1 comments about Abolitionist Politics and the Coming of the Civil War.

1. In the early 1800s, slavery's values were as widely promoted as buying American cars are in today's world. "Abolitionist Politics and the Coming of the Civil War" is a complete and comprehensive examination of America's early years and its politics regarding slavery - and how a few fledgling activists turned America around and against this mindset, beginning a chain of events that freed an entire people. A story of how even the smallest minority can set events in motion, "Abolitionist Politics and the Coming of the Civil War" is highly recommended for both American history and black studies collections alike.

1 comments about Barry Goldwater (Acacia Biographies).

1. This book is clear and concise. It gives a lot of information about Barry Goldwater, his life and his career. My daughter had chosen biography as a book genre for this quarter's book report. This was a fun, easy book to do a report on.

No comments about John Hay: American Statesmen Series, Part 1.

5 comments about Joseph Smith: The First Mormon.

1. This book is billed as an unbiased history/biography of Joseph Smith. I had read Fawn Brodie's, No Man Knows My History... and was "itching" for more. I think Ms. Hill should just openly admit that her brother wrote a major work, that she quotes liberally, while working at BYU--she may not be Mormon, but she has a vested interest in the cause... promoting her brother's work? This book was a cheap second.... Read Ms. Brodie's work



2. This is certainly the best biography about Joseph Smith so far. I believe it is certainly the most objective, it does not bash Smith or praise and defend him. Its objective is to attempt to understand Joseph Smith. I feel for the most part it does achieve that goal. I felt after reading it I certainly had a better understanding of who Joseph Smith was. I appreciated the fact that Hill did not get off on issues such as whether or not the Book of Mormon is real history or if Joseph Smith was a true prophet, that was not the books goal. My only criticism is it does not really focus on Joseph Smiths culture or enviroment that he lived in. It also sometimes seems that it is more of a early history of the Mormon Church than a biography. There are more biographies about Joseph Smith currently being written that I believe will replace this one as being the most definitive biography of Joseph Smith. However right now there is no better biography about Joseph Smith available. And having spent several hours of my own in the Churches Historical department studying certain aspects of Joseph Smiths life, I do feel somewhat qualified in saying that.



3. I have no doubt, now more than ever, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. A human being with imperfections, yes. But indeed an inspired man chosen by the Lord for a great cause. Great book, great man, and an awesome God!



4. This is certainly the best biography about Joseph Smith so far. I believe it is certainly the most objective, it does not bash Smith or praise and defend him. Its objective is to attempt to understand Joseph Smith. I feel for the most part it does achieve that goal. I felt after reading it I certainly had a better understanding of who Joseph Smith was. I appreciated the fact that Hill did not get off on issues such as whether or not the Book of Mormon is real history or if Joseph Smith was a true prophet, that was not the books goal. My only criticism is it does not really focus on Joseph Smiths culture or enviroment that he lived in. It also sometimes seems that it is more of a early history of the Mormon Church than a biography. There are more biographies about Joseph Smith currently being written that I believe will replace this one as being the most definitive biography of Joseph Smith. However right now there is no better biography about Joseph Smith available. And having spent several hours of my own in the Churches Historical department studying certain aspects of Joseph Smiths life, I do feel somewhat qualified in saying that.



5. It was a relief. After having read Fawn Brodie's "No man knows my history", her eloquent literary style and description of Joseph Smith's mind, Donna Hill's biography became so simple , descriptive - and dare say wordy. Hill's writing style is like a storyteller. It can be boring in the long run. She never guesses what people thought in any situation - it is not a psychiography as Brodie's of course. Hill has weighed several sources and draws conclusions whenver possible, but sometimes she leaves it open.
   
   I found Joseph more holistic and not that controversial in Hill's writing. Even if Brodie used the same quotes and situations, in Hill everything came natural, Joseph seemed natural - something he surely was. People who are acquainted with scholarship, know very well, how important it is to not draw any unconfirmed conclusions about the past. Some episodes in Joseph's life - which normally take a lot of pages in other books, such as the writing of Book of Mormon, the coming forth of Book of Abraham, First vision, are treated just as equally as other episodes of his life - his escapes, his constructions, his involvement in politics etc. This is a healthy approach.
   
   For example, about the First vision, Hill wants to say that notwithstanding the several accounts, there are some similar details and in the context of 19th century religious atmosphere, nearly everybody had some extra-body experience. She treats the Book of Mormon as how an ordinary believer in those days saw it - a sign of latter days and she doesn't go into its "source" or try to decipher who copied who. The most difficult issues of early LDS, such as the consolidation of prophet's power, plural marriage and Afro-americans, are handled subtly and gently. The perspective introduced on plural marriage, is healthy, it is not judging or positive - it's neutral, because as a historian, she has researched on the "why" and on the "how". The issue of Afro-americans - they received the priesthood one year after the publication of Hill's book - confirmed my belief that Joseph never intended to shun them away. He had his prejudices but he did hot let these come in the way. He ordained an Afro-american to be a priest.
   
   Joseph's life, his environment, is difficult to understand, especially when it comes to the hostility shown to him and his movement, the different financial details such as the Anti-banking in Kirtland, the land speculations, his trouble with the law - which haunted him all the time. But Hill shows how patient he was. Something that gave me a further insight, was the reflection she made when Joseph saw the hatred of the people in Carthage, who killed him. She writes that it was the first time he understood how hated he was. How pity!
   
   I am fascinated with this personality, not as a believer, no, but as a humanist. Reading Hill and her account of the hostility towards LDS in those days, makes me angry - what did these people do besides being good Christians? This hostility exists today from anti-LDS Conservative Christians, directed also to Liberal Christians like me. Even though Joseph made mistakes ( excommunications of friends, Nauvoo expositor, Council of Fifty) - as Hill shows, I appreciate the good he did.
   
   He opened a new realm and understanding of god and scripture, which has changed the lives of millions - and even mine, though I don't believe in a supernatural god. Hill, though, too wordy, has done a detailed job. She has taken into account the environment, Joseph's ancestors - which clearly confirm again the fact that Joseph was nurtured by his family's religious activities and conflicts in his prophetic career - the arguments of his enemies and a detailed description of governor Ford and other mildly helpful non-LDS. I do not agree with one of the reviews below, that she writes a lot about Danites, no! She has only written three pages about them, and more than 40 pages about plural marriage and some 20 about Afro-americans, and some 15 about Book of Mormon - she has treated Joseph as a whole.
   
   Hill has demonstrated that one can write a non-polemical and truthful biography of a religious person. Good done, ma'm!

1 comments about C. S. S. Shenandoah: The Memoirs of Lieutenant Commanding James I. Waddell (Bluejacket Books).

1. The accomplishments of James Iredell Waddell and the C.S.S. Shenandoah read like a movie script. It is amazing that this piece of history has been buried so long. James Horan brings it to life. He reveals that this was not an accidental sortie but a well planned venture breadboarded in the Confederate Naval Headquarters and played out step by step to its conclusion. It is interesting to wonder what would have happened if more ships had been available to the South for this war. Also interesting is the fact that even though the South did not win the war the efforts of the C.S.S. Shenandoah and the C.S.S. Alabama set Yankee dominance of the seas back 70 years.

3 comments about States Rights Gist: A South Carolina General of the Civil War.

1. If not for his name (yes that was his real name), I rather doubt that States Rights Gist would be remembered today. He was one of the fatalities at the Battle of Franklin, which had more than its fair share of Confederate general officers killed or wounded. It ended a brief military career which had been moderately distinguished if not outstanding.

   Why only 3 stars? Simply put, the subject matter is obscure, even for the most devoted Civil War enthusiast, and I cannot really imagine how the man's rather short life merited a book. I only came across the book because it was a History Book Club selection. It is so specialized that only a select few would ever seek it out. The fact that no other reviews have been written on it bears this out. It isn't a bad book, just maybe an unnecessary one.




2. States Rights Gist is somewhat of a sidenote in Civil War history. As the previous reviewer stated, he is probably most remembered for his name above all else. However, upon reading this book, he could be remembered for a lot more. Gist actually led a very interesting career during the war and his marriage not too long before his death certainly adds some drama to the mix. Cisco's book does the General justice, but often times I felt like there could have been more. Gist was at the Battle of Secessionville, the largest battle fought in South Carolina during the war, but not much details come from the chapter. The Atlanta Campaign is glossed over. Even the battle of Franklin feels anti-climactic. Considering that Gist was one of the highest ranking men in the South Carolina militia, served in many of the wars major battles of the Western Theater, and was considered to have one of the best brigades in the Army of Tennessee you would expect more length and depth in the book. Cisco writes a decent book, but it reads too much like a college term paper when, it seems from Gist's life, it could have been so much more. Still recommended, though, because of such little scholarship on Gist.



3. My only problem with this book is that at 153 pages of text I feel cheated, I would like to have had more, a lot more. Perhaps Professor Cisco will write a more complete biography of General Gist soon.
   
   States Rights, yes that was his birth name, Gist was an officer in the Confederacy during the Civil War he was a General in the South Carolina Militia and moved over to the regular Confederate Army during the Civil War, he was one of the second or third echelon generals of the war, a group not that much is know about other then a pigion dropings covered memorial in some small town where they born or lived. Gist was a Havard trained lawyer by trade and became an officer in the militia before the war. Through politics, his father was governor for awhile, and good organizational skills he rose very quickly to the rank of general.
   
   When the war started he was reduced in rank to Colonel and commanded a Regiment that was somewhat less then distinguished in the field, but through losses to other officers he was promoted to general and at the time of his death at the battle of Franklin in 1864 he held the rank of Major general.
   
   Professor Walter Cisco who worte this book does a good job of describing the battles of the Tennessee theatre of operations and how Grant defeated the Confederates at Chattanooga and how the Rebels lost the advantage through poor generalship and in itself is reason to read this book.

No comments about Sam Houston With the Cherokees, 1829-1833.

No comments about When I Was A Boy.

No comments about Exile in Richmond: The Confederate Journal of Henri Garidel (A Nation Divided: New Studies in Civil War History).

No comments about John F. Kennedy (Grandes biografias series).