4 comments about Hemingway on the China Front: His WWII Spy Mission with Martha Gellhorn.

1. Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn met in Spain as they were covering the Spanish Civil War. They were married in 1940. In 1941 they accepted a mission at the request of the US Government to make a trip to China. They also agreed to write articles for various magazines on their trip.
   
   The Government official largely responsible for getting them to make this trip was Harry Dexter White, later identified as a Soviet agent. It is interesting in that Hemingway was visiting an area where the Chinese Communists were trying to take over the country.
   
   It was a rough trip. This was the time of the Japanese invasion of China, it was the time of Mao Tse-Tung and Chiang Kai-Shek. It was not the time or place to take a pleasure trip. This was also well past Hemingway's prime writing period as he was declining into depression and alcoholism.
   
   It was a hard trip on their marriage, and by the end of the trip the marriage was basically over althouch Martha Gellhorn held on for another few years before divorcing him (the only one of his wives to leave him).
   
   This is a well written, well researched book that covers a little known incident in World War II history.



2. This is a surprisingly good book. Peter Moriera apparently has no other books to his credit, nor is a literary scholar, yet nevertheless delivers a smooth brisk text that is fact-filled. It is carefully documented with honest, substantive footnotes that demonstrate original research. It is also just a good straight piece of storytelling about a fascinating adventure at an important juncture of modern history: while Hitler was attacking Britain, Japan was conquering the East, but before America was involved in either front.
   
   This would be a great reading experience whoever was at the center of it, but the writing team of Hemingway and Gellhorn offers the opportunity for drama and shrewd but carefully fair character study. Indeed all the principals including their Chinese interpreters, state department figures, Hemingway's drinking pals, Generalissimo and Mrs. Chiang Kai-Shek, Chou En-lai, are presented in fair, balanced, and fully rounded portaiture. The depiction of Hemingway and Gellhorn is a miracle of balance and fairness. The book does not take sides or have any agenda. It presents the strengths of each from an informed and sympathetic perspective, their respective flaws with realism and wry detatchment. Truth be told, by focusing on a fixed episode of Hemingway's life late 1940 through 41, Moreira is able to deliver one of the best portraits in life of Hemingway to date, superior indeed to many first person accounts. To those who may not have known Gellhorn's work as well, a reading of this book will only leave you wanting to see more.
   
   Finally, the subject matter is not just a lark like an Indiana Jones adventure. Moreira illustrates how the two writers were subtly enlisted on behalf of the Roosevelt administration both to get over and "spy" undercover as reporters, but also to deliver something of its message afterwards. How both Hemingway and Gellhorn managed to do that as each, in their own way, preserved a degree of integrity and truth-telling is the real underside of the iceberg here awainting discovery.



3. In a short book about a few months in the lives of Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, Canadian journalist Peter Moreira has managed to give us a portrait of the two writers as they really were. Hemingway on the China Front shows us the pair at their journalistic peaks and valleys, their relationship at its most romantic and as it starts to disintegrate, and two individuals coping gracefully and not so gracefully under trying circumstances.
   
   Let's get this "spy" business out of the way. It's a good title and it may capture a few readers who'll think "I didn't know Hemingway was a spy!" Hemingway and Gellhorn were going to Asia (China, Burma, Hong Kong, the Dutch East Indies) as journalists. It was no secret that they would be digging for information. They were both well-known war reporters, and would therefore be looking for war-related intelligence. Even if they hadn't already been famous, they would have stuck out in Asia like sore thumbs, Hemingway for his height and Gellhorn for being blond. Any undercover work was out of the question. Hemingway was asked by the U.S. Treasury Department to check of the transportation situation in China, to gauge how the money the U.S. was sending China was being spent. Gellhorn was a friend of the Roosevelts and was a regular White House visitor. While there's no evidence that she too was asked to check up on the Chinese, she could be expected to be debriefed when she returned to the States.
   
   Moreira tells a quick-paced story of two young and glamorous war reporters on a trip to exotic lands while the war is getting underway. They were newlyweds as well, although they'd been together for several years. While they jokingly referred to the trip as their honeymoon, the only parts of the trip that might have qualifed were the initial stop in Hawaii and their stay in Hong Kong. The rest of the trip reads like an endurance test. The conditions in China were filthy and crowded. It was a huge dose of culture shock for the pair, and they handled it in different ways. Hemingway stayed drunk as much as possible. Gellhorn was learning that living with an alcoholic could be exhilarating at its best and unbearable at its worst. Even after they broke up and she refused for the most part to talk or write of him, she admitted that the best times of her life were with Hemingway. And the worst.
   
   Moreira explains clearly the political situation in China and we're able to appreciate the dilemma that the writers faced in trying to support the U.S. allies represented by Chiang Kai-Shek and Chou En-Lai, while not ignoring the repressive regimes they controlled. They weren't entirely successful.
   
   Hemingway on the China Front, for all its attention to journalistic detail and scholarship, also has a large helping of entertaining stories. The two met some fascinating characters in Asia including Emily Hahn, several dashing American pilots, Chou En-Lai and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. And Moreira re-tells some of the best stories from Gellhorn's Travels With Myself and Another. It's great to find a new take on the lives of two people who've been written about so thoroughly.



4. This is an interesting study of two unbalanced personalities, Ernest Hemingway and his third wife, Martha Gellhorn, before and during their trip to the Far East from January to May of 1941. Hemingway was a very heavy drinker, at times abusive but capable of great charm, and Gellhorn, a true limousine liberal stamping out injustice and helping the poor, but totally unable to allow herself to come into contact with them.
   
   But do not be deceived. Hemingway did not "spy" on anyone, there was no "mission", and the US was not yet in World War II. The basis for the sub-title was that Hemingway reported separately (from his published reports) to Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthal and Harry Dexter White. They recognized that Hemingway and Gellhorn might write pap and propaganda for the public (sounds like contemporary media reporters) but wanted to obtain a balanced assessment of the readiness of the Far East in case of a Japanese attack, and most particularly China which was gobbling up vast sums of US aid.
   
   The stories of Hemingway's drinking bouts and Gellhorn's obsession with cleanliness became wearisome. However, the depiction of China as a poor, filth-ridden country with a fascist government was nonpareil. The corrupt Chiang was more interested in fighting the communists than the Japanese, and the vast majority of US aid was not going into fighting Japanese aggression. The author makes this very clear, but there is little followup explaining why FDR continued his ruinous policies with respect to China until Japan was defeated literally without or in spite of Chinese help.
   
   Some of the author's errors will be jarring to an historian. For whatever reason, he seems to only very reluctantly concede that Harry Dexter White was a spy, and he leaves the case against the Canadian born Laughlin Currie (like the author) somewhat in doubt. This is incomprehensible for a writer in 2004. The publication of the Venona material in 1995 established for all time that White was a high-level Soviet agent who did almost irreparable harm to the US while leading the American delegation in setting up the IMF (one of the KGB's finest hours), and Currie was part of the Silvermaster ring under the code name "Page." One of his major coups was reporting to Stalin that FDR was willing to let the Soviet Union keep the half of Poland they conquered in 1939, and that he would pressure the London Polish exile government to make further concessions. (See Haynes & Klehr, "Venona" for details.) Following that, the betrayal of the Polish exiles and their army was a foregone conclusion. At any rate, these were the birds with whom Hemingway was flying.
   
   A small point is the editing. For example, author Moreira states that Hemingway committed suicide in 1961 and Gellhorn followed 27 years later with her own suicide in 1998. The author and his editors need a lesson in math.
   
   All in all this book is an interesting read concerning life in China and the British colonies in the Far East in early 1941. Hemingway and Gellhorn are flawed and complex characters worth in-depth studies, but one needs a strong stomach and substantial personal interest to deal with their idiosyncrasies. They fit the CBI (China-Burma-India) theater well, particularly the other name used for the CBI theater, "Constant Bickering Inside."

5 comments about The Threadbare Buzzard: A Marine Fighter Pilot in WWII.

1. I enjoyed this tale of a young mans adventures in trying to get into the war and his exploits while there.



2. I had great difficulty finishing this book. Tomlinson has a serious jealousy problem with some of the top allied fighter groups of WW2;e.g. Eagle Sqd., Flying Tigers, and Boyington's Black Sheet Sqd. He frequently makes statements that are contradicted by offical records. His constant snide remarks about Navy and Army pilots was very tiring. Also his writing skills left much to be desired; for example his constant use of silly cliches were very boring. I bought the book expecting to read about USMC Corsair flyers in the Pacific but read very little of actual combat. Of my extensive WW2 fighter pilot library this book is by far, the poorest.



3. I found the book to be disappointing. Entirely excessive on the sarcasm and political drum beating to make it an enjoyable read.



4. Let me start by saying that although I did not particularly enjoy this book, it is clear to me that Mr Tomlinson does have an interesting story to tell about a very interesting time in american, military and aviation history.
   
   Maybe this book would have been much better with heavy editing and a co-author, but I don't think this would have suited the self-styled "Oracle of Poverty Flats" as he refers to himself at many points throughout the book. Maybe then I wouldn't have to suffer through everyone being called a jolly chap......by someone from Montana.
   
   The book itself was a frustrating read due to Mr Tomlinson's convoluted narrative style bereft of any dialogue, which disconnects the reader from the evants taking place. This and his near refusal to use anyone's name was confounding to me. He would use up an entire paragraph or two dancing around someone's identity so that he would not use their name. Then to make matters worse when that person popped up again in the book they were refered to as "the brother of the pilot who shot down Yamamoto", "the Harvard Man", "the other Harvard Man" (not Kidding) or "The Bostonian". This makes for truly enthralling reading and when one of these infuriatingly nameless people gets killed, the feeling is "so what?" His relative's review seen here on Amazon states "he remembers everthing...", well everything except people's names. Everyone that is, except Gregory Boyington, which brings me to my next point....
   
   Man does he have axes to grind! With the Navy, with the Army, with the government, with the US citizens (Corsairs cost a staggering sum of money per air hour.........a magnificent flying club funded by the taxpayers, who had it coming anyway." page 256), but most of all with Gregory Boyington of Black Sheep Squadron fame. I don't know what Boyington did to Mr Tomlinson but it must have been something really greivous or maybe this is sour grapes from someone who got tired of fielding questions about the FAMOUS pilots of VMF-214, whom he never flew with. The ones who actually shot down a few enemy planes and were written up in the press for it, which seemed to infuriate Mr Tomlinson. Look, I know that Boyington was a flawed person and that a few of his aerial victories may have been a little suspicious, this is well documented in "Black Sheep One", by Bruce Gamble. Even if Boyington "only" shot down 20 or so planes between VMF-214 and the Flying Tigers and drank himself into a little trouble, I see no valid reason for the petty personal attacks in this book by a man who by his own admission drank alot and got into a little trouble himself. I have read every book about VMF-214 that I have been able to find (which doesn't make me an expert by any means), exchanged emails and spoken on the phone with men who actually flew with Boyington and although I have heard stories never before published, I have never heard some of the accusations he makes. The irony is, if it weren't for the Black Sheep, chances are he would never have been invited to write a book in the first place. Mr Tomlinson only succeeds in making himself look bad. The publisher certainly isn't shying away from the connection, using Boyington's name on the dustjacket.
   
   Personally, I feel that if you want to read about Marine aviation during WWII, read "Ace!", by Bruce Porter, if it's Boyington you are interested in, read the excellent and even handed "Black Sheep One", by Bruce Gamble or if you want to read a poignant memoir, read "Lost Black Sheep", by Robert Reed, all of these are excellent books on this subject matter.



5. I loved reading this book. So much so that I had to meet Mr. Tomlinson in person.
   The book is written in a way that makes it pleasant to read. Mr. Tomlinson says what he thinks and this what I want to read when I read a book about a WWII fighter pilot, not some over-studied analysis of a situation written by someone who was not even born at the time the events took place. The Threadbare Buzzard has opinions...so what? This makes this book all the more interesting to read.
   This is truly one of the few autobiographies I read that I will read again in the near future. Thank you for writing it, Mr Tomlinson, and thank you for your service to our country.

3 comments about The Wit and Wisdom of Robert E. Lee.

1. It was with great disappointment that I read in 15 minutes a book whose title had promised so much. A small, thin book to begin with, "Wit and Wisdom" is heavy on white space between too few quotes. The quotes that are collected herein appear to have been collected carelessly with little concern for their merit. The truly memorable sayings contained in this book can be counted on one hand and can be had for free with a good search engine on the internet. This is one of the few books that ever saddedned this Librarian.



2. Devereaux Cannon, Son of Confederate Veterans, expert historian, and true believer in the "cause" and its great leader Robert E. Lee, has chosen a wonderful selection of quotes that reveal the multi-faceted General Lee. He has captured Lee the leader, Lee the strategist, Lee the man, Lee the parent, Lee the commander and the many other Robert Lee's that we know and recognize as the greatest loved of American military commanders. One quote truly stands out, as General Lee speaks across the generations to us today: "The consolidation of the states into one vast republic, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of that ruin which has overwhelmed all those that have preceded it...I grieve for posterity, for American principles and American liberty."

   Excellent book.




3. This great book, not only has great quotes, but gives you the primary source for each one. Some are from his letters to his daughters, Wife, or his Generals. The primary sources also include the day, month and year. ( Talk about historical accuracy!)

   Just this short book of quotes, shows Lee as an intelligent person, father, husband, Leader and Gentleman.

   Every Civil War buff, and every Southerner should have a copy.
   I keep a copy at my desk for inspiration.

5 comments about Napoleon: A Political Life.

1. Many of us in the U.S., Canada & Mexico, trace our genealogy, culture and religion to Europe. Yet, many Gen-Xers and younger cannot name more than 2 or 3 European capitols. We frustrate the Europeans as much as they frustrate us. To know European history is to understand current trans-Atlantic relations. How can we bridge this gap to our cousins across the pond? Steve Englund's "Napoleon" is a great place to start. No period has had a greater impact on European thought than the 1770's through 1815. Englund brings the reader into the eye of the hurricane.
   
   The author assumes that the reader has completed "Intro to European History 101" at the college level. Englund quickly moves the reader from the banal "Who and What" of history to the intriguing "Why?". Englund's facts and research are impeccable, yet he writes in the humanistic style of a novelist. The book portrays Napoleon not as the brooding figure on horseback, but as the driven immigrant-reformer, speaking accented French, who rises to become Emperor. Napoleon is seen as a tyrannical son of Mars, yet also enlightened governmental innovator. Start your own enlightment with Englund's book.



2. The key to understanding this book is its subtitle: A Political Life. Don't make this your first book on Napoleon. The author is standing on the shoulders of giants, and using the volumes of information that came before him as a starting point in the conversation. He doesn't attempt to provide details on Napoleon's military career, his personal life, The French Revolution, or the state of Europe before or after Napoleon. This is a decent book, as long as you understand it is not intended to be "Napoleon: The Compete Story".



3. I came to this book thinking that it would focus entirely on the political dimension of Napoleon's life. This is not the case. Napoleon: A Political Life might exclude the word 'political' from its title and be just as fitting, for Englund spends a great deal of time on Napoleon's relations with Josephine, his brothers, the exiles, etc.. In fact, in the introduction (at the end of the book), Englund states that he almost subtitled the book "Empire of Circumstance."
   
   The great strength of the book is its writing style. Englund really captures the drama of the Little Corsican's life, and he sweeps the reader up in it. All of the politics of Napoleon's life is, as you would expect, well covered, but so is his personal and military life. Never did I feel overburdened with detail, and never was the text wanting for humour.
   
   There is, however, some merit in the argument posted by some of the other reviewers that the book assumes too much in the way of background knowledge. This is not an introduction to Napoleon for the novice. While I would not go so far as to say that you need have already read another book on Napoleon to enjoy Englund's work, you should certainly have a reasonable idea of the political zeitgeist he worked in, particularly the French revolution and the foreign (especially British) reaction to it. Ideally, you should also have taken a course in French at some point in your life (and not completely forgotten it). Englund has a somewhat irritating habit of dropping les mots francais at random, and often without translation (although most of the more important French phrases are translated, most of the minor ones are not). C'est la vie.
   
   One of my favourite parts of the book was the analysis of Napoleon's legacy: his admirers and detractors, whence he is glorified, and whence he is ignored. Englund is the most balanced Napoleonic author I have yet encountered, seeming to genuinely sympathize with (and synthesize from) those who love and those who hate the l'Empereur.
   
   Perhaps the highest compliment for a book, I plan to reread this one.



4. Simply put, an excellent read in content, wisdom and prose.



5. Steven Englund's Napoleon: A Political Life (available in paperback from Harvard) is a book that should satisfy both the interested lay reader and the professional historian.
   
   It will satisfy the lay person because it tells a fascinating story about one of history's most interesting and influential human beings, and it tells it exceptionally well. In the process, the reader will gain insights into how a topflight scholar advances his or her field of knowledge.
   
   It will please academics because Englund presents a nuanced revision of the current myths about Napoleon, who, after two hundred years, still stirs passions among his admirers and detractors as though he were living today. The author focuses on Napoleon's evolving political thought and strategy and how his contemporaries actually responded to him, not how we wished they had responded to him. A virtue is that Englund avoids smoothing out Napoleon's past choices and actions through hindsight: Englund emphasizes that actual history is messy; it doesn't come in tidy packages.
   
   The greatest of men, the very few like Napoleon, leave behind an altered world. Englund draws on Christian Meier's masterful biography of Caesar. He frequently compares Napoleon to Caesar, but Napoleon left behind many more permanent structures in France and across Europe thna Caesar did Rome: law code, a system to govern the localities from the center, the Legion of Honor, and in Paris, monuments and buildings and sewer system and roads.
   
   People who won't like the book will most likely object to two things.
   
   (1) It's not a history primer. Englund assumes the reader is conversant with eighteenth-century history history though not at the level of the professional historian.
   
   (2) Englund devotes almost as much time to wars and battles as he does to other issues, both domestic and international. But, especially when discussing Napoleon and his times, Clausewitz was right: war is an extension ofpolitics.
   
   Another objection may be that Englund doesn't condemn Napoleon roundly enough. He admires him but sees what disaster his overweening ambition led him to in the
   end.
   
   Highly recommended.

5 comments about The Prince of Princes: The Life of Potemkin.

1. Potemkin was a Russian statesman who exercised power in the reign of Catherine the Great. He had a position of importance for about 17 years in the last part of the 17th Century.

   He was associated with the "Southern Strategy". In the early years of the 17th Century Peter the Great had modernized the Russian army, organized society in such a way that it could support a standing army and run a centralized state in a modern way. Peter had defeated the Swedes and thrown them out of Russia. His campaigns in the south were not successful and he was forced to sign a humiliating peace with Persia.

   Potemkin expanded Russia to the South. Detaching the Crimea from the Turkish Empire and making it an independent state was the first step. Later it was annexed as was some of the territories in the Caucasus and Besserabia. Not only did Potemkin add these territories to Russia but he made them what they are today. These areas had been largely pastoral areas dominated by the Turks and sparsely populated. Potemkin filled these areas with peasant farmers and they became some of the richest agricultural areas in Russia. He also designed and built cities such as Odessa and Sebastapool. One thing which was important to Russia's history over the next hundred years was that he developed good relationships with the Cossacks and in fact created the Kuban Cossacks. As a result the Cossacks became one of the pillars of Czarism.

   In the 19th Century Russia was one of the largest and most successful empires. Potemkin is one of its architects and laid the basis for its relentless eastward expansion. He is remarkable in many ways. A good deal of what he achieved was through diplomacy. His skills and interests were greater than that of a normal military leader and involved setting up the infrastructure of a nation state.

   This book is something that could not fail to be interesting because of its subject matter. The writer however tends to focus on the dramatic and scandalous parts of Potemkin's life to make a dramatic story somewhat at the expense of the historical narrative.

   Catherine the Great was married to a Czar who was probably insane. It seems that her son was the product of an affair. Shortly after her husband came to the thrown she became fearful that she would be divorced. She conspired with two brothers called the Orlovs to overthrow her husband and later murder him and to make her the Czar.

   In her forties Catherine had an affair with Potemkin who was a very minor noble in a guards restaurant. He had shown bravery in battle and continually flirted with Catherine and threw himself at her feet. She succumbed and they were lovers for a while and probably were married secretly. His power and office derive from her trust in him. After their affair ended he continued to exercise power in the South of Russia.

   The book tends to push the romance between Potemkin and Catherine to the fore and to discuss the history as something of an afterthought. It seems designed at selling to a larger market than normal academic histories. Despite all this it is an interesting work both from the point of view of discussing Catherine and also documenting the rise of the Russian empire.




2. If all you knew about Potemkin was the fact that he built fake villages for Catherine the Great, then this book will tell you a lot more. In fact, the author goes into the origin of that particular myth, and shows it to be false, and propagated by enemies of Potemkin, and repeated, uncritically, by subsequent historians.

   There is no question that Sebag-Montefiore is biassed in favor of his hero - this is not an objective biography, and doesn't try to be, or claim to be so. Some people might think that the author of a historical biography should be an invisible, impartial figure, but you don't get that with this book. You hear a lot about the author's travels to research his subject, which contrasts with the dry style of more "serious" historians, who never leave the library. Any author of a biography is likely to be biassed, so why not be upfront about it?

   This is a very readable book - there are lots of anecdotes, and a lot of quotes directly from the correspondance between Potemkin and Catherine. The book makes a direct claim that the two were married, in a secret ceremony, and even describes the ceremony, even though the author cheerfully admits the lack of evidence for this.

   The really good thing about this book is that most of it draws on primary sources, many of which have not been available before, and the author brings these, and their authors to life. This means that it is a ground-breaking historical account, and popular history at the same time. Like all good biographies, it teaches you a lot about the historical context, so you will learn a lot about how Catherine was able to defeat the Turks, and significantly expand the size of the Russian empire. Seeing Catherine through the eyes of her lover's biographer is a new slant on a subject who has had a lot written about her.

   I really enjoyed this book. It's popular history that is both historical (in terms of its academic integrity, and its research) and popular (in terms of its interesting subject, and lively writing style).




3. Unlike physics, writing biography or history is often an exercise in opinion. It gains credibility by being informed of the historical record, but affairs are frequently so complex, and knowledge so incomplete, that opinion may prevail by default. Unfortunately, opinion can also prevail in the presence of substantial fact, and this seems to be the case with Sebag Montefiore's "Prince of Princes: The Life of Potemkin." This prodigious work with over a hundred pages of references and notes, many citing sources never before seen, makes a contribution by bringing these to light. On the other hand, it shares with its useless 1938 predecessor, George Soloveytchik's "Potemkin: A Picture of Catherine's Russia", an overwhelming hero worship of its subject. This leads to an intolerant opinion and dismissal of material not supporting the author's love. Thus, unfavorable material on Potemkin is out of hand labeled, and often with some emotion, "untrustworthy," "prejudiced," "venomous," containing "weasel words," etc.

   Sadly, Montefiore's efforts are compromised by incomplete and out-of-context quotations of Prince de Ligne that self-servingly change the meaning to the opposite of its original intent. For example, the author writes on page 382, "Ligne knew 'very well what legerdemain tricks are', but the achievements were real." However, the quotation he cites continues, "...for example, the empress, who cannot rush about on foot as we do, is made to believe that certain towns for which she has given money are finished; whereas they are often towns without streets, streets without houses, houses without roofs, doors, or windows." One hopes that this was a mere oversight, but the reader is helpless to tell and is inevitably left wondering about the reliability of other citations.

   There is also confusion of the Lake Ladoga/Upper Volga cruise of 1785 with the celebrated 1787 inspection trip south. The author has the English Ambassador Fitzherbert composing on the Volga trip some tricky verse when in fact the incident took place two years later on the Dnieper River, and Count de Segur was the impromptu poet.

   There are many sweeping statements presented as undisputed fact such as the French and Indian War "...set off the events that would lead to the Seven Years War..." (p. 35), the Russian army brought the Prussian army to the "very edge of destruction" during the Seven Years War (p. 40), the Black Sea fleet was well- made (p. 370) and then refutes himself in footnote 33 on page 589, etc. Most historians would take issue with every one of these statements and with dozens more as well.

   The author seems to be confused about the issue behind the "Potemkin Villages" story. The Potemkin Village controversy was not over the achievements in the Crimea and lower Ukraine seen during the land portion of Catherine's 1787 journey (though these too were questioned) but over what was seen earlier during the Dnieper River float. It was the "villages" seen from the river that were alleged to be "fake," (though once again questions were raised about achievements elsewhere as well,) and contrary to advertising claims on the book's dust jacket, the work is completely unpersuasive in laying the Potemkin Village matter to rest.

   The book also frequently seems to loose focus with numerous biographical asides of secondary characters, some quit lengthy.

   There are just too many issues with this book from weak editing to questionable facts, injudicious hero worship, outright errors of fact, an almost Russia partisanship and defensiveness, a peculiar view of history, etc., to make it acceptable. Alas, a trustworthy biography of Gregory Potemkin remains yet to be written.




4. Yes, this biography is flawed. And anyone who abjures imperfect work should avoid this book. But if you care to learn how one man and one woman's passion enlightened and modernized the Russian empire, you should read this book and accept it for what it is--an insightful psychobiography rather than history.

   Montefiore documents the frenetic and flawed love between Catherine, Tzarina of the Russian Empire and Potemkin. He shows how their love bound and locked their souls together in a dance played out through letters that left each no less desperate, but somehow more complete. Catherine tutored the younger Potemkin, mentored his fine mind, and then recognized her protege-lover first as her equal and then as unparalleled founder of the empire that she could adeptly run, but never of her own device create.

   Also, Montefiore shows how Potemkin looms as freethinker over the feudal landscape of 18th century Russia. Not through courage or moral principle did he embrace new ideas and pariahs but rather through audaciousness. Potemkin thirsted for new experiences. He craved proximity to ancient truths, and to their exponents--whether they be Rabbis, Mullahs, ArchBishops or defrocked Priests. And his actions transformed that landscape as he built cities, ships, whole provinces seemingly with nothing but the power of his own will.

   I am left with a question for the author. What role did self-preservation, and obsession to protect Catherine play in Potemkin's unbounded efforts to extend the Russian empire southward? Did his actions protect his sovereign from intrique and possible deposition? Was he driven by vision or necessity?




5. Potemkin : Prince of Princes
   by Simon Sebag Montefiore
   This book about Potemkin is as broad, expansive, and fascinating as the man himself. It's beautifully researched, based strongly on the correspondence of Potemkin and Catherine the Great, as well as the archives of Potemkin.
   
   Gregor Potemkin was a minor noble who was on the periphery of the conspiracy that brought Catherine the Great to power in Russia in 1762. Younger than Catherine, Potemkin remained among the people who served her, and was seen as a humorous and turbulent young man with a gift for amusing the Empress.
   
   In 1774, they became lovers, and lovers on an epic scale. The letters between them are humorous, loving, passionate, and filled with the details of running an Empire. Potemkin, brilliant, well-read and gifted was a companion for Catherine in a way that none of her other favorites were. He and Catherine were tender towards one another til his death in the early 1790's, even as they both eventually turned to other lovers. Rumors spread that they were married, and Montefiore explores whether this might be true. His conclusion - it's impossible to prove, but their language of love uses the phrases husband and wife in far more than casual way. And the way that they worked together to run an Empire, wage wars in Crimea, and make Russia a stronger Imperial power was one of partnership, not of master and servant.
   
   Potemkin is a fascinating figure - by turns filled with manic energy and diffident - a sensualist who wanted to reside in a monastery, a mass of contradictions. But the book makes a sense of the man - passionate and intellectual, filled with curiosity for innovation, with a gift for friendship. He led the effort to conquer the Crimea, giving Russia an outlet on the Black Sea, which led to important shifts in power in the coming century. Sometimes hiding behind a mask of indolence, he set out to build towns, improve agricultural, innovate in river transport, and set a new diplomatic agenda with the Ottaman Empire, Austria, France and Prussia.
   
   Montefiore discusses some of the myths of Potemkin, especially the infamous Potemkin villages, and tries to show how the foreign ambassadors around Potemkin had reasons to diminish the progress Potemkin had made in changing the newly acquired lands in the Crimea. Occasionally the author is perhaps too willing to dismiss Potemkin's more outrageous behavior, but is frank and honest about his failings as well as his triumphs.
   
   The book is beautifully written, with an energetic and clear prose style. Often you get only books about the dominant figure of a place and era, such as Catherine the Great in Russia during this time. This book add substantial details to the picture of the Russian Court, Russian politics, and of Catherine herself. A highly recommended book for anyone interested in the period. If you need an entree into the period, let me recommend Henri Troyat's Catherine the Great.
   
   A joy! What a pleasure to read a good book.

2 comments about The Fighting Pattons.

1. The Generals Patton, father and son, served their country for 79 years, altogether, in careers unsurpassed by any other American military family. General George S. Patton Jr's life, in particular, has been examined microscopically, but the section of this work which recounts his career is enhanced by comments, for the first time, by his son and daughter.
   That alone would make the book worthwhile, but the bulk of the work tells the story of Major General George S. Patton (1923 - ), himself a fine fighting general and one of the best trained officers ever to wear the uniform. Like his father, he was a scholar of his trade who understood that skillful audacity accomplishes the mission with minimal casualties.
   Very readable, with invaluable comments by Major General Patton interspersed; photos, bibliography, and index. Highly recommended.

   (The numerical rating above is a default setting within Amazon's format. This recviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)




2. I served in the 2nd Armored Division during MG Patton's tenure. He was an inspiration to many of us. The stories are true and very accurate. I am sure there are a few more that are not in the book! BB

5 comments about The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indian Wars.

1. Although "The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indian Wars" is an invaluable collection of source materials on the life lived by the flamboyant and enigmatic General George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876), the book once again reminds us that the life of one man came down to ONE battle waged on a Montana hillside on June 25, 1876. If you were hoping to find a narrative of Custer's life, I would recommend Jeffry K. Wert's "Custer" as a first source and using Hatch's book as a source to garner further information.

   Although the Battle of the Little Big Horn and Custer's remarkable failure there has seared the youngest general in United States' history image indelibly on the American imagination, the "myth", to the average 19th Century American was created long before that tragedy. It is the life lived during the American Civil War that provides fodder for the tragedy we recognize as a life cut short, a promise unfullfilled, and it is Custer's early life which is lacking in Hatch's narrative. I found an almost Custer-like impatience by the author in "The Custer Companion. . ." to get to the "big" story and it is this impatience that may contribute to some historical inaccuracies and a noted thinness in Custer's life story before the Plains Indian Wars.

   The information on the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the numerous personalities that were factors in Custer's life story is, without a doubt, wonderful. But if you seek to "know" the man on his swift climb to prominence, "The Custer Companion. . ." would not be my first choice.

   Use "The Custer Companion. . ." as a warehouse of bibiliographic material, but do not use it as a foundation for an introduction to one of the most fascinating figures in American history.




2. This is a well detailed overview of the life of General Custer from his roots to the aftermath of the LBH. The book is interlaced with a 100 or more biographies of all the key people associated with from family, soldiers, scouts, and politicians to Native Americans. The bios are outstanding and they fill in some holes even for the seasoned Custerphile. One example is the bio on Dr. Coates, the surgeon who served with Custer in Kansas and. Coates was a key witness on Custer's behalf in reference to the charge that he denied medical treatment for deserters. The bio covers Coates' short army career before and after the incident including his post army life. Another is Colonel Sturgis, the actual Colonel and actual commander of the 7th, who typically was on assignment or administrative duties deferring field command to Custer. In addition, when referencing a particular individual or place or battle, Hatch provides a detailed bibliography on the person or topic. When I read of the controversy regarding Custer's 1867 court-martial, the listed references led me to Lawrence Frost's detailed book on the subject. In addition to the bios sprinkled throughout the book are quotes by the General himself, which are highlighted outside the regular text, which adds depth to what Custer was feeling at that point in his history. It's also quite clear that he and Libby had one of the closest relationships in history. Although there may be more detailed works on the various prime subjects of Custer's life, this book captures it very well and closes ranks on information with people that intersected Custer's life from Reno, Benteen, Tom Custer, Belknap, Crazy Horse, Two Moons, Keough, Calhoun, Weir, Godfrey, Sitting Bull, Gall, Crazy Horse, Curley and on. The biographies sometimes seem a little redundant since they often overlap the text but they are well worth it. My only criticism was that there was not more on Lt. Wallace who was the timekeeper during the LBH command. Wallace appears to have aided and abetted Benteen and Reno at Reno's Court Martial. The fun part is at the conclusion of the LBH the author adds a little argument by critiquing other authors' views in what happened to Custer's brigade and he comes up with his own plausible theory. In Hatch's book, Reno and Benteen are held accountable for their wrong actions or inactions. A very good perspective and well worth reading as it even includes a review of the final Plains Indian campaigns.



3. The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide To The Life Of George Armstrong Custer And The Plains Indian Wars by historian and Custer expert Thom Hatch combines an informative biography of George Armstrong Custer with a vividly presented history of the Plains Indian Wars. The Custer Companion covers The Surrender Flag Controversy; Custer's Mad Dash across Kansas; Wild Bill's Showdown with Tom Custer; Red Cloud's War; The Sand Creek Massacre; The Russian Grand Duke's Buffalo Hunt; The Arrest and Revenge of Rain-in-the-Face; The Midnight Ride of Charley Reynolds; and a wealth of other aspects of "Custeriana". Solid, straightforward text enhanced with numerous sidebars going into little-known details, as well as a profusion of black-and-white photographs coupled with the results of an exhaustive research, makes The Custer Companion an indispensable resource for anyone studying one of America's most colorful (and controversial) military figures of the 19th century -- a man whose turbulent character and impact on American frontier history evokes renewed interest in every new generation of Americans.



4. Along with William A. Graham's "Custer Myth" and Paul A. Hutton's "Custer Reader", this book belongs on the shelf of any serious student of Custer's life and career. I do not often feel compelled to comment on books I've read, but this is one of those rare gems that comes along unexpectedly, just when you think that everything that can be said has been said.
   
   My library includes nearly every book ever written about Custer and I would rank Hatch's book with the best of them. Some of those books contain useful and fascinating information but are barely readable, but Thom Hatch manages to make his both fascinating and readable, and that is a laudable accomplishment for any historian. I also disagree with those who say this would not make a good introductory work; I think that on the contrary, it would make an excellent place to start. It covers the entirety of his life and career and leaves few facets unexplored or unremarked, from birth to pre-military teaching jobs to West Point, the Civil War and beyond.
   
   One of its strongest assets is the "for further reading" list appended to each section, listing the various works out there which can better inform the reader about the subject at hand. But this is more than an empty list of authors and titles; Hatch comments on the various books, judging them not only by what he has to say about them but what others have said as well. For instance, of Gregory J.W. Unwin's classic "Custer Victorious" he says "minor drawbacks to this exciting and well-written work is that some have claimed that it is too pro-Custer, with too much cheerleading, and that it - as the title suggests - concentrates on the battles when Custer was a general and fails to adequately chronicle his first two years of service and associated aspects of his career." This is particularly useful information for somebody new to the field of Custer studies and will guide them in picking and choosing their way through the vast library of Custeriana.
   
   Another strength of this book is the sidebars. These are useful and fascinating digressions into areas outside the main body of the text and discuss such things as tables of organization for various expeditions (a plus for the student of military history), "Military Forts on the Central and Southern Plains", "Custer's Mad Dash across Kansas", "Wild Bill's Showdown with Tom Custer", "The Joel Elliott Controversy", "The Arrest and Revenge of Rain-in-the-Face" and so forth. Better yet, associated subjects, though not directly pertaining to Custer, are not forgotten, so we are provided with information about the Battle of Beecher Island, not to mention a biographical sketch of Lt. Beecher himself, Red Cloud's War and the Buffalo Soldiers. These additions better round out the world in which Custer lived and operated and allow the reader to understand the currents - historical, military and social - of his time.
   
   Complementing the sidebars are the biographies. These cover a variety of people, such as Sheridan, Benteen, Reno, Terry and the other "usual suspects" but also lesser known figures, such as scout William Averill Comstock, Captain Louis McLane Hamilton, Major Eugene Asa Carr, not to mention Native American leaders and warriors, not limited to Crazy Horse, Gall and Sitting Bull but including such figures as Roman Nose, Black Kettle, Satanta, Kicking Bird, and others. And these are not dry biographical sketches. His remarks on Winfield Scott Hancock are telling: "Hancock apparently urged Col. A.J. Smith to prefer charges against Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, branding him the scapegoat for this blot on the general's otherwise exemplary military career." Of Captain Albert Barnitz, frequently cited by Custer critics, he says: "Barnitz wrote about Custer to his wife on May 15, 'He is the most complete example of a petty tyrant that I have ever seen.' Perhaps that attitude could be partially blamed on he fact that Barnitz had been arrested for discarding forage and not feeding his horses."
   
   All in all, this is a very balanced treatment of the life and career of George Armstrong Custer. If Custer comes out favorably in these pages, I think it is only because Hatch rightly points out the absurdity of some of the positions his critics have taken, and it is a refreshing change of pace from those who, like Roger Darling, simply assume Custer must have 'gone nuts' on the day of the Little Bighorn. No man lives in a vacuum and as this book demonstrates, the Little Bighorn cannot be taken out of the context of Custer's life, career and experiences.
   
   In the end, the only criticism I can level is that due to the book's organization the reader will be forced to flip back and forth as they read, and this is no real hardship at all given the wealth of information uncovered with every page. "The Custer Companion" is a delight to read. In a field that is possibly the most written about in American history, and home to such giants as Frost, Utley and Dippie, Thom Hatch's accomplishment still stands out.



5. I was seeking more information of the actual troopers who served with the 7th before and during the Souix Campaign of 1876. There are plenty of photos of the officers and bios but the emlisted soldiers were unfortunaltely absent fo rthe most part. I was expecting at least a list of the troopers and some information of their race, ethnicity, backgrounds etc. I realize these were not necessarily model citizens but they were somewhat representative of the post CW military. I was hoping to be able to draw some comparisons to our "draft" army of the 1960's as far as compositions of troops.

5 comments about Medic!: The Story of a Conscientious Objector in the Vietnam War.

1. I found the book to be a pretty sharp criticism of the U.S. Army and how it treated its own soldiers. The fact that Sherman was in more danger from his fellow G.I.s than the Viet Cong is very troubling but we hear these stories all the time.



2. Reviewer Mazza (11.15.04) mentions that the book "reads more like a novel than a memoir." Exactly, and that's the problem---which is it? As reviewer Bunch (1.24.06) notes, there are several events that don't ring true. For example, in 1985 the author and a friend visited a deserted Wall at 10 o'clock at night. As he knelt and wept in front of the name of a soldier whose life he had been unable to save in `69, who should appear but that same man's mother and brother (to whom he apparently said nothing). There are many books written by Vietnam vets. Read this one if you aren't troubled by repeated dramatic coincidences.



3. Ben Sherman was a conscientious objector who nonetheless served in Vietnam as a medic. As a combat medic myself, much of what he retells here is spot on. However, parts of the book seemed a bit contrived, hence the 3 stars.
   
   Sherman's courage is beyond reproach - to go into a combat zone unarmed (even as a medic) takes real stones. The fear, apprehension and constant wondering if he was "good enough" to do right by his soldiers was eerily familiar. His anguish and self-blame at those he could not save speaks volumes about his character. The descriptions of Vietnam and of his experiences in (and out) of combat are vivid. However more than once I couldn't help but think that he was retelling sea-stories or dramatizing - particularly in the epilogue where he retells meeting the family of a fallen comrade. While this may have happened, it seems inplausable and feels as if it were written for emotional impact.
   
   Volumes have been written about Vietnam, many of them memoirs from those who served on the ground. While _Medic!_ offers a new perspective (from that of a CO - conscientious objector), it is not among the better of the lot.



4. When I first started reading this book I couldn't put it down and was disappointed that it wasn't very long. Since I finished it, I have reread parts of it because I like them so much. "Medic" is written like a novel (as was mentioned in previous reviews), which makes the book extremely easy to read, since it's more than a list of what the author did. The fact that the book seems like a novel is not a fault. It allows you to get into the book and I don't think that the historical value of the narrative was diminished by it. I got into all of the characters in the book, all of whom were portrayed in good detail. The characters and their plights gave good insight into how war affects those involved emotionally. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good book or who is interested in Vietnam War literature.



5. I have only read two books, in my twenty five years, from cover to cover. Both took nearly two months to complete, I'd read ten minutes at a time, or more.
   
   I had been browsing through Borders, on Saturday evening, looking for Candy Bombers. They didn't have it. While I was faux browsing, waiting for someone to move, something popped out on the shelf. Medic! I work as an EMT in a small town, very rural, area. That had nothing to do with my interest, I just threw it in there. Members of my family had been in every way, for the past 150 years. Literally. They were killed at Five Points, Virginia, in the Civil War; Sainteny, France; and Cambodia. The last, was a feature of a thirty-years later, letter, that made national news. I'm fond of Military history, battlefield medicine, that laid the path for my career today, in Emergency Medical Services.
   
   I'm a picky reader, and I'm critical of authors, their style either grabs me, or pushes me away. I have hundreds of books that I bought, only to use a paragraph, dozens that pushed me away, two that I enjoyed. Thousands in all, enough to have a library, in my home. I'm an author myself, co-author, I've written hundreds of articles and essays, and publish two books. I'm not great, I just have a really good hobby, and I can type.
   
   Nearly ten hours ago, I sat down to finally read my September copy of JEMS. The Journal of Emergency Medical Services. I wasn't comfortable, I looked around, and laid down JEMS. I picked up Medic!, and now it's quarter to three on a Tuesday morning.
   
   I read Medic!, in just under ten hours. Good book, skilled author. I'm posting it to a friend that is stationed over seas in the morning. Good literature must not sit on a shelf, it should be passed on.

1 comments about The Mysterious Private Thompson: The Double Life of Sarah Emma Edmonds, Civil War Soldier.

1. "The Mysterious Private Thompson" is a first-rate, riveting book about a woman who ran away from home to avoid an arranged marriage and disguised herself as a man to make her way in the world. She first became a successful traveling book salesman and then, astoundingly, served as a Civil War soldier for two years. Not only is the story fascinating as to how someone could maintain a disguise so effectively for so long a period of time, but the story's historical context is so carefully researched and deftly conveyed that you are almost unaware that this is a history book as well as a human interest story. I learned more in this book about the Battles of Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, the Battle of Fredericksburg, plus Generals McClellan and Burnside, than I had in all my years of school. Laura Gansler is a brilliant, gifted writer and I highly recommend this book.

1 comments about Fields of Honor: The Pat Tillman Story.

1. Good story to read as fiction.
   
   
   
   Good story.