5 comments about Alexander Hamilton, American.

1. The author has done a very good job of researching and reporting to us on one of the great icons of American history.
   
   There were a few times when writing on the machinations of government, politicians, and legal maneuvering got a little tedious but it was probably necessary to give readers a full perspective.
   
   At the end of the day, the author has done us a favor by giving us a detailed and historical perspective of Alexander Hamilton. Thank you!



2. As the title of my post states, this is an excellent primer for those interested in learning more about one of the greatest and least appreciated Founding Fathers.
   
   This book provides and easy to read and yet thorough review of Hamilton's life and provides a good foundation and understanding before you read some of the more in-depth biographies and studies.
   
   I love this book.



3. To preface this, I gave this book 5 stars due to the splendor of Alexander Hamilton. For as George Washington is the Father of America, Alexander Hamilton is his son cementing the United States into a nation.
   
   Not enough credit is ever bestowed upon what Alexander Hamilton earned. The same politics of today, banking problems, debt and war are the issues Hamilton solved as a Federalist or Conservative Republican of today at odds with socialist reactionary Democrats creating the same obstacles.
   That is the truest gift of Hamilton and the intriguers of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in setting up a conflict which is still ripping the United States apart.
   Other Federalists like Theodore Roosevelt would appear in the historian mode and castigate Madison and Jefferson for their shoddy leadership in attacking the very foundations of a strong government, standing military and strong finance, but yet even now these same reactionary individuals have followers today who have yet to learn the lesson Thomas Jefferson learned when at past age 70 he finally admitted to John Adams that he was wrong.
   
   That is what is remarkable about Alexander Hamilton in he stood alone, first as President Washington's advocate in American principles and later as John Adam's entire cabinet much to Adams jealous dismay.
   Hamilton would create a long line lone leaders in John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan whose leadership and financial policy reflect his.
   
   The problem with this book is the historian Brookhiser. I rarely ever read biography or historians as they always get in the way of the person. Brookhiser starts out by stating "he is no superior to Alexander Hamilton" and then in the entire book stomps in mugging for the camera like a faux grade Bill Buckley speaking Greek philosophy trying to compete with Hamilton's genius.
   It is not that bad until he reaches the end of the book when Brookhiser then attempts to disect Hamilton as some kind of Freud without ever understanding the simplest of point. A reader does not have to know the DNA function of Raquel Welch to know she is beautiful........and a reader does not need to have Brookhiser placing his own psychopathy onto Hamilton to try and explain him.
   Hamilton might just be a God inspired genius set down to guide the founding of a nation and not a boy tusseling with demons of abandonment and issues of a dead mother.
   That is the greatest problem of books like this in historians can never just allow Hamilton who wrote over a million words in public during his life to just tell his story. No Brookhiser has to jump in front of the mic and like Dan Rather tell moronic Americans what Hamilton was really about which he might not have been.
   
   I do recommend this book even if Brookhiser is boorish too often and is like Benjamin Franklins company and fish after 3 days, because even in the "rummage of musty words dusted by a fresh historian the light of Alexander Hamilton shines through".
   
   Plutarch in his Lives understood the biographies were about the person in telling who they were in a story of their life. Historians need to emulate Plutarch in knowing he was not the story, the great man was made great by the common thing he did which was great.



4. I had originally purchased Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton but I found I wanted a quicker read and something easier to carry while traveling to and from work. Mr. Brookhiser's book was exactly what I was looking for, interesting and gave me plenty of insight into Alexander Hamilton's life and character. I'm sure some people might prefer "more" but I'm basically a "cliff note" type of reader. I would recommend this book to someone short on time but still likes to read about fascinating characters by a good author.



5. Interesting, because of its interesting subject. However, it could have been better written, especially the opening chapters. Hamilton was a man of ideas and words, and these are not coherently portrayed until late in the work. Ultimately, though, it is of great interest, with particularized, insightful portraits of Hamilton, Burr, Jefferson, Washington, Adams, Monroe and others.

No comments about Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer.

5 comments about Kissinger: A Biography.

1. This book has sat on my shelf unread for years - I think because I'm somewhat leery of "contemporary" biographies. Just another error in judgment on my part - this is an excellent book. (A back cover review describes it as "riveting" and that's not far off - I found it difficult to put this book down.) It's all here - the chronology - Kissinger's immediate family's escape from Nazi tyranny, Kissinger's time in the armed services, Harvard, Rockefeller - with the bulk of the book, (understandably so), covering Kissinger's life and times in the Nixon administration - including the bizarre relationship that only these two men could have had. As for concerns about objectivity, the author addresses this in his introduction - how can a reader not come to this book without preconceived notions/opinions on such controversial/polarizing topics as Watergate, the Vietnam War, détente, etc. - and I found the writing to be fair, (as well as extremely engaging), concerning "gossipy" issues - the subject's thin skin, temper tantrums, zeal for secrecy, back-biting, etc. - and "real-politik" issues - China, the USSR, the Paris Peace Talks - All deftly written combining anecdotes, news reports and analysis, and behind the scenes sources. Kissinger's place in history is up for time to tell - this biography's place is secure. If you're debating about reading this book - don't - pick it up and start it - you won't be disappointed.



2. Walter Isaacson, who has written esteemed biographies of Benjamin Franklin, The Wise Men, and Einstein, tackles the complex character of Henry Kissinger, academic, diplomat, and consultant. Kissinger is a difficult character to pin down, as Isaacson notes. He was devious, self-promoting, self-deprecating, intelligent, ambitious, and successful. The author interviewed over 150 people--including Kissinger himself--to gather information for this lengthy volume (767 pages of text).
   
   At the outset, Isaacson says (page 9): "Three decades after he left office, Henry Kissinger continues to exert a fascinating hold on the public imagination as well as intellectual sway over the nation's foreign policy conversation." He was a well-known apostle of "Realpolitik," emphasizing doing what had to be done to advance the national interest, balancing power with power, concerned more with accomplishing things than getting caught up in ideology and morality. Again, a realist as opposed to an idealist. And this is the tension that is described throughout the course of this powerful volume (page 15): ". . .Kissinger had an instinctive feel. . .for power and for creating a new global balance that could help America cope with its withdrawal syndrome after Vietnam. But it was not matched by a similar feel for the strength to be derived from the openness of America's democratic system or for the moral values that are the true source of its global influence."
   
   The book begins with a brief early biography of Kissinger, including the misery he experienced after the Nazis came to power and the departure of his immediate family from Germany when they came to understand how inhospitable that country was becoming for Jews. The book also notes that many of his relatives died during World War II, part of the Holocaust. There follows the tale of his adolescence, his military service, his graduate study, and his promising academic career.
   
   But the major portion of this book focuses on his role as National Security Advisor and then Secretary of State under Richard Nixon's presidency and Secretary of State under Gerald Ford. There is a relatively brief discussion in several chapters of his life after Nixon-Ford, as consultant, commentator, intellectual-without-portfolio.
   
   After having worked with Nelson Rockefeller as an advisor, it is somewhat surprising that he ended up serving one of Rocky's antagonists, Richard Nixon. The book traces the odd relationship between Nixon and Kissinger. Sometimes hard-edged and combative, sometimes oddly supportive of one another. The secretive Nixon and Kissinger as lone cowboy accomplished a great deal in foreign policy; however, their penchant for secrecy also created problems of its own. Kissinger could be viewed is devious (for telling different people things in such a way as for each to think that Kissinger was on his/her side), but he also earned the trust of many leaders as he invented "shuttle diplomacy." Leaders might become exasperated with his style and his deviousness, but he was effective in a number of key instances. Examples worth exploring and reflecting upon in the book include the negotiations with North Vietnam to extricate the United States from a quagmire of its own making; the effort to end the Yom Kippur War in a manner that would stabilize the Middle East; the opening to China; détente with the Soviet Union.
   
   This is a biography that is worth investing time and energy into. It portrays Kissinger, warts and all, in a manner that illuminates this complicated individual. On some pages, one will think of railing against him; on other pages, one may well feel admiration for his strengths and accomplishments.



3. This is a well-written look at the career of one of America's most accomplished (though perenially controversial) diplomats. Mr. Isaacson studies his subject carefully, in numerous foreign policy crises around the globe. Moreover, he digs deeply into Dr. Kissinger's formative years to enable the reader to understand Kissinger's world-view, which is most decidedly non-American (consider Kissinger's deep admiration for such conservative European diplomats as Prince Klemens von Metternich and Otto von Bismarck). Mr. Isaacson is by no means a Kissinger partisan, but then again, he is not among the anti-Kissinger crowd either. What I found especially complex was Dr. Kissinger's relationship with President Nixon: the 2 men deeply distrusted each other, but they had a similar diplomatic vision, and were capable of coming up with bold initiatives.



4. The author provides in this seemingly complete history of Kissinger numerous interesting insights into US Foreign Policy. The most interesting one, I thought, was that if Kissinger's realpolitik policy had prevailed we might have had a second Yalta and a repressively stable Soviet Union would be here still today. But Ronald Reagan "...who saw simple truths where Kissinger saw nuances..." came along and changed history for the better by attaching a greater importance to values than to stability and order that Kissinger prized so much.
   Dr. Kissinger's pessimism and belief in realpolitik prevented him from seeing that there was such a thing as the "Evil Empire" let alone imagine defeating it.



5. This is a real tour de force which left me with a complete sense of my own utter ignorance on the subject of foreign policy and recent American history. Who knew that the Russians had wanted to do a tactical strike on the Chinese before they developed nuclear weapons? That Nixon had not wanted a cease fire before his election against McGovern? That Time magazine had developed its Man of the Year as a way of putting Lindbergh on the cover after it had failed to do when he landed in France? Etc. Etc. Virtually every chapter had a revelation practically tossed off in a casual manner. Yet there is nothing casual in the author's approach which is amazingly even handed and well researched, as well as highly readable given the exceptional complexity of the issues involved. This is a terrific and remarkably accessible book. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Portrait of a Marriage: Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson.

1. Despite the fact that Vita Sackville-West was the subject of Virginia Woolf's Orlando as well as her lover, the author of numerous books, and a world famous gardener, she still manages to be a somewhat enigmatic character. This unusual and engrossing portrait, written by her son, contributes a great deal to bring substantial light on Vita's very interesting life and loves. Nicolson is generous in quoting her verbatim from her diaries, the most compelling of which recounts her wild affair with Violet Trefusis, during which the two women fled to Paris pursued by their husbands, where Vita passed as a man by dressing as a wounded soldier. This is one of the most passionate accounts of any love affair I have read.

   Nicolson's act of documenting his parents' intimate passions is a great contribution to literary history. He did us a great service by writing this book and in quoting liberally from their own writings, in many ways lets his parents speak for themselves. Any one interested in Bloomsbury, women of the left bank, passing women, feminism, gay/lesbian/bisexual history should make this part of their library.




2. Both those unfamiliar with the extraordinary life of British aristocrat Victoria (Vita) Sackville - West and those who have read Victoria Glendinning's compelling Vita (1983), Virginia Woolf's Orlando (1928), or Sackville -West's own multiple published works of fiction, poetry, or nature and travel writing will thoroughly enjoy Portrait Of A Marriage (1973). Composed around a posthumously discovered confessional manuscript Sackville - West wrote and hid away in 1920, the book's chapters alternate between portions of Vita's nuanced, forthright manuscript and son Nigel Nicholson's more objective recounting of the facts in the lives of his parents, Sackville - West and her spouse, author and diplomat Harold Nicholson.

   Chiefly remembered today for her garden at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent and for being the romantic ("Better to gloriously fail than dingily succeed"), daring, and bisexual inspiration for Woolf's historical, gender-addressing novel Orlando, Sackville - West was a temperamental, multifaceted, and deeply emotional woman who followed the dictates of her heart and defied the conventions of her era to what many would think an alarming degree. As her manuscript clearly reveals, Sackville - West was a very human, self - honest individual who was conscious of her moral and ethical weaknesses and who continually struggled with her wayward nature and its debilitating affects on her husband, children, and extended family. Today a hero to some and a somewhat ridiculous figure to others, readers of Portrait Of A Marriage are likely to come away with more than a modicum of sympathy for the not - entirely enigmatic Vita; throughout her life she managed to straddle a great number of seeming paradoxes and today remains potent proof that many Western conventions concerning love, marriage, parenthood, sexuality, and friendship are as not as tightly mapped out as most would generally like to believe. Unlike fellow writers and contemporaries Hilda Doolittle, Djuna Barnes, or Jean Rhys, her excesses, dependencies, and emotional vacillations did not ultimately undo Vita, either psychically, artistically, or socially. Admittedly, Sackville - West was a child of privilege and remained financially comfortable most of her life. However, her managerial skill, expert monetary planning, and her own hard work as an author, radio broadcaster, lecturer, and internationally acclaimed gardener went a long way towards securing that position.

   Portrait Of A Marriage and the story of Sackville - West's life may be the ultimate romantic tale of the twentieth century, though one in which the glamour of wealth, palatial family estates (365 - room Knole), creative talent, international fame, and steadfast love were offset by dark episodes of betrayal, spousal abuse, transvestitism, emotional violence, and apparent child abandonment. Remarkably, Vita's story was ultimately a happy one, and the end of her life, relatively serene. Increasingly a loner with age, Sackville - West sequestered herself in her private tower at Sissinghurst, where she continued to write novels and other literature. But men and women continued to fall in love with her and she with them; as Victoria Glendinning wrote, "For Vita the great adventure was never over."




3. I recently re-read this book for research on the novel I was working on (having not looked at it in many years). Unlike many things read in youth, it was even more searing and electrifying this time than the first go-round. Perhaps that's because the subject matter has become routine (there are even web sites devoted to polyamory, lesbianism, bisexuality, open marriage, etc.), while the emotions that Vita Sackville-West's affair with Violet Trefusis have not been dealt with by this explosion of sexual variety.
   
   This book is not for the faint-hearted. It's not great writing, as it was meant to be a personal diary of Vita's passage through fire, and is not literary in that sense. But given the weakness of Vita's professional writing (most of which has been forgotten), it's perhaps a good thing she couldn't re-write and mar the freshness and raw emotion of this tale.
   
   The book has been a Bible for some, including the protagonist of my novel. It has that kind of "read me if you dare" emotional dynamite.



4. The centre of the book and its raison d'etre is Vita Sackville-West's own extraordinary memoire about her life so far including her catalytic 3 year affair with Violet Trefusis. The affair came very close to wrecking her life with her husband, Harold Nicolson, who she loved deeply but no longer felt sexual passion for. Harold threatened to leave Vita and it was only under such pressure - on both sides of the affair - that it was ended. The memoire, written in 1920-21, and discovered by Nigel in 1962 begged a narrative and an afterword; Nigel provided this and presented an eloquent, classic book which has never been out of print since it was published in 1973.
   
   Whether this marriage is to be admired as much as Vita, Harold and Nigel felt it should be admired is for the reader to judge. What makes it most extraordinary is the homosexuality of Vita and Harold and the fact that their once discreet open marriage is now in the public domain. They would each be getting on for 120 years old today but they still seem so fresh that readers, whatever their sexual preferences are, might learn lessons (positive and negative) from them even today.
   
   Towards the end of her life in 1961, Vita wrote (in a letter to Harold not included in 'Portrait') that she had been 'madly in love' with Violet but the affair was now 'passion completely spent'; she wrote 'the true love that has survived is mine for you, and yours for me.' She also gently rebuked Harold for not explaining his own homosexuality in the first place. 'It would have saved us a lot of trouble and misunderstanding. But I simply didn't know.' Harold's reply, if there was one, is not published.
   
   The intimacy of Vita and Harold's relationship is contained in their voluminous correspondence. Harold's diary, Violet's letters and Vita's mother's diary are also key sources for this book. All these were at Sissinghurst in the early 1970's. Nigel separates Vita's memoire into two chapters, draws from the other sources and adds his own voice and, to a lesser extent, that of his brother Benedict. Vita's relationship with Virginia Woolf is affectionately documented. The book created the legend of Vita and Harold who led compartmentalised lives, had multiple relationships, multiple careers and remained devoted to one another. It is a well written and well crafted tribute.
   
   `Portrait' is, as it would be, slanted in favour of Vita and Harold. This book could not be the whole truth or a detailed portrait of the marriage but it is a portrait of two fascinating and productive people. Because of the scandal it caused, Nigel was excoriated by some for publishing this book and in essays written afterwards he would defend his decision and fill in some of the gaps. But the gaps are justified in this labour of love because it is written from such a personal stand-point. This is a wonderful read and is well recommended.



5. This book shows how a marriage can and is a legal arrangement as well as an emotional one. From inside the story, the author describes how his parents built a life and marriage together that protected the whole family legally, while allowing both partners to express themselves sexually in outside relationship, mostly of the same sex variety. This was so much more necessary in an earlier time than it is now. About the only thing we can liken it to in contemporary society is the marital arrangement between parties that allows one of the parties to immigrate to another country.
   
   
   Higher Love (Lavender Line) (Lavender Line)

5 comments about Trust No One: The Glamorous Life and Bizarre Death of Doris Duke.

1. After touring Doris Duke's summer home in Newport, RI, I became increasing intrigued with Ms. Duke. So I sought a book about her life and I came across Trust No One. At first, I felt the initial chapters were plodding and dry, but I realized after reading a few chapters this foundation was needed to understand the woman Doris Duke became. The first chapters did a thorough background on Doris' father and mother, Buck and Nanaline Duke. Doris' father was the love of her life and he taught her how to become an astute business woman before he died when she was 13 years old. Doris Duke was a very complex woman. She was a philanthropist, and a very saavy businesswoman who multiplied her fortune by billions. She was also an avid art collector, a self-taught botanist and, last but not least, a fine jazz musician. Doris was also very flawed: she was an alcoholic; a drug abuser; and, was anorexic. All of this is explained in great detail in the book. It was factual, but yet there was a human side to the story, and I found it to be a great read. In the end, money cannot buy happiness or love - not even for Doris Duke. (Written by Kathee Duncan)



2. I did not find the book particularly written well. It does not keep your interest going. There are no photos. But even more than this, is the subject matter--Doris Duke. I find her to be a very bad example of a human being. Who cares who much money she gave out. She was self absorbed and has made no significant contribution to this world.



3. The only reason I gave this one a '2' was that it's a very interesting look into Doris Duke's life with alot of insider perspective(one of the co-writers was her chef). However, this book looks entirely unedited and had atrocious spelling, grammer, mistakes ALL OVER and it was unacceptable.
   
   BIGGEST EXAMPLE: The author's name is spelled differently on the front cover and side binding. Was there ANYONE proofreading this book?
   
   Doris' was constantly spelled Doris'ss or Doris's and words didn't have spaces in between them.



4. It was very informative and much different than any movies I've seen on her life. I really enjoyed it.



5. Please don't buy this book. Its a rehash of info already covered in the mansfield and pony duke bios. Also the concluding chapters are just brutal as this clumsy author attempts to speculate on the motives of the motley crew surrounding doris at the end. An unconvincing, tacky, insensitive book that gives us no insight into the complex woman doris duke was.

No comments about Herbert Hoover: The American Presidents Series: The 31st President, 1929-1933 (The American Presidents).

No comments about Confederate Struggle For Command: General James Longstreet and the First Corps in the West (Texas A&M University Military History Series).

5 comments about Thomas Paine and the Promise of America.

1. This is a brilliant work that breathes new life into the legacy of Tom Paine and links his writings to our lives as Americans today. We in the Borough of Fort Lee, New Jersey are proud that Paine began to write "The American Crisis" while in Fort Lee as an aide to General Nathaniel Greene. The retreat to victory through New Jersey in November 1776 was one of the darkest periods of the American Revolution. Paine's words in The Crisis inspired this young nation so much so that General Washington had "The Crisis" read by his offcers to his men prior to the crossing of the Delaware.
   
   We in Fort Lee are presently forming "The Common Sense Society" to promote the ideals of Tom Paine and to work with the Borough of Fort Lee to erect a statue to Paine in our Monument Park where Paine encamped with the American Army in 1776. This would be only the sixth statue of Paine in the world and the fourth in the United States.



2. I was recently looking through the history shelves of a local book store when I saw the cover of this book staring at me. Recently I've been doing a lot more reading of history on the revolutionary generation and as a consequence I have been looking for biographies of the founders. Since Thomas Paine is someone I've long read and admired, and considering the positive reviews from Ellis and Hitchens on the back cover of this book, I decided I'd give it a try. Wrong move.
   
   The first three or four chapters are a concise history of Paine, but Kaye hardly does the history any justice. He glosses over Paine's actual life and spends the last two thirds of the book giving a history of progressive and socialist movements in America. Apparently, in the eyes of Kaye, because Paine espoused liberal democratic views concerning government providing for the welfare of its citizens, no one but socialists and leftists can quote or admire him. How preposterous! Jefferson famously thought that the slaves should be free and realized the contradiction of fighting a revolution for liberty and keeping men in bondage, but he was a racist who thought blacks were inferior to whites and that the two races would never be able to coexist peacefully. None of that, though, prevents anyone from appreciating the Declaration of Independence any less and it certainly doesn't mean that only white supremacists and the Klu Klux Klan have the privilege of owning his legacy.
   
   Anyone looking for a biography of Paine, or even an entertaining read concerning how his reputation has evolved since his lifetime, should stay away from this book.



3. When I ordered this book I was thinking of updating my knowledge of one of that group of men we usually think of as our "forefathers"--the ones who were there at the birth of our nation. I got that AND SO MUCH MORE. In addition to learning more of Thomas Paine himself, I learned why he has never had the place of distinction and honor accorded others of his time despite his seemingly crucial activities in securing our independence. THEN, this fine historian takes the "essence" of this dynamic American, traces its ( and his) waxing and waning influence through the decades, and presents us with the need to re-capture, if we can, that zeal for maintaining our freedom and our "national theme" of a nation for the common good--for the common man. For me, anyway: A Masterpiece. The only drawback (if one can call it that): Now I MUST read ( and own) the basic works--in Thomas Paine's own words



4. I'm no Paine scholar - so I do not understand the quibbles. I love this book. Where today is the person who touches the human heart to stoke that which is already in us, as Paine did? I find the progressive candidates both ring the same (negative) bell about not liking George, Jr. That, however, is a just a pull away from the negative. Where is the today's beckoning cry for that which is in the human heart? Thank you, dear author, for this offering.



5. This book takes a surprising amount of time to read due to the 'hidden' density of the writing. It is a superlative history of one of our most important founding fathers. The impact of 'Common Sense' by Paine simply can hardly over stated. This book is not a dry or boring read, it simply takes more time than I had expected.
   
   The gnawing knowledge that America largely ditched Paine after he dutifully served his purpose is disturbing. He contributed the proceeds from Common Sense to buy mittens for our troops. When imprisoned in France and marked for execution, precisely noyone rode to the rescue. The reason that Paine was largely forgotten is that he had acquired a reputation for not being a man of solid faith. In spite of a remarkable literary career, Paine was destined to die a poor man with a poorly attended funeral. It does seem that he liked to imbibe in the spirits more than he ought to have.
   
   Teddy Roosevelt went on to describe Paine as a "filthy little athiest". He was actually none of the above.
   
   Paine and Samuel Adams suffered the same fate. Both were men of tremendous talent with the pen. Both worked tirelessly. Both played inestimable roles in our freedom. Both tend to be forgotten by mainstream historians. Neither one was an aristocrat. Are historians largely elitist snobs?

5 comments about King of the World: Muhammed Ali and the Rise of an American Hero.

1. For me, this book should have been titled "Death of One of My Heroes," which should become self-evident if you read this entire review. I believe the book is mostly accurate, and it is a well-written book.
   
   Remnick (the author), in my opinion, devotes too much time to Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston. I also wish he had given more details about Ali as Ali got older and continued to box.
   
   Without question, Muhammad Ali, in his prime, was the greatest heavyweight fighter that has ever fought.
   
   "DEATH OF ONE OF MY HEROES": I did not realize how much Ali allowed the Nation of Islam (NOI) to influence him. Because he let the NOI influence him--yes, Ali DID have a choice!!!--Muhammad Ali: (1)lied about throwing his Olympic medal over a fence, (2)divorced his first wife, (3)broke off a friendship with Malcolm X, and (4)claimed to be a "minister" to avoid the draft. If you think the above describes a "hero," your definition of "hero" differs from mine.
   
   The book is good. Unfortunately, it killed one of my heroes.
   
   Buy it and read it. It is well worth the $$$.



2. King of the World by David Remnick was one of the best books I've ever read. It is the true story of a champion and how he got there. I recommend anyone who likes stories about winning and glory, to read this book. If you also like reading about dudes getting smoked by a champ. Read this book.



3. Bertz / Randall
   
   "Almighty god was with me! I want everybody to bear witness! I am the greatest! I shook up the world! I am the greatest thing that ever lived! I don't have a mark on my face, and I just upset Sonny Liston, and I just turned twenty-two years old. I must be the greatest! I showed the world! I
   talk to god every day! I am the king of the world!" shouts Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) to the sporting press, after defeating Sonny Liston in 1964. This statement enraged boxing fans all over the world. Here was a twenty-two year old nobody with a big mouth, and he just defeated Sonny Liston. At the time, Liston was viewed as invincible. Liston was an experienced fighter who was known for defeating his opponents in two rounds or less. Not only did he lose the heavyweight championship to Ali, but he quit without being knocked down once. This declared Ali the king of controversy. "King of the World" by David Remnick is the story of the rise and fall of Muhammad Ali. Remnick does a fantastic job of showing us the different sides of racism. He focuses greatly on Ali's devotion to the Nation of Islam. The book showed many similarities between the Nation of Islam and the Klu Klux Klan. Remnick explained that both the Nation and the Klan were for segregation and that they both use methods of violence and terror to enforce their beliefs. After reading this book, I realized that the similarities are uncanny. Remnick's numerous references to these similarities proved to me that Remnick is a non-violent integrationist. I believe that one of the main points of the book is that segregation is wrong. The book greatly describes how the Nation of Islam had interfered with Muhammad Ali's personal life. For example, Remnick noted Ali's marriage to Sonji. He went into great detail how strong Ali's love was for Sonji, but he couldn't accept her inability to conform to his
   religion. This became a problem for them and they eventually got a divorce. Remnick also noted the emotional distance between Ali and his father being caused by his decision to join the Nation of Islam. Remnick goes even further in describing the way Ali turned his back on his best friend Malcolm X. He also wanted to let the reader know that religion should never get in the way of your personal life. The book said that the only thing in Ali's life that Ali regrets is "his cruel and hasty rejection of Malcolm." Now days, Ali looks back at Malcolm X with great respect. The main point Remnick was trying to communicate with his audience was that Ali stood up for what he believed in. Not only in the boxing ring but, also with his religious and political beliefs. In 1966, Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted to fight the war in Vietnam. The government threatened to take away his heavyweight championship and throw him into a federal prison for the next five years. Ali still refused. When they asked him why he refused to fight in the Vietnam war, he replied "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong." Eldridge Cleaver described Ali as a "genuine revolutionary" and the "first `free' black champion to confront white America." Writer, Jill Nelson, called Ali's refusal of the draft a "supreme act of defiance." However, not everyone supported Ali's refusal of the draft. Conservative boxing fans
   called him an unpatriotic bum. They thought he was hiding behind his religion because he was lazy. Remnick took a much more liberal stance on the situation. The author seemed to support Ali's decision. For many years, Muhammad Ali would be both loved and hated by boxing fans of all races. Some people believe that Ali should not have been allowed to be exempt from the war because of his religion. Others looked at his exemption as an amazing defeat. The only thing anyone could agree on was his amazing abilities in the ring. In 1997, during the summer Olympics, Muhammad Ali was invited to light the Olympic torch. In my opinion, this proved Ali to be a very patriotic man. It proved that the world had never forgotten about Ali, and it
   never will. Lighting the Olympic torch is one of the highest honors any athlete could be given. "King of the World" was published in 1998. Exactly one year after he lit the Olympic torch. I think that's why this book was written when it was.
   The ignition of the 1997 Olympic torch was Ali's return to the public eye. And this book was written to honor him.



4. It is, as many have said, one of the great sports biographies of all time -- but it's also one of the great history narratives of all time. It's not just Muhammmad Ali profiled here, but the trio of heavyweights who dominated headlines in the early 1960s: also Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston. And in many ways, those two are more fascinating because, before I read "King of the World," they weren't accompanied by the same pre-fight hype. Here's Liston, a dangerous and sullen felon who's achingly lonely; there's Patterson, a great athlete but at the same time so thoughtful and intelligent he was plagued by a boxer's worst enemy, self-doubt.
   
   And that's not to say anything of the portrait of the time, of Black Muslims, Malcolm X, Norman Mailer, the media, John F. Kennedy... Trust me, even a non-sports fan will be mesmerized.



5. When boxing mattered, boxers were more than pugilists trying to break each other's wills; they were symbols that attracted the attention and aspirations of the masses. Like gladiators in Rome, these courageous men allow us to project our hopes, fears, and insecurities.
   
   David Remnick tells the story of Cassius Clay's growth from a skinny, mercurial, but morally upright boy, to a hero and symbol of resistance and hope for millions of anti-establishment figures. Ali captivated the hearts and minds of fans unlike any athlete before or since. Remnick does a beautiful job of explaining why and how this happened. No matter how dominate Michael Jordan was, or Tiger Woods is, neither absorb our emotions like the sponge known as Muhammed Ali.
   
   His grace, speed, and power thrilled, while his words, political stances, and humour enthralled. Everyone in America should learn the story of this hero. There is no better place than Remnick's book to do so. Highly recommended.

5 comments about The Life of John Wesley Hardin As Written by Himself.

1. Hardin begins his narrative by acknowledging that he is very much a product of a particular time and place, a particular culture. He does not see any reason why he should attempt to transcend that, let alone apologize for it. He accepts himself for what he is and expects everyone else to do the same. He is above all a man of violence, ready and able to resolve all conflicts with physical - if necessary, deadly - force. Raised in Reconstruction Texas, he finds plenty to fuel his resentment, including carpetbagger politicians from the north and newly emancipated slaves appointed as police officers (an unquestioning racialism was part of his heritage). Nor is it in his nature to run from a fight. When he hears that Wild Bill Hickok, then Marshall of Abilene, has threatened to kill him if he ever sets foot in the town, what does he do? Goes immediately to Abilene of course, to face him. I would have been inclined to go anywhere but.
   
   Tough, fearless, uncompromising and cunning (at one point, he pretends to cry, in order to throw his captors off-guard) with an uncontrollable temper, he became the most formidable gunfighter of the Old West. How many men he killed no one knows for sure. Not even he knew. It was at least 20, probably 40 or more.
   
   His life story has the strengths and weaknesses common to all autobiographies: it is the authentic voice, but it tells us a selective and heavily slanted story. It remains an invaluable primary source and should be required reading for anyone seriously interested in the history of the American West. Although not great literature, it is well written. The Western Frontier Library edition is good, with a useful introduction and postscript, but I would have liked a few footnotes, to save me having to go online for explanations of 'headright' and 'galluses', etc.



2. The autobiography of John Wesley Hardin would be illuminating if it was not one long tedious, blow-by-blow account of the man's life. Even though there is a brawl, a gunfight, or a mad chase on nearly every page the book manages to be excruciatingly dull. The reason? Stilted, cumbersome, self-absorbed writing. It is hard to find value in this work even as primary source history because there is not really much history there.



3. Although this book is far from objective and the author tries to justify the many murders that he commited, this is still a good book for someone interested in western history or western gunfighters. John Wesley Hardin was possibly the most notorious and most prolific killer of the era.
   While this book is not the most objective it does give a good insight into the subject's thinking. It is also the only way to track Mr. Hardin through some periods of his life



4. How could I not give 5 stars to a crack-shot gunslinger who murdered numerous men then became a lawyer and actually wrote a book about his violent life?
   I've read the other reviews so I will try not to repeat anything you've already read. It's rumored John W. Hardin didn't write the book! Considering what I already said about becoming a lawyer I can't see how he wouldn't have been able to write it himself. I'm not sure when he started or how long it took him but he was able to pinpoint some of the dates so I'd have to say he kept some kind of a diary or guessed in order to appear more authentic.
   If/when you read the book maybe you'll notice his writing seems to get better as the book progresses. At the beginning some paragraphs last more than a couple pages with him changing the subject throughout. Well before the end, however, the writing improves greatly. But I believe it was all written by the same person because the style didn't really change. Maybe if he had lived longer he would have gone back and re-wrote the earlier part of the book to match the style of the later parts when he became more educated.
   I remember hearing how he "was so mean he once shot a man for snoring." Hardin never mentions this but I believe it was the part about killing the guy who tried to sneak into his room to take his pants and then fleeing in his underwear and running around trying to elude Wild Bill Hickok and his men. Seems if Hardin killed the guy for the reason he specified he wouldn't have needed to run away especially since he and Wild Bill shared a respect for one another.
   His point of view on all the events may have not have been 100% true but it tends to validate the type of person he was... And it's all in his own words.



5. 
   Many thanks for splendid item & price, and professional service. KN