5 comments about Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War (Modern War Studies).

1. For many years the officers and men who made up the Army of Tennessee have played second fiddle to Lee's eastern army. The very title of this book clearly illustrates this point for one never hears a general in Lee's army referred to as the Cleburne of the east. Finally though, thanks in large part to the efforts of historians like Thomas L. Connelly and Shelby Foote and the diaries of Sam Watkins, the brave men of the Army of Tennessee are being given due credit.

   Craig Symonds has added his name to the above list with this excellent study of General Patrick Cleburne. No study of the Army of Tennessee would be complete without a study of one of its best generals, and therefore this biography is a very important addition to any Civil War library. Best of all, the author writes in a flowing style that helps make this book a joy to read.

   Unfortunately, much of Cleburne's personal correspondence has not survived but Symonds has done an excellent job of digging up what does exist. Fortunately, the Irish general was very precise with his battle reports and the correspondence of many of his close associates does still exist. Working with these sources the author weaves together a fascinating story. He doesn't dwell on the logistics of various battles, which tends to make for dry reading but instead describes very concisely the part Cleburne played in the battle

   Symonds also deals in some detail with Cleburne's personal life, from his early life in Ireland to his engagement. There is also a good deal of attention given to Cleburne's close friendships, both before and during the war, and his political beliefs and activities. Of course, Cleburne's proposal to arm and free the slaves is also dealt with in detail. From his own formulation of the plan, to the icy reception it received, to the possibility that his proposal may have been partially responsible for his lack of further promotion, the plan and its ramifications and insights into Cleburne's personality are closely examined.

   For any student of the war this would be a worthwhile read, but for anyone with a particular interest in the Army of Tennessee it is an indispensable read.




2. This biography of Patrick Cleburne proves to be very readable and insightful. The book appears to be well researched and its obviously that the author favored his subject.

   Cleburne appears to be a very controversial even while he was alive. Perhaps because of his foreign birth, he was more sympathic about the conditions of the blacks and made proposals that didn't go well with his fellow southerners. The book revealed that he was a superb leader and intelligent commander. His superiors definitely didn't aid their cause by keeping him just as a divison commander when he could have been an excellent corps commander - in an army where corps commanders were not well regraded.

   The author painted a vivid and complete picture of this general whose reputation have grown considerably since the Civil War among all Civil War readers.




3. This is a very good book. Patrick Cleburne is my favorite civil war general, and this volume gives a very even-handed discussion of his life, from Ireland to Franklin, Tenn. In particular, it gives considerable space to his growth as a leader. The discussions of Shiloh and Franklin are very good, and understandable. The book gives attention to the General's private life, especially his tragic engagement to Miss Tarleton. In depth but not dry or overwhelming, STONEWALL OF THE WESTis a great introduction to this Commander of the often overlooked western theater!



4. Had Patrick Cleburne fought in the Army of Northern Virginia instead of the Army of Tennessee, we surely would be overwhelmed with biographies of his greatness as a general. Because he was a general officer in the Army of Tennessee - the army most Southern writers have traditionally ignored and treated as the red headed step child of the Confederacy, there are far fewer books on him than his accomplishments would seem to warrant. Fortunately, Mr. Symonds has written an excellent biography of the general which puts his impressive accomplishments into perspective and begins to give this extraordinary fighting general his due.
   The main focus of Symonds' work is on Cleburne the general, but he gives enough background of his youth in Ireland and his migration to and adoption of America as his new home to sketch what shaped his character and what motivated him to fight in the Southern cause. Cleburne emerges as an immigrant eager to assimilate and make the customs and mores of his new home his own; a man grateful for the opportunities and acceptance he received in Arkansas, and genuinely, if uncritically, committed to fighting for the cause of his adopted home.
   Symonds also addresses Cleburne's role within the morass of intrigue that plagued the command structure of the Army of Tennessee. He shows Cleburne to have been one of the anti Bragg cartel, not as a primary mover, but because of his loyalty to his friend and mentor General Hardee (a principle Bragg opponent), and perhaps even more so because of his habit of candor that showed little regard for political expediency. This was damaging to his career, and perhaps among the principle reasons why he was never promoted above division commander, despite the fact that he was the brightest shining star in the army. He likewise touches on Cleburne's remarkable plan to enlist slaves in the Confederate army - offering freedom to any man and his family who would fight for the South. While Cleburne's reasoning showed clarity and logic, his judgment in presenting the plan to his fellow Southern officers showed amazing naiveté and foolhardiness, and further damaged his hopes for promotion.
   But the reason there is a biography of Cleburne is the battles. Symonds traces them from his first minor engagements, through Shiloh, his first major battle, all the way to the final tragic, futile charge at Franklin. He shows how Cleburne's skills as a general developed; from simply a brave and bold leader without any great military skill at Shiloh, to an outstanding commander of men who creatively defended against overwhelming odds at Chattanooga, and became the armies designated rearguard, repeatedly saving it from destruction..
   Symonds biography of Cleburne is well written and engaging. It makes a good beginning in putting General Patrick Cleburne back into his rightful place in the pantheon of Southern heroes. If you are a serious student of the Civil War, you should not consider your library complete without a copy. I highly recommend it.
   
   Theo Logos



5. 
   Craig Symonds has written an excellent, full biography of Confederate general Patrick Cleburne. He opens the biography with a very dramatic account of Cleburne's last engagement, at the battle of Franklin in November 1864, where he was killed. This really sets the mood for lively chronicle that follows.
   
   Cleburne was born in Ireland in 1828 and came to the US in 1849. Although he had failed the apothecary course at Trinity College, Dublin, he began working as a druggist's clerk in Helena, AR. He also studied for the law. Appointed brigadier general after seizing the Little Rock Arsenal with his self-formed unit, the Yell Rifles, he saw action at Shiloh, Richmond, KY (where he was wounded), and Perryville. Promoted to major general, his military abilities and leadership qualities received high notice: for his brilliant and dogged defense of Ringgold Gap at Chattanooga against persistent Union attack he was formally thanked by the Confederate Congress. It was after this that he committed what is probably the most controversial act of his life: signing a petition (with 13 other officers) expressing the belief that blacks should be used as fighting men in the Southern army. Symonds discusses this incident at length, of course, and whether it was an act of bravery and foresight or one of naivete, it hurt Cleburne's reputation (he never got another promotion). Fighting under Hood, he was killed at Franklin.
   
   Symonds is an excellent writer and presents his subject with verve and great narrative skill. It's a scholarly biography, but written with the general (though interested and informed) public in mind, and not just other scholars. Worth a spot on anyone's Civil War shelf. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Jack Kennedy: The Education of a Statesman.

1. What a clever idea Barbara Leaming has for a re-examination of John F. Kennedy's life. She explores the impact of his relationship with movers-and-shakers in England, concentrating on David Ormsby-Gore, one of Kennedy's sister Kathleen's Smart Set in pre-World War II London.
   As a long-term Kennedy biography reader, it's fascinating to revisit experiences in his life from a new richly-textured perspective. The meatiest part of the book is easily Kennedy's introduction to Ormsby-Gore and friends, when Kennedy's father is appointed Ambassador to Great Britain. Reporting becomes thin in the last year of Kennedy's presidency.
   Chapters dealing on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty would have been greatly improved by stitching in some primary sourcework on Nikita Kruschev, perhaps from his son's biographies of him. Another help might have been incorporating Schlesinger's or Bundy's perspectives on the British influence on Kennedy on these issues. More voices, more analysis might have mitigated the ping-pong like effect in these chapters --- Kennedy said, Ormsby-Gore said, Macmillan said.
   Also, perhaps because Leaming's indebtedness to British peerage for valuable first-person accounts of what JFK was like at the time, reader is shorted in several respects. Scant mention or analysis of Kathleen Kennedy's infatuation with another British peer, married with a child, after her first husband dies. There's some insinuation that Fitzwilliam, the second peer, was randy, representing another type of British upperclassman. But, there's nothing to indicate why the sister would embrace the darker side of British Aristocracy nor what impact this had on Kennedy himself. Ditto scant info at the end about Ormsby-Gore and wife, post Kennedy, other than mention that they're killed in separate auto accidents. That said, an engrossing read. A must for Kennedy biography fans.



2. A child when Kennedy was assassinated, I grew up with a mix of fact and mystique in what I knew of President Kennedy. Barbara Leaming's book introduces me to a Kennedy not unrecognizable from the Kennedy I was aware of growing up, without whitewashing his actions.
   
   I really enjoy the way she brings across Jack Kennedy in the various points of his life. It does seem to dwell a little overlong on his sister Kick's story, but it's a really satisfying read and she really brings historical moments of the time to life and shows them in relation to Kennedy's life.



3. The is a marvelous blow by blow description of how WWII statred
   
   Also a wondreful blow by blow of the Cuban Missle crisis
   
   The research was fantastic



4. everything about this transaction was first class.



5. You'll find Barbara Leaming's marvelous book very difficult to put down. Somehow she has uncovered entirely new source material which sheds light on Kennedy's early years in Great Britain when his father Joe was Ambassador to the Court of St. James. Introduced by his sister Kick to a circle of bright young aristocrats, the connections made in these early years would last a lifetime and shape his world view in a dangerous time for the US and for the world. What struck me particularly in the book was how much of what Kennedy learns is still enormously relevant in today's world. This book should be required reading for our leaders in Washington and especially our Presidential candidates for 2008! I cannot wait to see what subject Ms. Leaming takes on next.

5 comments about Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery.

1. The first was Posner's awful "Case Closed", while this was the second; the ole one-two punch from the media and publishing world to try to close---kill---the JFK assassination case. Thank God for the ARRB, COPA, Probe, even (gulp) Lancer, as well as the hundreds---thousands---of researchers and authors who battled to keep the case alive and not to rot on the vine like Mailer and Posner would have prefered.
   Mailer, a legend once upon a time (and now one in his mind), does an inferior cut-and-paste scrapbook of a volume here. I saw so many "50% off" stickers on this book when it first came out, it reminded me of that 1987 book on Reagan that bombed! Avoid.
   Vince (not to be confused with Bugliosi) Palamara ;-)



2. Norman Mailer's book does not resolve the question of the existence of a conspiracy in JFK's assassination (for that see The Man Who Knew Too Much by Dick Russell), but it does provide critical pieces of information about Oswald's psyche that help us assess the liklihood that Oswald was involved in the assassination. For that reason I highly recommend this book.
   
   Mailer provides interesting and frequently relevant detail about Oswald's life with Marina in Russia and their lives back in the US after they moved from Russia. The portrait that emerges of Oswald is one that is crucial to understanding what happened to JFK. Mailer provides convincing evidence that Oswald's activities were largely, if not completely, based on his own agenda and psychological makeup. It is highly unlikely that he was anyone's agent while living in Russia.
   
   Most important is the information about Oswald's desire to live in Cuba after his return to the US from Russia--this was his personal agenda in mid-1963. Mailer takes us that far. Dick Russell's The Man Who Knew Too Much fills in the missing pieces. Russell's book shows that this agenda of Oswald made him vulnerable to a ploy to enlist him in the conspiracy.
   
   Mailer's book on the psychological makeup of Oswald combined with Russell's book on how that makeup was manipulated solves the case.



3. Although an earlier reviewer gave OSWALD'S TALE a withering assessment, I couldn't possibly be quite that uncivil myself, as aggravated as I am. For, the book does serve history by providing much new background information on Lee Harvey Oswald. But I must agree with that reviewer in principal. I have not seen a book that more personifies the classic "2 plus 2 equals 7" logic warp. OSWALD'S TALE seems to set forth most of the facts, repeatedly flirt with and caress the truth, then suddenly to disregard it in favor of twaddle. A good example is Mr. Mailer's omission of the dictation belt discovered in the 1970s in Dallas. The belt contained a sound recording of the assassination recorded over the air as a result of a jammed "transmit" button on a police motorcycle radio. Analysis of the recording by the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1978-9 revealed that two shots were fired almost simultaneously. An obvious impossibility with a bolt action rifle, this shattered forever the fairytale of a lone assassin. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle coined a phrase many years ago, "profound and ineffable twaddle", which well sums up the illogic of OSWALD'S TALE. Brimming with massive and impressive information, but arriving at conclusions that are an utter nonsequitor, OSWALD'S TALE is very reminiscent of the original Warren Commission Report. Unfortunately for Mr. Mailer, the Warren Commission's thesis has long been discredited and relegated to the category of claptrap. Amazingly, so many reviewers have been overwhelmed by the quantity of information in OSWALD'S TALE, but are oblivious to the book's total failure to make anything of the information. It looks very much as if Mr. Mailer is either daft or has quixotically written yet another book to try to prop up the long-collapsed thesis of the Warren Commission, and in the process comes across as having compromised himself totally. Such a book seems particularly strange coming from someone who used to seem like such a radical and champion of the truth in the 60s. Mr. Mailer remarked in the book that "Jack Ruby buggers reasonable comprehension". However in the end, OSWALD'S TALE itself buggers the truth...



4. Long as it was I regretted reaching the end of this book. Oswald's Tale purports to be a work of fiction. In fact, it impossible not to appreciate the wealth of research and analysis that informs the pages of this dense text. It becomes increasingly clear that Oswald very likely acted alone. Indeed, this is only a question because of the tributaries of zealots that seemed to work on the fringes of formal organizations, including the FBI and the MAFIA and so on. Yet, Oswald very likely acted independently; it would have been practically impossible for any one organization to control him. The novel Libra had it very nearly correct with its assessment that, had Oswald be chosen, it would very likely have been because he could have been depended upon to miss his target, or otherwise bungle the job. No one but Oswald propeled himself onto to the stage of Cold War history. In Oswald's world, his sense of destiny was confirmed by the chance occurrence of being employed in the Texas Book Depository in Dallas, stationed along the very route that President Kennedy's motorcade took that day in November. In addition to the quality of the writing and analysis, the book is to be commended for focusing so intently on Oswald's marriage to Marina, and the relationship he had with his mother, Margueritte. Like so many tragedies, one is all too easily reminded of Shakespeare's Richard, "my kingdom for a horse." Had Cuba provided Oswad a visa enabling him, ultimately to return to the Soviet Union he had already abandoned, history might well have taken a different course. Instead, Oswald's dyslexia, his sense of greatness, his determination and his lack of abilities in so many areas coupled with his gifts in others: all conspired, with chance playing its part, to place Oswald in the book depository from which he assasinated President Kennedy and subsequently murdered Dallas PD Officer Tippit.



5. At almost 800 pages, Tale is weighed down with endless detail. Still much of the detail is fascinating in itself, such as the KGB's procedure in following Oswald in Russia. Mailer actually got the reports of KGB agents following Oswald. Mailer put incredible effort into retracing Oswald's travels in Russia, New Orleans, Mexico and Texas and speaking to dozens of people who had contact with him. Mailer quotes numerous other writers. Only the last hundred pages got down to the action. His account of whodunit and why is necessarily speculative, but I don't know of a more credible one.

5 comments about Mysteries of Paris : The Quest for Morton Fullerton.

1. A virtually impossible read, this book pretends to be like Richard Holmes' wonderful "In the Footsteps of A Romantic Biographer" but it most assuredly is NOT. Here, instead of footsteps, we have sink-holes. No sooner does a paragraph begin to entice interest, than it degenerates into incomprehensible ramblings. Rather than learning bit by bit in an engaging way about the wonders of turn of the century Paris and it's denizens--particularly Edith Wharton and her rakish secret lover, we learn only that the would-be biographer is an eccentric (not in a good way) confusing and addle-pated researcher who has no success with delivering the literary goods. A frustrating and disappointing waste of time. Avoid it like the plague!



2. A virtually impossible read, this book pretends to be like Richard Holmes' wonderful "In the Footsteps of A Romantic Biographer" but it most assuredly is NOT. Here, instead of footsteps, we have sink-holes. No sooner does a paragraph begin to entice interest, than it degenerates into incomprehensible ramblings. Rather than learning bit by bit in an engaging way about the wonders of turn of the century Paris and it's denizens--particularly Edith Wharton and her rakish secret lover, we learn only that the would-be biographer is an eccentric (not in a good way) confusing and addle-pated researcher who has no success with delivering the literary goods. A frustrating and disappointing waste of time. Avoid it like the plague!



3. I greatly enjoyed this book after I realized it was not a quick read of connecting the dots/facts and racing to a conclusion. The joy of this book is that it offers the reader the chance to join Mainwaring as she roams through Paris seeking out the truths of rogue M. Fullerton's life. I loved the descriptions of Paris, the street scenes and the old buildings with their old bureacrats serving as gatekeepers to the dusty stacks of information in the registries of births, deaths and marriages. In her quest for the facts she encounters characters ranging from counts to charwomen and her style, humor and voice make me feel there with her, mulling the facts and planning the next step in the detective work.If you need a vacation from your life, read this book. I now open it to any page and just dive in and quickly become captivated again. Mainwaring is an artist in her impeccable choice of words. Enjoy the process of her quest, indulge yourself and you will find that you will forget about the mundane matters of your life. An instant vacation, what a relief!



4. Basicly, this book is an account by Marion Mainwaring about the research she did to write it. She goes to the south of France, she reads some old letters, she talks to some people who knew Morton Fullerton late in life. Etc. etc. Along the way she gives a somewhat confused account of the slanging match she got into with Wharton's official biographer (about how she did all the research for his book but got no credit, blah blah blah). All of it's pretty tiring and you get the feeling that Mainwaring is desperately trying to pad out an already thin book.
   Having said that, Fullerton led a fascinating life, something straight out of a Henry James novel. To anyone interested in Edith Wharton or even about expatriate life in early 20th century Europe, this book is a must read.



5. This is both the story of Elizabeth Wharton's cad of a lover, and the earnest researcher exploited and spurned by the Scholar in the Field, who she won't even deign to name! Hot stuff, to those who care about such things.

   The scholar-cad dismissed her earlier cries de coeur as attempts to elicit publicity for this work, but you have to have read the LRB review to know this.

   Literary hearts are broken all around. If you understand this for what it is, it's one of the best books ever, but a bit of an objet trouvee, if you know what I mean.

No comments about BROKEN CHURCHES, BROKEN NATION.

No comments about The Papers of Abraham Lincoln, 4-volume set: Legal Documents and Cases.

3 comments about My Confession: Recollections of a Rogue.

1. Read 'My Confession' for a first hand account of the War with Mexico, as well as an eyewitness report on the notorious Glanton party. This is one of the most controverisal stories in American and Mexican history, and the discovery of these papers in the 1950s brought out an event that was otherwise best 'swept under the rug' of history. Cormac McCarthy pointed a spotlight on this whole affair when he wrote Blood Meridian, and fans of McCarthy may want to read this to confirm that he wasn't making everything up in Blood Meridian:The Evening Redness in the West. The basic storyline of The Kid, Glanton and the Judge's scalp hunt as set forth in 'Blood Meridian' is related here by the man who lived thru it all, General Samuel Chamberlin. I for one was disturbed to find the Judge among the cast of real characters, I couldn't imagine that such a horrible figure actually existed. Read the book to find out what really happened to Glanton, the kid, as well as 'the judge'. And keep your powder very dry.



2. For those interested the Mexican War, this is a "must read" book and has been used by historians as a primary source for years, but his crude paintings are also a treat for the scholar, because Camberlain captures many scenes which have escaped photographers and those who made lithographs, including the massacre of Mexican civilians by Arkansas troops in a cave in Northern Mexico.

   Sam Camberlain was a 16 year old private from Boston who served in the elite 1st US Dragoons in Mexico and gives vivid descriptions with crude but animated paintings of Saltillo, Monterrey, and Northern Mexico. Although he was not at the savage fighting during the capture of Monterrey, he claims to have been there so the reader is left to wonder about his other claims and the accuracy of his paintings of the combat in which he lied about being involved. Perhaps he had contact with those who were actually there?

   Sam Chamberlain was in the Mexican War and painted some interesting small glimpses of life & death. Reading his book is almost like listening to a veteran who seems to have been everywhere and done everything (especially with women). Sam Chamberlain relates deaths of soldiers to Mexican guerrillas and duty in the occupation but more often than not, Sam Chamberlain proclaims preposterous pick-ups with a host of women. The reader almost senses the author is bragging to fellow high schoolers in a locker room or to anyone who will listen in a bar, hence the title of the book is fitting "My Confessions: Recollections of a Rogue". This book would probably be disregarded as pure fantasy if it were not or the fact that sometimes he does detail military and daily life senarios which are proved by others.

   Truth or Tall Tale? Read this book and you be the judge.




3. Sam Chamberlain is a rogue, all right, but not necessarily for the reasons that this book indicates. Chamberlain's accounts of daring-do sometimes read like the pulp fiction of his era. Some of what he relates bears the accuracy of an eye-witness to history and with good reason. He had, in fact, ridden throughout much of Northern Mexico during the United States' war with the country from 1846 to 1848 and was on hand to see the Battle of Buena Vista in 1847. But he's guilty of something not uncommon among writers of his era -- making first-hand accounts of events where he clearly was not involved. The best example of this is his description of American deserters (San Patricios) hanged during the last battles for Mexico City. His description does not match others exactly, because at the time of the hangings, Chamberlain was still hundreds of miles away, likely near Saltillo, Mexico. For a reality check, read the editors' footnotes; they do a pretty good job of separating Chamberlain's facts from his flights of fancy.

5 comments about Governor Reagan His Rise To Power.

1. Lou Cannon was a reporter for the San Jose Mercury-News and covered Reagan's eight years as governor in Sacramento. As a result, this book is based on many personal interviews with Reagan and his staff, detailed research, and several other published works on Reagan's early life.
   
   Cannon used an interesting approach in organizing the book with each chapter describing titled with one word that describes a "role" that Reagan played at that time in his life, such as Announcer, Actor, Conservative, Pragmatist, etc. He describes Reagan's youth and early career in the Midwest, narrates how he came to Hollywood, analyzes his films, and discusses his work with the Screen Actors Guild. He shows how Reagan's work with General Electric Theater was a key turning point for him to move into politicsl. In summary, he understands Reagan's character, motivation, and goals, which is no small feat, given Reagan's very private nature.
   
   Cannon is very fair in assessing Reagan, not taking political sides in the controversies of the day. He lays out Reagan's vision, as well as the pragmatic compromises that he was forced to make in the governorship. The book describes Reagan's six-year campaign for the his first presidential nomination in 1980 and ends with his electoral victory in 1980.
   
   The many stories and anecdotes told by Reagan make this book well worth reading, and Cannon's writing is highly interesting as well. Highly recommended.
   
   Be warned that Cannon's companion volume President Reagan: Role of a Lifetime is a much different and much lower-quality book. See my review of that book on its page.



2. This is a good start to anyone interested in how Ronald Reagan started his run for presidency. This runs through the governor years and ends with Reagan being elected to the presidency. The writing is decent but tends to drag in some places. Overall though if you are interested in Reagan or California history this is a great start to that history.



3. Lou Cannon is the dean of books on Ronald Reagan. Having followed Reagan's career from the very beginning, Cannon has the insight and first hand knowledge of California politics to make this book very good.



4. Cannon has made somewhat of a career out of covering Ronald Reagan in California and Washington, DC as he ascended from "citizen-politician" to Governor and then to President. This volume provides a brief biography of the citizen years, then covers the 8 years of Reagan's two terms in Sacramento (1967-1974).
   
   Written (and read) in hindsight, it is hard to separate the President to come from the governor who was, but Cannon does an excellent job of conveying the politics and progress of Reagan in his terms. Reagan had already started making the transition from acting to politics many years before, through his stints in leadership of the Screen Actor's Guild, his years working as a spokesman for General Electric, his years hosting the "General Electric Theatre" television program, and his time stumping for the Goldwater campaign in 1964.
   
   While Reagan gave a widely-praised and nationally-televised speech in support of Goldwater, the magnitude of the Goldwater defeat scarred Reagan with the same brush, and this "reactionary" label combined with his "citizen-politician" naivety contributed to the beginning of a pattern of underestimation by his political opponents. In fact, writes Cannon, Reagan was successful at being underestimated so often because he worked so hard at it as a political strategy (and one that stood him in good stead throughout his career).
   
   Reagan's terms as governor proved a valuable learning ground for Reagan, and honed his skills and exposed his weaknesses that would later be splashed large on the national stage. He learned quickly, but tended to latch on to insignificant or misplaced facts and statistics. He could learn and perform from a "script" quickly and adeptly, but could overreach when speaking off-the-cuff. He wanted to answer every question from reporters and opponents, but didn't always have the depth or breadth of knowledge to recognize when he was out of his element. He knew when to delegate, but sometimes over-delegated or failed to provide guidance or follow-up.
   
   Politically, he was of course conservative, but surprisingly willing to reach practical compromises. He was unswervingly optimistic and trusting (he relied on Nancy for more clear-eyed assessments of those around him). While he mangled the "trees are the worst polluters" idea and was branded an anti-environmentalist, his record as governor was surprisingly strong in practical environmental actions. While a fiscal conservative, he passed the largest (at the time) state tax in crease in California history. Considered an ideologue, he worked with Democrats in the California legislature (notably Jess Unruh and Bob Moretti) to pass difficult but necessary legislation on taxes, welfare reform, natural resources, and education. Moretti, an avowed enemy who remained at odds politically with Reagan, nevertheless said
   
   ' . . . he had a philosophy that he was willing to pursue, that he was willing to enunciate, that he was willing to attempt to push. And . . . he's a strong personality. . . . Leaders are people who are willing to take positions and stand up and fight for those positions. [Reagan] had an enduring desire to accomplish something, to leave something behind that really improved things.'
   
   Moretti's conclusion: Reagan "was a good governor ('better than Pat Brown, miles, and planets, and universes better than Jerry Brown'). (p. 366-367).
   
   In short, Ronald Reagan became a more than capable governor, and better, a leader with convictions and courage:
   
   "It was often said of Reagan, from his first campaign to his last, that he was an actor who knew how to deliver his lines. This was true, but Reagan also was an experienced politician with convictions and a plan of action that he believed would rescue a nation in need of leadership." (p. 503).
   
   Governor Reagan prepared President Reagan for a role of a lifetime.
   
   President Reagan The Role Of A Lifetime
   
   Note:
   
   I never read other reviews before I have written my own, and I was surprised to find that some reviewers down-rated this book because of Cannon's corrections to factual misstatements that Reagan made at different times in his career. Some reviewers felt this was unnecessarily biased against Reagan and damaging to the value of Cannon's book. I also noticed that many of the reviewers stated their political position, and that those who disliked Cannon's corrections of Reagan were typically conservative.
   
   I am politically conservative, voted for Reagan for President both times, was there on the Capital grounds that memorable Inauguration Day 1981 when the hostages were released, and believe that Ronald Reagan is the equal of either Roosevelt in the pantheon of great Presidents, just below the pinnacle of Lincoln and Washington. But that said, I do not believe that Cannon's corrections of Reagan detract from the book. Sure, all politicians stretch and bend statistics and "misremember" facts to suit their purposes, so one could defend Reagan against Cannon's finger-pointing by saying that "all politicians do it." But Cannon's calling out Reagan's biggest gaffes is fair in the hindsight of his Presidential terms because this was a consistent problem through Reagan's career for which he was justly criticized. Even a strong supporter like myself must admit it was Ronald Reagan's biggest weakness.
   
   Now, as I said at the top of my review, it is hard to separate the governor's actions (and faults) from the President's yet to come, and it would be unfair to criticize Governor Reagan for statements and situations to come later. But I don't feel that Cannon does this either explicitly or implicitly through any politically-driven motivation.
   
   After further review, the review stands as called.



5. Having not known Lou Cannon from a can of paint prior to reading this book, I had no idea that he was a left-leaning journalist. That became more clear as I read but I didn't think Cannon allowed his political leanings to impact his writing in the first of these two books. The second, I thought was a bit unfair at times, but the first was even handed.
   
   I really enjoyed the completeness of the first book. It covered Reagan's early life completely. I didn't know the details of his governorship, nor did I know about his involvement in the SAG and the republican party prior to 1976.
   
   Cannon appears to be the right guy to tell this story. He followed Reagan for many years and had a firsthand account of what went on. I would recommend the series first because it is complete and second because I think Cannon's analysis is pretty fair, especially in the first book.
   
   Reagan was a stud as a governor. I liked the way he handled the war protestors. I'm not as impressed with his environmental record but it appears that he tried to do the right thing - or at least what he thought was the right thing - most of the time and that counts for a lot in my book.

5 comments about This Stubborn Soil.

1. My one line summary says it all. I am sure I was there. I anticipate each chapter anxiously waiting to see what funny, tragic desperate event is next and admiring the author for the practical and inventive mechanisms he has in place to keep his education going. I would like to know more about him in his later life.



2. I believe William A. Owens is all too often overlooked as one of Americas greatest authors and this book just proves my point. It is a great piece of work and an inspiration to all that read it.



3. THIS STUBBORN SOIL is a history book. No, one will not find the annals of nations set down here, nor even accounts of great wars or of vast economic movements. In these pages lie the images of poverty, illiteracy, sickness, premature death, fear, and bigotry that characterized the life of early 20th-century families enduring the ravages of both flood and drought in rough wood shacks with mud-and-straw chimneys and in poor, sandy fields where they tried to eke out an existence with a little livestock and with what few crops they could grow.
   
   These were families for whom school was not nearly as important as having an extra hand in the field with a hoe or a cotton sack, families whose entertainment consisted of singing around an organ or a piano, the presence of which stood in stark contrast to the rest of the house, which never saw an electric light or a telephone wire. These were families that watched over their sick and watched them die either because there was no money to pay a doctor to come or because the nearest doctor was self-taught through mail-order books.
   
   This is also the story of one boy who grew up in such an environment, who quit school many times because the choice came down to feeding the mind or feeding the body, who very nearly succumbed to the lure of wandering or of "riding the rods" as a hobo, and who was taught early on to denigrate Blacks and to hold Catholics in suspicion. In religion, he was exposed to holy rollers and tent revivals and pulpit-pounding evangelists. In school, when he went, he had teachers who had themselves barely finished an elementary education or, at the most, high school.
   
   In this boy, however, there was something as strange and seemingly out of place as the organ in his ramshackle home-a thirst for learning and an unquenchable desire to go to school at Commerce, Texas, home of East Texas State Teacher's College, the only place he had ever heard of where he could continue his often-interrupted education. Both lack of money and inadequate preparation threw substantial barriers in his path. Of course, even before reading this book, we know of his eventual success thanks to the Ph.D. that came to follow his name.
   
   THIS STUBBORN SOIL, therefore, is both a description of families who survived or died in a hardscrabble existence in early-1900s America and a hearth-side story of a boy whose love of learning survived all of the impediments in his path and finally resulted in the prize he sought for so long-a formal higher education. The soil on which he lived was indeed stubborn, for it yielded little and that only after back-breaking effort. He, however, was yet more stubborn, and that stubbornness bore succulent fruit.
   
   The book is a personal memoire, and, for readers who share lingering childhood memories of dirt roads, railroad tracks past cotton fields, unquestioned racial segregation, and one or two-room schools reached by horseback or "footback," this narrative will awaken nostalgic images from the mists into which they have faded as the years have passed. For those who have never experienced the type of life Owens led as a boy, THIS STUBBORN SOIL will be very instructive and will help fill a pronounced gap in their knowledge of a large corner of early twentieth-century America. Though now out of print, copies can be found through many used-book sources, and the message remains timely, instructive and perhaps even inspirational. The book is worth far more than the effort needed to track it down, and I hope that every reader interested in American history at the personal level, in rural "local color," or even in just a well-written personal narrative will begin the search for it without delay. The reward of reading it is great.



4. Absolutely amazing - the story and the writing. This book will stay with me forever. My copy is becoming old and tattered - I lend it to everyone I can.



5. Knowing the places in this book only help to create the images in my mind. Anyone would benefit from reading this book and being inspired that no matter their circumstances, they can achieve what they set out to do in life. I would also like to know more about the author's life after he went to school.

4 comments about The Autobiography Of Calvin Coolidge.

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



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



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



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