5 comments about Papa Jack: Jack Johnson And The Era Of White Hopes.

1. This is truly a terrific book - easily the best and clearest view of who Jack Johnson really was. Exhaustively researched and beautifully written - this book is well worth your time if you're interested in learning about one of the 20th century's most controversial figures.



2. Randy Roberts absolutely nails it with this wonderful and thoughtful biography of the extraordinary Jack Johnson. A must-read for any student of U.S. history and the social impact of sport. The semi-literate, one-star review below says far more about its writer than it does about this book. Can this person even read? Ignore these idiotic blitherings.



3. Jack Johnson did tell his own tale but this was in a haphazard, uneven, entertaining if not always believable book ("Jack Johnson Is A Dandy"). Because of this we have to look elsewhere for more reliable testimony. Randy Robert's `Papa Jack' from the mid 80s was for a long time the definitive bio on the first black heavyweight champion. In the absence of people still living from Johnson's day, Roberts researches heavily and of course has the unenviable task of unearthing the facts from the deeply racist and hate filled press of the time (among many other sources all of which are referenced in detail).
   
   The book itself is an easy read. Information from Johnson's early years is scant at best, so Roberts providing an account of his family and how they came to be in Galveston, Texas in the late 1800's is not only fascinating but very admirable. How he came to box and his patchy early years in the fight game are deciphered, as is his rise to notoriety (forced to continually fight the same batch of outcast super-tough black boxers) and historic title winning fight with Tommy Burns and subsequent seven year reign (including defences against the likes of Ketchel and Jeffries), through to a 37 year old, mentally weary Johnson dropping the title to the huge but ordinary Jess Willard.
   
   For the very real danger any black man faced at the time, Johnson's fearlessness is near beyond belief. Robert's does a good job recounting his personal life cavorting with a crew of white men, romancing a string of white women, shady business practices and misadventures the world over, many times correcting the claims Johnson made in his autobiography. It makes for great reading.
   
   As for gripes? A few. The major being Roberts annoying use of obvious misquotes. Supposedly this colourful and intelligent man spoke like this: "de fight was good, erm, me tink Jeffries was good challenger" etc. A man of Robert's intellect should have gathered that this was the racist press of the time stereotyping Johnson in their reports as a mentally slow Neanderthal, whereas existing recordings of Johnson's voice prove he was a lucid speaker. This is made worse because elsewhere Robert's includes more believable coherent Johnson quotes, yet doesn't spot the discrepancy in his own work. Otherwise, what pictures are included are great, but we would have liked more. Also, there is no fight record at the back, nor are many of his later fights covered.
   
   But overall, this is a good read. Robert's does the best he can with what he had to work with, and for so long this has been the reliable and comprehensive account of the Galveston Giant. However, recently Geoffrey C Ward's award winning `Unforgivable Blackness' has surfaced, complete with supposedly far more extensive research and a greater depth of information and material. I look forward to reading that book and cannot at the time offer any comparison, however for a concise overview I would recommend combing the two and educating yourself on the incredible life of the master boxer and controversial man that was Jack Johnson.



4. I guess it would be to much to objectively view Jack Johnson as a man and not a symbol. As with all Johnson biography's the author apparently feels compelled to reduce his subject to a level that is readily digestable to the reader. Though you don't find the author referring to Johnson as a "shiftless coon" in the tradition of Denzil Batchelor, Mr. Roberts summation that Johnson was "not the hero..." places his work in line with practically every other book written on Jack Johnson.
   
   So what makes a man dead 60 years a threat to an establishment and culture which says it long ago set aside the error of its ways inregard to race relations. If this were true would we still be reading books which at every turn question the methods and motives of a Jack Johnson? Would the words of angry racists in the guise of official government reports carry the weight and ring of truth the author gives them while pointing out frequently that the subjects life style, choice of company and words are subject to scrutiny due to his ego and self-centered nature?
   
   In this age of ego driven athletes, businessmen, politicians, clergy etc., it was a wasted point to declare that Johnson's greatest strength "his ego," was his most glaring weakness. I think it safe to make this assumption of many men. Though we have politicians admired for their drive and commitment to the very values which Jack Johnson was and apparently continues to be viewed as a threat to. Their egos nor motives are challenged. What man worth his salt doesn't believe he is the best at the things he commits himself to mastering?
   
   Jack Johnson was harshly scrutinized and mistreated because of his ability to dominate his circumstances. Be they opponents or a system which physically, financially and emotionally abused the hopes and dreams of his people, Jack Johnson was an overcomer. Jack Johnson is despised today as a symbol. A bad example of what happens when one man is allowed to much independence. In every since of the word Jack Johnson was a revolutionary. We are told he wasn't a hero, nor was he a man to be admired but I would disagree whole-heartedly. Jack Johnson was simply a man born a century to soon.
   
   Mr. Roberts says their is no ghost in the house, but how wrong you are Sir. The ghost is in the house everytime a camera snaps a photo of Tiger Woods and his wife. Everytime you see a clip of Ali with his arms thrust high in the air in victory look closely you'll see the ghost smiling his golden capped smile in the front row. For every man who longs to live free you'll find the ghost dancing in his heart. Long live the spirit of freedom and the ghost of Jack Johnson.



5. AS a boxing historian I really enjoyed Robert's book having reread it many times. I feel Robert's did a tremendous amount of research and is very well informed about his subject. You cannot study Johnson without discussing how he reflected his times and how thy effected him. My only criticism and it is a serious one is that I feel Robert's was extremely hard in judging his subject as a man. No athlete in American history had to live through the constant painful attacks that Jack Johnson did every day from 1908 on when he took the title from Tommy Burn's ... the pressures had to be exceptionally overwhelming and in hindsight I feel Johnson should not have been judged so harshly as a man. He deserved better ... he was decades ahead of his time, a highly intelligent, self-educated and cultured man and one of the greatest fighter that ever lived.

3 comments about I Fought With Custer: The Story of Sergeant Windolph, Last Survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

1. This book is compiled from the found writings of a sergeant of the Seventh Cavalry who survived the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The first hand accounts of men like Sergeant Windolph and Theodore Goldin are very valuable and interesting reading. They were not men defending their performance as were the officers like Benteen, Reno, and Godfrey. They had their biases but didn't have to grind axes. This account is worthwhile reading for students of the Seventh Cavalry and the Little Big Horn campaign.



2. As a Custer buff, this book has been on my shelf for a long time. A great book to read, one that fleshes out a lot of the daily life in the Seventh as well as the battle along Greasy Grass. Right up there with "Son of Morning Star" and Walter Camp's book on the subject. Check 'em out, you won't be disappointed.



3. It is difficult to really rate a work like this. This is the story of Charles Windolph, the last survivor of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, in his own, simple words. Windolph told his story to a father and son historian team in the 1930s and 40s. Windolph's distinction as last survivor is a bit misleading--he was the last man who was present at the battle to die, but his title as last survivor does not mean he was with Custer's column of troops. He wasn't. In fact, he was under Benteen, and was one of many who survived the battle because they weren't as heavily engaged in it as Custer.
   Windolph presents an interesting perspective on the battle, and seems relatively objective. He does tend to romanticize a little, but for the most part he refrains from throwing blame on Custer, Reno, Benteen, or anyone else (though he does state up front that he is partial to Benteen). His story is not all that unique when compared to other primary accounts of the battle, but it is nevertheless valuable as the testimony of a survivor of that horrible tragedy.
   Included with Windolph's narrative are a number of primary documents, cobbled together in chapters and laced throughout with author's commentary. This is all right, but it would have been better to present these documents in their entirety, with only enough commentary (perhaps in the form of footnotes) to give the reader an idea of the background surrounding the documents. Still, the Hunts have done a relatively good job of remaining objective as well, something that is rare in a Custer historian. This is perhaps not the best account of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, but it is nevertheless an important one.

5 comments about Lincoln's War: The Untold Story of America's Greatest President as Commander in Chief.

1. Geoffrey Perret's _Lincoln's War: The Untold Story of America's Greatest President as Commander in Chief_ tells the story of Lincoln's presidency in a readable, entertaining style. As a prelude to Lincoln's presidency, the early chapters describe Lincoln's formative experiences first as a volunteer soldier during the Black Hawk War, then as a successful country lawyer, and finally as a Illinois Congressman. Establishing this background, the biography develops the following thesis: Lincoln's presidency defined our understanding of the scope of the modern executive branch, extending executive power and, to some extent, inventing the role of Commander in Chief in order to defeat the South's insurrection.
   
   Perret portrays Lincoln's humanity and, in particular, his deep affection for the Union soldiers, who looked upon him with reverence even during the most troubled days in the Civil War. Perret also focuses on Lincoln's day-to-day involvement with the military campaign itself, including battlefield visits when Lincoln placed his own safety in risk. Lincoln's studious, perspicacious interest in the new technologies of warfare is a major theme. Perret argues, for example, that Lincoln's personal requisition of multi-loading carbines for a sharp-shooter brigade may have saved Washington, DC, at Fort Matthews, during a Confederate assault in the middle of the war. Throughout the book, Perret chronicles Lincoln's vexations with the commanding generals in the Army of the Potomac prior to Ullyses Grant's accession.
   
   While concentrating on these themes, Perret conveys a sense of the desperation that Lincoln felt during the war and the precariousness of the Union's preservation, especially in the early years. Far from idealizing Lincoln, as the title of Perret's biography might suggest, we see his flaws as well, which make him an ever more impressive historical figure. For instance, Winfield Scott, the aging Commander of U.S. forces at the outset of the war, argued for a strategy of slowly dividing the Confederacy--cutting off supply and communication lines--rather than the quick capture of Richmond. Scott's plan was, in fact, how the Confederacy was ultimately defeated despite the fact that much of Lincoln's attention, from 1861 onward, remained on the Northern Virginia campaign and rapidly seizing Richmond.
   
   A number of reviewers have pointed out the historical inaccuracies in this account and allude to James McPherson's critical review of the biography. I can imagine how for a reader with a detailed knowledge of the Civil War these errors could be quite distracting and/or exasperating. Because I am not an expert on the Civil War or the specifics of military history, much of the book refreshed my memory of the U.S. history that I learned in high school. This was quite enjoyable. My own belief is that a general reader, like myself, still can profit from this book, despite its faults, and likely will not be seriously mislead about the broad historical picture.



2. I found this a very moving account of Lincoln's presidency which focused
   on his wartime decisions and his relationships with his cabinet, generals, soldiers in the field, and more. For a longtime reader of books on Lincoln and the Civil War it brought several new insights and anecdotes. The author obviously did a great amount of research into correspondence of the time, newspapers, diaries, etc. He is obviously well read in his subject because he doesn't repeat the accounts offered so often in other works.
   
   I don't understand the many uncharitable reviews here of this book, and the poor rating. It sounds like part professional jealousy from other historians, part just plain churlishness. It may be that the title has attracted statistical students of troop movements, constitutional law analysts, who may well find some factual mistakes. Certainly there are NOT errors on every page, poor man!
   
   A very astute, even astonishing work from a learned writer (who sent me quite often to my dictionary) who has not forgotten how to feel.



3. Despite some of the previous reviews. My husband is thoroughly enjoying this book. He is a Civil War buff and says that this book is tying together much of what he has read in the past regarding the Civil War.



4. Historian and author Geoffrey Perret has succeeded in writing yet another brilliant book!
   
   This work brings together one of my favorite military historians and my favorite President. Perret can always be counted on to write great history. His works are always well written, researched and compelling.
   
   In "Lincoln's War" Perret shows how Lincoln seized war powers, reserved for Congress by the Constituation, and made them his own. By the end of the war, the President evolved into an effective Commander and Chief who controlled all aspects of national strategy - political, economic, military and even informational - in his hands. The President was driven, as no other American politician was, to first preserve the Union and then to abolish Slavery throughout the United States.
   
   Lincoln succeeded in both, due mostly to his talents as Commander and Chief and the backing of the Union Army. As a result, the modern Presidency owes its war powers to Abraham Lincoln.
   
   This is truly a great read!



5. Written in a clean, clear style, Lincoln's War describes Abraham Lincoln from the perspective of Commander in Chief. Although most of the "big story" has been told numerous times, Perret keeps his narrative interesting by peppering his recounting with numerous factoids and quotes that I had never encountered previously. (After reading other Amazon reviews, I now question them.)
   
   Perret portrays Lincoln as someone who grew in office until he became an effective commander in chief. Lincoln did gain military knowledge and confidence as the war progressed, but the political skills that he brought to the office of the presidency gave him the wherewithal to be not just a good war president, but to be an exceptional civil war president. More than other wars, a civil war is a political conflict and with the capitol surrounded and embedded with Confederate sympathizers, it took great skill to hold things together until the generals could prosecute the war.
   
   I also found the Table of Contents to be expertly compiled. Whenever I wanted to look ahead or behind, I was able to quickly find the material I was looking for.
   
   The Shut Mouth Society
   The Shopkeeper

3 comments about Frontier Madam: The Life of Dell Burke, Lady of Lusk.

1. I remember the "Frontier Madam" and was enthralled by Willson Read's account of her life and interactions with a small town's people. Wonderful book.



2. I bought this book yesterday and have not been able to put it down. I am so intrigued by the life of Dell Burke and the time during which she lived. The writing is captivating and makes the "Yellow Hotel" seem to come alive. Fantastic Book!!!



3. Dell Burke just might be the most famous madam in Wyoming, where some of the most famous bordellos this side of Nevada lingered well into the 20th century. Yet nobody has attempted to put her life story in print until now. June Willson Read's biography assembles the many colorful facts and legends about Dell Burke in a slim, easy-to-read narrative (although she maybe tiptoes a little too far in re-creating some conversations). Dell Burke was already a self-sufficient woman at a time when women were testing the waters of independence, even in the Equality State. Read's book paints a delightful picture of one of Wyoming's most memorable characters.

5 comments about The Truth About Jesse James.

1. One word... WOW! Would I recommend this book? YES! History buffs or just Jesse James enthuses will be in for a treat! Betty Dorsett Duke's "Jesse James Lived & Died In Texas" convinced me back in 1998 that Jesse James didn't die in 1882, (I was a skeptic before) but her new book, "The Truth About Jesse James", should convince everyone, even if you are skeptic like I once was! Like the title, it is the TRUTH! From the beginning to the end I could hardly wait to turn the page to see what was going to happen next -- it's defiantly a GOOD read and will be timeless book.
   
   Many things impressed me with this book, I learned a lot of historical information about Jesse James, before his so-called passing which was defiantly a treat. I expected to be drawn right into the day he was supposedly shot. The research the author put into this book! Wow! Working at a community college, I see and edit history papers for peers all the time, this book would definitely be considered an "A" paper. Why? Betty Duke's research is very well done by the way it is presented and most of all you don't get bored, things stay interesting. I was very pleased with the citations, credits and how she used them properly. I wish more people would write like this.
   
   One thing that caught my attention after I read the book was a letter written by Emett Hoctor to Betty Duke, the author about this book. Mr. Hoctor was the man that pioneered the search for the truth about Jesse James through DNA testing back in 1995. Mr. Hoctor had chosen Professor Starr to head the project, and from his letter to the author he was obviously disappointed in Starr's work. The letter Mr. Hoctor wrote can be read by the public on the author's Web site: http://www.jessejamesintexas.com/emmett_hoctor_review.jpg
   
   In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in the TRUTH about Jesse James and his life. This book captures it all and if you are wondering if Jesse lived on after 1882 or died this book will seal the deal. I personally, feel comfortable now about what happened to Jesse James and I feel everyone will feel this way too after reading this book!



2. Following many years of exhaustive research, Betty Duke's book now gives us the real story of Jesse James. This book details so much evidence regarding the events in the life of Jesse James, after the supposed "assassination" in Missouri, that the history books may need to be re-written. We find him to be much alive, living in Texas, raising a family, and then leaving clues for those after him, regarding his true identity. This book will cause the reader to re-think what he has been told regarding the life of Jesse, the preacher's son from a little town in Missouri. Perhaps, the reader will even be inclined, like myself, to dig into his own family's history. I highly recommend this book to all history buffs, and those who want to want to blaze the trail in search of the real Jesse James.



3. someone should have proof read book before it went to print.and the more i read the more i beleave the auther is grasping at straws that her g-grandfather is jesse james.



4. A few copies of this book appeared with different cover and a different title. The earlier title was Jesse James History Mystery: Did He Fake His Death. Perhaps a more fitting title for this book would be Betty Duke in Wonderland. In this volume Duke takes us through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole. She uses a lot of smoke and mirrors. Duke would have us believe that Robert James, the father of Frank and Jesse James, did not die in California in 1850 as history relates. Instead he faked his death, acquired a new wife and began a second career as a Methodist (not Baptist) minister. Robert James becomes the father of the real James L. Courtney and then the real James L. Courtney morphs into someone named Haun.
   
   Jesse James, of course, was not shot and killed by Bob Ford on April 3, 1882, and the real Jesse James morphs into James L. Courtney, the great grandfather of the author. Jesse James did not marry his cousin Zee Mims, but Zee married a cousin of Jesse's Wood Hite. Wood Hite, according to Duke, is the man who is really buried in James' grave in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Clay County, Missouri.
   
   If this is not too confusing for you to follow, don't worry there is still a lot more smoke, mirrors, magic lanterns, secret societies, and coded diaries that are sure to disorient you. Quantrell (her spelling, not mine) did not die in Kentucky at the end of the Civil War, and "Bloody Bill" Anderson was not killed in Ray County, Missouri on October 26, 1864. Both men survived, took new identities, and had long careers in Texas and elsewhere. There is much, much more of this sort of mania in the book, including large doses of the Knights of the Golden Circle, myths, treasure tales, etc., etc., etc.
   
   Not only is this book bad history, but it is bad writing as well. Duke has apparently never made the acquaintance of The Chicago Manuel of Style, or any similar guide for writers. Her punctuation, footnotes, bibliography, grammar, organization, etc. leave much to be desired. A large number of her footnotes cite various internet sources, many of dubious validity. Very few of her footnotes for books give page numbers, and for newspapers she often only cites the year, but not the month and day. She cites at least one work of fiction as if it is a valid reference for historical matters, and several of the books listed in her bibliography are totally unreliable.
   
   Much of the material in the book is not the work of Betty Duke. She quotes pages and pages of other people's work. Some of this she says she has permission to use, but she is totally mum on the subject of permission in other cases. Some of the writers that are quoted at length may want to take issue with Duke about this. It is also interesting to speculate about how the five living great grandchildren of the outlaw Jesse James will feel about Betty's claim that she is also the great granddaughter of Jesse James.
   
   In summary, this book will likely be remembered as a burr (the size of a giant tumbleweed) under the saddle of the history of the Old West. This book has been repudiated by The James Preservation Trust,which preserves the family history of the Jesse James family, and this book has been reviewed unfavorably in The James-Younger Gang Journal, by noted historian and book critic Nancy B. Samuelson, author of The Dalton Gang Story, and by the Wild West History Association of professional historians.



5. An interesting and well researched Jessie James alternate history. Ms Duke cites her sources and lays her cards on the table....... I beleive she proves her case. A must read for James scholars, Knights of the Golden Circle researchers and outlaw hunters...... What a story!!!!!

2 comments about My Father, Daniel Boone: The Draper Interviews with Nathan Boone.

1. The Draper Interviews provide insight into the life of Boone, free of the myth and larger than life stereotype that has always surrounded this remarkable frontiersman. Nathan Boone's recollections of his father also gives us a glimpse of how Daniel himself viewed the world in which he lived and allows us to more clearly understand the man from which the legend sprung. Though many books written from similiar interviews are dull and rather boring, the Draper Interviews are arranged so that they make for rather stimulating reading and keep the reader eagerly in longing for the next chapter. Truly a "must read" for anyone interested in Daniel Boone or early Kentucky history.



2. Nathan Boone and his wife, Olive van Bibber Boone, had the kind of memories most people wish for. They remembered virtually all of the early history of Commonwealth of Kentucky. When Lyman Draper came to visit them for two months in 1851 he found them full of the most interesting and detailed memories of Daniel Boone. Not only had the elder Boone lived with them and shared his own memories, they had also lived through many of the incidents themselves, and knew many of the old pioneers -- old van Bibber was one of the earliest settlers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Enjoyable, highly readable. I highly recommend this book.

3 comments about The Lees of Virginia: Seven Generations of an American Family.

1. This was a very enlightning book about the Lees history. Some very fascinating stories about the lees and their roots



2. "The Lees" tells the story of a remarkable American family from its establishment in Virginia to General Robert E. Lee. It gives us a glimpse into their lives and the stages on which they played.

   One theme which runs through the book was that this family had many failures. Although there were shining lights, such as Richard Henry Lee and Robert E. Lee, the more typical Lee was R.E. Lee's father, Gen. Lighthorse Harry Lee, who squandered his wealth, spent time in debtor's prison and ended his life in flight from his creditors.

   The two leading figures of the family are Richard Henry Lee and Robert E. Lee.

   Richard Henry was one of the leaders of the call for American Independence. As the sponsor of the Independence Resolution, he would have been a natural for the Committee to draft the Declaration. His opponents in the Virginia delegation blocked his appointment, insisting on the conservative Benjamin Harrison. Less conservative delegates blocked Harrison, with Thomas Jefferson being the compromise choice. Oh, how history could have been different! Richard Henry had a long and, on the balance, distinguished career during which he led the "Lee Party" consisting of himself, his brothers and other Lee relatives.

   The coverage of Robert E. Lee amounts to a biography lite, with an emphasis on his involvement in family matters. There are better sources to learn about him.

   Much of the book consists of quotations from letters and the provisions of wills of many people who would have never been mentioned in a book had they not been related to Richard Henry Lee and Robert E. Lee. This makes portions of the book rather boring.

   I picked up two ideas which emerged from this book. One is the tremendous importance of inheritance for the Lees. This may have been exaggerated because wills are documents which survive, but many people's destiny seems to have been dependent on the inheritance of a farm or a plantation. The other is that it seems that, but for a few government positions, few of them ever aspired to any job other than to manage their farms. This may reflect the nature of the economy and may also reflect the social limitations on their class.

   Overall this book has some merit. One could read biographies of Richard Henry Lee and Robert E. Lee and forget the rest, but then the reader would miss the story of how this family worked together over the centuries. Make you own choice.




3. This book is a fascinating look at a famous and influential family in a time and place I happen to find among the most interesting in all American history: Virginia from its founding until 1870. Within a few decades of the founding of Jamestown in 1607, the first Lee arrived in the Tidewater. For the next three centuries, more or less, the Lees were at or near the center of Virginia's -- and later America's -- history. For readers familiar only with Robert E. Lee, it may come as a shock to realize just how important his family was before and during the Revolution. But even for those for whom that's not a surprise, Paul Nagel's work is still richly rewarding.
   
   That's because "The Lees of Virginia" isn't really a composite biography of each individual member of the vast Lee family. Many of them do receive pretty thorough portraits, of course. But Nagel's main purpose is to chart the connections and relationships within the family, and to explore the influence of the family *as a* family.
   
   In so doing, he paints a fascinating picture of how characteristics and traits passed from generation to generation -- and how, just as importantly, subsequent generations learned from, and tried to do things differently than, their forebears. Perhaps the most interesting contrast here is between the erratic and debt-ridden "Light-Horse Harry" Lee and his son Robert Edward. R.E. Lee, in this analysis, comes across, frankly, as something of a moralistic prig, and one who more or less chained his daughters to their invalid mother's bedside. Nowadays, it's not uncommon to say about someone, "Well, he came from a messed-up family." I have more appreciation for Robert E. Lee's greatness, as well as his human failings, for seeing that he, too, came from a messed-up family.
   
   If I do have a complaint about this book, it might be that ending the narrative at R.E. Lee's death in 1870 seems a little arbitrary. Certainly, General Lee could be seen as the last truly great or influential member of the family. But as Nagel himself mentions, the General's sons and nephews continued to play relatively important roles in the history of Virginia, including service in Congress and as governor of the Commonwealth. Families wax and wane in their influence, as Nagel's book on the Adamses also proved. But I would have been willing to follow Nagel's reporting for another generation or two, just to see what happened.
   
   That aside, though, this is a fine book about an interesting family in interesting times. There are several members of the family I hope to find out more about -- especially Francis Lightfoot Lee, signer of the Declaration of Independence, whose relatively reclusive personality -- at least as contrasted to his more attention-seeking brothers -- was especially intriguing to me. I've always thought one sign of a good book is how much it makes you want to explore related topics, and "The Lees of Virginia" delivers in that regard too.

3 comments about Growing Up in the 1850s: The Journal of Agnes Lee.

1. Eleanor Agnes Lee was the daughter of General Robert E. Lee, the famous Conferderate Commander in the War Between the States. This is the journal from her girlhood. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are many books about Robert E. Lee, but there are very few about the rest of his family. This is one of the only sources on his third, beautiful daughter, Agnes, and lets us see better the life of the Lee family. It tells of her faith, her struggles, and her wonderful relationship with her family. I loved this book!



2. The Journal of Agnes Lee was written over a 5-year period while Agnes was between 12 and 17, and before the Civil War that would make her father such a legend. Don't expect breathtaking adventure here, but rather sit back and enjoy a view of this young girl coming of age in the 1850's. My strongest reaction to the book was, "How I would have loved to know Agnes!" She really does come alive here with exuberant spontaneity. Her writings provide many glimpses into the overall family life and way of thinking about her life. Agnes' love for her family is intense, and it can make the reader jealous of such closeness, rarely seen in today's society. I do recommend this book to those who want to know about General Lee's family life, and those who are interested in knowing more about this delightful girl, taken from the world by illness at age 32.



3. Miss Agnes Lee, as the daughter of the famous general, was in a unique position to record the inner workings of one of America's oldest families. She records a touchingly ordinary life of a typical 19th-century young woman; home life, going to school, her hopes and dreams. Truly interesting to historians should be her position as "teacher" for her grandfather's slaves, who were being prepared for their freedom. General Lee wanted them to be taught to read and write so they could make a living, and Miss Agnes and her beloved sister Annie (who died tragically of typhoid during the war) taught the classes. Agnes, like her sisters, never married although she had a hearbreaking love over with Orton Williams, whom the war turned into a hard-drinking man. She tearfully refused his proposal and never healed from her grief when he was hanged by Union troops. This is an invaluable resource for a young girl's life of the period. Highly recommend

5 comments about The Kennedy Men: Three Generations Of Sex, Scandal And Secrets: Three Generations of Sex, Scandal and Secrets.

1. While plenty of us already know the tale of this clan, this book is still a rather entertaining read. There are plenty of classic anecdotes about the ongoings of these men, especially Joe, Sr., JFK, Bobby and the rather pitiful Teddy, as portrayed in parts. It is often quite candid, if not humourous, however, does tend to fall into ruts at times. Overall, it's a good book with which to pass an otherwise boring weekend.



2. Nellie Bly details the peccadilloes of the Kennedy men from the 1900's to the 1990's. We get the lowdown on Gloria Swanson, Marilyn Monroe, Judith Campbell, Chappaquiddick, Joe II's jeep accident that left a young woman paralyzed, the drug use and the arrests of the third generation men, and so on. Joe Kennedy Sr. told his sons "If there's a piece of cake on your plate, take it". You have to admire the women that stuck it out with these guys. A good read for those interested in the Kennedys.



3. "Thank God for the Kennedys. Without them, a lot of bad writers would be waiting tables." I heard this line on a recent rerun of Law & Order and it immediately made me think about Nellie Bly's The Kennedy Men, one of the more superflous books claiming to give us the dirt on America's prodigal sons. Basically, what Bly has done is compiled a collection of facts culled from other, better Kennedy books and recorded them in the breathless prose of a tabloid reporter. There's nothing new within this book and, despite Bly's claims to the contrary, no valuable or new insight to be gained from what is basically a list of other people's dirty laundry.



4. This book is essentially a collection of gossip about the three generations of the Kennedy men, starting with patriarch Joe Kennedy Sr and concluding in the present day (well, 1996). If you enjoy gossipy reads (as I do) then you'll enjoy this book.

   The only problem I had was the sections devoted to John Kennedy were shorter than I would have liked. But there are dozens of bios on JFK out there, and this book wasn't entirely about him.

   Reading this book, it seems like Teddy & the third generation's recklessness with drugs and women are what ended Joe Kennedy, Sr's dream of a family legacy.




5. At least "Kennedy Men: Three Generations of Sex, Scandal and Secrets" never pretends to be anything but what it is: a collection of tabloid reports and gleeful gossip. The entire book has very little point except: Kennedy men are scum who break the law and treat women like dirt. But those who have ever gotten a dirty little thrill from tabloids will enjoy this easy read.

   It begins with the calculating patriarch Joseph Kennedy, whose many affairs were a source of inspiration to his sons. In this book are the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy, the Good Friday rape case, Marilyn Monroe's mysterious death, drugs and alcoholism, divorce and adultery, the Mary Jo Kopechne tragedy, and dozens of other tragedies and mishaps.

   Thankfully Bly doesn't buy into the sentimental goo about a family curse; in this book, it becomes evident that most of the Kennedy tragedies are, if not caused by their own actions, then nothing more than that -- accidents and tragedies. And it becomes quite evident that they did cause a lot of their own problems, such as Chappaquiddick.

   With a title like "Three Generations of Sex, Scandal and Secrets," obviously as many extramarital affairs as possible are going to be gone over again. Joseph Kennedy's affairs start it off, and Bly happily retells JFK's affairs with Monroe, Inga Arvad, Angie Dickinson, Gene Tierney, and Judith Campbell Exner. While Ted Kennedy is usually a side-player in such books, he's roasted without mercy with plenty about his conquests as well -- including one humiliating anecdote where he takes a drunken prostitute to a party, where she wets an antique sofa. The next generation isn't spared as well: While most of them seem relatively okay, David Kennedy's drug addiction and Joe II's car crash and turbulent lifestyle are aired out. The most vivid of the third-generation Kennedy stories is the William Kennedy rape case. And even "John-John" doesn't get off too easily: His more flamboyant and famous girlfriends, like Madonna and Sharon Stone, are presented as well.

   The entire book is written in bite-sized semi-chapters, giving the further impression of tabloid journalism. But the writing style is brisk and pleasant, never getting bogged for too long in any one area unless it's really important. There's a good array of photographs, at least half of which are onetime girlfriends of the various Kennedy men. (Look no further for one of the worst Madonna pictures I've ever seen)

   Usually tabloid books are disguised with dignified covers and titles. But "Three Generations of Sex, Scandal and Secrets" is unashamed of what it is, which makes it a guilty pleasure worth the read.

2 comments about The Real Billy the Kid: With New Light on the Lincoln County War (Recovering the Us Hispanic Literary Heritage).

1. Many books have been written about Billy the Kid and his exploits in New Mexico's Lincoln County War. Virtually all of these books, however, have relied on the same basic source of information, that being Pat Garrett's "The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid." Garrett, of course, was the man who killed Billy, and his book was written in part to justify the manner in which he had dispatched the Kid. Sadly, although based partly on the facts as Garrett understood them, his book reads more like a "penny dreadful," than a true biography, casting serious doubts on his book and those which followed.
   
   Fortunately for today's readers, Miguel Otero's book, "The Real Billy the Kid," doesn't trace its roots back to the Garrett book. Even better, it addresses Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War from an entirely new and unique perspective. Consider the following: 1) Otero actually knew Billy the Kid, although only slightly; 2) Unlike Pat Garrett, Miguel Otero had no axe to grind in writing his biography and, therefore, didn't need to embellish the story; 3) Since most of the people living in New Mexico at the time of the Lincoln County War were Mexicans, as is Otero, this book looks at the events of that war from an entirely unbiased point of view and a particularly unique perspective; and 4) In writing this book, the author interviewed those people, still living, who actually knew or were friends with Billy the Kid and who were living in and around Lincoln County at the time of the "war."
   
   This all led to what would appear to be a factual account with a minimum of fluff; Otero simply tells it like it happened. And here are a few other things which struck me about this book and the way it is written: 1) It puts the characters involved in the "war" in proper perspective and in the setting of their times; 2) It provides personal information about some of the participants in the war which I have never seen before; 3) It went on to explain what became of some of those who survived the war. The only disappointment to me about the book was in the way it ended. The author was discussing his interviews with those who knew the Kid, the questions he asked them and their answers. I kept thinking: "Ask this. Ask that." What valuable sources. I would have liked to have known even more. Bottom line - It's a good book and makes interesting reading.



2. The Real Billy the Kid, by Miguel Antonio Otero
   
   There have been over 800 literary and cinematic representations of "Billy the Kid" that present varying view from murdering desperado to Robin Hood of the Southwest (Walter Noble Burns). Otero's book is the first from an Hispanic viewpoint (he was Territorial Governor 1892-1906). Otero personally met William Henry Bonney Jr. Most of the fictional representations used Billy as a means to their ends of telling a story. [Most Westerns were written by Easterners to provide entertainment that is more modern than the Song of Roland.] Otero's book contrasts from the Pat Garrett narrative, and is little known. The 'Introduction' displays Rivera's erudition, but "romance" or "tragedy" is best left to the reader.
   
   The Lincoln County War was caused by the commercial rivalry between the Dolan-Murphy faction (allied to the Sante Fe Ring) and the McSween-Tunstall faction. Otero had his reasons for this book, originally published in 1936 (p.xxxv). So to did Garrett and Upson (p.xxxvii). The 'Foreword' uses an unnamed source to claim that "Billy the Kid had no gun". That is unbelievable! Billy was an escaped convict condemned to hang; he would never be without a gun handy, night or day, since his life depended on a gun. Pat Garrett presented Otero with an autographed copy of his book (p.5).
   
   Chapter I tells of Billy's early years. He was often a nice boy, but had a terrible temper and was dangerous when angry. The stories of Billy's early life show his willingness to kill. Billy was also a "first-class gambler" (p.13). Billy gained from other's winnings (p.14). Chapter II tells of his fights with the Apaches. It was the Lincoln County War of 1878 that made Billy's reputation (Chapter III). The Murphy-Dolan company sold cattle to the government, some of it alleged to have come from John Chisum's big ranch (pp.28-29). Otero was a business ally of the Tunstall-McSween Company. One fraudulent scheme involved cattle (pp.31-32). Success went to the faction that was close to the politicians (p.45). Chapters V and VI tell of Billy's criminal activities.
   
   Chapter VII tells of Pat Garrett's ambush of Billy and his gang at Fort Sumner in December 1880. Billy escaped with most of his gang. Chapter VIII has the statements from those who knew Billy and like him. Mrs. Susan Barber, the widow of Alexander McSween, told what happened to her attorney (p.93). Chapter IX has stories from Lincoln, like Hijinio Salazar who survived the attack on the McSween home. Garrett shot people when they were disadvantaged (p.98). George Coe told of his memories, and Frank Coe too (Chapter X). Testimony about Billy's death is in Chapter XI. Martin Chavez tells his memories of Billy and the Lincoln County War (Chapter XII). Billy was one of the kindest ... he was not blood-thirsty (p.126). Billy "never killed a native citizen of New Mexico" (p.129). Otero tells when he met The Kid (Chapter XIII). Garrett and his deputies captured The Kid and his gang, and brought them to the railroad station at Las Vegas. Otero was on the train to Santa Fe and found Billy likable (p.133). Chapter XIV concludes this history by quoting Pat Garrett's story. Chapter XV provides a postscript about the principals of the Lincoln County War. As Governor Otero banned John A. Riley form Santa Fe. [This book provides another view into a minor event that was greatly magnified by writers to provide entertainment and a distraction to the reading public.]