4 comments about Strong at the Broken Places.

1. Max Cleland's personal narrative is really terrific and makes a wonderful contrast to other narratives from the Vietnam era. Cleland suffers in war, but then struggles to find his soul and to transcend the pain of human existence through the perspective of religion and through religious belief. I have used this book as an interesting contrast with the cliche- ridden narrative by Ron Kovic, a volume written with a professional writer and conforming to the made-to-order "Vietnam-as-victim" formula. Students need to know that many American men came out of the tragedy of war better, stronger, more spiritual people than they went in; the "corruption of innocence" motif may sell in Hollywood and elswhere, but it does not conform with the actual experience of veterans--so says this book and so say the veterans polled in 1980 by the veterans administration. As I say, this is a story too seldom told and heard even less. Another uplifting story is _For God and Country_ by Rick Eilert, a man who found the veterans hospital folks to be concerned and caring and discovered that there were true heroes in the beds of the VA....Not victims, but heroes. Some day, somebody will make films about the experiences of Cleland (now a US Senator) and Eilert. ---Peter Rollins, Vietnam vet and admirer of these two wounded veterans



2. Seldom in life will a person find treasures in an empty sea....but in light of the book " Strong at the Broken Places", the author discovered just that! By grace alone, a man seeked " hidden riches in a void ocean echoed with uncertainty & battled waves that would capsize any country!". When speaking of this leader, I can only use these scenarios of my imagination to convey to others what this man is made of! If it was bottled, a top could not contain it! If it were canned, there would not be a label to describe it! If it were a product, no shelf could hold it !...... And if I had money, I would give all I had to buy it .............But, the fact remains that " Max Cleland " is in a category of his own & the ingredients of this recipe stem from unimaginable events that come at a price that most could not afford. This is a man who gave all & became the gift that kept on giving! Max Cleland has never ceased to reach the peaks during the ride of his life! Unselfishly, he attributes his positive energy & successes to people & inspiration from the Lord. Truly, this book recounts the will of a man wounded in battle who along the way became a respected United States Senator, Head of the Veterans Administration, & Georgia Secretary of State....... not to mention a role model for for any person facing lifes difficult challenges. So if you are interested in a " ride of your life" try this book on for size! The pages had me holding on & I felt every fall & praised every climb taken in the footsteps of this American Hero. Some people in this world just don't know the meaning of the word " failure"! Max Cleland is one of those people..... For the life of me, I could not help from reading in astonishment & at the same time fully comprehending the complexity of this human. Perhaps that is why I have read this book ( former & revised edition ) 24 times! My guess is that over time I might be fortunate to develop into the stuff that his recipe calls for! Moreover, my hope is that other people can find in themselves what Max Cleland has tapped into! Even though life can knock a person down, it can't take away the human spirit unless you let it! Once again, 50 stars for " Strong at the Broken Places" & 1000 stars for the author, Max Cleland.



3. Seldom in life will a person find treasures in an empty sea....but in light of the book " Strong at the Broken Places", the author discovered just that! By grace alone, a man seeked " hidden riches in a void ocean echoed with uncertainty & battled waves that would capsize any country!". When speaking of this leader, I can only use these scenarios of my imagination to convey to others what this man is made of! If it was bottled, a top could not contain it! If it were canned, there would not be a label to describe it! If it were a product, no shelf could hold it !...... And if I had money, I would give all I had to buy it .............But, the fact remains that " Max Cleland " is in a category of his own & the ingredients of this recipe stem from unimaginable events that come at a price that most could not afford. This is a man who gave all & became the gift that kept on giving! Max Cleland has never ceased to reach the peaks during the ride of his life! Unselfishly, he attributes his positive energy & successes to people & inspiration from the Lord. Truly, this book recounts the will of a man wounded in battle who along the way became a respected United States Senator, Head of the Veterans Administration, & Georgia Secretary of State....... not to mention a role model for for any person facing lifes difficult challenges. So if you are interested in a " ride of your life" try this book on for size! The pages had me holding on & I felt every fall & praised every climb taken in the footsteps of this American Hero. Some people in this world just don't know the meaning of the word " failure"! Max Cleland is one of those people..... For the life of me, I could not help from reading in astonishment & at the same time fully comprehending the complexity of this human. Perhaps that is why I have read this book ( former & revised edition ) 24 times! My guess is that over time I might be fortunate to develop into the stuff that his recipe calls for! Moreover, my hope is that other people can find in themselves what Max Cleland has tapped into! Even though life can knock a person down, it can't take away the human spirit unless you let it! Once again, 50 stars for " Strong at the Broken Places" & 1000 stars for the author, Max Cleland.



4. Strong at the Broken PlacesA great story about a much maligned man. Max was a man literally torn apart by the Vietnam war. With unbelievable drive and passion for life and God, Senator Cleland tells an inspirational story about the tenacity of the human spirit and his personal greatness. Of late, this true American hero has been maligned by the "Chickenhawks" of the Bush administration and their lackeys. "Strong at the Broken Places," in this most recent edition, tells Max's story of climbing out of darkest depths of the Vietnam war and from his horrible wounds to become a state legislator, Secretary of State of Georgia, head of the Veterans Adminsistration and finally a United States Senator. His story in this book is real, inspirational and a credit to him.

5 comments about In Search of Churchill: A Historian's Journey.

1. Churchill has always been somewhat of an enigma; undoubtedly a brilliant politician who, more than any other figure in contemporary 20th Century History, helped shape the lives of millions. Much has previously been made of disasters associated with his decisions both militarily and politically. Through Mr. Gilbert's brilliant research and analysis, however, many of these are shown to have been fabrications or nothing other than spurious lies. Through these pages you learn that he was the "scapegoat" for the Dardanelles debacle and that he was a far more compassionate and human individual than some would have us believe. His treatment of social issues, including organised labour, was before its time and he was certainly not the "heartless" war-monger so often portrayed in this revisionist era. Surely the greatest historical debate would be to pitch Mr. Gilbert against the most articulate revisionist, Mr David Irving: I have no doubt, having read this excellent book, that Gilbert would secure a knock-out in the first round.



2. If you enjoy biograhpies or Churchill, this is a book for you. Gilbert has come across some fascinating material in his pursuit of the great man. It is also interesting to see how exactly a biography is written. The book starts out focusing more on the author, but works its way into Churchill. Gilbert steps away from merely events in his life and through letters and those who knew him best, gets down to the inner man. The best part is a letter Churchill dictated when he was only a small boy where he predicts a great deal of his future. Gibert goes right to the heart of Churchill.



3. Biographers spend years, and in this case decades, to bring their work, their subject to us. The manner their books came about is generally shared in their acknowledgement, or a section thanking those people and institutions that were instrumental in helping create the work. Sir Martin Gilbert is one of the great Historians of our time, and his main work as a historian is certainly a man that is truly unique, a historic original, a man who's peers can be counted on one hand.

   "In Search Of Churchill" allows the reader to get about as close as he can to the writing of a biography without actually being one of Sir Martin's assistants. His work documenting Churchill is about to cross into its fifth decade. Sir Martin began as an assistant to Sir Winston Spencer Churchill's Son Randolph in 1962. In 1968 he took the task on alone, and has carried it forth, and continues to do so to this day.

   Alone of course is the wrong word, while he certainly has written thousands of pages of what many consider the greatest biographical work ever done, hundreds of others living, and others through the papers they left behind, have helped Mr. Gilbert on this lifetime task. Churchill has not been the only subject of this great biographer which is yet another testimony to this historian.

   Churchill is a constant, he is quoted almost daily, his speeches are legendary, as are his quips, which were at times poked in fun, and at others ended the careers of their target. Mr. Gilbert works toward answering questions that may not have a definitive answer, but if there is an individual to put forth valid opinion, none are more qualified than he. Why is Churchill a figure of history that has not been relegated to the past's vague memory, why does he routinely appear on magazine covers in this Country and others on a yearly basis? What was it about this man that has spawned an International Churchill Society who counts thousands on Continents around the world as paying members? Why are their new books on this man written on a regular basis, and how many authors have their books in print a century after they were written. Great Author's works line the shelves, but writing was an avocation for this man in addition to his other talents.

   Mr. Gilbert brings you along to "meet" people who worked with Mr. Churchill. As his life spanned from the 1870's to the 1960's those who knew him are legion. He was Prime Minister twice, held nearly every major Government position, won the Nobel prize, painted, and held the fort for the Western Democracies until help finally came. If such a man had not lived so large and so long he would almost be more believable as legend and or myth rather than the Statesman, warrior, orator, and one of England's greatest citizens that he continues to be, in some cases in memory only. He did have a head start, as his Mother was American, and perhaps that makes us in the USA feel we can claim him as partly ours.

   The embassy in Washington D.C. has a statue of Churchill, in mid-stride he has one foot on American soil and one on the territory of the English Embassy. In life his influence, his determination, and sense of destiny spanned the Globe. Even in death he spans the 2 Countries he loved the most.

   His like will never be seen again.




4. The life of Winston Churchill was so eventful and the available documents relating to his life so voluminous, that penning a complete and unabridged biography of Churchill is truly a lifetime task. So it has been for British historian Martin Gilbert, charged with the task of being Churchill?s official biographer. In this book, Gilbert recounts the events by which he came to become the most extensive living resource of Churchill knowledge and artifacts.

   Gilbert came to his task in a roundabout way. Fresh out of Oxford in the early sixties, the young historian concedes he knew comparatively little about Churchill as the great man was not a highly regarded figure among the Oxford academy at that time. Churchill?s son Randolph had been hired by a publishing house to write the multi volume official biography of his father. Gilbert was hired as one of several research assistants. Expecting to stay with Randolph only a short time, Gilbert ended up working with him for more than half a decade. In the first part of the book, Gilbert describes the experience of working with the mercurial and difficult Randolph in putting together the first volumes covering Churchill?s early life. On Randolph?s death in 1968, Gilbert was asked by the publisher to take over the project. Gilbert agreed to do so and a lifetime task was set before him. In ensuing chapters, Gilbert describes his frustrations and pleasures at the enormous amount of written materials by or about Churchill. Perhaps no other historical figure has such an extensive archive. As recounted by Gilbert, his explorations of Churchill?s letters and papers taught him much, not only about Churchill?s impact on British and world history but about Churchill?s character. Yet as Gilbert states, no historical figure can be brought to life merely on the basis of written documents. Fortunately for Gilbert, at the time he did much of his research, in the sixties, many of the people in Churchill?s life were still alive to be interviewed. This includes many of his secretaries, a number of military and political figures with whom he worked and his wife and children. From decades of research, Gilbert emerged with a compelling portrait of a truly great character. A man, not without his faults but still a great liberal, a great democrat, a great leader and a great family man. The book is filled with anecdotes and quotes from Churchill. As one example, Gilbert discovered a letter of response from Labour Prime Minister Ramsey McDonald praising Churchill for his kindness and friendship. Gilbert never found the original letter Churchill wrote to McDonald but wonders what it could have said to elicit such a response from a man Churchill had referred to in open Parliament as ?the boneless wonder?.

   Anyone who admirers Winston Churchill and Martin Gilbert must read this book. It is an absolute necessity to any Churchill library. Anyone who would like to learn a little about one of the 20th centuries truly great figures should read it as well.




5. I've been studying about Winston Churchill for more than 30 years. So much that has been written is repetitive or agenda driven, and sometimes I feel there isn't anything more to be said. Then I found this book by Martin Gilbert with insights into himself, Randolph Churchill and the many prominent people that knew Churchill intimately and as participants in his personal history. Churchill's influence on 20th century British history cannot be denied although many writers have tried to trivialize it or to demonize Sir Winston as a war monger.
   
   Gilbert makes clear that none of that is true, and for me one of the most telling quotes from his book describes the true nature of Mr. Churchill. "My search made clear that despite the image of Churchill as a man eager to resort to force, his main theme in each decade had been to try to settle international disputes by negotiation." (Chapter 6) Gilbert is able to back up this statement with original documentations and personal testimonies that lesser reseachers would have neither the talent nor the inclination to gather and formulate into a life's portrait of a great man.
   
   Frankly, this book has renewed my interest in all things Churchill, and I have purchased and am reading a recently issued book, "Troublesome Young Men," by Lynne Olson. Troublesome Young Men This book sets the stage for Churchill's rise to being a war tme Prime Minister and shows that he was not alone (albeit rather isolated) in understanding the nature of appeasement and the folly of negotiating with tyrants from a position of weakness. More importantly the book reinforces the fact that even when faced with enormous political pressures from those in power and a public that neither understands or just doesn't believe, that freedom is a concept that must be defended at all costs. We would do well to remember this lesson today post 9/11. Where (or better, who) are today's "Troublesome Young Men?"
   
   Anyone with an interest in Winston Churchill and the history of the mid-20th century, will gain a much better understanding of that history by reading how Martin Gilbert came to be Churchill's biography.

2 comments about In the Hand of the Taliban: Her Extraordinary Story.

1. This has to be one of the most exciting books i have read. A foreign or a western woman in Afghanistan under Taliban rule who remarkably tells the world in her beautiful words that they are just humans like you and me. Think the Talibhan deserve a chance, and Yvonne Ridley tells how they really are. Gives a true first hand account of what has happened in Afghanistan. Would definitely recommend it to anyone.



2. I must want to appreciate that lady for her courage , for her truthfulnesss. she could have lied like western media.....oh these were really bad, they obused me physically and...., they are crazy, but God gave her a beautiful and bold heart ,GOD Bless you Lady , you are lucky, you saw the light and you are following that light.

5 comments about The Kennedys: The Third Generation: The Third Generation.

1. While I don't have an overwhelming delight nor animosity towards the Kennedy family, I believe that the author, Barbara Gibson, does. Writing this book provides her with an opportunity to bash a former employer. The book is poorly written with regurgitated passages throughout. It also contains typos that should have been easily caught during proofing. Example: Anthony Shriver "was born in 1965..." Further down on the same page you will find this sentence: "In February 1965, he was quoted in People magazine..." Please! If you are going to take my money at least get your product correct.

   Bottom line - Don't waste your money or your time on this book.




2. This book should never have been written. It is poorly researched, riddled with inaccuracies, and so relentlessly anti-Kennedy that it induces mental nausea. Ms. Gibson has made capital out of her secretarial job, but neither her pontificating nor the scuttlebutt of "household staff" is worth reading.



3. In spite of the title, a good portion of the book is devoted to a repetition of familiar family history centering on Joe, Rose, Jack, Bobby and Teddy. This book is not friendly to the Kennedys. It will be most interesting to those who enjoy watching members of the younger Kennedy generations self-destruct.



4. Having read and enjoyed Barbara Gibson's story about working with Rose Kennedy during the matriarch's later years -- and the related stories of the fun and foibles of the clan's grandchildren -- I anticipated a more in-depth chronicle here about the lives and significant contributions and problems of the grandchildren-generation of America's Kennedy clan.

   It was a bloodbath.

   Whereas Gibson sounds as though she enjoyed her job despite the frustrations of working in such self-centered and affluent milieu in her book about Rose, this book presents those same grandchildren as selfish, snobbish, hedonistic hellcats with thorough disregard for the lives of those around them... resulting from their sub-par parenting courtesy of their abused, neglected, drug-addicted folks and hell-bent-on-success grandparents.

   This is a textbook of intergenerational blame.

   The redeeming qualities of this book include its attempt at even handedness (for example, the author does note that with few exceptions, Maria Shriver did in fact earn her journalistic distinction on her own... and that Caroline and John Kennedy were basically good children, exceptions to the Kennedy rule) and its historical validity; based on my experience reading every other Kennedy biography I can get my hands on, most of Gibson's factual information is accurate.

   However, allegations that Rosemary Kennedy never was retarded ring false to me (Gibson claims Rosemary was merely unacceptably mediocre as well as dyslexic... seems to me that other Kennedy children were similarly underendowed in priority areas, but no one wanted to lobotomize THEM -- except maybe Gibson herself). The word "hate" and its relative "hatred" are flung around with reckless abandon, classifying everything from Ethel's feelings about her son David to Rose's reaction to Kym to Jackie's response to John Jr.'s potential acting career.

   The author truly seems to hate this family, to use her already overused adjective. Obviously, she anticipated a windfall of money to make such a distasteful book worth her time, or maybe her co-author bewitched her... but there are more judicious Kennedy biographies out there, ones that manage to highlight accomplishments of this very accomplished family without seeming to relish their weaknesses, proclivities, deviations, or vulnerabilities.

   Get this from the library.




5. Wow, I was a little suprized at this book.I like other are semi intrigued by the Kennedy's( I go through spurts LOL) I thought that Barbara Gibson would write a true story about the family since she was so intimatley connected to them. This was really horrible!(I can understand why some of the Kennedy's don't read any books about their family after this book)She had nothing nice to say about one Kennedy...Caroline and John like the rest of our generation maybe tried out drugs(pot,ups,diet pills)but certainly were not drug addicts as it seems to allude to in the book. Caroline and John(RIP) seemed to be brought up very well. Even if you did not like Jackie, she raised two good, solid adults who by all outward appearances seem humble. So what Caroline tried to get to the head of an ice cream line by using her name....What KID wouldn't try that if it might work? LOL Somehow I dont see her doing this once she became an adult. I cant even picture her trying to cut the line, she seems like a very dignified lady, as was her mother. Ditto Maria Shriver. I saw an intimate portrait of her and she too seems humble.She was 17 when she got a little annoyed at Barbara Gibson because she would not let Maria drive Granny's car..C'mon this is the best you have on Maria, and you label her a brat. I dont see her shoving people out of the way either. What they did as kids we all did, just on a smaller stage and a smaller scale. I was a brat from 13 to about 18 and I am super glad no one is writing about me.I do feel sorry for Ethel Kennedy. From several different books she sounded obnoxious from the word go...talk about power going to your head..and you never hear any real positive stories about her children, yet I am sure some of them have contributed to the world at large. Ethel could have learned a thing or two about parenting from Jackie and Eunice Shriver. Even poor Sarge Shriver is attacked in this book as a snob!(Maybe he appeared snobby so he could not be misquoted, and he kept his mouth shut) Poor man. Anyway if you want to read a book that tears down this family as much as possible, this is the book to buy (LOL), otherwise save your money and buy one that would give a fair picture overall.

No comments about John Edward Bruce: Politician, Journalist, and Self-Trained Historian of the African Diaspora.

No comments about History of the Life and Reign of Richard the Third: To which is added The Story of Perkin Warbeck from original documents.

1 comments about Bertrand De Jouvenel: Conserative Liberal & The Illusions Of Modernity (Library of Modern Thinkers).

1. Daniel J. Mahoney has published studies of Charles de Gaulle, Raymond Aron, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. In his new book on Bertrand de Jouvenel, Mahoney continues his ever-widening exploration of the the religio-political question in modernity.
   
   Any of Mahoney's readers should recognize his characteristic strengths, once again in evidence here: the balanced critical judgment, the wide and deep learning, the spirited wit. What seems to have gone unremarked so far, however, is the overall outline of his project. With Aron, the secularized Jew, Solzhenitsyn the Russian Orthodox believer, de Gaulle--who perhaps was thinking of himself when he spoke to Malraux of men "whose Christian faith was dim but who were, nonetheless, not Voltaireans"--and now de Jouvenel, the firm and judicious Roman Catholic, Mahoney is exploring the ways that thoughtful men who were formed and in some cases animated by religious conviction found their bearings when the supreme ambitions of modernity issued in world war, tyranny, and genocide.
   
   In this book as in the others, Mahoney shows himself unmatched in his ability to introduce a thinker to new readers while illuminating him to old ones. Having suffered neglect for thirty years or more, de Jouvenel reappears as a worthy successor to Tocqueville--one situated, moreover, in a modernity whose grimness even Tocqueville had underestimated, and so forced to confront things Tocqueville could scarcely imagine.
   
   The book itself is compact, well designed, fairly priced--a companiable volume, as befits the humane and judicious spirit one finds inside it.

2 comments about Fighting for Life.

1. Governor Casey writes eloquently about his opposition to the violence of abortion, while trying to advance politically in a party that has wholeheartedly embraced unrestricted abortion on demand. His pro-life beliefs were only strengthened by his own life-threatening health challenges as he became even more convinced of the importance of protecting lives that others have concluded are not worth living (the weak, the disabled, the unwanted).

   At the same time he makes the case for protecting and respecting the innocent unborn baby, he insists that society must have great concern and compassion for the young women who find themselves in the desperate position of having an unplanned pregnancy.

   There are no easy answers to abortion, but Gov. Casey's prescription of love and compassion for BOTH mother and baby would certainly be a good beginning to a possible resolution to this tragedy.




2. "Fighting for Life" is a unique book of alternating stories connecting one person. One story is that of a man facing a fatal disease, undergoing and surviving a rare heart and liver transplant, and returning to productive life. The other is the story of a man who facing adversities reaching his goal of becoming Governor and, on his fourth attempt, is elected and serves two terms. Both stories are of the late Governor Robert P. Casey, and this book is his autobiography.
   
   The one intermingled story is of Bob Casey's fight against Appalachian familial amyloidosis, a rare disease found only in a few people of Irish descent in Kentucky, West Virginia, Chicago, and then Pennsylvania. (Ironically, a similar disease would later prove fatal to both the Mayors of Pittsburgh and Erie.) It would be his Auditor General successor Catherine Baker Knoll who would get Bob Casey to read a book on transplants by Dr. Tom Starzl that would later lead Dr. Starzl to successfully perform this rare two organ transplant. This is a story of incredible medical work and a fighting patient who survived these procedures and not only would be only be return to work as Governor but continue to become a national leader on several issues.
   
   The other story is that of Bob Casey, the State Senator, Auditor General, and then Governor. Bob Casey would arise from political death after losing three races for Governor. In his first race, he won the endorsement of the Democratic State Committee, failed to respond to his opponent's "man against the machine" campaign, and discovered too late the mistake in not answering the charges as that slogan helped defeat him. In his second race, he distanced himself from the political machines, only to discover the political machines such as that of Mayor Jim Tate's in Philadelphia, who then distanced themselves from Casey. In his third race, he was hampered by the inclusion of other Caseys running on the ballot which may have cost him some votes in the confusion.
   
   Still, the name "Bob Casey" held some political magic, even if not initially for Robert P. Casey. Robert Casey, no related to the future Governor, was elected State Treasurer on the basis of having the same name. (Indeed, the Treasurer candidate avoided campaigning to allow the confusion over the two names to build.) Another non-relative named Robert Casey won the Democratic primary for Lt. Governor. Thus, when Robert P. ran for Governor the fourth time, he advertised himself as the "Real Bob Casey".
   
   Bob Casey is to be credited with upgrading the office of Auditor General. Prior to Casey's tenure as Auditor General, it was mostly a lesser functioning row office usually held by a relatively inactive politician. Bob Casey turned the office into an aggressive auditor, not only of government finances, but of government functions. This not only provided a more powerful check on executive branch functions, but it also prepared Bob Casey to learn how to become a good Governor.
   
   Finally, on his fourth try in 1986, Bob Casey hired Jim Carville, who had never managed a winning campaign, to be his campaign manager, believing that people who have tried hard without winning would work harder for victory. This proved to be the case as Casey finally won elected as Governor. Jim Carville went on to manage the successful Presidential campaign of Bill Clinton.
   
   As Governor, Bob Casey writes that he is proud that he put "family formation" on a similar perspective as "capital formation". His Administration fought dead beat dads and made Pennsylvania the top state in child support collections. He fought for and won passage of laws making it tougher to get abortions. He stopped efforts at bringing legalized gambling to Pennsylvania. He created a program that eradicated water borne diseases that had plagued parts of Pennsylvania, providing us all with safe drinking water that today we all take for granted.
   
   This book summarizes Bob Casey, the politician, and Bob Casey, the man struggling against a rare disease. This is a terrific autobiography that brings together Bob Casey, the person.

1 comments about John Ross, Cherokee Chief (Brown Thrasher Books).

1. Throughout times of turmoil for his people, Chief John Ross made the best of many a bad situation. From the removal of the Cherokee to Oklahoma to the fracturing of the nation during the Civil War, Ross struggled against internal and external enemies to carve out a bright future for the Cherokee people. Moulton has done a fantastic job with this biography, weaving together a compelling tale of this often misunderstood leader who faced repeated insults from political leaders in Washington and opportunistic members of his own tribe.

No comments about Historical Relics of George Washington Inherited And Collected by Mr. William Lanier Washington.