoln denounced the "farcical" pretence of secession and demolished the myth of state sovereignty as he asked Congress for money and men to fight a war that had become much fiercer than almost anyone had imagined. Douglas Wilson, in "Lincoln's Sword," provides an excellent and in-depth discussion of the drafting of this document but he skirts much of the real substance - which remains controversial in some quarters. Miller shows how Lincoln carefully maneuvered between Union and emancipation. He does not avoid controversy. The message to Congress emerges as a central document in Lincoln's development and in the ongoing debate over "states' rights."
   
   One intriguing episode Miller describes concerns the cashiering of Major John J. Key, who was the brother of one of General McClellan's top aides. David Herbert Donald merely asserts, without attribution, that McClellan was not disloyal. The question is not so lightly to be disposed of. According to Major Key's "silly treasonable talk" (in Lincon's phrase), the "game" was to leave both the Union and Confederate armies in the field until they were exhausted, making compromise inevitable and thereby saving slavery. McClellan is also quoted as asserting his distinct preference for a principled, Christian war that would leave inviolate Confederates' property rights - including their "rights" in slaves. While there is no direct evidence of McClellan's disloyalty, certainly these facts, coupled with his notorious reluctance to fight, his constant insistence that he was drastically outnumbered when he was often in charge of superior numbers himself, and his platform when he ran against Lincoln for President in 1864, suggest the need to consider that McClellan's agenda as a general was indeed to subvert the war effort and let slavery prevail. The fact that Major Key became a candidate for clemency shortly after Lincoln sacked him only makes Miller's point more acutely: Lincoln refused to reinstate Key.
   
   Miller also gives some substantial scope to the accounts of how much time Lincoln spent reviewing charges against Union soliders who had been sentenced to die, and how his reputation for leniency misses the fact that he did indeed allow executions to proceed when they were warranted. One fascinating case concerns an American officer who was apprehended in the act of transporting more than 800 slaves from Africa. A Republican prosecutor pursued the case aggressively with the result that this man became the first, last, and only slave-trader in all of American history to be executed under American law. Lincoln refused to commute the sentence to life, despite the tears of the prospective widow and child and the intervention of many worthy citizens - 11,000 at least - on behalf of the condemned man.
   
   This volume is not a comprehensive history or biography. While it is more than an extended scholarly essay or meditation on our greatest President, in many respects it reads like one. Miller's scholarship is substantial and he has a fine set of notes, not referenced in the text. They are arranged in the back according to the page number in the main text where the reference arises. The result is a book a lay-person can read for sheer pleasure, or which specialists can peruse for new nuggets. Miller is a master prose stylist, not impervious to humor. And, not unlike his subject, he presents powerful ideas simply. Though the story has been told a myriad of times, it gains new richness, depth and subtlety from Miller's telling of it, his selection of different issues to highlight, and his juxtaposition of materials. I have already gone back to re-read portions of this excellent book. I will again, and soon.



4. Will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in our greatest president and his time in office. Professor Miller is a wonderful master of his subject.
   
   Abraham Lincoln is rightfully remembered here for the actions he took during the short time he actually served in the White House. This is not a book about Mr. Lincoln's youth, his career in Illinois, or his family life. How this statesman balanced power, people, and ethics in reaching his twin noble objectives is laid out in a most compelling way by William Lee Miller.
   
   (I especially found interesting the material presented on President Lincoln's use of the pardoning power.)
   
   Purchase this book for yourself, or a friend who may question why the world still celebrates a politician who was born almost two hundred years ago.

5 comments about Theodore Rex (Modern Library Paperbacks).

1. It is difficult not to come away from "Theodore Rex" impressed. Indeed, after I read just the first few pages, I was completely hooked. In "Theodore Rex," Edmund Morris hasn't just written a great book about TR's presidential years, he's drawn in vivid, rich, delightful detail a great story about America's most unique modern President. While I won't say this book is as good or substantive as say David McCullough's "Truman" (and in a sense, it doesn't need to be since "Truman" rehabilitated President Truman's place in history whereas TR's strong place among our greatest executives has been well-established for some time), I can't imagine anyone writing a more engaging, fascinating book about TR's years in the White House.
   
   I strongly disagree with the reviewers who have argued that "Theodore Rex" does not give the reader a great sense or understanding of TR himself. In his stories and descriptions of TR in his relations with family, allies, cabinet members, Congress, the press, and his enemies, Morris has drawn a strong as well as complex portrait of the 26th President. He was all at once a brilliant man and surprisingly well-read in a multitude of different fields of literature, a skilled outdoorsman who loved not only to hunt big game -- a lasting image even today -- but to just spend weeks on end outdoors watching, documenting, and enjoying nature, a loving family man who doted on his six children and wife, a shewd politician for his day who was keenly aware of political strategy and worked hard to bolster his party's strength in Congress and across America, and perhaps most of all a plain and powerful force of nature (using the description of Henry Adams) who in many ways defied explanation or analysis from many learned observers of his day who had simply never seen or encountered any one quite like Theodore Roosevelt. In sum, therefore, Morris does a great job in "Theodore Rex" not just of telling a great story, but also in crafting a superb, rich picture of the first President Roosevelt.
   
   After reading the book, I was struck by the belief that TR really was the perfect leader for America as it was becoming a world super power at the dawn of the 20th Century. Despite being perceived as an accidental President and a ruffian cowboy, TR's boundless reserve of energy turned out to the perfect tonic to lead the U.S. In turn, he was received with open arms by Americans, and could have easily been elected to another term in 1908 had he decided to run again. Furthermore, "Theodore Rex" only reinforced my belief that TR could have been a great leader of America today. His energy, optimism, strength in the face of enemies both foreign and domestic, uncorruptability (if such a word exists!), and deep compassion for others were timeless qualities.
   
   "Theodore Rex" is a top-notch political biography, certainly up there with some of my favorites including "Huey Long" by T. Harry Williams, the LBJ series by Robert Caro, and "Truman" by McCullough. Incidentally, while the book is not particularly heavy on academic analysis of TR's policies, particular attention is paid to numerous key events including TR's negotiation of peace in the Russo-Japanese War, his formulation of the Northern Securities case and greater government regulation of big businesses, his strong determination towards national conservation, and even TR's cautious (and albeit limited) steps to embrace Booker T. Washington and greater rights and protections for blacks at the turn of the century.
   
   Let me close out this way. I like to consider myself a fairly good writer, but reading work like this shows me I'm pretty much nothing. If I could write like anyone, I would like to possess Edmund Morris' unparalleled ability to tell a story. "Theodore Rex" flows perfectly and the prose runs like butter. Reading his work in "Theodore Rex" is a pleasure.



2. Theodore Roosevelt was such an engaging personality that it would've been very hard to make this book anything less than terrific, and the well-written prose takes things to a very high level. The pages rolled by quickly, and I regularly found myself thinking "How in the world did this man accomplish so much with his life and his Presidency?" From the early battles with Mark Hanna to the final return of the Great White Fleet, Morris follows the endlessly energetic Roosevelt through the highs and lows of his (almost) two terms. His careful attention to details of Roosevelt's private life adds even more color to the man.



3. Edmund Morris provides yet another great addition to the life of Theodore Roosevelt in this look at his time as president. This is a very thorough and well written account. It covers everything from the Great White Fleet, trust busting, the national park movement to the rise of American imperialism. The first term of the presidency is covered a little better than the first but regardless of the time frame you get an excellent view as TR the person. The dedication that this man had to learning, reading, physical activity is truly amazing and Morris does a superb job of bringing that out. Overall this is a very fair biography that takes great pains to remain fair and balanced. It looks at the immigration policies even handily and takes an honest look at American policy at the hands of the youngest president at that time. The first president to be born after the civil war put a different trend on national politics and reigned in the progressive era. All in all it is a Bully of a read!



4. After I read the "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt", I can't wait for this book to arrive. The book continues from the point which the last book left off when T.R was to take over the presidency from William McKinley who was assassinated at Buffalo. There are a few pointers that I will like to point out after reading this book. Compared to the first book, I felt that this book involves more on T.R that we all know when he was the president rather than the personal side that we learned on the first book. In addition, the book's narrator seems to prefer to provide hidden plots that may seemed to deter T.R's life in the future. For example, the development of the person who attempted to assassinate T.R during his bid for his third presidency. Anyways, this book is a good read and I certainly recommend it to readers who enjoy American History since the book is able to provide a great picture about American Politics in the early 20th century and the impact of it on America today. I can't wait to read the third book which should sum up the life of T.R.



5. After reading the book Leadership: Past, Present & Future by Carlos M. Rivera he talks about Theodore Roosevelt as one of the best Past Leaders, and at the back he has a list of recommended great books one of them is The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt By Edmund Morris and this one. When you read Leadership: Past, Present & Future is like the best of Theodore Roosevelt and you want to learn more about him and about others leaders in the book. After reading the 3 books I have learn to admire him more and more.

5 comments about Living History.

1. This is the first woman to run for President in the United States. If we don't read her book, whose book are we waiting for? A lot women need to wake up to the fact that we need to celebrate one another.
   Show a little sisterhood ladies. Read this important book about a great individual who happens to be a woman! And be proud! She's paved the way for your daughters. Don't you really want to know who she is?



2. So many people want to give their opinion of Hillary and not the book itself. I found the book extremely interesting and informative and the information she provides about all of the things she learned as First Lady I do feel made her perfectly well suited to become President. She knows all the appointments that need to be made, all the jobs that need to be filled, and she's learned what types of comments and actions can get you in trouble while in the White House. I find her incredibly smart and had no idea of all the different issues that she is familiar with and all the people and friends she has made over the years who can and do give her insight. All in all a delightful book and a good read.



3. Most conservatives give this book 1 star. Why? EVERY conservative should read this book. Now if I were judging it purely as a memoir, let's just say that James Frey has nothing on Hillary Clinton when it comes to "embellishment" (or should we call it "mis-writing"?).
   
   But for those conservatives who know how to do a web search or two, this book is rife with useful material. Contrast her story of Watergate versus Jerry Zeifman's account, for instance. Or read pages 440, 448, 465-466 on her account of how she and Chelsea learned about Monica Lewinski (and then ask after repeating the names Juanita Broaddrick, Elizabeth Ward, Paula Corbin, Kathleen Wiley, Gennifer Flowes, Paula Jones, etc. "So, you're telling me that this is how it went down? OK, so choose -- is she the dumbest woman in America or the biggest liar?").
   
   For a real laugh, read her account of Whitewater -- seriously, if you read this out loud, people would think you're doing a comedy routine.
   
   And her rewriting of the history of her health insurance debacle and the aftermath is priceless. Her tales of Bill's leadership and how she was a support are gems.
   
   EVERY conservative should buy several colors of highlighters and read this book (preferably alongside a copy of Dick Morris' Rewriting History). Besides, with every book purchase, you get a free dartboard (the cover).



4. Hillary tells it like it is! She is a wonderful person who works hard everyday to help others around her reach their goals while achieving her own! She is going to make a great frist women perident!! This is a must own CD!!



5. When I tried to buy a book on Hillary Clinton that wasn't by someone with a political axe to grind, it was tough. Obama was everywhere. Finally I decided to see what she herself had to say so I could judge for myself. I had to look hard for her book in a physical bookstore. Amazon has it in its bargain books. I think this says something about how we think we know Hillary Clinton and unless there is more dirt, we don't want to read what she has to say. I am glad I read this.
   
   I found this book much better written than Obama's The Audacity of Hope, although that title is great. Clinton's memoir is definitely from her perspective; it's not Truth capital T, but it's honest and forthright. It's warm and humorous, and occasionally she gets frustrated. You won't learn new things about the Bill Clinton Whitehouse per se, but I did learn new things about Hillary. This book is intelligent and insightful.

5 comments about Thomas Jefferson: Author of America (Eminent Lives).

1. In his excellent book concerning Mother Teresa titled "The Missionary Position," Hitchens expertly compiled a wealth of shocking facts pertaining to that demagogue's less than admirable history that made for an exciting and informative read. Writing of one of America's finest founding icons, Hitchens has considerably less of note to convey, and there are no astounding revelations to be found in this rather slim volume.
   
   As usual, Hitchens' prose is quite fine, if unexceptional. His appreciation of Jefferson's character and accomplishments is equally capable, and nothing of his depiction of the man's tumultuous personal life or distinguished political career is particularly inaccurate or insulting. To the contrary, he places Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings into a far more accurate and complimentary context than is widely known, and he sees fit to explain the great man's faults and mistakes from a perspective that renders them forgivable.
   
   This otherwise adequate text is marred by Hitchens' almost obsessive concern with the topic of slavery, and how it affected Jefferson's life. To be certain, Jefferson's ownership of slaves was an act of hypocrisy in consideration of the man's ideological convictions and the institution was and is surely as unjust as any can be. But Hitchens writes of the subject constantly, exhaustively, even nauseatingly in so many chapters, that in some of these, one can barely find a paragraph wherein this topic isn't mulled over. Grim, tiresome moralizing can be found throughout nearly the entire book, and it makes an otherwise decent read quite burdensome from time to time. It should also be noted that Hitchens regards the subject of Jefferson's offspring with Hemings as absolute fact rather than the extreme probability that it actually is. I wouldn't quite suggest that Hitchens has become a full-blown sophist since he converted to the neocon faction, but he is hardly as closely acquainted with the truth as he used to be. Both this and his recent "God Is Not Great" are fine examples of how the man is more concerned with pushing ideological agendas than with acknowledging nuanced truths and possibilities.



2. This little fluff contains not a single note or attribution. Many statements are presented as fact, with no attribution. As no effort is given to a balanced account, either, one must conclude that this is a personal rant. I had hoped to read more about the mind of Thomas Jefferson, not just that of the 'author'.



3. This book I was slightly disappointed in. I am no English Major or book maven, but the style of the writing is so bland and can be very hard to follow. Although there are some VERY interesting facts and stories, it was just a hard read.



4. ...and this one is not among the top ten. That should be a helpful enough review for most readers. May I recommend my own listmania--Jefferson's Shadows--as a better starting point for learning about the Sage?



5. Wow! This book was a complete letdown. First of all...this book is only 188 pages long. And they're small pages! To think that you could even come close to encompassing even the public life of Jefferson in less than 200 pages is laughable. Secondly, instead of focusing on particular points in Jefferson's life, Hitchens attempts to cover many different topics, in no specific order and thus barely scratches the surface on any of them. To say the least, this book left me wanting more...a LOT more. I don't know if Hitchens just decided to slap together a quick book on TJ or if he was given an impossible deadline to meet by the publisher. But this book doesn't even cover one subject about Jefferson partially, let alone many subjects completely. The positive side to this book is that it is short, so the painful incompleteness only lasts a couple of hours. For those wanting a good book that encompasses more than a mere cursory look at Thomas Jefferson I would certainly recommend looking elsewhere. For those looking to burn a couple of hours who don't really care what they read...I would still recommend a different book...a good fiction or something of the like. This one gets a definite PASS!!

5 comments about Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation.

1. In the afterglow of the HBO series on John Adams, I grew interested in some of the founding fathers, many of whom had seemed boring to me ever since I read their bios in grade school. Ellis does a highly intelligent and readable job of laying out the personalities, conflicts and battles of the whole group during the first years of the nation. I particularly like the chapter on the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. Also great is the chapter about George Washington, who had seemed a cardboard character to me until my interest was piqued by the TV series. Ellis is more than a little inclined to repeat himself in that particular way academics have, although his ruminations are likely to advance the story, although a bit wordily. That aside, this book is worth digging into by anyone who wants to know what those guys were really all about and who doesn't want to be told by some ideologue what to think about them.



2. If I had to recommend one book to read in a year, I would recommend The Founding Brothers.
   
   Joseph Ellis recounts the early stages of American history with six historically-based tales about the Founding Fathers or, as he thinks of them, the Founding Brothers. The stories of Jefferson, John Adams, Madison, Washington, Hamilton, and Franklin (more of a Founding Grandfather, Ellis asserts) highlight how the period after the Revolutionary War was the most politically treacherous in our nation's history. It was the Founding Brother's talents and foresight that allowed them build a country out of a revolution which, in most cases, falls short of ideals because of personal ambitions.
   
   The stories of the Founding Brothers is completely factual, however, the stories are written so that the reader can see the emotional and personal character aspects that the Brothers experienced during the early years of our nation. The stories are interconnected and woven so that even though each of the stories highlight different facets of the nation's early history (the ratification of the Constitution, the question of slavery, the infamous duel at Weehawken, the location of the new republic's capitol), the major players remain the same. Their personalities are built together to create interesting and insightful history.
   
   This book won the Pulitzer Prize. After reading, I found that to be no surprise at all. It's an excellent read with a blend of wit, conviviality, learnedness, and intelligence.



3. Others have commented upon Ellis' problems with the truth in his personal life, and I will not revisit those issues here. However, while this book is a good read and tells interesting stories, there are factual problems here when you get down to the details. First, the book is poorly documented. Only direct quotes seem to be cited with footnotes. Thus, when the author makes questionable assertions, his sources are unidentified. For example, he claims that the idea of political parities was new in the 1790s. Anyone with a fundamental knowledge of colonial or British politics knows this claim to be false. Second, Ellis claims that Jefferson's affair with Sally Hemmings has been proven by DNA evidence beyond all reasonable doubt. Again, this claim is false. The DNA testing has only proved that a member of the Jefferson family fathered Hemmings' children. Personally, I believe it was Thomas Jefferson, but the DNA evidence has proven nothing beyond a reasonable doubt. Third, Ellis claims that Hamilton's pamphlet against John Adams had no major impact on the election of 1800, which is a fact others would certainly dispute. These are some examples of Ellis' weakness with details and facts. His interpretations are often made, it seems to me anyway, to fit his preconceived agenda. George Washington, for example, is portrayed as the father of big-government liberalism.
   
   This book is very readable, but the stories seem disconnected to me and some statements of fact and assertions are highly questionable. I cannot even see very clearly what the overall argument is in the book. I almost wonder if these stories were bits and pieces left over from other works that Ellis threw into a book he thought would easily sell to the general public. If you read this book, read it critically and do not take it at face value. I'm really not sure why this book won a Pulitzer. It must have been for the writing itself. This book is a good read, but it is often very bad history.



4. Ellis presents this as if it were a light little book: a collection of vignettes about the Founders that will give us some random insights into the Revolution and the early Republic. It certainly reads like a light, little book. The pages turn easily, and it is a very entertaining read.
   
   But, beneath the very decorative surface, this is a very serious book. It is nothing less than a prolonged series of explorations into the contradictions at the heart of the Revolution and of America. The fundamental contradiction which Ellis sees is between the spirit of the Revolution -- which opposed all authority of any kind -- and the needs of the new Republic to have effective leadership. This is why the unity of the Washington period gave way to the extraordinary bitterness of the partisan warfare during the Adams Administration. Washington, Hamilton and Adams focused on the need to build a nation with effective institutions of leadership. Jefferson and Madison saw any strong leadership -- until THEY won the White House -- as a betrayal of the Revolution.
   
   It would be easy for Ellis to see Jefferson as essentially a hypocrite. The great exponent of freedom who kept slaves. The merciless attacker of the shoemaker's son (John Adams) as an aristocrat when he inherited his wealth. The leader of the slander and defamation against both Washington and Adams, who served as a high official in both of their Adminstrations.
   
   All of this is true, and Ellis examines it, but there is more to Jefferson than just hypocrisy, and Ellis sees that as well. As he explains, Jefferson had a great talent for creating stories, which fit grand narrative lines. Unlike Adams, who insisted on seeing reality as a mass of messy contradictions, Jefferson also saw the world as playing out the simple and inspiring lines of the great Englishtenment melodrama in which reason and freedom marched to their inevitable victory over superstitution and feudalism.
   
   This, of course, speaks to Jefferson's ability at self-delusion -- of which he was a master -- but there is more. The new Republic needed a founding story. People need a simple narration, to use to make sense of their world. Adams was quite unable to giving one to America; he insisted there there was no simple story line. Jefferson was so incredibly effective as a leader, precisely because he could create these story lines and make people believe them. More than all of the other Founders, Jefferson was able to create a new iconography for the new Republic. Ellis sees, and lucidly explains, all of these levels of Jefferson, the self-deluding hypocrite who flattened out the messy parts of reality to fit the story line in his head, but then made that story line THE story line which inspired the new nation. Very complex stuff, and Ellis does full credit to it.
   
   The insights into the individual leaders are just extraordinary. Ellis simultaneously is deeply sympathetic to, yet harshly critical of, nearly all of the Founders. He understands them, and he sees into their souls. He loves and admires them, yet no one is more aware of their failings. This is not a book with easy answers. Instead, it is a book



5. This book contains chapters that describe slices of early American history, and the men involved, beginning with the Burr/Hamilton duel, and ending with the reconciliation of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson at the end of their lives.
   It's an excellent book and I was sorry when I finished it. The only flaw is that in some cases, particularly the duel, the author seems to beat the subject to death. Despite this, I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in the establishment of our nation.

2 comments about Mr. Adams's Last Crusade: John Quincy Adams's Extraordinary Post-Presidential Life in Congress.

1. The product was sent in satisfactory time. It will be a gift and has not been read.



2. John Quincy Adams is never on any list of great presidents. But he should be near the top of any list of great Americans, right up there with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Joseph Wheelan's excellent new book explains why. Adams had an extraordinary political career, both before and after his single term as president. Wheelan's book focuses on Adams's seventeen-year Congressional career, which began in 1831, two years after Adams left the White House. During this period, Adams fought for women's rights and against President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Bill, which forced Native Americans to give up their traditional lands. Adams was also an unrelenting enemy of slavery, and did all in his power to fight it (see the movie Amistad). His many speeches against the "peculiar institution" caused northerners to refer to him affectionately as "Old Man Eloquent". Southerners sent him hate mail and death threats, and called him by a different name: The Madman From Massachusetts. Adams became the conscience of Congress and of the very nation itself.
   Joseph Wheelan has written an important, very well written book that rescues one of America's greatest men from near obscurity. Adams is far more deserving of immortality than his arch-rival, Andrew Jackson. Read Joseph Wheelan's outstanding book and you will understand why.

5 comments about A Rumor of War.

1. Good Transaction.. Received the book quickly and in great condition. Brand new and wrapped nicely.



2. I found this book to be so raw, and so terrifying that it was difficult for me to put it down. Philip Caputo puts the life of an everyday solider during the Vietnam War into a light that I believe does justice to every veteran of the war. He very articulately describes the horrors, and utter impossibilities of fighting a guerilla war in unfamiliar territory, and does so with a writing style that will make you feel as though you are crouched in a foxhole right next to him in the dense jungles of Vietnam. This book is an absolute must read for anyone interested in the Vietnam War, or for anyone who is sick of the constant "glamorization" of war by Hollywood.



3. I was very impressed with the order of A Rumor of War. The book shipped quickly and arrived between the 7-14 day window. The service was professional. The book details matched the quality of the book. I am very pleased with the service provided.



4. Caputo's book doesn't need another review. I will offer mine anyway, if nothing else to contrast it with Wolff's "In Pharoah's Army," an inferior book. First, I wish I could have written "A Rumor of War." I wasn't ready to write about the war soon after I returned from Vietnam, in 1967. Not even after a couple years of college in 1971, when I camped on the mall with 1,200 other Vietnam Vets Against the War (including John Kerry). Caputo had the advantage of education on me. Not just that, I needed a lot more time to experience other things and gain a broader perspective. But he made it all perfectly clear when he had a dialogue in the officer's mess with the chaplain and the doctor, "The chaplain's morally superior attitude had rankled me, but his sermon had managed to plant doubt in my mind, doubt about the war. Much of what he had said made sense: our tactical operations did seem futile and directed toward no apparent end. . . . Twelve wrecked homes. The chaplain's words echoed. That's twelve wrecked homes. The doctor and I think in terms of human suffering, not statistics." AND THIS WAS IN 1965, before things really got going in Vietnam. If you want to know what the BS about body counts was--that ended up in a lawsuit by General Westmoreland against Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes, if you want to know what Vietnam was like because you are too young to have learned about it during that time in America and the world's history, read this book. If you want to know how it relates to more recent events, try my own memoir, Waiting for Westmoreland, that finally came out so many years later.



5. Pulitzer Price winner Philip Caputo held me on the edge of my seat with his autobiographical experience as a young marine lieutenant in the first year of the US major troop deployment period. I, as a 21 year old enlisted man, was also was part of that initial troop operation with the 1st Infantry Division just north of Saigon.
   
   We arrived full of excitement not knowing what we were about to encounter. I still find it hard to explain the experience of unanticipated paralyzing fear, an environment of massive infrastructure development in the middle of a rubber plantations and mountain jungle, new deadly weapons design to counter our initial losses, the anything goes in Saigon, snakes and tigers, indiscriminate death and the general behavior of kids that had been raised with upper middle class values that simply didn't hold up when exposed the emotional sensationalism of this conflict.
   
   Caputo does the best job describing that environment and the related
   evolving behavior that became part of the daily experience. As you approach the end of the novel with stimulated enlightenment he drops the bomb.
   
   Along side of "Making of a Quagmire" by another Pulitzer Prize winner, David Halberstan and "We were Soldiers Once ....And Young", Harold G. Moore, readers will share the true history of the journey through moral decadence to which no participant was exempt.
   
   The three best (in my opinion as a Viet Nam Veteran) pieces of literature written on the Viet Nam War. They are, as writers, truly artist.