2 comments about Rickover: Father of the Nuclear Navy (Potomac's Military Profiles).

1. If you don't want to spend a lot of money and time to delve into Rickover's massive biographies, this small but excellent volume is the best you can find in order to have a complete picture of that important and much maligned personality of the 20th century. The authors cover every important detail of Rickover's life from his early years in Poland to the Annapolis Naval Academy, to World War II service and finally to the atomic branch of the legendary BuShips. Rickover's role in the development of the nuclear powered US Navy is fully precented, as well as his part in the civilian atomic industry and his machinations with the Congress. One of the most interesting chapters in my opinion was the one labelled "The Man" where Rickover's routine, habits and eccentricities make a really enoying read. The book contains some black and white photographs and also a reference to the more important dates of Rickover's life in chronological order.



2. If you accept the fact that this is an abbreviated biography, the quality is excellent. The more expansive biographies are worth exploring if you have the interest - and Rickover is definitely interesting. However, this is one of the finest short bios I have read. Before beginning this little jewel I had just finished reading Richard Rhodes, "The Making of the Atomic Bomb," which overlaps the beginning of the Rickover era. What a combo. Now off to "RICKOVER" by Duncan.

5 comments about Lee Considered: General Robert E. Lee and Civil War History.

1. If you like politically correct revisionism, then this is for you. I don't mind at all reading well reasoned essays, but when the author concludes that nothing about the historic portrayal of Robert E. Lee is accurate, that's a bit much. According to the book, Lee was not particularly honest or competent.
   When those closest to him throughout his U.S. army career, those who served closely with him during four years of war,and even his military adversaries (including President Licoln) almost universally indicated a high regard for the man, certainly he must have gotten something right. The Army of Northern Virginia held together during one of the coldest winters in the 19th century (1864-65) shivering in the trenches with little clothing or food because thousands still believed in Lee enough to continue to fight. That was certainly well before the myth of the Lost Cause was developed. I guess that those who knew him best were just too stupid to see the great "truths" this book uncovers.
   
   The fact that Lee's soldiers went home after an incredibly bitter war and that America did not turn into Northern Ireland is a tribute to Lee. The fact that Lee quicky applied for a pardon and tried to set an example to reduce sectional hatred and devoted his remaining years to educating the next generation means the poor guy could not be all bad.
   
   But you sure wouldn't know it from reading Lee Considered. I suggest that you considering buying something else.



2. Yep, it is, in my opinion, very bad (I can hardly use the word in connection with it) "history." Knowing that I love to read Civil War history, a relative gave me this book for Christmas, 2007; I read it in a couple of days. Geez. Invalid criteria, misreading of facts and invalid analysis are, in my opinion, the hallmarks of this book. Valuing my bookshelf space, I did the right thing: I wrote my 'Thank You' note, then pitched it.
   
   Its a good thing that trees are a renewable resource.



3. Save your money, Charter assignation is the lawyers trade mark and from Alan Nolan you see his distain for the south and all southern writers; objectivity is not in his vocabulary or writing this book.
   Nolan writes in typical lawyer fashion, he does not let truth or facts get in the way of a good story.
   I am disappointed with the blatant bias of the book by someone who is attempting to write about a general in the confederate army with any degree of fairness. A law degree makes not a soldier or writer.
   Nolan makes many contradictory statements, both military and nonmilitary, which appear to be from not having an original thought and brings into question his expertise in military tactics and his ability to write objectivity as a military historian. His use of tertiary sources is least desirable way to do research and writing; but to say the people who he has scavenged the work from do not know the real Robert E. Lee is the height of conceit. In this book Nolan seems to be trying to prove historians wrong and portray Lee as some sort of war monger, which of course if far from the truth.
   Douglas S. Freeman, Nobel Prize, a Lee historian of the highest caliber, is turning over in his grave, at the attacks on his writing. Freeman's father, served honorably for the war of independence, was a great source of information for Douglas; would be greatly insulted by this book.
   His writing is excerpts form other writers books and he leaves many gaps when quoting for these writers, which leaves me to believe he is selectively taking information out of context for the purpose of demeaning the main charter.
   One would be better served to read other books on the war for southern independence before reading this book.



4. this book shows the flaws of robert E lee. the author disproves many of the myth surrounding Lee about not supporting slavery and being a flawless general -eventhough he was a good general. overall, it is a good read for anyone who wants to learn about Robert E Lee.



5. If a book has substantial references and documentation to specifically document controversial opinions and positions of the author, then it may make a worthwhile read. In this tome, however, Nolan provides little to no rational support for his opinions, making his efforts..., well,....trash. At least the National Inquirer gets sued if it creates defamatory material, and publishes it. Poor Marse Lee isn't with us to give Nolan the same thrashing he would receive were Nolan not too infirm himself and the subject of his scorn alive.
   
   Sadly, I can only hope that McPherson and Gallagher, who thought this book more than a cheap novel, have managed to maintain a higher degree of scholarship in their own works than does Nolan. Honestly, my problem with the book is not that it takes a negative view of Lee, otherwise, I wouldn't have bought it. My disappointment lies in the unmitigated lack of reasonable support in the record to be found in a single negative statement.
   
   Well, at least the pages of my book have found some redeeming usefulness, as what is left of the book sits next to my toilet. Damn expensive toilet paper, though.

3 comments about One Step Forward: The Life of Ken Dahlberg.

1. One Step Forward The life of Ken Dahlberg
   
   
   I was not to sure what to expect from a WW II veteran's life. The story kept me interested thru out. The book is about Ken Dahlberg life from childhood to the founder of company called Miracle Ear. Oh, by the way, he was a triple ace in WW II, shot down three times and held as a prisoner of war in Germany. Ken Dahlberg is now over ninety years old with no signs of slowing down!
   My favorite part of the book is his military career. He tells about how he almost did not graduate flight school. What he thought was his last day he snapped a barrel roll in his plane. The instructor asked and Dahlberg replied he thought he failed and wanted to try it in his last day of flying a military aircraft. The instructors made him a flight instructor and finally sent him to combat.
   The description of his becoming a triple ace is remarkable. I know there are only a few triple aces. Dahlberg is pretty humble in his skills as a pilot. When he was shot down, during the Battle of the Bulge he was rescued by a tank crew. Dahlberg and the book writers went to visit the soldier who saved him sixty years later in the hospital . The soldier told his story of the rescue and later passed away from cancer.
   Dahlberg went back to France and revisited the French family that hid him from the Germans after he was shot down. In the book, there are photos of the villa, and Dahlberg with the wooden stick hut slept in.
   Most of the book is about WW II combat experience and there are parts on how he got started in business after the war. I found it amazing that Dahlberg had started with nothing and worked hard and sacrificed to become a successful business person. He never forgets the sacrifices he and his fellow soldiers made to this country.
   Reading One Step Forward the life of Ken Dahlbeg will make you understand why World War II Veterans are called the greatest generation because they gave it all for this country. The book is very excellent reading and captivating.
   
   MAJ (ret) Eric Shuler NJARNG
   OIF 2004-2005
   
   
   



2. ONE STEP FORWARD is the life story of Kenneth Henry Dahlberg, one of whose claims to fame is being an 9th Air Force triple ace in World War II. Yet, as revealed in this 2008 volume from I WAS THERE PRESS, Dahlberg's fighter pilot exploits were just part of a well-lived, productive life.
   
   A transplanted Wisconsinite, Dahlberg was drafted in 1941 and eventually was assigned to the 354th FG, 9th AF in England. Flying P-47s and -51s, Dahlberg downed 15 Luftwaffe aircraft, earning a DSC among other awards. Shot down three times, he was a POW for the last three months of the war. He later served in the Minnesota Air National Guard and was quite successful in business, one of his company's products being the Miracle Ear hearing aid.
   
   Dahlberg accomplished a great deal in his life. It's unfortunate authors Al Zdon and Warren Mack didn't do a better job of relating that story. In particular the section on Dahlberg's military career, which should be the most exciting part of the book, is clumsily written and shows an unfamiliarity with military life. Describing Dahlberg's first combat mission, they state he flew "plane F in the third wing." Most likely, Dahlberg was in the third FLIGHT his squadron - the 353rd FS - put up. The squadron codes for the 353rd were "FT" so the correct designation for Dahlberg's P-51 on 12 June was FT*F. Later on, they state he flew a P-47 "with the letter O on its side. Again, the correct designation is FT*O. Several times the authors refer to machine guns and gun cameras being mounted "on" the airplane's wing rather than "in" the wings. Typo...perhaps? "Bomb racks" are termed "attachments for bombs" and so on.
   
   Depending on the reader's knowledge of military aviation, the above points may pass unnoticed. Yet I do feel that section of the book is disjointed and reads poorly.
   
   So, a mixed call on ONE STEP FORWARD. I was very impressed by the life Dahlberg has led; he's a wonderful representative of the Greatest generation. It's just unfortunate the authors didn't research their subject better.
   
   *****
   Note: This book is hardcover not paperback.



3. This is a recommended motivational and inspirational book with an aviation background. Dahlberg faces various trials and roadblocks with a positive attitude.!
   Recommended

4 comments about Truman and MacArthur: Policy, Politics, and the Hunger for Honor and Renown.

1. According to Michael Pearlman, Truman was one of the main reasons that MacArthur felt free to criticize the government and advance into North Korea and past Pyongyang. Truman had an overly romantic view of war and thought that his heroes Hannibal and Lee were constrained by civilian leaders. This view of military leadership made it possible for MacArthur to support the KMT government contrary to secretary of state Dean Acheson's wishes. Truman gave MacArthur further reign in Korea by letting him cross into the North Korean border and then close to the Yalu river. MacArthur was only stoped and eventually removed by Truman when after the Chinese invasion he suggested that KMT troops should become involved in the Korean War to a member of the Republican party, Joseph Martin. Truman felt that MacArthur was getting innvolved in domestic politics in which generals should avoid. The only weakness of this book is that the last fifty pages of the dragged on, but this is essential reading for those like John McCain and Robert Kaplan, who believe that the military alone should dictate military strategy.



2. Michael D. Pearlman, PhD, an award-winning historian, surgically dissects the Truman-MacArthur confrontation in his outstanding new book, Truman & MacArthur: Policy, Politics and the Hunger for Honor and Renown. In doing so, he cuts through over fifty years of partisan mythmaking by the champions of both men to present the most accurate and in-depth account to date of what led Truman to relieve MacArthur of command on April 11, 1951 and the firestorm of controversy that act produced. Pearlman's insightful account was not written to please advocates for either Truman or MacArthur. The author set himself a different task: "My job, writing some fifty years after the fact, is not to produce another partisan polemic for one individual or the other;" in short, he did not set out - as many books on this subject have done -- to make a case for justifying the actions of either man. His meticulously documented, painstakingly researched book removes the shroud of folklore that has clouded the controversy for decades and shatters long held myths -- instead of perpetuating them. Despite the fact that any political-military-diplomatic historian of long standing could not possibly embark upon such a book without having at least some preconceptions about the principal actors, Pearlman reveals that "I no longer have certain opinions held when beginning my research several years ago" - evidence of a rare open mindedness about a subject usually dominated by fixed opinions and partisanship. The result, to borrow a well-known news network tag line, is the most "fair and balanced" presentation of this complicated, highly-nuanced civil-military crisis yet published.
   
   Pearlman does history a great service by using well documented facts to destroy the mythology surrounding the controversy, much of it purposely created by Truman and his partisan supporters in the wake of the relief in an attempt to weather the storm of public outrage and to fix the "feisty old Harry" image in the public conscious. Indeed, much of what today is presumed to be "known" about the Truman-MacArthur controversy is little more than myth or folklore, peppered with a scattering of "facts" removed from the context within which they occurred. Those who have accepted the mythology regarding MacArthur's relief and assume they know what really happened would be well advised to read Pearlman's Truman & MacArthur, the most revealing, well written account yet published about this watershed event in U. S. civil-military relations.



3. Michael D. Pearlman's TRUMAN AND MACARTHUR: POLICY, POLITICS, AND THE HUNGER FOR HONOR AND RENOWN is yet an addition to the many published books about one of the two most misunderstood leaders in American history, Harry S. Truman and General Douglas MacArthur. And one asks, what is the difference between this book and previous ones that have examined the gripping relationship between these two men that has centered on the Korean War? This book was somewhat a labor of love on the part of Pearlman who spent several years researching his subjects, and his intention is not to debunk the myths that have already been covered. Readers will see that he is getting down to the bottom of the complex mind and personalities of Truman and MacArthur, which shows how similar they really were despite the possible hint of jealously that may have been the culprit to tensions that erupted and led to MacArthur being relieved of his duties. As with most writers and historians reexamining history, although Pearlman attests that he is looking through an objective eye and with partisan politics in mind as they applied to the hackling that occurred on the battlefield and in Washington. And one may also observe that he was reflecting on the more recent past.
   
   This is a well-documented and detailed book. The only qualm but interesting aspect about Pearlman's narrative is that he hastily discusses the politics about General MacArthur's run for the presidency. For those who lived during this part of history or have extensively studied MacArthur, it is a fact that he attempted to run for president alongside fellow five-star general, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and it is unfortunate that Pearlman did not elaborate on that topic. But another insightful part of the book is the tremendous amount of information embedded in each of the pages that show the character traits about Truman and MacArthur. Both men were avid readers of history and opposed the imminent threat of communism that infected the political climate of the 1950s and most importantly the men's involvement during the Korean War. And at an attempt to parallel Civil War history with references to Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson to Truman and MacArthur's leadership, Pearlman almost colloquially intersperses and ties it in throughout the book.
   
   Overall, TRUMAN AND MACARTHUR is clearly a book geared toward academic readers. However, that should not discount history buffs and aficionados to read the history of the Korean War and the most important aspect that involved the complex relationship between Truman and MacArthur. And now may be a good time to revisit this part of history in order to understand and learn about the past.



4. "The inside details of the clash between the President and the General and how MacArthur was fired."

5 comments about Soul of the Lion: A Biography of General Joshua L. Chamberlain.

1. Although John Pullen recently wrote a biography of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Willard Wallace's 1960 classic remains a highly readible and informative gem. This was an era of great writing about the Civil war, including Bruce Catton's Centenial trilogy and the first two volume's of Shelby Foote's masterpiece. Wallace's writing is equally lucid and his coverage is vast in scope. He devotes nealy as many pages to Chmaberlain's post war career as he does to his heroic years as the Colonel of the 20th Maine and later General. We all know of the heroics of Bowdoin professor (turned military leader) Chamberlain on Little Round Top but he also was instrumental in the final battles near Petersburg at Five Forks and Quaker Road. Despite being wounded (for what seems to be the umpteenth time) he went on to rally his troops. After the war he went on to serve a governor of Maine and President of Bowdoin College. His Presidency of Bowdoin was progressive but troubled. Quite simply, his innovations were ahead of their time thus opposed by many in the Bowdoin community. In politics, he was independent, answering to no bosses and as head of the Maine militia, he put down a near inserection, after a disputed election, without calling out his troops. This is a great book about a great American. I highly recommend it.



2. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is one of the greatest American military heroes of all time. He won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his courageous leadership of the 20th Maine Volunteer Regiment at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, thereby ensuring his place in history. "Soul of the Lion," by Willard M. Wallace, is a well written biography of Chamberlain. With clear and lively prose, Wallace chronicles Chamberlain's early life and career as a professor at Bowdoin College; his rise from command of the 20th Maine to general officer rank in the Union army; and his unfailingly heroic performance in some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, including Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg, and Five Forks.

   Wallace also details Chamberlain's post-Civil War career as Governor of Maine (1867-1871); President of Bowdoin College (1871-1883); and unsuccessful businessman. Especially interesting was how Chamberlain, as commander of Maine's militia, saved the state from violent anarchy during the 1880 gubernatorial election.

   Despite being well written, "Soul of the Lion" doesn't quite approach the depth found in the best biographies of military leaders. I would have especially appreciated more detailed information concerning Chamberlain's relationships with his family members. This is only a minor reservation, however; "Soul of the Lion" is a good basic survey of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's life, and a highly recommendable book about one of the great Americans of the 19th century.




3. This is an excellent book by Willard M. Wallace that was first written in 1960. It begins with the family background of the Chamberlain family and its historical roots back in Europe and then goes to the birth of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and details his life story, in which many triumphs and tragedies happened. While this book was written in a "romantic glossy tone", it is an excellent resouce for material about this gallant soldier and his contribution to save the Union at Gettysburg and Petersburg

   A man of immense intellect Chamberlain spoke many languages and was a gifted writer and poet. His natural leadership abilities was an inspiration not only to the students at Bowdoin College in Maine, but also to the 20th Maine on the hard fought day of July 2, 1863. This man quite possibly saved the Battle and thus the Union with his suprising and daring charge down Little Round Top thus suprising the men of the 15th Alabama and the rest of Confederate General Evander Law's Brigade.

   A true leader, as the book points out, Chamberlain was elected Governor of Maine and in later life was a great speaker at many GAR Reunions.

   This is an excellent book and highly recommended to anyone who wants to know more about the brave and amazing Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.




4. It has been several years since I read Soul of the Lion. However, although the Civil War years of Chamberlain are quite interesting and alive, the rest of the book is quite dull. Chamberlain's remaining days in Maine and Florida are just not very interesting reading. I attribute most of this to Wallace's weakness as a writer.



5. 
   
   This is the story of one of the most remarkable combat officers produced during the Civil War. Always leading from the front, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was always in the thick of battle. He had fourteen horses shot out from under him before he was finally so badly wounded, shot "clear through" from hip to hip, that he is set aside to die. Yet he recovers to fight again in the closing campaign of the War.
   
   Chamberlain is a hard man to dislike. Joining the Military from his position of Professor of Religion at Bowdoin College when the War breaks out, he saves the Union left at Gettysburg, earning the Medal of Honor, and is involved in most of the battles and major skirmishes fought by the Army of the Potomac in the Eastern Theater. Thought so highly of by Grant and Sheridan, he is appointed to receive the Confederate's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse where he again distinguishes himself by saluting Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during the surrender ceremonies.
   
   Four term Governor of the State of Maine, in 1880, unarmed and alone, he suppresses a mob in the State's capitol that threatened to kill him. He closed his life as President of Bowdoin College, his alma mater, and as acting Port Surveyor at Portland, Maine.
   
   The Civil War produced many genuine heroes on both sides. The State of Maine may have produced the most important one. For without Chamberlain at Gettysburg, the South could have won. As a result, the United States could be two separate nations today.

No comments about Abraham Lincoln and Robert Burns: Connected Lives and Legends.

2 comments about SURROUNDED BY HEROES: Six Campaigns with Divisional Headquarters, 82d Airborne, 1942 - 1945.

1. "Surrounded by Heroes" is an articulate, thoughtfully written remembrance of the WW II effort, observed from the vantage point of a sort of "everyman." It is a perfect companion for the PBS series, "War" (produced by Ken Burns), citing a number of the battles, locations and "players" who toiled and sometimes died in that arena. I happened to read it just before the series appeared, and found it afforded a more personal experience than if I had viewed the series alone.



2. This is an exciting book! It captured my attention and drew me in from the first page. It presents a very personal view of war. The author describes his feelings at every turn - what it was like to get a letter from home, to lose a friend in battle, or to learn that a son was born in your absence. "Surrounded By Heroes" gave me a clear picture of what it was like to be on the battlefield and off, the terror of war, the frustration of Army bureaucracy, the boredom of waiting and not knowing what was coming next. On top of all this I learned what all the Army jargon and acronyms mean - from AAF (Army Airfield) to SNAFU (Situation Normal: All F****** Up) to USO (United Service Organizations).
   
   It's a good book. read it.

2 comments about Canaris: The Life and Death of Hitler's Spymaster.

1. Why was this book so dramatically reduced in size from the German original? The German book is nearly twice the length.



2. It's not often you read a biography and still do not know a lot about the person. Admiral Wilhelm Canaris was great at what he did and he stayed out of the limelight, which combined to make him a great Spymaster. However, it also makes it a challenge for authors to find source material. Michael Mueller overcomes this challenge and delivers a masterpiece in world spycraft in his book "Canaris: The Life and Death of Hitler's Spymaster".
   
   The book follows the career of Wilhelm Canaris from his first dabbling in the intelligence business during the First World War during his fateful voyage aboard the SMS Dresden in 1914. After capture by the Royal Navy, he escaped from the Chilean island Mas-a-Tiera and found his way across South America to Buenos Aires.
   
   After his amazing escape he transferred to Spain to set up a relay system for U-Boats. Mueller does an outstanding job highlighting the efforts of Canaris' in neutral Spain to build a network of informers and saboteurs against British interests. Mueller follows with a thorough description of Canaris' tenure as a commander of the U-27 during his Mediterranean cruises during World War I, ending with the decommissioning of his vessel as part of the armistice.
   
   After the war, Canaris' life moves into the world of intrigue. Post World War I Germany was in turmoil with the socialist, nationalist, and the New Republic all vying for control after the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Mueller documents the roles of Canaris in assassinating political rivals. Canaris was clearly anti-socialist, but he walked a fine line between supporting the New Republic and the nascent nationalist movement. He survived numerous plots by his political rivals to become Hitler's Intelligence chief in 1932.
   
   Quickly losing faith in Hitler and his party, Canaris was part of a ring of conspirators in 1938 who tried to assassinate Hitler before he got out of control. The cabal lost its nerve, and shelved its plan until July 20, 1944 when Claus von Stauffenberg set off a bomb in the failed attempt to kill Hitler.
   
   Canaris and his compatriots kept detailed diaries of the atrocities and war crimes with the intent of turning them over to the allies when the war ended. These diaries were eventually discovered by the Nazis, leading to the execution of Canaris in 1945.
   
   Mueller's book is an outstanding look at the life of the head of German Intelligence agency. There are so many nuances and surprises in this book, that no book review can do it justice.

2 comments about Collateral Damage: The John List Story.

1. This book is horrible. The murders are hardly mentioned. Did anybody edit this? It's full of typos, so much so that it was hard to read. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY.



2. There is no question that the book is sloppily written and contains numerous typos. However, the story is very interesting. For the first time, the reader learns, from John List's perspective, who he was and what made him tick. What caused a man like John List, who probably had never even had a traffic violation, to perform such a heinous act? Unlike other writers, who can only speculate as to the workings of List's mind, he tells it straight and makes no effort to whitewash or to create sympathy for himself. The fact that he was ultimately diagnosed as suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his World War II experiences goes a long way toward explaining what caused List to have so many failures in the business world and what led to his final infamy.

5 comments about Lincoln's Unknown Private Life: An Oral History by His Housekeeper Mariah Vance 1850-1860.

1. I found this a very colorful and informative work and I agree that this is probably the most improtant work published on Lincoln in the last twenty years. You can see what Lincoln delt with in his relationship with his wife; her habits and emotional problems and what working for the Lincoln's was really like. You also get a rare picture of young Robert Lincoln who has been very misunderstood and maligned by history. I've read this book twice so far and picked up something new each time. It's well worth the price and is a valuable addition to any Lincoln collection.



2. When I came across this book I thought: surely its a hoax! But no, the recollections of Mariah Vance are well attested. I suppose one should have to urge caution because: (1)The memories are filtered through the person to whom Mariah gave her recollections. (2) They are reminiscences from many years after Lincoln had been well and truly canonised not only as the saviour of the Union, but among blacks he was doubly revered as the Liberator of the slaves. Hence most of the marriage troubles are blamed on Mrs Lincoln who comes across as somewhat of a termagant, saved only by occasional tendernesses to husband and to Mariah herself. To me the reproduction of Mariah's speech as 1900-style black idiom grated a little - when will authors realise that this type of writing can pall quickly, when grammatical english almost always sounds fresh and immediate? Despite all those slight negatives, this book was immensely refreshing - it clears up a lot of mysteries about the Lincoln's relationship, about Lincoln's love for Ann Ruttledge who died tragically, and about Lincoln's life-long search for religious truth. It re-habilitates Robert Lincoln as a worthy son of a great father, and answers some of the criticism he took from historians about the later treatment of his mother. Lincoln has often been accused of 'racism', and was once forced into an election statement against racial equality, which may have been sincere, but he had no qualms about his eldest son being best friend of the son of his black housekeeper, and having regular visits between the two households. Even with the warnings given at the start of this review, its a 'must read' for Lincoln scholars and collectors, and an interesting further study for those who have read the Sandburg and David H. Donald biographies.



3. When I came across this book I thought: surely its a hoax! But no, the recollections of Mariah Vance are well attested. I suppose one should have to urge caution because: (1)The memories are filtered through the person to whom Mariah gave her recollections. (2) They are reminiscences from many years after Lincoln had been well and truly canonised not only as the saviour of the Union, but among blacks he was doubly revered as the Liberator of the slaves. Hence most of the marriage troubles are blamed on Mrs Lincoln who comes across as somewhat of a termagant, saved only by occasional tendernesses to husband and to Mariah herself. To me the reproduction of Mariah's speech as 1900-style black idiom grated a little - when will authors realise that this type of writing can pall quickly, when grammatical english almost always sounds fresh and immediate? Despite all those slight negatives, this book was immensely refreshing - it clears up a lot of mysteries about the Lincoln's relationship, about Lincoln's love for Ann Ruttledge who died tragically, and about Lincoln's life-long search for religious truth. It re-habilitates Robert Lincoln as a worthy son of a great father, and answers some of the criticism he took from historians about the later treatment of his mother. Lincoln has often been accused of 'racism', and was once forced into an election statement against racial equality, which may have been sincere, but he had no qualms about his eldest son being best friend of the son of his black housekeeper, and having regular visits between the two households. Even with the warnings given at the start of this review, its a 'must read' for Lincoln scholars and collectors, and an interesting further study for those who have read the Sandburg and David H. Donald biographies.



4. I could hardly credit that there existed a detailed portrait of the Lincoln family by an African-American domestic during the family's Springfield years. Yet here it is and, as Lloyd Ostendorf's prefatory material demonstrates, it is undeniably authentic, though unendorsed by much of the academic community.
   This is a fascinating book.Its vivid portrayal of the daily life of the Lincoln household is by turns perplexing, funny, moving, and sad. Mariah Vance was first employed by the Lincolns as a laundress in 1850 after Mary Todd had run off every other working woman in Springfield. Henry Vance actually extracted extra wages--the equivalent of combat pay--from Abraham Lincoln for his wife�s work. Over the next decade, Mrs. Vance became increasingly involved in the household and enjoyed a substantial measure of intimacy with the Lincolns.
   The Lincoln who emerges from these pages is startlingly vivid. He is by turns deep, playful, philosophical, earthy, boyish, magisterial, romantic, distant, intimate--and always present. He partakes in absolutely no measure of the modern trait of numbness or non-feeling. His sadness, laughter, thoughtfulness are all immediate and resilient.
   He is different in important ways from the man portrayed by much academic scholarship. He is not only more religious, he is much more Biblically grounded than has been supposed. In fact, Mrs. Vance insists that Lincoln was baptised by full immersion into the Church of the Brethren in 1860, just after his election to the Presidency. Conventional academics are skeptical of the story, but it makes sense, when juxtaposed against the language of the Second Inaugural.
   Lincoln was also clearly not a racist. The book describes incidents in his early life when he came into close contact with African Americans, worked with them, socialized with them and in one case vigorously defended them to his own detriment.
   He is punctilious about calling Mariah "Mrs. Vance" and her husband, Henry, "Mr. Vance," until he knows them well enough to call them by their first names without compromising respect. He has no compunction about socializing with them visibly and unselfconsciously. And he is vocal and definitive about providing cash remuneration for labor at a time when the bestowing of hand-me-downs on domestics was considered an act generosity. He is, in short, entirely unpatronizing. On the other hand, as a husband, Abraham Lincoln had what we now call "problems with intimacy." Whether justifiably or not, he was constantly away from home, riding the circuit or politicking. Thus, he laid the burden of coping with his wife�s problems on the shoulders of his young son Robert. That the latter grew up to become a distinguished citizen in his own right is a tribute to his character.
   For Mary Todd Lincoln was much more than any husband and child could handle. Some have called Mariah's portrait of her sympathetic. Good God! What would be unsympathetic? In these pages, Mrs. Lincoln is portrayed as a grandiose, manic-depressive, narcissistic, drug-addict. It's true that Mariah Vance felt tremendous compassion for Mary Todd Lincoln--in fact for all the Lincolns--but it's hard for the reader to sympathize with Mrs. Lincoln, particularly when it's revealed that she administered paregoric, the mixture of alcohol and opium to which she was addicted, to her babies.
   The spirit of Ann Rutledge hovers over the domestic life of the Lincolns like a cloud. A quarter century after the young woman's death, Lincoln was still preoccupied with her. At one point, he finds in a shop and purchases a tintype portrait of a girl who he says is Ann's twin. In a colossal error in judgment, he shows this portrait to his wife and begins talking about his feelings for Ann, eliciting from his wife an entirely predictable, and not unjustified, eruption of violence, invective, and self-pity.
   And yet the book is often very funny. Mariah Vance was an acute observer, who loved the Lincoln family deeply but without illusions. Her quick wit and refusal to be intimidated by her "betters" clearly delighted Lincoln himself, who described himself with neither self-pity nor resentment as "white trash." Her love and support for Robert Lincoln were clearly essential to the boy's psychological survival.
   This is in every sense a domestic drama. The imminent earthquake of civil war is evident just offstage, but never dominates the action. The story also has something of the arc of a novel, as Abraham and Mary Lincoln learn to resolve the wounds of the past and reforge their marriage.
   My only objection has to do with the Lincolns' language. This book was transcribed in short hand by a young woman named Ada Sutton in the first decade of the twentieth century. Decades later, the mature Ms. Sutton wrote out the memoirs, retaining Mariah Vance's Black English, which she had taken down phonetically.
   The conversation of the Lincolns, however, she translated into a formal English of her own devising that completely lacks the vigor and suppleness of colloquial speech. This rings false because the Lincolns did not speak in such a stilted manner. At one point, Mrs. Vance notes that the Harvard-educated Robert Lincoln spoke correct English and tried to get his parents to emulate him, but to no avail. "They talked like old Kaintuck folks, what they was," Mariah observes.
   This is an absolutely irreplaceable book, so full of pleasures and riches that when I finished it I turned around and started reading it all over again.



5. Terrific book. Even though these are the recorded remembrances of a servant which are being recalled from many years in the past, this is the best book I have found to get an all-around look inside the Lincoln family. OK, so maybe all of the particulars are slightly colored by time passing, the impressions which they left still count. While everyone knows that Mary Lincoln had emotional problems, it says something that most biographies leave out--that is, emotional and medical problems which, since medicine is not very advanced, caused Mary to self-medicate.
   
   While I knew women took laudenum, I forgot about paregoric which was only removed from pharmacies about 20 years ago. Both are derived from opiates and she may well have taken them together. Add to these two drugs the wine from the wine cabinet (the Lincolns liked to entertain and Mary knew all about sherry and good wines) and you have a recipe for disaster. Certainly something people in the 20th and 21st centuries know all about. The book states that the servant once told Mrs. Lincoln that she had collected all the empty wine bottles and that Mary drank her paregoric straight from a rather large bottle. In an attempt to gain self-control, Mary falls apart and so does the household. Also, a good picture of Robert who has fallen into disgrace in history but who is seen as a victim of the situation. His brother dies, his father is gone a good deal and his mother has panic attacks, over medicates and collapses.
   
   The servant portrays Mary in an honest manner--as a lady who has little self-confidence, falls back on her aristocratic upbringing when she is in trouble, self-medicates and then cries afterward because she knows she has caused everyone pain. She is also portrayed as generous, kind and pretty when she is feeling well.
   
   Overall, a good portrait of the three Lincolns. For what it is worth, another book helps this book along when it states that the autopsy on Mrs. Lincoln showed a large brain tumor. What this family needed was modern medicine and a good doctor.