5 comments about Memoirs of an Infantry Officer.

1. Siegfreid Sassoon's wonderful war memoir is thinly disguised as the story of George Sherston. Based solely on Sassoon's life in the trenches of WWI, it recounts the horror and scale of carnage that occurred. More importantly it shows the emotionally scars that the survivors carried with them as a result of exposure.

   Sherston (Sassoon) was a rather spoiled and pampered young upper class Englishman. The war changed all that. Confronted with death, destruction and idiotic leadership from the High Command you sense the inner turmoil of Sherston.

   Relieved when he is not involved with the fighting he is driven by guilt over the loss of the soldiers in his battalion. Consequently when his platoon is on the line he takes great risks in reconaissance of the German positions.

   The effects of non-stop total war, stupid leadership and the complete contrast between England and the trenches (only a few hundred miles apart) is staggering to Sassoon. Sassoon becomes anti-war and considers becoming an objector, but his obvious connection to his comrades and loyalty to them wins out in the end. He hates the war but won't abandon his comrades in the field.

   This is a great war memoir written by a poet who survived and was changed for life by his experiences in it.




2. Siegfried Sassons' "Memoirs of an Infantry Officer" is a first-hand account of life at the front line during World War 1. This is not a just a historical document or diary however. Sassoon writes via an alter-ego called George. In real life, Sassoon was an infantry officer who fought at the front, but eventually grew suspicious of the reasons for the continuation of World War 1, and as such became a dissenter. This book may be fiction, but it is based on fact and it gives an impressive account of what life must have been like in those trenches, nearly a hundred years ago. Sassoon's incredible ability with words paints a much more vivid picture than any war movie will ever provide.

   George was a middle-class officer who had the luxury of a university education and was an avid reader of classic English literature. He juxtaposes the themes and ideas in this romantic poetry with the realities of life at the front to great effect. Although a tad repetitive in it's ideas (perhaps to get the point across clearly), this book is rewarding and still relevant this whole century later. As one character in the book says, "In war-time the word patriotism means suppression of truth" .




3. Terrific book that sounded a bit autobiographical. Sassoon, of course, was a war hero on the battle of the Somme, decorated twice for bravery.
   
   The book reads lyrically and is convey's nicely the daily life of soldiers moving back and forth from the front fighting trenches to the rear area of the battle field. He also does a great job portraying the strangeness and inner conflict of being back in British society (while recovering from illness) with people who know nothing of the war or its cost to the participants.
   
   A Brit's version of "All Quiet ..."



4. Continuing tale of the Cambridge-educated English Officer living the hell of warfare on the Western Front: replete with adoring batman, blustering colonel Blimps, out of control colonials (Australians and Canadians), journeys to England on home leave to meet misinformed civilians. Sasson has a style that waxes between light and lyrical, cynical and dark and starkly realistic. It is reminiscent of Graves but less dark than Blunden.
   
   This is a tale of the human mind (an upper crust mind) that makes the journey from old world to that of the lost generation -- but Sassoon never loses himself. It shows that the mind-set was already there capable of dissecting and throwing away the old world view tradition. With capable honesty Sassoon relates the contradictions in life, army and mind set of the pre-war generation. He still takes advantage of the liesure of the educated class; his batman pours his tea, he still sees the colonials as slightly quaint and backwards (especially the Australians), still finds refuge among his educated Cambridge intellectuals -- this is no tale of class struggle.
   
   This book can read as part of his trilogy lifestyle or on its own. It has many haunting vignettes and is perhaps one of the top 5 WWI memoirs. Highly recommended.



5. While perhaps best known for his poetry written during WWI, Siegfried Sassoon was a very talented wordsmith in general, a trait that is demonstrated in his second semi-fictionalized autobiography, "Memoirs of an Infantry Officer". Sassoon chose to fictionalize his accounts of his life, an odd technique that allows him to distance himself from these experiences as he intimately describes the raw emotion and response behind them. In his three memoirs he is George Sherston, a thinly veiled version of himself, who thinnly veils the real-life characters he encountered during these times.
   
   Readers are automatically flung into Sassoon's war experience, from the disjointed and fantastical training, to the brutal reality of life in the trenches. Sassoon describes these experiences in vivid detail, the sheer misery of trench warfare, the almost callous attitude toward the dead on both sides, and the surreal life led by those back home. Sassoon, nicknamed "Mad Jack" for his stubborness and seemingly sheer lunacy at times, was awfully lucky during his battle campaigns. He was wounded a few times, always sent back home to England to recuperate, and almost happy to return to the war.
   
   However, after one session as an invalid, Sassoon begins to recognize that the war may not be all it's cracked up to be, that those in power are not telling the truth about their war aims, and that he may just be a lowly pawn in a game he doesn't want to play. Towards the end of his narrative, Sassoon tells of his decision to speak out against the war, even if it meant being court martialed. This act, filtered with courage and fear, is achingly portrayed as an act both necessary and questionable: as Sassoon places himself in danger, he questions his true beliefs in the matter. This account ends just as Sassoon enters the hospital in Scotland, avoiding court martial with a diagnosis of shell shock, 'lucky' as usual.
   
   "Memoirs of an Infantry Officer" is a vividly descriptive account of life in the trenches during WWI. Sassoon is a gifted storyteller, who can make even the direst settings come to life. He offers a unique insight into the soldier poets who first questioned whether or not war was such a noble and glorious pursuit and if the sacrifice of lives was worth the price in the end. While a little slow at times, the last quarter of the narrative which details Sassoon's questioning of the war, is a brilliantly written firsthand look at how a too little celebrated writer finally found his voice.

2 comments about John Warden and the Renaissance of American Air Power.

1. This is an excellent book indeed. Not only does it have a lot to say about the way airpower is and should be used in modern war, but it also explains how the U.S military, and presumably not only the U.S military, REALLY work. All this is done on the basis of extremely thorough research that is a model of its kind.
   A very good book--highly recommended for anybody interested in airpower. Go and get it!



2. John Andreas Olsen's "John Warden and the Renaissance of American Air Power" is an excellent and thorough analysis of the importance of operational art and strategic thinking in the application of air power, told through the career of Air Force Colonel John Warden. The book combines elements of biography, campaign history, and strategic theory to present the story of the United States Air Force's attempts to move from a tactical, systems approach to warfare to one focused on applying air power to achieve decisive strategic effects. Olsen succeeds in demonstrating Warden's impact on the service's culture and war fighting focus.
   
   Olsen is at his best when discussing Warden's contributions to air power theory, as well as his ideas on professional military education, air force doctrine, and the development of the Instant Thunder air campaign plan in support of Operation Desert Storm. His writing is less focused on Warden's early career and operational assignments, details of which are mostly provided for context. Readers looking for accounts of dodging surface to air missiles over North Vietnam, or detailed discussion of weapons systems will be disappointed. Those interested in the application of theory and doctrine to real-world contingency operations have a great deal to learn from Olsen's efforts. He brings an educated air officer's perspective to his analysis, and provides an objective discussion of the role of air power at the operational and strategic levels of war
   
   "John Warden and the Renaissance of American Air Power" is very well researched, with excellent footnotes and a great selected bibliography. Serious students will enjoy reading these sections of the book to see where they can learn more about the subject. I highly recommend this book to military officers of all services, students studying national security topics, and anyone interested in defense issues.

No comments about The Drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army.

No comments about Custer and the Little Bighorn.

3 comments about Edge Of The Sword: The Ordeal Of Carpetbagger Marshall H. Twitchell In The Civil War And Reconstruction.

1. In recent decades, many historians of Reconstruction have been drawn to the story of Marshall H. Twitchell, an idealistic carpetbagger who braved ferocious reactionary violence in postbellum Louisiana. Honest, courageous, and committed, Twitchell was not the stereotypical northern opportunist of southern lore, and he has, as a result, surfaced in studies by Eric Foner, Lawrence Powell, George Rable and other historians who have revised the old Dunning-school interpretation of the carpetbaggers. Twitchell has, nevertheless, remained largely unknown to non-specialists because, until now, no one had written a full-length account of his life. With the publication of Ted Tunnell's superb biography, Edge of the Sword, Twitchell's extraordinary story should reach a wider audience.
   In recounting Twitchell's life, Tunnell tells "one of the great stories of Reconstruction."(p.4) Born in Vermont, Twitchell joined the Union Army at the start of the Civil War and fought in most of the major battles in the Virginia theater. Severely wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness when a minie ball entered his skull through his eye, he was left for dead by army surgeons. But after a miraculous recovery, Twitchell went on to be an officer for a black regiment comprised mainly of ex-slaves. Following Appomattox, he became an agent of the Freedmen's Bureau in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. While serving in this capacity, Twitchell met and married a southern woman, Adele Coleman, whom he hoped to someday bring home with him to Vermont. But when Adele refused to move North, Twitchell made the best of his situation, purchasing a modest cotton plantation, moving some of his relatives down from the Green Mountain state, and establishing a small "Yankee colony" in the town of Coushatta.
   In 1868 Twitchell entered local politics and, with the support of African-American voters, was elected as a Republican to the state senate where he successfully fought for funding to build black public schools. He also displayed remarkable courage in the face of repeated threats from the Knights of the White Camellia, Louisiana's version of the Ku Klux Klan. In one instance, Twitchell, having fallen asleep in his saddle, avoided assassination when his mule took the wrong road, thus circumnavigating the bushwhackers waiting in the woods ahead. Twitchell's brother Homer was not so lucky, however. In August 1874, while Marshall was away in New Orleans, conspirators killed his brother and six other Republicans in what became known as the "Coushatta Massacre." Undaunted, Twitchell returned to the town despite threats that he would be next. Refusing to be intimidated, he continued to defend the political and economic rights of blacks and poor whites. Finally, in May 1876, a disguised gunman rode into town and shot Twitchell six times with a rifle. Although Twitchell survived the attack, both of his arms had to be amputated. Only then did he leave the South for good.
   Throughout EDGE OF THE SWORD, Tunnell places Twitchell's life within the complex context of local and national politics and current historiographical debates. But he does so as part of an evocative narrative that skillfully recreates the dramatic events that make Twitchell's story so compelling. Thus, this work will be of interest to both historians and lay readers. Tunnell is to be commended for writing an important biography of a courageous man who truly believed he was fighting a righteous battle.



2. His life-and-death struggle with the notorious White League was started by a group of Pulaski lawyers and judges. It was not a part of the Confederacy at all, formed to protect Southerners from the Northern Carpetbaggers during reconstruction. We still need their protection, as a director of the Carpetbagger Theater hoodwinked $100,000 out of the City Council on false pretenses. She used her trained actress voice and acting abilities to pull one over on the cooperative group, with undercover help from those of her acquaintance who had the ability to hide the truth that she indeed was the owner of the condemned property in a bad neighborhood.
   
   His ordeal was nothing like today when the carpetbaggers have returned to the South 220 years later to rook the dumb Southerners. I was told by a Pulaski native about how the carpetbaggers had to be stopped and they were not only taking from the defeated but from the underlings as well. They were a group of vultures.



3. How long have we heard from Southern apologists that if it hadn't been for the scalawags and carpetbaggers that Southern whites and {their} negroes would have gotten along just fine. Not that he had to but Tunnel goes along way in providing information that proves that the post Civil War South was viscious and violent place whose people preferred to use the bullet to the ballot. What a shame that President Grant and Hays did not have the courage to crush the White League and the KKK.

5 comments about First Into Action: A Dramatic Personal Account of Life in the SBS.

1. Great book, much better than I expected. Some reviewers say they are annoyed with the author's coldness, brevity and lack of detail of certain events but I think that's due in part to the need for confidentiality of those events. I was not bothered by it and did not feel like it detracted from the book. I thought it had a plethora of information and events were explained very thoroughly. If it was too DETAILED or too GENERAL then I would question it's authenticity. I like the anonymity of the SBS, as the author says, it makes their job easier. This is the book to read if you want to read about the SBS or even the SAS. I'm burned-out on all the SAS/SEAL hoopla and wanted something a little different. The SBS are not as well known as the SAS in Britain and even less so here in the US, I only found this book when I was unknowingly transferred to Amazon.uk. Great book.



2. The SBS (Special Boat Service) is Britain's Special Forces unit that corresponds to the U.S. Navy SEALs. It is not as well known as Britain's SAS (Special Air Service), and I must admit that I had never heard of it until I ran across one of Duncan Falconer's novels half a year ago.
   
   Duncan Falconer was a member of the SBS for a dozen years from around 1975, getting in at age 19, the youngest ever for a new member. "First Into Action" is his personal account of his life in the SBS plus a bit about his childhood and his entering the British Royal Marines.
   
   If you're really keen on books about Special Forces units and the men who serve in them then I can recommend "First Into Action". Duncan Falconer does tell it like it is, and the story is very interesting.
   
   Readers who are not so fascinated with the reality of Special Forces will find this book less appealing.
   
   The most powerful impression I got from reading this book is that the men of the SBS are a bunch of suicidal maniacs! (I exaggerate - please bear with me.)
   
   Duncan Falconer spends most of this book describing three aspects of the SBS: how dangerous it is, how self-motivated and intrepid the members are, and how often things go totally wrong.
   
   The selection procedure is described, and it becomes obvious that in order to become a member of the SBS you have to be willing to push yourself to the point of physical injury. And the instructors come across as sadists.
   
   After you become a member of the SBS you spend a lot of time doing exercises (or "rehearsals", as they call them) to keep your skills up to snuff. High-altitude parachuting, submarine exits, climbing oil rigs during a violent storm, testing new weapons and explosives, diving in freezing water, descending from a helicopter onto a bucking ship, etc., etc. You name it, the SBS can do it, or die trying. And a lot of them do die trying.
   
   In addition to the many deaths there are a large number of injuries, some that heal and some that result in being incapacitated, perhaps even ending up in a wheelchair for the rest of your life.
   
   There are also an incredible number of screw-ups in the missions that the SBS is involved in that can be considered humorous. In fact, large portions of the book are written in a tongue-in-cheek tone that is intended to be a contrast to the serious and heroic books by former members of the SAS and other Special Forces units.
   
   Speaking of the SAS, another theme of "First Into Action" is the rivalry between the SBS and the SAS. The title of the book refers to the claim that the SBS is always (or almost always) the first British military unit sent into any conflict, before the SAS or anyone else.
   
   Duncan Falconer writes with scorn about several SAS missions that went awry, including the famous Bravo Two Zero during the first Iraq war, and the accidental killing of an SBS operative during the Falklands War.
   
   On the back cover of the paperback edition I read it said that Mr. Falconer had a "leading role" in SBS operations in the Falklands. This isn't true. In the text of the book Duncan Falconer writes that he was not involved in the Falklands at all, although he recounts several stories about the SBS teams that were there.
   
   Much of the book describes Mr. Falconer's personal experiences during his time in Northern Ireland combating the IRA. This is fairly interesting, but not the kind of work that most Special Forces fans prefer to read about.
   
   A few final points: The book is too long in my opinion, and it suffers from there being no dates whatsoever for the various events that take place. It's nice that there is a glossary of the military terms and acronyms used - I referred to it fairly often.
   
   In conclusion, this book will appeal to Special Forces fans because it's a very honest look at the SBS, one of the world's best Special Forces units. My three-star rating of "First Into Action" is largely due to it being outside my normal reading preferences. For me it was an OK read, but Mr. Falconer's novels ("The Hostage" and "The Hijack") are more to my taste - I give them both four stars.
   
   Rennie Petersen



3. I've read a lot of these SF books (see my other reviews), and this one is one of the better ones to come around in a long time. He writes about himself, the SBS, and the SAS in a most sincere and humble manner. I will be buying more of Falconer's novels/books. Great book.



4. Not nearly as detailed as a lot of other books of this true stories of the special forces genre, but interesting none-the-less. I would recommend it to people (like me) who have never read about or heard of the SBS. It's a fairly quick read and won't take up much of your time. Besides, the author has some pretty amusing anecdotes.



5. First Into Action: A Dramatic Personal Account of Life in the SBS
   This is truly one of the most incredible insights into the real world workings of a unique Special Forces unit, which known to the public, however receives little attention. The author of the book, is an ex-SBS Opertive who shares his own experiences; most are extremly amazing feats of human courage. However, some are very sad and leave the reader pondering questions, such as, "how would I have handled this?". This is a truly must read for anyone interested in Special Operations, especially from a view outside our (United States) armed forces!

5 comments about A Shepherd in Combat Boots: Chaplain Emil Kapaun of the 1st Cavalry Division.

1. This book is a story of a man who becomes a priest and dies serving his fellow man. He is praised by the men of diffrent faiths (Christian, Jew and Muslim)who were POWs with him in North Korea.
   
   This is an excellent book to read especially during this era where the Me Generation is thriving. This book shows one the importance of sacrifice for our fellow man.



2. This is an excellent story and so breathtaking, I had to stop reading in several parts, just to get through the chapter! What an amazing man Father Kapaun was and he showed how great the power of the human spirit is that once you start reading, you can't put it down. Then, when you're finished reading it, you want everyone to know about this wonderful human being! I, for one, will never feel needy for anything else in my life. Mr. Maher did an excellent job of interviewing friends and family of the Chaplain to make you feel that you knew him as well. Such a sad, sad story but one that makes you proud to be a Christian and proud to be an American. This has to be made in to a movie!



3. As a new fire chaplain, I have been reading as wide as I can about what a chaplain does. Chaplain Kapaun is a real model for all of us who follow Christ and serve others as a chaplain.



4. My Dad went to the High School that was named after this Priest. He loves it so far.



5. William Maher has given us a well-written biography of Fr. Emil Kapaun. Chaplain Kapaun was born in Kansas, grew up on a farm, and became a diocesan priest. He served as a chaplain in WWII and in Korea. In Korea he was taken as a prisoner of war and died from lack of medical treatment. Parts of this book are difficult to read because of the inhumane way the communist treated POW's, but for all the good men who endured this treatment, we need to read the story.
   
   His heroic service to all the men he served with, not just catholics, will never be forgotten. He did everything he could to help his men spiritually, physically and mentally. The title of this book appropriately calls him a shepherd. Just as we think of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, so Fr. Kapaun was a good shepherd to his men. He was a true hero although he never would have considered himself a hero.
   
   The vatican has named him "Servant of God", and I hope to see him canonized in my lifetime. Pray for us Fr. Kapaun.

5 comments about Rocketman: Astronaut Pete Conrad's Incredible Ride to the Moon and Beyond.

1. I've read way too many space books, so I love the subject matter, but the style of this one was too breezy, lacking in important detail. Each chapter is about 12 words long, so you get the impression this was either rushed through or intended for young adults. I learned little about the man, whom I wholly admire. Did he alienate anybody? Were there any character flaws? Also, I was looking to learn more of an insider's view of Gemini and Apollo, but it was all very superficial, heard-it-before material. I'd read a bit about Conrad, like his attempt to smuggle onto the moon a huge cowboy hat to fit over his space helmet, or his attempt at trick photography on the lunar surface, hoping to befuddle the photo analysts later. Neither of these gems were in the book. He's a great guy, a pilot's pilot, a problem-solving magician with a live-for-the-moment spirit. But the book is really junk food, even for a space nut like myself. Sorry, Pete. They done ya wrong.



2. The book arrived within the scheduled delivery time in excellent condition.
   
   Thank you,
   
   Mark & Francine Keehnel



3. I enjoy reading about this time in American History and consider myself a student of the early space program. In that regard, in a brief perusal of the book, I have already noticed some factual errors that should have been caught by the editor or by Mr. Klausner. First, in the picture section, it shows a picture of Pete on the ladder about to board an F4 Phantom, yet the label says that he is posing in front of a T-38. Another error is related to the issue with "Max Peck". Max Peck was the Mgr of the Rice Hotel in 1962. After the 2nd group of astronauts was chosen, including, Frank Borman, Pete Conrad, Jim Lovell, Ed White and Neil Armstrong they were asked to check in under the Mgr's name to avoid their names reaching the press prior to their formal introduction. However, this book states that this happened back in 1959 when the first 32 candidates for the Mercury program checked into a a non-disclosed hotel in Washington. Not only is that fact wrong, but they didn't check into a hotel in 1959 for that first meeting but the Dolly Madison house in Washington.



4. Pete Conrad had a fairly colorful style about him, part cowboy - part engineer - full time iconoclast. However, these traits do not come thru in this book. The writing does not convey the dynamics of the man, so ultimately it becomes little more than a 'just the facts' biography.
   
   While I doubt any astronaut book came come close to capturing the human story of space Michael Collins' "Carrying The Fire", this book had a chance since it focused upon one of the truly unique characters in the space program. So am immensely dissapointed at the final product.



5. I have read a lot of material on the Mecury, Gemini, and Apollo missions and found this book to be a nice easy read. There were a couple of items that were mis-quoted, but other than that, I enjoyed reading it. I would suggest for readers of this type of material to be sure to read "Failure is not an option" by Gene Krantz, he was the flight director who was envolved with Mecury all the way to Apollo 17. With the knowledge of his book, it helps to understand a lot of what's going on. I did however, seem to notice a lack of writting about Pete Conrad's family. I have done business with Pete Conrad Jr. and he's a great guy. I was suprised to see so little mention of his family in the book. There was just a small part about them in the book. I guess perhaps written by is present wife would explalin it. But I enjoyed reading the book. Long may you rise above the earth Pete Conrad.
   
   KLD

4 comments about A Woman's Civil War: A Diary, with Reminiscences of the War, from March 1862.

1. I read this journal/reminiscence during a short period in whichI read several other Confederate women's diaries and reminiscences,and something that made this one particularly significant in my opinion was that unlike some of the other southern women whose writings I read, Cornelia McDonald lived along a major battlefront of the Civil War from the early months on. Thus, although she definitely preferred to have the Confederate forces around her and appears to have retained some bitterness toward the Union government after the war, she had a more complex view of Union soldiers than did some other Confederate women who lived further from the warfront through much of the war. She mentions the kindness of a shoemaker in her town who sympathized with the Union cause but made shoes for her large family of children even though she could not pay him, and at one point she even has a good word for the Union general who heads the forces occupying the town where she lives. The story of her struggle to feed and protect her children, help nurse soldiers, maintain tense but somewhat peaceable relations with soldiers who occupy her home, and support her family when she is eventually left alone is a story of courage, resourcefulness, pain, and gratitude. Cornelia had not lived only the life of a sheltered belle before the war, and despite the chaos around her, she manages to combine practicality and a love of beauty to keep enough sanity to survive the war and go on with family life afterward.



2. I stumbled on Cornelia Peake McDonald when I discovered she was a relation. Of course I had to obtain this book when I was surprised to find her diary(or in this case an edited form of it) still in print.
   
   This book is not for the light hearted history buff that wants the stories of battle. It is the diary of a woman living through extra-ordinary times. A diary that her husband asked her to keep when he announced that their town was going to be taken by the union while he had to go to Richmond. Col. Angus W. McDonald organized the 7th Virginia Cavalry and served on the staff of his friend Jefferson Davis.
   
   The town of Winchester changed hands a few times. As such Cornelia was on the front lines. She had to deal with the union occupiers who were not too gentlemenly with seccesionists. Cornelia refused to turn over her house several times. Food was hard to obtain as access was denied to people that did not take an oath to the union. Yet she talks of union soldiers that violate orders and trade for flour and bread. As a good conferate she does not like the union forces as she describes life on the occupation. Yet she finds decent people that help her to what extent they can. In fact she even spoke up for a doctor that stayed in her house and did not bother her too much and kept soldiers from pillaging too much.
   
   She speaks of fears of the occupation as everyday more and more mistreatment happens as people are forced from their homes. Some dropped in the middle of nowhere without food or money. The fact that women are accosted if they walk around in pairs. You feel hear heart ache at the loss of her youngest child.
   
   Eventually she and her family become refugees to Lexington. You learn of her hardships as she deals with starvation and tried to get firewood for the family. Creating Confederate Candles, spinning wool for clothing. She even had to beg a man to make shoes for her boys.
   
   She was faced with breaking up her family. Especially after the Col. died. She decided to keep them together no matter what. After the war, they learn their homestead was unusable and decide to stay where they are.
   
   You also get to hear about the personalites of the war. She sits in a pew near Stonewall Jackson in church. Dinners with the Ashby brothers, meeting Robert E. Lee after the war. There are others that I will leave for you to find. :)
   
   Cornelia is an interesting woman and a product of her era. She speaks out against slavery and yet is offended by actions of freed slaves. She speaks of the short lived effort of reconcelliation of the North that was destroyed by John Wilkes Booth. At first she is happy with Lincolns death as she thinks he got what he deserved. And yet on reflection she realizes it was a big mistake that will hurt the South. She talks about the abuse of Jefferson Davis and the fact an innocent woman and her innocent son go to the gallows for the assassanation.
   
   It should be mentioned this is not the full diary and the fact she lost some of it as she moved around. Yet her memory is rather good as she rewrote events that were lost. She eventually penned a copy for each of her children.
   
   All in all a facinating read about a tough resourcefull woman struggling to keep and feed her family.



3. This book provides a glimpse into the struggles and mindset of a southern wife & mom and her family during the civil war. Cornelia McDonald's fortitude and faith under extraordinary trials and tragedies is inspirational. We are a homeschooling family and I think this would be an excellent supplement to a high school student's studies of this time period.



4. Cornelia Peake McDonald's diary shows us what life was like for the South during the Civil War. This inspiring story shows the noble character of Mrs. McDonald and the people of the South in general as they fought for their homeland and their beliefs. Most of us can only dimly imagine the hardships they endured with courage, authentic trust in God, and sacrifical help from neighbors and friends--hardships which included battles being waged in their yards, the death of loved ones, cruel treatment, and women with children being driven from their homes as refugees.

5 comments about The Louisiana Purchase.

1. This short book is a perfect example of substandard history writing. I call substandard historiography a way of writing history with a narrow focus on isolated events. Typically this is how school history textbooks are written (or used to be written).

   "The Louisiana Purchase" by Thomas Fleming offers no explanation whatsoever about the broader social, political and economic context in which this momentous event took place. There are no maps and worse still, the reader will look in vain for a description of Louisiana: what territories it encompassed, who lived there, who explored it are subjects the author entirely leaves out. "The Louisiana Purchase" is just a chronicle of the diplomatic tug of war surrounding the deal in Paris and Washington and nothing more.

   To this narrow focus I add a grotesque misrepresentation of the French side. The depiction of Napoleon is little more than a caricature: he is again and again portrayed as the Corsican ogre so dear to English propaganda, and the other French characters in the book get the same treatment.

   Finally, what is also totally lacking in this book is reflection. Never does the author stop his narrative to share his thoughts with the reader although many of the events that he relates invite questions or comments. Like in a Hollywood film, events succeed each other without any respite.

   This is simply not the kind of history one should read at the beginning of the 21st century.




2. "Substandard"?!--Hardly. "what territories it encompassed"?!--"who explored it"?!--These things are left out because these questions are answered by any American history textbook, ad nauseum.
   
   What Fleming's (short) book concentrates on is exactly what is neglected in textbooks: "the diplomatic tug of war". As usual, he does it with a writing style that is captivating.



3. I enjoyed reading this little book. Fleming is a well known historian who spins out an improbable tale of how our country more than doubled in size overnight and how it almost didn't happen. If it were fiction I'm not certain I would consider it plausible. But it happened. My main gripe is this: Where the blazes are the index and bibliography? This smells of a publishing decision, not Fleming's. Whoever made it, it was wrong-headed.



4. This book is a short but very informative and fast moving book covering much of the reasons for the purchase and the motives of the sellers. It does not cover the 20/20 hindsight that historians often develop 200 years after the fact. It is like Dragnet TV series fast entertaining while giving the facts just the facts something modern historians often ignore. Hooray for The Louisiana Purchase. Timely as we are approaching the 200th anniversary of the leap forward in manifest destiny.



5. This book is an excellent source of info about the Purchase despite being very short. Gave me more info than any other source. Unfortunately, I thought I was ordering one book and received 2. I am giving the other to my friend for his birthday in July.
   
   David Vargo