No comments about Reminiscences of My Life in Camp: An African American Woman's Civil War Memoir.

5 comments about Andrew Jackson: The Course of American Empire, 1767-1821. Vol. 1.

1. I almost picked a shorter book about Jackson rather than try to tackle this three volume set, but judging by the first volume there is no question I made the right choice!
   
   This is one of the best biographies I've ever read; not only is the subject compelling, but it is superbly written and the balance of information (like the selection of anecdotes and quotes) is perfect. It even includes a timeline and family trees (why don't more authors do this?). Also, Remini isn't afraid to offer analysis as he goes; it makes the book more interesting and I think it ultimately makes it more objective because you understand his biases.
   
   My only quibble, and this is very minor, is the author (or publisher's) decision to blank out the swear words. Jackson swore to great effect, and this quasi-censorship diminishes that effect a little.



2. In the first of three volumes, Remini carries Jackson from birth to the tragic loss of much of his family in the Revolution, through his early years in politics, his duels, and the Battle of New Orleans, up to his term as first American Governor of the territory of Florida, acquired by his own military victories.
   
   Remini admires Jackson, and argues persuasively for his huge historic importance - not just President Jackson, but the younger Jackson of this book, responsible for acquiring a large chunk of what ultimately became the Southeast USA in several Indian wars and treaty negotiations, the campaigns of the War of 1812, and his subsequent attacks on the Spanish colony of Florida. Many historians have condemned Jackson for siezing Florida without the explicit approval of the Monroe administration; Remini is convincing in his argument that Monroe must have known and encouraged Jackson's actions, although he was careful not to say so directly, since Spain and the US were not at war.
   
   Remini doesn't by any means try to whitewash Jackson. The man shown in these pages is impressive but often distinctly unpleasant. Remini quite directly calls him a 'bully', and the story of his feuds and duels shows a man who is ruthless and foolishly ill-tempered. The ugliest part of the Jackson story is his treatment of the native tribes; Remini offers some half-hearted apologias for Jackson's ruthless treatment even of those natives who fought with him in his campaigns, but tells the facts frankly enough that most readers will come to a harsher conclusion.
   
   Remini shows that Jackson's famous victory in the Battle of New Orleans was a closer thing than is generally supposed. Jackson carelessly left a crucial avenue open to the British, and a more determined general would have marched on the city and probably taken it before Jackson had his defenses properly prepared. As it was, the British foolishly gave Jackson sufficient time to settle in and fortify his line, only then attacking it with disastrous results. Although this battle is often viewed as an afterthought (the Treaty of Ghent, ending the war, was actually signed a few days before the battle was fought), Remini also shows that a British victory would have had real, and catastrophic, consequences for the US.
   
   Along with the colorful and often complex story of Jackson's life and activities, Remini fills in the story with good explanations of the conditions of the period. In particular, he gives a good explanation of the values and traits of westerners, and East-West conflicts, at an early time in the country's history when the Pacific was barely dreamed of and the 'Far West' meant the Mississippi.
   
   Remini's writing is excellent, and the biography is detailed and exhaustively researched without being pedantic or boring.



3. Andrew Jackson is one of the more complicated figures in American history. On the one hand, his significance to the development of the United States as a nation is large. On the other hand, he was often a very unpleasant person.

   This first volume in Robert Remini's biography follows Jackson's life from his childhood through his governorship of Florida. Along the way, we learn of Jackson's brief roles in both houses of Congress and his period as a judge; it is later, however, when he joined the military (becoming a general through politics rather than merit), that Jackson rose to nationwide prominence, especially his overwhelming humiliation of the British in the Battle of New Orleans and his later dealings with Indians and the Spanish which led eventually to the U.S. acquiring Florida.

   His military victories made him one of the most popular people in American history, but Remini pulls no punches with Jackson's flaws, including his often brutal and bullying nature and his tendency to violence. The ambiguous circumstances involving how he married his wife Rachel would lead to nasty talk during his presidential campaigns and his killing of a man in a duel (was it murder?) wouldn't help either.

   Having been previously exposed to Remini's writing through his brilliant biographies of Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, I knew this book would be a pleasure to read, and it was. Remini has written the definitive biography of Jackson, very detailed but always objective and always entertaining. If you want to learn of this era and of one its pivotal figures, this is the book to read (plus the other two in the series).




4. One might argue that the hallmark of great men is that they fundamentally and permanently alter the world they inherited - its beliefs, its practices, its conception of itself. Andrew Jackson is one of those extremely rare individuals.

   In this first of three volumes, which he subtitles "The Course of American Empire," Remini highlights the central role that Jackson played in opening up the early American frontier in the first decades of the 19th century. Long before the expression "Manifest Destiny" ignited the expansionist and nationalist passions of Americans in the 1840s, Andrew Jackson fought single-handedly - and occasionally circumvented direct military orders, the Constitution, local judges, and officially recognized international treaties - to advance American territorial expansion along the southern border and promote the removal of the Spanish, British and myriad tribes of native Americans.

   Other salient events that Remini chronicles in this volume include Jackson's humble roots and tragic childhood during the American Revolution in the Carolinas; his move westward to the Tennessee territory to start life anew as a lawyer; the "facts" behind Jackson's much-disputed relationship with his wife, Rachel; his entry into local politics and emergence as a militia leader; his military exploits against the Creeks, the British at the Battle of New Orleans and the Seminoles; and, of course, the many duels, fist-fights and other outlandish events of his early life that he somehow managed to survive.

   Much of Volume I reads like a "wild west" novel, but Remini is careful to accentuate how Jackson's natural rough hewn character, along with his experience on the frontier, melded to shape a political philosophy that ultimately altered the course of American government. There is little direct reference to the principles that would become known as Jacksonian Democracy in this volume - an undying faith in the virtue and wisdom of the people, the inviolability of the Union, the pernicious effects of deficit spending and "soft" currency, etc. - but it is easy to understand how and why Jackson cherished those ideals after reading the story of his early life.

   Finally, it must be noted that Remini assiduously avoids holding Jackson's conduct in relation to slavery and the Indians to modern standards. In all fairness, that is understandable and not especially offensive. However, Remini does neither himself nor Jackson any service by going out of his way to stress how relatively humane (in Remini's mind) the president was to his human chattel and explaining that he really had the Indians best interests at heart when he forced them from their land to the barren plains of modern day Oklahoma. In this volume and the others, Remini offers some strongly worded criticism of Jackson's political, military and social performance, but his many heinous crimes against humanity are treated with kid gloves throughout.




5. This meticulously researched and wonderfully written book is the first volume in a three-part biography of Jackson that will undoubtedly set the standard for years to come.
   Part of what makes Remini's work so useful is that he does not rely solely on American sources but has also dug deep into the Archivo General de Indies in Seville, Spain in order to try to see Jackson from the viewpoint of the Spanish colonial government. It was this research that led Remini to his main thesis in this book which is that Jackson, thru his military exploits against the Indians of the southern United States (notably the Creek, Choctaw, Cherokee, Seminole and Chickasaw tribes) and against the Spanish in Florida did as much or more than any other individual to extend U.S. territory into much of Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and all of Florida. One of the more interesting revelations of the book for me was the mutual admiration and the shared goals at this point in their lives between Jackson and Monroe's Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams.
   In fact, Remini makes a good argument that Jackson's military exploits in that region were is what enabled Adams to deal so successfully with the Spanish in negotiating the Trans-Continental Treaty of 1819. This treaty formalized the recognition of the European powers of the territory added to the U.S. by Jefferson in the Louisiana Purchase. Up until then the purchase was widely recognized as illegal.
   So why don't I give this book a higher rating? I think that Remini falls prey to a common tendency of American historians who take on the task of writing the lives of our great men. As a reading public, we do not seem to want to acknowledge the dark side of our leaders or our history. As a result, it is difficult to write biographies that do not border on hagiography. Remini for the most part avoids this failing. He is clear about Jackson's violent (murderous, really) temper, his tendency to bully others until they gave in and his paternalism. This is not a man I would have wanted to know.
   Where Remini does not quite live up to his own standards is in regards to Jackson's (to my mind) overt racism. Jackson regarded the presence of the Indians anywhere in territory that was being settled by Americans as unacceptable unless the Indians were willing to give up their tribal territories, accept a farming plot and become good little American citizens. Remini tries to convince his readers that Jackson the paternalist hated only the tribes not the individual Indians and that therefore Jackson and his policies were not racist (see the discussion on p. 337). I leave it up to the reader of this review whether this defense is adequate. I think that the last fifty years has amply proved that a racist can befriend individual members of the hated group as long as that individual keeps their place. I think that this is actually a rather common type of racism and Jackson exemplifies to a plentitude. To be fair to both Remini and Jackson he had a life long history of defending the underdog if they applied to him for protection.
   Of course, this makes Jackson a paragon of the southern culture of the time but we also need to be honest about our own history. Jackson was a racist, he initiated Indian policies that were, at the least, marginally genocidal (the Indians called Jackson, Sharp Knife) and he was still one of our greatest men, one who had an enormous influence on our historical destiny. Remini, the good honest scholar that he is, gives us enough material and detail so that we get enough of the story so that we can sort out our own vision of the truth.

3 comments about General Stand Watie's Confederate Indians.

1. ....one of the worst of which is that the Confederacy was a white, Anglo-Saxon monolith. The truth is that the Confederacy pioneered the idea of giving blacks and women positions of authority [the Matron Law], placed Jews in positions of power, and put General's stars on a Mexican. And, we had the first American Indian General; this wonderful book is his story.
   
   Stand Watie was born in Georgia in 1806, and went west on the Trail of Tears. In Oklahoma, he became a rich, powerful, slave-owning rancher. [Yes, Indians owned slaves; so did Jews, Mexicans, and, surprise, Blacks]. He also gained both friends and enemies; as one of the two rival Principal Chiefs of the Cherokee Nations, he headed the Mixed Blood faction, which some thought got along a little too well with the government. [The other Chief, John Ross, was also a rich slave-owning rancher, living in a mansion, married to a white woman; he had less Indian blood than Watie]. Sort of like the Pure Bloods and the Mud-Bloods in the Harry Potter stories, only this wasn't funny........
   
   When the Civil War came, both sides wanted the Indians of the Five Civilized Tribes in present day Oklahoma; enter another of the few Civil War characters who provide a measure of comic relief, Brigadier General Albert Pike, sent by the Confederacy to recruit the Indians; he did a pretty good job, too, capitalizing on the very real beef that the Indians had with the US. Pike's Civil War career is a minor footnote to a long, productive life. Today, he is best known as the philosopher of Scottish Rite Masonry. Pike resigned in late 1862 [Maybe---another topic], and was replaced by the more conventional, but less colorful, Douglas Cooper. Cooper said that Pike was either disloyal to the Confederacy, or was insane; Masons know which was the case.....
   
   Oklahoma saw action all thru the war; the battles aren't as well known as the eastern ones, but the troops gave just as much, and the dead were just as dead. Stand Watie was a hero of Wilson's Creek, and proved to be an effective leader the whole way. Indeed, this was a theatre of operations where the Confederacy remained viable right to the end. Stand Watie was rewarded with General's stars in 1864, and was the very last Confederate General to stack arms.
   
   This book is a true classic, a well written account of a part of the Civil War that most people don't even know existed.. Many thanks to Mr. Cunningham, and many thanks to the University of Oklahoma Press for making it available.



2. Well written chronicle of one of the South's finest soldiers.
   Too little has been introduced about the struggle between North and South in the Nations. This book is the best I have read on the subject.
   Watie and his gallant band are well represented in their struggle to defend their families and save their homes from ruin during the Yankee invasion.



3. Excellent overview of Native American Confederates. A little looked at fact of the Civil War. Does justice to all men, women of all color, nationalities whom fought for what they beleived in.

4 comments about The Autobiography Of Calvin Coolidge.

1. Who would think about reading a book about Calvin Coolidge? I'd like to report though that it was a wonderful experience to read about a humble, self-effacing man with a legendarily dry sense of humor,in marked contrast to some of today's self-serving politicians.
   
   Coolidge tells of his boyhood,his warm relationship with his mother, father,sister and stepmother,how he was sworn in by candlelight,about his political life,but most importantly the book is a true model of character and values which can serve as a fine example for anyone,particularly for those entering political life. It would also be an excellent resource for character and values courses for elementary and high school students.
   
   Coolidge isn't known as a great president, but his interpretation was that the role of making laws was the function of Congress,not requiring presidential initiation. Since FDR of course, the President has taken on a far more active role in setting policy. Coolidge's great contribtion to history was not his presidency, but his embodiment of character and values. He also helped restore the dignity of the office after the Harding scandals, much as Ford and Carter did after Nixon.
   
   His autobiography and his character motivated me to create a website about his life,quotes,humor and his truly charming, way ahead of her time wife Grace Coolidge: www.calvincoolidge.us. I also wrote a two hour one man show of his life and performed it twice. It all started with his humble book.
   
   A visit to his family homestead where he took the candlelight oath, and also where he and his wife and sons are buried,is in Plymouth Notch, Vermont,one of New England's prettiest spots in the Fall. But I digress, as they say. The book is excellent.



2. To the extent that most Americans remember Calvin Coolidge, it is for a series of amusing anecdotes concerning his economy with words. That characterization is only partly true. Few people know that Coolidge was one of the last presidents who wrote his own speeches and that he held regular press conferences without a press secretary running interference for him. Coolidge, the son of a general store owner in rural Vermont, was immensely popular and could have easily been renominated had he chosen to run in 1928. There was even a movement to draft Coolidge to accept the nomination in 1932. He declined and his successor, Herbert Hoover, was renominated and defeated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
   
   Coolidge had a syndicated newspaper column following his retirement from party politics and he produced a highly readable autobiography that is candid and simple in its approach. Coolidge possessed a sense of humor and he did not take himself too seriously. This brief book should not be dismissed by anyone interested in America during the Twenties. Coolidge's reputation suffered, somewhat unfairly, at the hands of the New Deal historians who sought to promote Roosevelt by denigrating his predecessors. Coolidge was neglected as a historical figure until Ronald Reagan sought to rehabilitate his boyhood hero.
   
   Coolidge is buried in Plymouth Notch, close to the same country cross roads store in which he was born and sworn into office by his own father following the sudden death of President Warren G. Harding.



3. "The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge" is a fabulous autobiography. Calvin Coolidge was a good man and a good writer, and in his autobiography, Cooidge talks about growing up, his career in law and politics, his family, and everything anybody would want to learn about President Coolidge. People who are interested in becoming President should read Calvin Coolidge's autobiography: Coolidge shared with his readers some duties of the President and what seeking a third term can do to you. How a President is elected has changed since Coolidge's time, but Coolidge became President because of the death of his sucessor, Warren G. Harding. Even though Coolidge shared his opinion, anybody in the White House because of the death of their sucessor should take Coolidge's opinion. Calvin Coolidge was a good man, and there are lessons everyone could benefit from by reading his autobiography.



4. President Calvin Coolidge was a good man and great President who deserves to remembered for more than his reticence. Read here the life story of the President who grew up learning that hard work and a thoughtful outlook are the keys to success. He cut taxes four times and vetoed agricultural subsidies twice. He was unusually tolerant of minorities for his time. The story of President Coolidge is one that deserves to be read. Conservatives and libertarians will find his story especially appropriate for their children.

5 comments about Howard Hughes: 9The Untold Story.

1. I am almost finished reading the book, "Howard Hughes: The Untold Story," and I must say, this book (Howard's life) is certainly a page turner. It is clear that Howard Hughes was a lot of things: Manipulative, Egocentric, Playboy and Eccentric! He was also, after reading most of the book about his life, NEVER BORING. Not for one second. Every moment in his life is so meaty and juicy you would think it was a written Soap Opera, meant to stimulate the viewer at every moment and increase ratings, but it's not. It's just Howard being Howard.
   
   Howard Hughes spent most of his life in close proximity to his mother. The woman, who many believe, smothered and later caused his bizarre behavior in regards to germs and illnesses. She bathed him from head to toe and regularly inspected his body for any signs of infection or sickness. Howard Sr, realizing the dangerous bond between his son and wife, tried to seperate the son and mother pair by sending Howard away to school and camps. Howard didn't put up much of a fight. In fact, even though he was a recluse, he tried his best to fit in at the camp and the school he attended. He told his mom on many occassions, that he looked forward to the new skills he was learning at the camp. His mom, however, eventually pulled him out of the camp after writing many letters and warning Howard of the dangerous germs floating around in the camp. She had believed that scaring Howard in these letters would result in his return home, however, Howard very much wanted to stay. It was his mother who pulled him out eventually.
   
   From Howard Sr., Hughes learned many things which would cause him to be the talk of the town in Hollywood. Howard Sr. made it abundantly clear to his son that everything is for sale. In one case, Howard Sr. paid to enroll his son in a school that only accepted 60 students per year. 60 was the cut off and under no circumstances would the Directors of the school allow that to change. Senior cared less, he payed off all the right people and his son would join the only class to allow 61 students to attend. Howard Sr. didn't just teach Hughes to buy his way through life, Hughes also became a womanizer just like his father. Hughes was very well aware of the fact that his father cheated on his mother regularly and the his mother knew about it. He also knew the heartbreak it caused his mother after reading a letter from his mom to his father, asking that he stop. Hughes never stopped and his wife died in her 30's. Howard Sr. death soon followed.
   
   Howard was devastated. This devastation didn't stop him from fighting for the wealth that belonged to him. He fought family members, headed to court and convinced everyone around him that he was ready to inherit the family company even though he was just a kid. With his new wealth, Howard headed to Hollywood and aimed to become a Top Producer and Avaitor.
   
   Howard spent most of his life in the air, chasing beautiful starlets, creating movies and taking aviation to the next level. He was a daredevil in every aspect of his life.
   
   Too many, Howard seemed to have the world in the palm of his hands. However, Howard struggled with a terrible secret. He had what many didn't understand at the time and something that just wasn't discussed: OCD. His symptoms worsened with age and with the many car and plane crashes he had in his life. Also, one can not discount the amount of stress that poor Howard struggled with on a daily basis. It is clear to me that this stress pushed Howard's symptoms to uncontrollable levels! Also, the book makes clear, that the discovery that the FBI had been following his every move for the past 5 years increased his distrust of others.
   
   I haven't finished the book yet but I can't wait to finish reading about Howard's amazing life. Like I said before, this man is clearly far from boring. I would definetely enjoy living life in his shoes even if I had to deal with OCD. This man did it all and was clearly a genius. God rest his soul and thank you Howard for your many contributions to aviation!



2. After finally watching the Aviator, I wanted to know more about Howard Hughes' life but wasn't sure which book to get since there were so many out there to choose from. The Untold Story turned out to be one of the most moving books I've read. I previously only knew him according to the reputation he had in his final years: bizarre recluse, deranged, weirdo, bilionnaire.
   
   Howard Hughes was an ace pilot. The 200 ton Spruce Goose was his personal triumph. This books brings to light his outlandish reality and his extraordinary and adventurous personal life: the many movies he produced, and his amazing influence on Hollywood censorship, purchasing the most Las Vegas resorts owned by one person, the McCarthy era, even Watergate and the fall of Nixon. It covers the many famous actresses he discovered, his womanizing and dating nearly every leading glamor queen. Jean Harlow, Ava Gardner, Giner Rogers, and Katharine Hepburn all dated this handsome playboy. It explains his passion of aviation, perilous record breaking flights as well as his three plane crashes, and his development of commercial flights (TWA). Howard Hughes was a genius inventor and head of a giant corporation which produced oil drill tools (which he inherited from his father). The book reveals his emotionally incestuous ties to his mother. his addictions, breakdowns and recoveries, disappearing acts such as when he locked himself in a studio room, didn't bathe for months, and watched the same movies 30 times in a row, eating only Hershey bars. His now-famous but then unknown obsessive-compulsive disorder produced full blown food fetishes such as counting chocolate chips in each germ-free cookie and eating his peas with a small rake. Who knows what might have happened, and how history might have changed, if doctors knew about Prozac in those days?
   
   The circumstances of his death remain mysterious and puzzling - to this day, no one is sure about how he died. Like his life, it was covered in a wall of secrecy. A compelling, sympathetic, and well-researched story (nearly 400,000 pages of court documents, 2,000 pages of FBI reports, and 600 interviews were used) about one of the most controversial, intriguing and extraordinary people.



3. After a while I got really tired of all of these starlets stories. I couldn't stop thinking " what a jerk" and how stupid all of these girls, and worse yet, their parents were.



4. I had read an earlier book on Hughes, Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes, and remembered it as a fascinating book. I purchased recently this newer book on Hughes, Howard Hughes: The Untold Story.
   
   It, too, was fascinating in its own National Inquirer kind of way! This particular book dealt more with Hughes' womanizing more than with his business empire. We are treated with endless stories of Hughes' conquest of Hollywood actress beginning in the early 20's up until his final pursuit of women in the late 1950s.
   
   The stories are truly fascinating to read and Brown's and Broeske's writing style certaining kept me engaged. One just has to wonder how one would have acted in Howard's place as he pursued women on a daily basis while in Hollywood. Simply amazing!
   
   The one drawback about this book that I was not anticipating was what made it so interesting: its dedication to his lothario lifestyle. In other words, by the time the story of Jean Peters (his last wife) rolls around, along with his last attempted affair with the starlet Yvonne Shubert, one starts to tire of reading exclusively about his sexual conquests.
   
   I found myself wondering how all of this tied in with his businesses. The authors did throw in just enough about his businesses for it all to make sense, but I don't think there was enough. In other words, this book dealt almost entirely with his sex life than anything else. There were enough tidbits about his paranoia, his germophobia, his Hollywood movie making, and his aviation exploits to keep the book moving.
   
   I recommend this book to read about the personable side of Howard and the book, Empire, to read about the business side of Howard. Both are excellent.



5. I watched Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" and was immediately interested in learning about the "real" Howard Hughes. This book more than satisfied my curiosity. I wasn't aware of the non-aviation contributions made by Hughes; satellites, seek and destroy missles. All very important to our national security. I had never heard of Hughes' connection to the Watergate scandal until I read this book.
   
   This publication was a page turner about a man that we'll most likely never learn the full truth about. A great read!

2 comments about Mosby's Memoirs (Southern Classics).

1. I read this book in less than 3 weeks! It was great, and for those who don't know the Civil War it's even better because you don't know what's about to happen. I really liked it, and you should check it out.



2. Since I live in what might be called "Mosby's Back Yard" --- the Washington, DC suburbs of Northern Virginia --- I thought I should learn something about this man for whom several local streets, highways, and bridges are named. A friend recommended "Mosby's Rangers" by Jeffrey Wert; my wife suggested a new book, James Ramage's "Gray Ghost." But I opted to begin my study with Mosby's own account of his adventures: his own memoirs.

   I know that old soldiers tend to exaggerate their war stories; and they occasionally ramble. But Mosby's Memoirs are still fascinating, and I think the exaggeration is kept to a minimum. The story does get a bit bogged down in Chapter 12 --- talking about events leading up to Gettysburg. The good colonel, like all soldiers, is also somewhat wordy discussing the merits and failures of various generals and officers in the war.

   Still, all things considered, I found this to be quite interesting. I don't usually read military memoirs, but I enjoyed this. Now on to "Gray Ghost!"

   Oh, another thing that made this book (and, presumably any book on John Mosby's exploits) fun to read: he mentions so many towns, roads, and places already familiar to me. Last weekend I took a drive to Beaverdam, VA just to see what was left of the train station near where the Yankees captured Mosby early in his career (he was shortly released). Couldn't find the station, but the tracks are still there! If you're familiar with Northern VA & the Shenandoah Valley, check out this book!

5 comments about Einstein: A Life.

1. Einstein: A Life was a very enjoyable biography that doesn't dwell on making you understand Relativity. Though some of the laster chapters drag a bit on the whole I feel a much better understanding of the man behind Relativity than before.
   
   What pleased me most about the book was the fact that at the beginning of each chapter the author tells you what years of Einstein's life he is covering and Einstein's age range over those years. This helped a great deal in putting the events in order in my head - usually I find myself scribbling down dates in biographies to keep from referring back to the beginning of the book to see the subjects age at the time being referred to.



2. I bought it for my nephew who is a freshman in highschool and ever since he read the book his approach towards science has totally changed. He never liked science before.
   
   He likes reading books. But this one has become his fav



3. I love biography, and good biography does contain details. But this book's detail is tedious in content as well as tedious in its writing style. There is no attempt at literary art. It's descriptions sound juvenile. I strained mentally to get used to the style but to add to that the small and cramped print in the book caused me to give up after a few pages.



4. Brian's biography is much less about Einstein the scientist, although elements of that are certainly present, and much more about Einstein as a friend, colleague, father, husband, and eccentric. The biography is intensely personal and often feels like a long quiet conversation about a remarkable acquaintance. Brian likes Einstein but brings in elements of Einstein's personal life, especially the stormy relationship with his first wife, Mileva and the secrets and anquish that ensued from that marriage. Einstein comes across as a man who passionately loved physics, music, and the company of good friends. Brian also paints the portrait of a genuis whose egalitarian personality is astonishing. The biographer's superbly documented anecdotes show how Einstein made his way through the maelstrom of the first half of the 20th century while authoring tectonic changes in humanity's view of energy, gravity, and the universe itself. This book allows the reader to be in a room with Einstein while he wears slippers and puffs on his pipe and chats with neighbors. It is a gift.



5. I don't think biographies do well by simply presenting lives as accretions of detail; that's the fundamental flaw of this book. It may be interesting to some readers that Einstein took time to take care of his cat, or to be reminded over and over again that he wrote letters to ordinary people, but that's probably not the best way to understand him. It's like a bad blog that somehow leaves out sufficient emphasis on the most miraculous year in 20th Century science, the year when Einstein created the theories that would define him. Brian elides over these enormous issues, and give Einstein a very long leash when questioning his abandonment of his first wife, his two sons, and possibly a daughter. I guess first-rate scientists don't have to adhere to pretty basic social mores, from this author's point of view. This book has been characterized as being about the life of the man, rather than of his scientific discoveries. But those discoveries are what defined him. Otherwise Einstein's life is as mundane as anyone's. Leaves school, gets married, can't find a job, finds a job, leaves his wife and kids, gets another job, moves a couple of times, dresses shabbily, likes to go sailing, writes letters to inquiring admirers, gets hounded by the press...blah blah blah. Despite the tonnage of everyday minutia, it's all superficial reportage.

5 comments about George Mason, Forgotten Founder.

1. I felt this was a good book about a secondary figure in the revolutionary period. Mason was important because he was close to leaders like Washington, Madison and Patrick Henry. He was also a leading figure in his beloved state of Virginia and since Virginia was so influential Mason's contributions should not be overlooked. Mason was a firm believer in the union but he feared a strong central government and the threat it could pose to individual liberty. Thus he was a leading anti-federalist who attended the constitutional convention but was one of the leaders against ratification. This book yields important insights into the battle between federalists and their opponents in Virginia and shows how this split among leaders of the early republic foreshadowed much that was to come including the whole states rights controversy. Well worth reading.



2. George Mason, truly an ignored Founder of whom Thomas Jefferson said was "one of our really great men", is treated in a fair and easy to read biography penned by Jeff Broadwater.
   
   The book follows his political career touching upon the many important bills and concepts he introduced into the Revolutionary era Virginia Legislature. The book does a fine job shining a light upon what a key figure to our founding that Mason was.
   
   In many ways, however, one gets a negative view of the man over his constant shirking of duty -- he too often arrived late or not at all to legislative sessions -- and his constant complaining over his health. Granted, if one knows much about the Founders and their era, health seems to be one thing they all constantly whined about. After all, men rarely lived past the late 30s in those days, so any pain or discomfort was feared to be death come a' knocking.
   
   In any case, it was interesting to see the turmoil and difficulty that the state of Virginia had funding and supplying troops to the war effort. With history settled, it is always too easy to feel that the country was united with a single mind and all for the spilt with England as well as ready to sacrifice their last strengths to that effort. Reality, though, is a far different thing than the rose-colored glasses of popular sentiment.
   
   One thing seemed missing from this book, as important as is the information contained within. Mason's voice does not come through in Broadwater's work. We never get as much of a feel for the man as we do for his end work and the times in which he lived.
   
   It's a shame that Broadwater didn't give us more of Mason's own quotes so that we might see what his contemporaries saw in his applauded rhetoric. Perhaps not enough of his own words survive to have attempted that treatment and maybe Broadwater really only had Mason's legislative work from which to glean "the" man, but I still felt the book seemed somewhat detached from the man himself.
   
   In any case, I recommend the book to those who are interested in a Founder who has missed out on the lionizing so many of his fellows have received.



3. I was actively looking forward to a book about George Mason, whose home is a landmark I visited 40-50 years ago, and whose name in my area adorns a major street and a university. Who was he? This book helps explain that. An amazing tale, really, of a gent who had a surprising lot to do with the birth of our nation and its constitution, yet is relatively little known. (Author Broadwater notwithstanding, it's no mystery why Mason has been neglected; he may have been an influential, clear, brilliant, and nonpartisan thinker but he didn't support the Constitution and in general, shunned the limelight.)
   
   The book is not just a biography, but a deep-reaching regional history. It tells a lot about the economic and social issues of the "American colonies" in the 18th century. Many of us overlook that, in the turmoil of creating a nation, there were a lot of ongoing matters of concern, such as the future of the lands to the west. Mason's careful husbanding of his economic and commercial interests augurs the role that commercialism has played ever since in the formation of our country. Finally, Mason's role in creating our Bill of Rights and some of the key elements of the U.S. Constitution cannot be overlooked, but his view that the inevitable tendency of "rulers" to augment their power leads just as inevitably to tyranny remains well worth keeping in mind today.
   
   The writing is a bit turgid, and if you're not much interested in the finer points of constitutional law or legislation, this will likely be a boring book. The author's annoying reliance on "if" clauses, (about one per paragraph) rather than the simple "but", doesn't help.



4. I struggled for a long time to try and force myself to read this book. I finally gave up and donated it to our public library. It was boring beyond belief. Only 1 of our 7 member book club finished it, and he didn't like it either!



5. George Mason was an important figure, seemingly coming out of nowhere, just before and during the Revolution and up to the formulation of the Constitution. He is one of the lesser known founders, probably as much known for being one of the few who refused to sign the Constitution (along with such figures as Luther Martin and Elbridge Gerry).
   
   One key aspect of Mason's personality (page 19): ". . .Mason possessed an incisive intellect and a commanding personality, but he was not inclined to suffer fools gladly or to compromise his own opinions. Given his nature, the mystery may not be why Mason initially showed little interest in the day-to-day business of government, but why he sought public office at all."
   
   This book focuses on his consuming passion for business, including his tenacious effort to make the Ohio Company work. This land company intended to take land and develop it for the profit of the owners. It was a constant struggle and never panned out as desired. His political views had some quirky elements for the time, including a condemnation of slavery (although phrased in the context of the times), although he himself owned slaves.
   
   Given his reputation as one of the leaders in the runup to the Revolution and through the Consitutional Convention, it is odd to see that he was not involved in politics in a major way until middle age. Yet, from 1774 to the Revolution, he bacame one of the major writers of Revolutionary tracts, laying out a critique of England and a case for freedom. While his relations with George Washington were sometimes frosty, he apparently worked well with other leading Virginians, such as Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, James Madison, and Richard Henry Lee.
   
   After the Constitution was ratified, with Mason arguing against this document, his health began to decline, until he died in 1792. He grew disenchanted with the national government and disagreed with many of its policies after Washington became president. However, he appears to have remained on good terms with some officials, such as John Marshall and James Monroe. While he remained mildly active in local politics from 1789 until his death, he refused an appointment to the United States Senate.
   
   In the end, Mason (page 251) "helped to make a respectable revolution." His legacy (page 251): ". . .his contribution to America's founding documents: the Declaration of Independence through the Virginia Declaration of Rights through his dogged opposition to a Constitution without one."
   
   The book is not particularly elegantly written, but the style is serviceable. There is enough depth to the biography that the reader gains a pretty good picture of Mason, his life, his times, and his role in history. For those interested in the Founding generation and its major actors, this book would be a useful addition to one's library.

5 comments about Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain: A Biography.

1. Twain was an interesting guy possible racist... The book was boring and I wanted to dig my eyes out. The book starts off at a weird time which is apparently "inovative" to some people. If your looking for something to read for pleasure then pick a diffrent book on his life.



2. Wordy in places, but still the best, most comprehensive biography of Samuel Clemens.



3. It's no wonder this book won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. This is a serious, entertaining and informative treatment of one of the greatest American writers, and, in terms of his life and attitude, one of the best representations of 19th century America. In detail that becomes adornment to its subject, the author proceeds to map out the course of Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, as he progresses as a writer and as a person. Great insights are revealed of his social behavior and, inasmuch as possible and believable, his thoughts. This is a great book; a must for any serious reader.



4. Kaplan's National Book Award and Pulitzer winner starts with Samuel Clemens' arrival in the East already quite famous due to the popularity of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Almost immediately Clemens sets off to earn his living as a humorous lecturer. Kaplan shows us the many techniques he used such as the extended pause and how carefully he orchestrated his performances.
   
   Clemens' first literary success was INNOCENTS ABROAD about his trip accompanying a group of pilgrims to the Holy Land. It was always one of his most successful books. It was also published by subscription, which means that it was sold pretty much door-to-door.
   
   For me, one of the most entertaining parts of the book was Clemens' courtship of coal heiress Livy Langdon, whose brother, Charlie, had been one of the pilgrims on the INNOCENTS ABROAD trip. She rejected him, telling him she could never love him. He convinced her theirs could be a brother/sister relationship. Then he fell out of his carriage and she had to nurse him back to health.
   
   Much of the book details Clemens' obsession with James W. Paige's typesetting machine, which eventually bankrupted him. According to Kaplan, Clemens always led a duel existence (hence the title), with Mark Twain, the famous writer and social critic, and Samuel Clemens, the incompetent entrepreneur, always at loggerheads.
   
   Kaplan is almost offhandish when it comes to the early deaths of Clemens' daughters Susy and Jean. Clemens never recovered from Susy's death and Jean's preceded his own by just a few months. His wife Livy had been an invalid several years before her death, partly due to heart problems and partly because of nervous prostration brought on by her relationships with Clemens, but they were married for thirty-four years.
   
   The pictures leave a bit to be desired. We never get a good look at Livy as an adult and Jean and Clara are not shown at all, somewhat surprising since Ken Burns found several for his PBS documentary.



5. This scholarly and readable life of Twain begins with his thirties and carries the master humorist through the glorious successes and bitter tragedies that would haunt him. Well written and full of insightful analysis into his real character this book brings to life a persoanlity so large that it took a new era (Gilded Age) and two centuries to contain it! For his boyhood try Deep Waters- an equally good review of his wit and life.

3 comments about Kovacsland: Biography Of Ernie Kovacs.

1. People use words like "off-beat" and "wacky" when it comes to Ernie Kovacs, but in truth the man had a real sense of humor. By this I mean he understood humor, could almost break it down to the atomic level in his head, and assemble wonderfully funny and original pieces from those atoms. Those of us who love humor love Ernie because he would create new forms of it instead of the trite and hackneyed ones that surround us to this day in bad sitcoms, awful sketch comedy shows, and terrible stand-up. Only when you look at Ernie's stuff do you recognize the stagnant brine most Americans call TV comedy and how ubiquitous it is.
   
   This bio would be best if there was more from Ernie himself on his process, but since tragedy has made that impossible Ms. Rico has stitched together an impressive Persian rug of a tale using those who knew him and worked with him. She also provides exhaustive background on the goings-on in his life to give an excellent sense of perspective and accomplishment. You learn more about Ernie the man than about how he was able to come up with all of that great stuff.
   
   Reading this book is like Ernie's life - funny, detailed, warm, intelligent, human, and over way too soon.



2. There have been three biographies of Ernie Kovacs in the last 25 years(well, one of the three is really Edie Adams' memoir); Diana Rico's is the best, and likely to remain so for some time-I wish I had written it myself! Ernie Kovacs was a fascinating, mercurial man with an eclectic and very strong appeal, and Rico manages to capture his personality, talent and tremendous charm without ever tipping over(as so many "star" biographies do)into bathos or hero-worship. Fair-minded, and with accuracy reflecting a lot of primary interviews and careful research, it's also just a plainly well-written, entertaining read. If you've a special interest in Kovacs, or are simply curious about who he was, and what the days of the roaring 50's rat-pack was like, this is a book to seek out.



3. I know, we're reviewing the book and not the man, but it's pretty hard not to enjoy anything dealing with such a brilliant comedian as Ernie Kovacs. Even if it were just a dry accounting of facts, it would be interesting, because he was. However, it is very well-written and engaging. I don't know why Edie Adams refused to be interviewed for this book, because it certainly appears to be a loving tribute to her late husband. Her contributions are about the only thing that could improve this book.