3 comments about Kit Carson and the Indians.

1. This is a thoroughly researched and balanced treatise on Kit Carson and his complex relationship with Native Americans. Recommended!!!



2. An authoritative and spellbinding examination into the life of our great frontiersman Christopher Carson.
   Dunlay delves into every crevice, explores behind and under every rock and examines every shred of research to justify Carson's character toward the American Indian. The premise here is to thwart the image of Kit Carson as an "Indian-hater", racist and genocide advocator. The author has done just that.
   Yes, in his youth Kit had killed numerous Indians, but only when warranted. Oftentimes it was kill or be killed from the 1820's to early 1840's. There were good Indians and bad. There were good whites and bad. When the mountain man came west, he was another 'tribe' who had battles to fight.
   Later in life when Carson became Indian agent, scout, soldier and superintendent of Indian affairs, his entire demeanor towards the Native American changed dramatically. He did support violence but only to the few hostiles. All told he was there to protect and save the Indians from extermination by white encroachment.
   His continued and tireless efforts of feeding and clothing hundreds upon hundreds of Indians, promoting the reservation system to separate whites from Indians in order to suppress troubles between the two cultures, etc. are conclusive evidence of his caring.
   I read his autobiography several years ago and thought I was well informed, but these memoirs conclude in 1856. Much more happened to Kit (and the nation) up until his death in 1868. This book by Dunlay covers his entire life.
   An absorbing and significant read.



3. This is an excellent book and is highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn about Kit Carson, especially his relationship with Native Americans in general and the Navajo in particular. I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico where Carson is often denegrated, particularly in regards to his treatment of the Navajo. While Dunlay's book is not an easy read, it does a good job of presenting and discussing the activities and achievements of Kit Carson within the context of his times, analyzing all facets of his life. He was a complex man who lived in changing times.

5 comments about The Elusive Embrace: Desire and the Riddle of Identity.

1. Daniel Mendelsohn is a beautiful writer and the Elusive Embrace is quite lyrical at times as it looks at desire and the riddle of identity. His memoir flits from his Jewish childhood, family history, gay New York (actually only Chelsea, actually only one avenue in Chelsea), Greek language and literature, and beautiful (mostly now dead) Southern boys. He is building a mythology of himself and the process is wonderful to go through even when the creation of said mythos requires the narrowing of his vision. He is blissfully unaware of gay men outside of Chelsea and the fever dreams of his Southern past, partly because many of these men would not fit his defintion as "boys" and quite likely fall outside his radar. But that is understandable in a memoir such as this when the point is to write what you see and not what remains invisible to you. Also I was less than thrilled with the chapter on being a surrogate father (gay men as the new spinster aunts?) but even here the writing carried me along. As did the references to Greek myths that connected and substantiated all the ideas. These were evocative and necessary to the entire book. A well written look at myth making on a personal level that is worth a read.



2. Perhaps the best thing I can say about this gorgeous and provocative book is that the author has crafted such movingly expressive arguments for his beliefs that even when I disagreed with those beliefs (for instance, his sense that sexual fidelity not worth making any personal sacrifices to maintain), I found myself taking a moment to question myself because I was so seduced by the beauty of his writing style that I almost felt compelled to agree with his content. This is a challenging work of art that, in the end, is less a broad social argument than one man's highly personal search for meaning in his own life.



3. I was intrigued by the split in the reviews here: for the most part, readers either loved or hated the book. I found myself unambiguously in the first camp. I devoured the book in two reading sessions, could hardly put it down. For me it is less of a memoir, and more of an incredibly perceptive and thorough contemplation on identity, or rather, on how -inherently- no identities are ever simple and straightforward but always (at least) dual, entangled, complex and evolving. So the book appealed to me intellectually. Reducing the book to its "intellectual content," however, would not do it justice. The ideas are delivered in a language that is so enchanting that it almost intoxicates. Finally, the depth of some of the connections and affections described in the book made the reading of the book a poignant and moving experience.



4. At first I was intimidated by the customer reviews that made mention of the author's use of classical references as I am not classically educated and often find such references pretentious. However, I am happy to report that Mr. Mendelsohn's work is compelling and always easy to follow.
   
   "The Elusive Emrace" is equal parts memoir and essay, filled with keen observations and poignant scenes from his life. I was especially moved by those involving his god son Nicholas, and the final sections dealing with ancient family secrets and myths. His prose is beautiful, and his ideas about the duplicity of identity, how we are all many things at once, are succinctly articulated.
   
   I highly recommend this book, though I do have one caveat. On page 82 (of the paperback) the author notes that all the happy gay couples he knows have sex outside of their relationsips. He follows this observation with the gross generalization: "This is a fact of gay life." It may be a fact for some gay couples, but certainly not all. It sounds like the author is trying to justify his own suspect promiscuity by proclaiming it to be the norm. I would advise hime to reference his own comments from page 38: "Knowledge may make you aware that the certainties of others are often more convenient than true, allowing those who hold them to live a coherent and sensible life, allowing their choices and their ideologies to make a kind of sense."



5. Mendelsohn, Daniel. "The Elusive Embrace: Desire and the Riddle of Identity", Vintage Plume, 2000.
   
   Understanding Identity and Desire
   
   Amos Lassen
   
   I have been accused of gushing over the books I like and quite frankly I cannot help that. But now I mist add Daniel Mendelsohn's "The Elusive Embrace" to my list of gushers. Mendelsohn explores issues of identity, sexuality, fatherhood, family and history in five essays that, in effect, add up to a memoir of the author. Mendelsohn attempts to understand the contradictions of his own life as a gay man and father figure to a friend's son as well as a critic and consumer of gay culture who lives both within and apart from his Jewish family. He attempts to unravel family myths and his book looks at the nature of gay identity and the mythology of family by looking at ancient literatutre. He finds a natural connection between pagan culture and pagan acts and discovers that both Greek mentality and language has a tendency toward bipolar thinking which simply means that any articulated idea invites an opposite interpretation. This, the author states, is the nature of gay identity which rests somewhere between the straight world into which we are all born and the gay world which we choose to live in. This is quite an interesting theory and Mendelsohn's explanation makes a great deal of sense.
   Mendelsohn looks at the neighborhood in which he grew up and the gay ghetto of Manhhattan where as he says "the desire for love" is in competition for the "love of desire" and a house where a friend's son instructs him in the meaning of fatherhood. He then ventures into an old Jewish cemetery where he finds a family secret that shows the need for storytelling and the invention of myths. Like the ancient Greeks, Mendelsohn gives a new significance to individual experience. The book is divided almost equally between memoir and essays and written in exquisite prose. What he is doing is building his own mythology and he does so beautifully.
   The book works on many different levels. It is not only a memoir of gay experience; it also speaks to the straight community. It is an engrossing look at self-discovery and his arguments are sound and convincing. It challenged my own feelings and it is the honesty of the author that makes this book so special and it is a rich and intelligent exploration of the human condition. Mendelsohn gives us expressive arguments for his beliefs that, even in disagreement, it is necessary to stop and question. Here is a wonderful and poignant walk through the classics and what it means to be gay and it deeply affects and holds universal appeal. By reading about Mendelsohn's life, the reader reads about his own life.

5 comments about Lighting the Way: Nine Women Who Changed Modern America.

1. Any college student can write a book as this-- I'd rather read an Encyclopedia!!!



2. This is a beautifully written and captivating look at the lives of strong women who helped change the course of American history. I was extremely impressed by Karenna Gore Schiff's writing ability . All of the women profiled in this book are fascinating Americans and most of them are long overdue for this kind of a tribute. Schiff truly did her research and I was also interested in the information she shared about the strong women in her family--most notably her grandmothers. She dedicates the book to them.



3. Karenna Gore Schiff has done us a wonderful service with this book of women whose impact on American life has been profound. Her essays on the lives and contributions of these women are readable and enlightening. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them.



4. This is a magnificent book, written by a brilliant and humanitarian author. It is well researched and documented, and it is very interesting and enlightening. Every person in our nation could benefit from reading this informative work. Thank you for this book!



5. This detailed book provides little-known insight on nine women very important to the advancement of American rights. Very interesting.

5 comments about A House in Bali.

1. It's a very interesting book in regards to what I have actually read. It seems to have accounts on Balinese culture. I found it enjoyable and interesting to read because it not only talks about Balinese culture but about the conflict and clashes within the village like the little dancer named Sampih and his dance teacher Nyoman Kaler.

   Colin McPhee conveys many interesting things like when bad luck happened in his home in Sayan and how they had to do a purification ceremony in regards to dispel the demons, witches and evil spirits. His wanderings in Bali to record music and study their music like the rare gamelan angklung and gamelan selonding from Tenganan who were the Bali Aga. Colin McPhee was drawn to the scintallinating sounds and metallic shimmer from the gamelan. At times there are humours accounts of what goes on between him and his friends that happen in the village or when they are touring around Bali. I found it enjoyable because, he seemed to have fitted in well with the Balinese people without too much problems compared with other writers before them spoke of barbarity and the animal like behaviour of the Balinese at certain functions. He writes with passion about what goes on and how things have changed with the colonial rule of the Dutch. The loss of autonomy by the Rajas who were reduced to poverty at times and how their obessions with cockfighting led to their ruin. Yet in times of despair and hardship they are always humble to him.

   Overall the book contains a few photographs of his friends and colleagues. I found it wonderful and intriguing and as well as captiviting at times which he covers so many topics like the temple functions like Galungan, Wayang Kulit (Shadow Plays), the music club etc... This book you will grow to love like the book written by Miguel Corrovabias "Island of Bali".




2. I am Balinese and live in Ubud, about 10 minutes walk from where Colin McPhee stayed, when he came to Bali in 1931. My aunt worked for him.

   He heard a record of gamelan music in New York and couldn't wait to get to Bali to listen to the real thing.

   He stayed in Bali for almost 8 years and set about documenting gamelan music. Much of his research was carried out in a village near Ubud where my Villas are. There are still old people in the village who remember him.

   His book is beautifully written and tells stories of his adventures and life in the village and his encounters with the local Balinese. It's not necessary to understand technical music matters to enjoy this book - it is totally accessible.

   Highly recommended.




3. I first heard Gamelan was coming out of the oldest temple on the Island of Bali, near Ubud, and was reading this book at the time. I purchased the book at the Jakarta airport and was hooked by the first paragraph. I think that this is a wonderful, insight into the island, the music, it's people and culture. If you have a love for exotic music and or artform, this historical work is a captivating read. My only regret is that Colin McPhee never went back to his beloved Bali.



4. I'm heading to Bali this month and this book provided a great intro to the customs and nature of this island. I'm even more excited to get there after reading it.



5. Even as the art & tradition of classical gamelan music fades in Java, gamelans are built & organized in America & Europe, the music is studied & taught in universities. This has occurred since the 70's, when recordings of gamelan music became widely available, particularly in a major series on Nonesuch Explorer. For many people, hearing gamelan for the first time is not only a delightfully exotic experience, the music unlike anything one has heard, but there is often also a strange shock of recognition, as if one somehow already knew the music, although where & how remains a mystery. Perhaps this is what happened to Colin McPhee. For McPhee in 1930, as for so many western musicians since, hearing gamelan inspired something like a religious conversion.
   
   I was given an old copy of this book shortly after I heard gamelan for the first time, & so I was able to follow McPhee on his great adventure to find where the music came from. When he arrived in Bali, he discovered that although the culture was vibrantly alive, much of music was in danger of being lost. He met, befriended, & studied with some greatly talented Balinese musicians, old masters & several younger composers & leaders, including Wayan Lotring & Made Lebah. They set about restoring a Semar Pegulingan gamelan. The task of bringing this music back to life is the "plot" of the "A House In Bali." McPhee quickly realized that his western musical training was of limited value, because the "values" of music - technically & culturally - in Bali were so different. Music had popular, ritual, & concert functions, as in the West. But the music was inseparable from the instruments, & each collection of instruments - each gamelan, was unique. Compositions were learned by rote, in phrases, with the gamelan functioning as a kind of all-ages social club for men. McPhee had to become, as best he could, a person of Bali, a villager, someone with a place & a role in the life of the community. He recounts his immersion in Balinese life, As strange as Bali was for McPhee, he was the "stranger," the outsider, & he remained one, oddly indifferent to what the Balinese thought of his lifestyle. Most inexplicably, he seems not to have become a gamelan musician. One wonders not only how he resisted this experience, but also why?
   
   McPhee later attempted to translate Balinese music into a western idiom using pianos & a symphony orchestra, with beautiful results, but losing what he had learned in the process, Sadly, when he returned home, he had left the most important stuff behind.

1 comments about Blood and Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel.

1. A double shot of a biography on whiskey magnate Jack Daniel with hard-work and determination as the foundation to his life and principles.
   Born in the mid-1800's and orphaned at the age of fifteen, JD immediately found himself working in a local Tennessee distillery manufacturing some of the highest quality spirits in the region from men who were the best in the business. He was known as the boy distiller.
   In his early twenties, he had the opportunity to partnership with his mentor and the rest as they say is history.
   It was not easy though. For decades he battled revenuers, the government, corrupt officials, temperance groups and later the prohibition movement. Even with these many adversities throughout his life, philanthropy was his middle name.
   Peter Krass has uncorked an imbibing read of a unique man and the times in which he lived.

2 comments about Spies and Spymasters of the Civil War.

1. If you want an excellent look at the cloak and dagger world of spying, during the American Civil War,then this is a great start.If you're a history buff on warfare,then this book will not disappoint you.I enjoy reading about military history and the social actions leading to the declarations of war.Battle areas are interestingly called 'theatres'.And i'm always fascinated by the inter-play of the opposing armies and the power-brokers behind the scenes.If you have a keen sense of European social history,you will be intrigued by this look at the American internecine war of the 19th century.For those who want a complete understanding of current American political diplomatic strategies,domestic and foreign,you have to understand the American Civil War.



2. This is a great all-round reference to the world of Civil War espionage. It has an almost encyclopedia-type approach, giving the names of every known spy, both male and female, and on both sides of the war. It profiles their tactics, equipment, motives, and, for many, their fates, and tells real-life stories of dashing heroics and close escapes.
   
   In short, if you want to read about the spies and espionage of the Civil War, this is your book.

5 comments about Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President (Library of Religious Biography).

1. Eerdmans should stick to theological tomes, rather than embarassing themselves with yet another propaganda piece for the Yankee cause. Guelzo fails to mention how Lincoln trampled upon the Constitution (Illegal arrests, Intimidation of duly elected leaders (e.g. Maryland State Legislature), and making war upon peaceful states which legally withdrew from the voluntary Union). A Government for the people, by the people vanished [Jeffersonian Constitutional Republic replaced with Consolidated Absolutism] with Lincoln's insistence that the Federal government existed before the States. The right of secession in America, beginning with the Declaration of Independence, was taught for decades until Sen. Sumner thundered from the Senate floor that this was a perpetual Union (Lincoln decided to carry this torch at the expense of 600,000 innocents). Lincoln's Emancipation proclamation was none other than a war measure (slaves were being used to build the capital and slaves were only declared free in Confederate held territory)encouraging slaves to revolt: this did not happen. Guelzo also fails to mention that slavery in the South was dying out and that roughly 10% of her people ever owned slaves. Guelzo failed to point out that the Emancipation Proclamation was illegal since it would have to take a Constitutional amendment to change the Constitution. Furthermore, his book fails to point out that the Emancipation had no jurisdiction in the Confederate States of America since the Southern states were no longer a member of the Union. I'm amazed at how people continue to admire a man who waged war on people who decided to follow in the footsteps of their fathers: Revolutionary War Heroes. The South was right, and the Northern propaganda machine is still filling the public mind with lies. If Abraham Lincoln embodies what a Christian is, then I'm not one, and evangelicals fascination with a man who was not converted until after Gettyburg is dangerous. Furthermore, I have no respect for a man who waged war on my native state: North Carolina.



2. Like a typical biography, Redeemer President goes through its subject's life. But unlike most biographies, Redeemer President centers on the maturation of its subject's thinking. Guelzo shows how some of Lincoln's most famous ideas, such as his reliance on "the proposition that all men are created equal," was part of Whig orthodoxy. To trace Lincoln's development takes nothing away from his genius, of course.

   This was one of the most enjoyable biographies I have read on Lincoln. One might begin with Oates' With Malice Toward None for Lincoln's life as a great story. Then go to Donald's Lincoln for a more modern biography -- lots and lots of facts, but with little attempt to see Lincoln as a product of his own time. Both are very well written, but I prefer Guelzo's over either of them.

   If you like Guelzo's book on Lincoln's thought, you'll like A New Birth of Freedom by Harry V. Jaffa, which Guelzo calls "the greatest book on Lincoln's politics for another generation."




3. Biographies of Abraham Lincoln have tended to fall into two broad categories. The first category consists of biographies of the "subjective" Lincoln. These biographies are based largely on the many anecdotes and stories people told about Lincoln's life, typically during the early years in Illinois and concentrate on trying to explore Lincoln as a man (He remains an enigma.)The second category of Lincoln biography is the political. This biography focuses on Lincoln's public actions, typically during or shortly before his Presidency and draws on the lengthy public record available during the Civil War years. This type of biographical approach tends to give short shrift to the personal approach.

   In his "Abraham Lincoln, Redeemer President" Allen Guelzo points out these two approaches to Lincoln studies (p.472) and says that his book is an attempt to combine the personal and public approaches to Lincoln. Professor Guelzo, Dean of Templeton Honors Colledge and Professor of History at Eastern Universtiy, writes a primarily intellectual biography; but he tries to explore the degree to which Lincoln's thought formed his political actions.

   Professor Guelzo devotes a great deal of attention to establishing Lincoln's political identity as a whig -- an admirer of both Henry Clay and Daniel Webster. From his early days in public life, Lincoln was interested in promoting economic opportunity by encouraging the free market. He supported ambitious programs of public works and public education, to develop transportation infrastructure, (canals, roads, and railroads) and to promote the growth of industry and of a middle class. The whig approach emphasized public virtue, public morality, the value of hard work, and a unified United States. Guelzo effectively contrasts Lincoln's Whiggish beliefs with the agrarian beliefs of the Jefferson-Jacksonian democrats with their commitment to a nation of agrarian, self-sufficient yeomen and farmers. (Lincoln's father was such a yeoman, and Lincoln wanted none of it for himself.)

   Professor Guelzo traces the beginnings of Lincoln's opposition to the expansion of slavery, in the early 1850's. to his desire to promote the development of upwardly mobile capitalist workers. He tended to see agrarianism as slavery slightly disguised. Lincoln never lost his whig commitments, according to Professor Guelzo, even after the party disbanded and Lincoln became a leader of the Republican party.

   Professor Guelzo also studies the nature of Lincoln's religious beliefs and the importance Lincoln gave to religous questions. As is the case with Lincoln's economic rebellion against his father, Professor Guelzo finds the beginnings of Lincoln's religious thought in a youthful rebellion against the Calvinism and predestinarian beliefs of his father. Lincoln found he could not believe in the revealed God of the Bible, although he knew the Bible well. He could not accept the doctrine of predestination, but he came close to it in a secular way. During most of his life, Lincoln was a determinist who believed that people had little independent choice in what they did but acted in response to outside factors which they did not control.

   According to Professor Guelzo, Lincoln also tended towards the englightenment of John Locke and towards the utilitarianism of Mill and Bentham. His politics and Presidency, of course, have distincly pragmatic characters. Throughout his life, Lincoln remained outside the fold of organized religion.

   According to Professor Guelzo, Lincoln's thought developed as Lincoln confronted at deepening levels the difficulty of the Civil War. The beginning of this development was the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates where Lincoln vigourously attacked the morality of holding slaves. Lincoln's thoughts on providence, for Professor Guelzo, were instrumental in Lincoln's decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln told his cabinet he had made a promise "to his maker" to issue the Proclamation and that he could not do otherwise. (pp 341-42.) Guelzo continues his treatment of providential themes in Lincoln with his discussion of the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address.

   There is also a great deal in the book that discusses Lincoln's handling of the War, the border states, his generals, and the Army. Professor Guelzo's intellectual and religous themes sometimes get lost in these discussions, and we are reminded that Lincoln was a pragmatist, a leader and a consummate politician.

   The picture of Lincoln's religiosity that emerges from Professor Guelzo's study has a distinctly modern flavor. (Professor Guelzo sees it as high Victorian.) Lincoln was a person who sought religous belief but could not find his way to an organized religion of his day. He was not, in his mid and late life, content simply with materialism and skepticism but rather developed his own religious thought based upon a rather loosely defined notion of providence and redemption. As personal as his thought was, it helped shape our nation. Lincoln's life, as Professor Guelzo presents it, seems to be a paradigm of many people today who reject organized religion in favor of a search for what many call spirituality.

   On a political level, Guelzo's account of Lincoln stresses that the United States is and has become a unified Nation and that Americans should see themselves, for all their diversity and differences as part of a unified people. I also see the book as a reminder of the value of hard work and economic effort.

   Professor Guelzo has written a thoughtful, provocative study of Lincoln the man, the thinker, and the President.




4. A breath-taking account of the life of one of America's greatest leaders. Lincoln's though and personality are an inspiration and a challenge to any thoughtful person. This book inspired me to a greater study of American history.



5. This is fine biography traces Lincoln's philosphical and theological development and in so doing helps us understand the secret to Lincoln's greatness, which was his ability to make sense of the Civil War. If you ever wondered where the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln's Second Innaugral came from, this book will show you. This remains one the most interesting and compelling biographies I have ever read.
   
   Raymond R. Roberts Ph.D.

5 comments about Right or Wrong, God Judge Me: THE WRITINGS OF JOHN WILKES BOOTH.

1. In my opinion "Right or Wrong,God Judge Me" is a blessing;mostly for the masses growing up believing only one side to a twisting and tragic tale.John Wilkes Booth is humanized,he is presented as a multi dimensional conflicted individual,far from the "mad man" we were all taught to despise for his repulsive crime against the US government and Lincoln. The evil I once thought he posessed is not the main struggle of his personality;his struggle seems to more or less be over his love and jealousy of brother Edwin and his fears of being loved and admired.His heart is tormented by the carnage of the Civil War,which in turn causes him to side with just about anyone who hates Lincoln. As I found by reading the book,he was not as mad as I once believed,but seemed more a sad and lonely man admired mostly for his looks yet he seemed to be upset about the sexual objectivity given to his person,hence he burned fan mail sent to him by rather amourous ladies,I feel from reading this book that he needed more than theatre and adoration from screaming females;he wanted to be taken seriously and make a difference in the world.Unfortunately he chose a rather brutal means of attaining this goal. I do think that his appearance can somewhat color judgement.Do we feel more sorry for him because he was extremely handsome? I wonder if he would have been homely if he would have gotten as much sympathy? Maybe not,but still I understand his mentality better and why he turned out the way he did.



2. This is an interesting book regarding the state of mind of the wealthy and famous actor of the time. The book carefully places his letters chronologically and also backs them by giving historic references and explanations of the events that surrounded the man. How his "flowery-like" letters could ever hint at a man struggling with the problems of the country isn't told in them. It's ironic from such writing that this man who had fame, fortune and social approval also had a deep and ever growing anger against northern politics. His inner anger seemed depressed awaiting a chance to explode. This book easily portrays Booth as a caring man yet also one who sympathized with the Southern cause. It briskly explains his premeditated thoughts of assassinating Lincoln and has little information regarding putting his thoughts into motion. Yes, this book is about his letters and offers a quick coverage of the events surrounding Booth before and after the killing of Lincoln. For those looking for a complete biography this book isn't the one. For those looking for added insight who may have already read about Booth before, this is a great bonus of information.



3. The title is a promising one, if you're interested in JWB and the Lincoln assassination; and the compilation is thorough, if what you want is to have the complete known products surviving from JWB. The problem is that 90% of what does survive (thus 90% of this book) is really insignificant stuff that sheds very little light on the man's ideas, opinions, or thoughts. It's mostly brief, impersonal, non-revealing notes written to confirm theatrical engagements, &c., &c. Much of it is repetitive variations on a few business-oriented themes. Too bad this is al that survives from him!



4. "Right or Wrong, God Judge Me" is a fascinating collection of all the known existing hand-written documents left by John Wilkes Booth. Most of his written materials were destroyed by family, friends and acquaintances in the aftermath of Lincoln's assassination for fear that the holders of the documents may be accused of being an accessory to the crime. What is printed here (many for the first time) are those documents left by JWB that managed to be preserved. These materials include letters written to a friend William O'Laughlin (brother of Michael O'Laughlin who was a co-conspirator) when JWB was a teen-ager, poems written in autograph books of fellow actors, information on his theatre work and financial investments written to his business partners, love letters to Isabel Sumner, and a lengthy pro-Union speech intentionally preserved by brother Edwin written only a few days after South Carolina seceded from the Union. In the latter as well as the famous "To Whom It May Concern" letter also published here, JWB explains his sympathy with the southern cause, the influence of watching abolitionist John Brown hanged, his feelings towards his country, his personal views on slavery, etc. Two pocket diary entries written while he was a fugitive (surprised at the negative reaction his deed received from the public) as well as a sarcastic letter written to a doctor who would not help him as he was fleeing authorities on an injured leg are the last entries in this book.
   
   What makes this book even more fascinating than reading the words of one of the most notorious men in American history, is the incredible research completed by the editors. Every document, including letters of only a couple sentences, are followed by many footnotes detailing the people, places, and events in JWB's life pertaining to the document. This information includes theatre reviews, most in praise of Booth's performances, especially his sword fighting. The dangers and hardships actors endured traveling to shows in those days is explained. The editors also include historical background and context to the documents. Even the letters on his theatre schedule and investments were interesting because of the additional information the editors provided. I felt as though I was following JWB's life through these letters and footnotes. I've come away from this book with a much better understanding of what motivated JWB to commit his crime. Anyone interested in Booth and the Lincoln assassination needs to read this book. The 171-page book includes a section of illustrations, including photos of three of the handwritten documents.



5. this book is a decent account of John Wilkes Booth, but there is nothing that has not been already examined in countless other books pertaining to this topic. The book does not give as much detail about booth as one would expect. If you really want a great book about John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's assaination, and the several weeks that followed, i strongly recommend "American Brutus" by Michael W. Kauffman, this was one of the best books ive ever read on the subject.

5 comments about Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point.

1. This extremely well-written book tells the story of many of the men who were at the bottom of their graduating class from West Point: the Goats. Prime examples were Generals Pickett and Custer, among others. The theme of the book is to show that class rank does not necessarily translate into military success. Following the lives of several of these men was quite interesting, particularly the ones that are not so well known today. There is a breezy style of writing in this book, and it gives one pause to think about the current emphasis about class rank endemic all over the country. People should strive to be the best, but as this book reminds us, sometimes the best isn't what this country needs.



2. Just finished this book, and it was imho enthralling, very hard to put down..its takes us on a tour of West Point graduates ranked as "immortals" (those being the bottom 10 of their class) and the Goat, the last in their class.,..some famous names were goats or immortals; Heth, Pickett, Custer, Kirby Smith the Crittenden(s) Grant ( whose worst subject was..Infantry tactics go figure) among many others..... Great reading regards the Seminoles wars, Mexican-American War the Civil war......the trials and tribulations at West Point, their pranks and punishments etc....many great complimentary bios to be found here, Whistler, Poe et al...all wound up with stories of their military performance's and stories regards their paths criss-crossing in the Civil war etc....a comparative analysis as to why so many of the Immortals and Goats had an impact all out of proportion to the top 5 and their relative ranks, which in the end, means nothing...



3. I highly recommend this most inspirational literary work. The anecdotes of forgotten soldiers (officers and volunteers alike), men who shined but a moment on the pages of history, have touched me deeply. I empathize with their infamy at being named Last in their Class, yet these "rejects" rose to great heights of achievement due to other redeeming character traits. There's a lesson to be learned from these mini-biographies as one carefully reads each page, absorbing the intriguing stories line by line. This is a book to be savored, not rushed through. I am thoroughly enjoying my visit in the pages of this fine book. This seems to be the author's one and only work; here's wishing James S. Robbins future success in publishing.



4. "Last in Their Class" is easily one of the most accessible titles in the category of "Military History" that has ever been published. Having read numerous books on the Civil War, it is rare to find one that kept me interested from start to finish, AND that I would recommend to a casual reader of history without hesitation. Though much of the book centers around the proverbial Goats, it also dives deeply into the culture of West Point and life in 19th century America. Robbins engages the reader in tales of cadets sneaking out to the nearest bar, then deftly segues into the details of an obscure engagement on the western frontier, while never losing the narrative thread or the reader's attention. I would recommend this book to almost any reader; simply wonderful.



5. What an enlightening book! Fun, interesting and full of great trivia!
   
   This book gives proof that you don't have to be first to be great! Lots of great stories about West Point and its history.
   
   Makes a great gift for an Army officer or NCO.

5 comments about The Compleated Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin (1757-1790).

1. I gave this as a gift to my mother. My father read it cover to cover and enjoyed it and my mother is in the process of doing so. It is written in an older style and can be a bit dry, but history buffs (my parents) are really enjoying it.



2. Book received timely and in excellent condition. Am still in the process of reading it.



3. Let's just say I am a Franklin buff. If you really like Franklin or history this is a worth while read. If you want to learn more about Franklin you should start with the Autobiography and then move to one of the many Bios, the most recent of which is Walter Isaacson's "Benjamin Franklin." If you get through those, you may be well ready for this read. To be honest, in my opinion, the author stands in the way of this work a little but it is not bad.



4. This is a review of the audio version of this work.
   
   I found this to be a great disappointment, bordering on annoying. The author was attempting to complete Franklin's autobiography which doesn't cover the second half of his life. I found two very difficult problems with the work.
   
   First, the opening of the audio book presents the author's background including why he wanted to do this. This introduction was distractingly self-serving and provided quite a bit more about the author than any reader would probably expect. He is a descendant of Franklin, which may spurn his motivation....but failed to make the experience any more enlightening.
   
   Second, the book is written "using Franklin's own words"...or so says the notes from the publisher. What it does is try to use the language of Franklin's day including quickly worn out expressions and lines. I tired very quickly of the authors attempt to turn every phrase like a Poor Richard quip. What he may have gained in accuracy, made the audio experience painful.
   
   I do not recommend the audio edition for those two reasons, nor would I recommend the book. One would be better served with Isaacson's (BF: An American Life) book for a look at the second half of Franklin's life....it's simply written better and it offers more insight.
   
   The idea of getting inside Franklin's head and finishing the autobiography is compelling....but this attempt failed in it's lofty goal.
   
   --Cudo



5. I had never read Volume 1 of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, so I didn't know what to expect when I bought Volume 2, which was compiled from Dr. Franklin's diaries by one of his descendants, Dr. Mark Skousen. I really thought that because 200 years had gone by, it would be rather dry with way too many historical details and that I would never finish it. A good book to help me fall asleep at night. But I was wrong. I simply loved it.
   
   Dr. Franklin was quite a character and this book shows in his own words what he thought of his fellow 'founding fathers,' (especially his opinion of John Adams!!) how he managed to keep some of his English friends in the midst of the Revolutionary War, and the woman who got away (quite possibly the only one).
   
   This is not a book just for a history class. It is most, most entertaining and I finished it in record time. I wish Ben had lived to 100 instead of just 84.
   
   Highly recommended if you like history and even if you don't.
   
   Heidi Walter
   [...]