2 comments about Apostle of Liberty: The World-Changing Leadership of George Washington (Leaders in Action) (Leaders in Action).

1. This book seemed to find many of the same conclusions as "Washington's God" by Michael Novak. There were a few anecdotes that I had not read elsewhere. It is one of the better written books in the Leaders in Action Series. I appreciate the author's view that Washington was sincere and straitforward in what he wrote and said.



2. Reviewed by Tyler R. Tichelaar for Reader Views (12/07)
   
   Stephen McDowell's biography of George Washington, "Apostle of Liberty," has strengths as well as weaknesses. The author's argument is two-fold: Washington was a Christian, not a deist as many recent biographers have claimed, and God or "Providence" guided the United States' creation as a democratic nation.
   
   McDowell's main argument that Washington was a Christian is well supported throughout. McDowell uses extensive quotes from Washington's letters and the writings of those who knew Washington, that Washington was a Christian in his behavior and in his words. Washington was frequently caught praying privately by his family members, he supported local churches, and he continually referred to the hand of Providence as guiding him and the nation during the American Revolution and his presidency. Washington followed Christ's example, thus making him a man to respect, and one who deserves to be held in the highest regard by all Americans and people worldwide for the great contribution he made to ensure liberty, even denying himself the chance to become the first monarch of the United States.
   
   McDowell is obviously disappointed in the way modern historians have treated George Washington. "Apostle of Liberty" provides a more traditional and respectful view of the great general and first president. I agree with McDowell that Washington's great character, his honesty, his modesty, his self-sacrifice and courage are all virtues to model our lives after. I wanted to read this book because I did not feel I knew much about the first president myself, and I now have a greater respect for Washington. I wish, however, the book had provided more detail. I am left wanting to learn still more about the first president.
   
   McDowell divides the book into three sections, the first being Washington's biography, then his character and his legacy. I wish the entire book had focused on his biography. I felt the descriptions of his life read like summaries and short lessons, almost as if written for children or high school students. I would have liked more detail, so that I could get into the mind of George Washington and know what it really was like to suffer through that winter at Valley Forge and to feel the stress and the joy he must have known as a great leader. I thought the section on his character read well as a series of short essays, each on a character trait like honesty or modesty, although a lot of these sections were repetitive with items already discussed in the biographical section. I thought the section on his legacy was just more repetition and would have been better as one final conclusion rather than two separate essays that basically repeated themselves.
   
   My biggest disagreement with the book is that while McDowell completely convinced me that Washington was a Christian and that his beliefs in Christianity led to his strength of character, and while I am a proud American, I have a hard time believing the underlying premise that God or Providence, whether Washington believed it or not, was involved in ensuring the success of the American Revolution. At the end of the book, McDowell has a series of "Lessons of Leadership" to be gained from studying the life of Washington. The first one is "Christianity is the source of liberty, happiness and prosperity in society. Leaders have a duty to acknowledge God and obey His will." Christianity in its purest form can lead to happiness, but this kind of statement is too general and simply inaccurate. Christianity in the Middle Ages and many other times throughout history was far from a source of liberty, and to say leaders must obey God's will is opening up a leader to claiming everything he chooses to do is God's will--not a far cry from extremist religious groups today. Obviously Christianity was a great influence on Washington, but "liberty" or democracy is not dependent on Christianity for its success--after all, ancient Greece created democracy centuries before Christ's birth. The argument of Providence's role in the creation of the United States is something that cannot be reasonably supported and is simply just theorizing. It is a matter of faith, but an argument that I think would turn off many readers.
   
   I would recommend "Apostle of Liberty" to young adults who wish to learn more about Washington--his example is one young people can definitely benefit from following. I also hope McDowell's book leads to more complete biographies where Washington's Christian faith is treated more accurately because it definitely was an integral part of his life.

5 comments about Portrait of Hemingway (Modern Library).

1. It's a remarkable piece of work, both loving and accurate. If you don't like his kind of macho, I guess you could call the Portrait barbed; but she obviously loved it and him enough to win his trust. He opened up for her and, in the welcoming sense, took her in. I'm left full of wonder for the way she got his words, as well as his presence, down. You can see, too, how his early work, with its pared-down clarity, influenced her style. This is biography without conjecture -- biography at its best.



2. Portrait is a glimpse into the life of Hemingway over a two-day period. For fans of Hemingway, this is a fascinating snapshot of the famous Hemingway bravado and an offering of the vulnerability and sensitivity flowing immediately under the gruff and overly-confident exterior. Hemingway's passion for art and alcohol is found here, and one can't help but be reminded of his earlier devotion to, and inspiration from, painting rendered in A Moveable Feast. Sadly, one also anticipates the later disability compounded by the excessive drinking that finally extinguished such a brilliant career. This book caused a commotion when it was first published because Hemingway came across as insensitive, but it is only the lazy reader not willing to dig a little deeper, and only the reader who allows the powerful prose of Ross to lull them into mere observation, who fails to recognize the whole of Hemingway's character. If you are a Hemingway fan, or you want to scratch the surface of the life of a great writer who showed no fear in displaying his faults as readily as his virtues, and you don't mind a few character quirks along the way, read this book.



3. This slim volume covering a mere two days with Hemingway will take about an hour or two to read. However, it's merit is that it is presents us with a 'bird's eye-view' of Hemingway's later years, the alcholism, his relationship with his wife Mary, his son, and some of his old friends. It also gives us a glimpse of his feelings about his writing in his own words. For those who have enjoyed Hemingway's fiction and read biographies of his life, this book is a must.



4. Lillian Ross has the eye and ear of a reporter and the writing ability of a distinguished novelist. This feature on Hemingway, originally a NEW YORKER piece, is a delight for fans of Ross and fans of Hemingway of which I can be counted as both.

   The story begins as Miss Ross meets Hemingway at Idlewood Airport (now JFK) in New York City in 1950. Ross spends the next two days going to museums, shopping, and meeting Hemingway's friend Marlene Dietrich and Editor Charles Scribner.

   She's so unobtrusive in the story, you forget that she was actually in the room. When Hemingway talks to her, it's like a character has stepped out of a novel to speak with the author. You get this feeling because "Papa" is so much himself that he doesn't seem to be hiding his true personality from a member of the press corps.

   I learned a good deal about Papa in this short book. You will too.




5. As a true Hemingway fan, I found this book to be neither entertaining nor insightful... However, the afterword that follows it is quite interesting and contains a few fascinating stories. I recommend Hemingway's own book "A Moveable Feast" for anyone who wants to truly understand America's greatest writer.

No comments about Everything John F. Kennedy Book: Relive the history, romance, and tragedy of Americas Camelot (Everything Series).

No comments about Forging American Communism: The Life of William Z. Foster.

5 comments about Creeker: A Woman's Journey.

1. As a long-time enthusiast of Appalachian literature, I was eagerly aniticipating reading 'Creeker'. Though I didn't care much for the stereotypical title, I thought I would be able to make it past it to enjoy a unique brand of literature.

   Boy, was I wrong!

   This book typifies the apologist mentality that premeates Appalachia and keeps the ignorant serfs on the proverbial feudal land.

   If you're a true fan of Appalachian literature, stick with the true masters, Bobbie Ann Mason and Lee Smith.




2. I was born in Paintsville (home of Loretta Lynn) and had to move away when I was 4. Reading this book took me back to my Grandma's front porch and the well outside. It reminded me of church outhouses and dinner on the ground. Made me want to throw rocks in the creek off the bridge at Grandma's and walk up to the family graveyard to wonder about my ancestor's lives. If you are from Eastern Kentucky, this book will make you proud to say "warsh" and "tard." If you aren't from there, read it anyway. It might make you appreciate us "hillbillies" a little more.



3. I loved this book. It really tells the story of my people.



4. "Over the course of my life, I have been lucky in that I have seldom managed to get exactly what I wanted; instead, I have most often been able to grow to appreciate what I got." You find out all the things the author strove for during her youth that never seemed to materialize...except for her studies when she always did well except for a very short period of time.
   
   Linda Scott has told about her life that is most revealing and about a place in Appalachia in Eastern Kentucky that is so well explained that you know exactly what her hometown area looks like and how everyone lived. The twists and turns in her life are like a corkscrew where changes are constant, but purpose remains strong. The author is the most down-to-earth academician I have ever known including my brother who is a retired professor. If you want a marvelous reading experience, then get this book. I guarantee it!



5. This is just a great book. Being born and raised in a Coal Camp in McDowell County, West Virginia really made me appreciate the descriptive style of writing which captures the true spirit of the "holler." When I finished the book I celebrated by cooking up a big pot of pinto beans and baked a big ol' pan of cornbread. Thank you for such a wonderful book.

1 comments about Civil War Stories of Northwest Ohio Heroes (Great Lakes Connections: The Civil War).

1. I am a native of Northwest Ohio and I am ashamed to say that I do not know much about the history of my region. I also have never read much on the history of Civil War except on the big battles that have been written about ~~ Gettysburg and Fredericksburg and so on. I never really paid attention in school (if the teachers did even mention it) regarding the Civil War soldiers from our area.
   
   Just by chance the other day at a festival that a little town in Ohio, Grand Rapids, hold every October, my family and I walked by this author's booth. My father bought this book. (I bought the other three books by this author because my interest in the Great Black Swamp area has been ignited by a series of newspaper articles a few years' back.)
   
   My dad read this book in three hours. I wasn't so lucky ~~ I do have two preschoolers ~~ but I managed to read it in two days. This is a very slim volume but it is full of historical tidbits about Civil War fighters from the Northwestern Ohio. It is full of emotion as the author compiled stories from old letters and poems written during this time. It is full of pictures. Every story in this book is a complete story. It is written very concisely and beautifully ~~ each character's voice was portrayed in a vivid way. In short, this book is a testament to heroes who just happened to live in a turblent time and did the best they could in their circumstances. It is a testament to those who have marched off to war and never returned home. This book has ignited a spark of interest on my behalf on the Civil War in the Cumberland Gap and other places in Tennessee and Kentucky as Sherman marched his way to Atlanta.
   
   If you are from Ohio ~~ even if you aren't! ~~ I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a Civil War or History buff. This book is a delightful addition to any American history student's library ~~ it is not boring (like too many history books are) and it is interesting. It is also a proud testament to the heroes from my part of the country ~~ these men are just ordinary men in extraordinary times ~~ and this book is exactly that!
   
   10-11-05

5 comments about The Privacy War: One Congressman, J. Edgar Hoover and the Fight for the Fourth Amendment.

1. Ron Felber's book "The Privacy War" is well-written and well-reseached. Though it is controversial in many of its conclusions serious students of U.S. history should read it as well as every day citizens concerned about the future of their country.



2. Wow. A great read. And very relevant to today's world.



3. Neil Gallagher was a star in the world of politics who whose career was ruined by vicious men who turned the U.S. government into an 'evil empire'. Could this happen again? Is America the great country it seems to be or something else? It is every citizens job to insist that our country live up to the high ideals it was founded upon.



4. Living now under the "Patriot" Act, with more addendums to it being planned, it is important for citizens and Congressional representatives to revisit recent history. Under the reign of J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI regularly engaged in wire-tapping and secret taping via parabolic microphones. Catching mobsters, right? No, blackmailing members of Congress, destroying careers of public servants, and taking revenge on anyone who opposed the bureau's interests.

   How did they do it? By planting false information in respectable journals such as Life magazine, paying off members or organized crime for deeds done, and planting evidence to implicate innocent people. This is the story of New Jersey Congressman Neil Gallagher and his nightmarish encounters with Hoover and others in the American intelligence business. Gallagher championed privacy after learning of a young girl being forced to take a lie detector test for a low level administrative job. As Gallagher continued to delve into breaches of privacy over the years, he was astonished to discover massive deceptions carried out by the Pentagon, CIA, and FBI.

   In one such case, approximately 300,000 children ranging in age from 6 to 12 were given psychotic drugs such as Ritalin without the consent of their parents in a study to determine which drug was the most effective in behavior modification. It was discovered that the U.S. Army was quietly shipping canisters of dangerous chemical weapons by train through such heavily populated areas as Philadelphia. Once at port they were loaded on WWII Liberty ships, taken 250 miles out to sea, and sunk into the depths. Congress and the public were totally in the dark.

   Of course the nefarious Roy Cohn showed up in Gallagher's life, at first as a friendly, knowledgeable Washington insider, later threatening the successful Congressman with warnings from Hoover. Hoover went out of his way to terrorize Gallagher and his family. FBI agents ransacked their home while they were on vacation, interrogated his daughters while they were in college, and stormed into their home threatening his family at gunpoint. Author Ron Felber does not draw any conclusions, but allows the words of Gallagher and others to cast doubt on the veracity of the Warren Commission report.

   Felber conducted extensive interviews with Gallagher, cited newspaper accounts, and obtained documents under the Freedom of Information Act in assembling his book. He uses the convention of jumping between time periods to provide background information on the current storyline. It is a technique that can be distracting, but Felber does a remarkable job. In light of the events of today, Felber's book is very relevant and a call to remember that in the past government institutions have acted against government officials and private citizens irresponsibly and maliciously.

   Invasion of privacy in our current environment has the potential to rise to dangerous, even outrageous, levels. Government secrecy and deception are enemies of democracy. As Albert Einstein said:

   "Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."




5. The biography of Neil Gallagher, one of the most promising young members of Congress in the 1960s whose rise to power unraveled as later years revealed links to the mob and J. Edgar Hoover's war against privacy makes for an engrossing story of not just one politician's rise and fall, but the underlying power struggles, politics and influences which led to pressures against Fourth Amendment rights. A revealing blend of biography and political history.

No comments about Robert E. Lee: Confederate Commander (Signature Lives).

No comments about Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson: Confederate General (Signature Lives).

No comments about The Unvarnished Truth: Personal Narratives in Nineteenth-Century America.