2 comments about American Heroine: The Life and Legend of Jane Addams.

1. Jane Addams was a remarkable woman. This book is the best biography written of her life. She was a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in her later life. Her liberal views of American society are covered thoroughly by this author in his chapters of her early work at Hull House, and her later work for world peace. A must read book for every woman, because Jane Addams was truly an American woman.



2. This truly outstanding and detailed biography of Jane Addams surveys the founder of Hull House, a social reformer who was one of the most admired women in American history. American Heroine recounts her life, work and ideas, providing chapters which go into far more depth and detail than most reviews of her life, probing the philosophy behind her works and the atmosphere of her times.

4 comments about Texas Women on the Cattle Trails (Sam Rayburn Series on Rural Life).

1. I have really enjoyed this book it is historically correct and well referencedit has been a big help in my research.



2. There's enough excitement and derring-do in J. Marvin Hunter's "Trail Drivers of Texas" for anyone interested in the Old West, but out of curiousity, I picked up a new book on the cattle drives, "Texas Women on the Cattle Trails."
   To my pleasant surprise, the book was every bit as good as Hunter's great classic. Edited by Sara R. Massey, this new volume features the stories of sixteen remarkable women who either accompanied their husbands up the trail or managed herds on their own. Facing the same hazards as the men, these women rode astride or sidesaddle, drove buggies or wagons, and endured thirst, danger, storm, and stampedes. None of these women were common people; all exhibited above-average ambition and courage. Most went on to lead successful lives, but their stories, ably told by eighteen knowledgeable contributors, are not altogether happy ones. Even so, the book is interesting, thrilling, and inspiring. A good addition to anyone's Old West collection.



3. Almost everyone has heard of Annie Oakley, Belle Starr, and Calamity Jane. But how about Kate Medlin, Hattie Cluck, Margaret Borland or Cornelia Adair? These are just four of the sixteen fearless women featured in "TEXAS WOMAN ON THE CATTLE TRAILS," a compendium of short biographies written by sixteen Texas writers, and edited by Austwell resident Sara R. Massey.
   
   
   
   Some of the featured women were young newlyweds when they went up the trail. Others were middle-aged mothers, and one was pregnant. They were widows, business women, heiresses. Some were cultured and educated. Almost all encountered Indians, bandits or rustlers. They endured blizzards, floods, stampedes, disease, death. They made deals with cattle buyers and sellers. They witnessed a new country in its earliest growing pains, and most lived to tell their tales, even to embellish them over time.
   
   
   
   Take Minta Corum Holmsley of Comanche, Texas, who rode her horse up the trail sidesaddle, she said, "because we didn't have better sense." On that drive she claimed to have met John Wesley Hardin masquerading as an Indian, and later to have encountered a hundred Sioux who had fought Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn. She managed to save her favorite cow pony by screaming in one Indian's face until he let go and fled in fright.
   
   
   
   Another woman, the widowed Margaret Heffernon Borland of Victoria lost four of her seven children to one epidemic of Yellow Fever. And Margaret herself died at the end of her own cattle drive in 1873. The Wichita, Kansas newspaper announced her death on July 5, at the age of 49, as having been caused by "mania, super-induced by her long, tedious journey and over-taxation of the brain." Her nephew had her body shipped back to Victoria and she is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery.
   
   
   
   I particularly enjoyed glimpses of familiar Texas places as they were in the 19th century: the loud bawling of the cattle as they forded the Shoal Creek in Austin; a house in Banquete, once a Confederate hospital and said to be inhabited by ghosts; a roving band of hide-skinners scouring Goliad after a brutal winter decimated the cattle population.
   
   
   
   All of these sixteen were ranchwomen, skilled at riding, either sidesaddle or astride, or at handling a horse or mule-drawn wagon. They were proficient in the use of lariats, branding irons, whips, and castrating knives. They carried their share of the workload, and faced all the same hardships and hazards of driving cattle up the trail as the men. In these pages, you won't find a single damsel in distress. There are no dance hall queens or saloon floozies either. The sixteen women profiled here validate the importance of ordinary lives and offer new insights into the reality of the frontier West.



4. It's a tall order, because there are so many good books on Texas history, but Sara Massey's book really shines. I've always been a sucker for cattle trail tails, and I was deep into Haley's book on Charles Goodnight when I went down to Gonzales for a book fair and signing. I missed the author, but picked up Texas Women on the Cattle Trails anyway. From the moment I started reading, I couldn't put it down!
   
   The information gathered is well-researched and each of the stories entertainingly written. I very much appreciated information, where available, on burial sites and original homesites - thanks to this book, I was able to find Harriet Cluck's gravesite in Cedar Park, making an educational reading experience a personally affecting one as well. I learned a great deal more about the town just by reading this book.
   
   This oughta be on the required reading lists in Texas history courses at universities (wouldn't hurt for women's studies majors to read it as well). Texas Women on the Cattle Trails provides provocative and enlightening information on a well-canvassed but rarely understood portion of Texas history.

3 comments about Sam Houston: Life and Times of Liberator of Texas an Authentic American Hero.

1. Who is the Houston, the city, and Houston, the popular street in Manhattan named after, anyway?

   This fascinating and highly readerable biography retells the legend of Sam Houston, the controversial governor of Tennessee and Texas, the first president of the Republic of Texas, and a protege of Andrew Jackson. Williams' recreates the political and historical atmosphere of Manifest Destiny era in a critical, yet sympathetic biography that should become a standard work for 19th century history buffs. Williams portrays Houston as a charmistic man and alcoholic, a distrustful populist, and an authentic American hero who tried to keep Texas in the Union.

   Williams' Houston is also an easy target for revisionist historians looking for expansionist villains. An occassional supporter of the Know Nothing party, Houston defended slavery and advocated a war with Mexico to unite all Americans in 1860. It was a futile effort to both prevent the Civil War and become president of the United States. Williams suggests that Houston's temper and penchant for secrecy blocked his highest political ambitions.

   Williamns' vibrant biography illuminates the enduring appeal (and danger) of an authentic military hero and populist politician. Full of memorable quotes and extensive resource notes, this compelling biography is the kind of first rate history that tantalizes readers with absorbing "what ifs" and the lost possibilities of a distant time and place.

   I learned a great deal reading this book and highly recommend it. Books like this demonstrate how many great stories remain untold or forgotten in our history - even when cities and streets are named after yesterday's idols.




2. I'm not sure if the first reviewer read the same book that I did. As a doctoral student in history, I have read many history books and must defend Williams's book as SUPERBLY written and carefully researched; Williams obviously wrote this book for a larger audience. Such an excellent combination of readability and academic rigor is the envy of every serious historian.

   I highly recommend this biography for the causal reader and the serious scholar, which certainly ranks among the best bios of Sam Houston to date.




3. I'm not sure if the first reviewer read the same book that I did. As a doctoral student in history, I have read many history books and must say this was a SUPERBLY written and researched account. Williams's prose is highly accessible to the average reader, while meeting the rigors of serious academic work. An excellent book for the casual reader and scholar alike.

5 comments about Lee and Grant: A Dual Biography.

1. There is not a lot new to be said about Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. They are, undoubtedly, two of the most documented men in History. What is more important, when tackling this subject, is presenting the subject matter in an interesting fashion. In this regard, Gene Smith succeeds.
   
   By alternating chapters, between each of his subjects, the reader follows the lives of two men as they grow and develop. All the while knowing, they are destined to meet in ultimate contest.
   
   Even more than the book's interesting structure, I was impressed with Smith's well formed thoughts. The narrative is never disjointed or piecemeal, and all details are presented in context to the two men's lives, manifesting in a highly readable work.
   
   I laud Mr. Smith for an excellent effort. And I encourage readers, whether new or old to the subject of the Civil War, to read this book.



2. 
   I purchased my first biography by Gene Smith on Woodrow Wilson in 1963 and was suitably impressed to later purchase this book that was published in 1984.
   
   In fact, had anyone but Gene Smith written this one I would not have been interested. Having several biographies of both Grant and Lee on the shelf I would not be too keen on an author attempting to cover these men in one book. But I have to laud Mr. Smith that once again he has written a very readable and interesting biography.
   
   By alternating chapters and concentrating mainly on the Western Theatre in Virgina he has been able to give focus on both these military men. Interestingly enough the humble Grant and the aristocratic Lee both ended up in the same room having a similiar goal in mind: bringing the Union back to peace. I stood in that 'reconstructed' room at the McLean house in Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, a short time back, and after all the years even the replacement room can still hold a certain historical feeling.
   
   This is a very good, basic biography of these two military leaders and adequate view of the Civil War in Virginia.
   
   Semper Fi.



3. True, documentation on Lee and Grant is extensive, and I enjoyed reading the book - in the beginning. But the minutest details of their lives are told without any kind of passion, making some of the certainly fictionalized mini-events quite boring. Parallelling their lives in alternating chapters would have been much more interesting had more emphasis been placed on the living conditions and philosophy of the time instead of this painstaking effort to details that read worse than the driest of dry history books.



4. The idea of comparing these two iconic figures in a single book seems logical. The author, I think, adds some suspense to the reading by swinging back and forth between the stories of these two men at points of common ground.
   
   Seemingly well researched, the author spends a sizeable amount of time to the pre-Civil War lives of Lee and Grant. This is good, because it is the less known parts of their lives. The post war years also get decent treatment. It's a smart move by the author not to overly reharsh the parts of the story we already know.
   
   If I were to criticize the writing, I would focus on only two points. First, the "early years" information seems overly long without explaining much about how those experiences helped to forge their future personalities. Second, the juxtaposition between Lee as the Scion of the Old South and Grant as the Ideal of the New North should have been driven home earlier. I think those changes might have helped turn this "good" dual biography into something special.
   
   My minor criticisms aside, this is a fine addition to the bookshelf of the Civil War buff in your life. Informative, well structured and not exhaustingly long, it's an enjoyable book.



5. I have been reading about the Civil War for almost 50 years. Despite what most of the other reviews of this biography state, I consider this book the most superficial review of Generals R.E. Lee and U.S. Grant that it has ever been my misfortune to read. However, I do agree with another reviewer that some parts of the book appear to be fictionalized. The book also includes many errors. In fact, the only reason I finished the book was my interest in seeing how many other errors I could pick out.
   
   For example, I seriously doubt that U.S. Grant spent months attempting to take Vicksburg with a northern, overland attack, and several river-borne attacks that were only meant to mislead the Confederates, so that he could finally attack the city by bypassing it and landing further south. I am a great admirer of U.S. Grant, but if he showed up at my house today and told me that the above was true, I would call him a liar. Yet this is exactly what the author suggests Grant did.
   
   Another example, the author claims on one page that a formation of 17,000 Union cavalry was the greatest number of cavalry ever assembled in the *world*. I bet the Mongols would find that amusing.
   
   A third error... The author mentions more than once that 10,000 Union troops died in the attack at Cold Harbor. Meanwhile, every other Civil War historian uses the figure of 7,000. Are they all wrong?
   
   Enough examples, if you want to read good biographies about Lee and Grant then there are a number of them out there, including Grant's own autobiography. A good one-book biography is The Rise of U.S. Grant, and there is an excellent trilogy: Captain Sam Grant, Grant Moves South, and Grant Takes Command

No comments about Buried Cities, Forgotten Gods: William Niven's Life of Discovery and Revolution in Mexico and the American Southwest.

No comments about Abraham Lincoln: A Biography.

5 comments about The Hillary Trap: Looking for Power in all the Wrong Places.

1. Laura Ingraham poses an interesting thesis: Hillary Clinton uses the language designed to "liberate" the masses of women in America, yet her policies are less likely to do so. For instance, low-class Sen. Hillary Clinton often speaks of a need for a "village" to raise a child, but in doing so, Ingraham points out, this means taxes must be higher, which decreases the independence of women, and places one's child in a stranger's hands--a child-care provider, which is a necessittee considering our high-tax system (reaching a federal income tax maximum of 35% as of this writing, but was 39.6% when Ingraham published her book).

   Similarly, it is also true with other areas--such as self-defense. Hillary Clinton believes that women should not be able to defend themselves, and should instead, while being raped or abused, to accept their victimhood or try to call the police by dialing 9-11, which is not practicle considering police officers cannot be everywhere. Of course, in Hillary's world, this is not a problem since she has Secret Service protection and lives in an upscale neighbhorhood in New York.

   The prose is not of the highest quality in this book. It seems that the writer is using the same tone that she would on her radio show, which takes away from the quality of the book. There is a difference between a spooken and written voice, and that is a major defefiency here.

   Also, it is important to recognize that while Ingraham is talking about Hillary Clinton, her focus is not necessarily exclusively on her. She is criticizing elite women--those who subscribe to the views of the National Organization for Women, the university professors, female anchors at major news networks (excluding Fox News), and those who work for liberal think tanks or female Democratic Members of Congress.

   Overall, it is a good book, although it does lack the quality I have experienced in other conservative books such as Ann Coulter. It lacks the superb logic, researched material, and ability to seriously call one's political opponents for what they are: usurpers of power.

   -- Michael Gordon




2. The Hillary Trap is a reader which exposes the failed feminist theory still being pushed by the victim fanfare of the Hillary Clan. In it are seven sections each titled with a different trap. "The sisterhood trap," "The Education Trap," "The Work Trap," etc. which are all traps utilized by Hillary and her group-thinkers to spread the disease of victimhood thinking, lesson individual responsibility and freedom, and gain more government control for "The Village," theory.
   
   An important read for anyone who wishes to clarify the underpinnings of feminist group-thinking, victimization attitudes, or social theory concerning personal responsibility and the tacits of personal freedom.



3. As a disclaimer, let me say that I am a fan of Laura Ingraham's, but I am NOT a fan of Hillary Clinton. You might think that would translate into a rave review for this book, but it doesn't. The basic construct of each chapter is to take a liberal position, demonstrate how Hillary embodies it, and then offer a body of evidence rebutting the position and proving that Clinton is anti-democratic, anti-woman, anti-choice and anti- nearly everything else good and decent. It should be a devastating critique, but it isn't--what comes across is a loosely connected series of chapters with talking points and arguments that suggest Hillary is the personification of what's wrong with America today. And that's the problem--Ingraham would have been more persuasive if she had focused on the most egregious of Hillary's flaws instead of trying to indict Clinton on everything under the sun. Despite the fact that Ingraham litters the book with facts and data (most of which are nice tidbits for any argument you may get into with a Clintonista), it all gets monotonous very quickly and can even seem a little petty at times. All in all, it is a quick, readable political book (think "beach book") with several very good standalone chapters, but it doesn't deserve a place on the conservative bookshelf pantheon. Save that for something from Bork, Schlafly or Buckley.



4. Let's face it the only reason this Ms. Ingram has a career is that she is sort of attractive and conservative, a combination that apparently filled a need in our Faux media universe. (Also nice to be able to trot out Laura so as to prove that the fear of women embodied in Rush's quaking "femi-nzai" doesn't entirely translate into male Star War fan level of female company.) And let's also be fair she's no worse a hack than Hannity and is at least a bit more coherent than Ann Coulter. Her book on Hillary is just plain fatiguing, throw out some carefully spun ideas that Hillary supposedly represents than trash the straw woman Laura has created. Repeat this exercise endlessly and you have this book. Even while skipping a fair bit I was beginning to crave a little Coulter lunacy to keep things from getting too drab but no such luck. Ms. Ingram, unlike Ann, actually looks good in a leopard skin mini skirt, so why not some photos of that to keep one awake? Or are we supposed to pretend this is a serious book?



5. I do not like Hillary ether, But this book crosses the line of informative, on her and her politics, to an I hate Hillary rant.

3 comments about A Black Woman's Civil War Memoirs: Reminiscences of My Life in Camp With the 33rd U.S. Colored Troops, Late 1st South Carolina Volunteers.

1. Amazon says this is out of print. NOT SO! It can be gotten thru the National Parks Service National Women's Museum in Seneca Falls, NY. The woman who wrote this lived an extraordinary life, as a slave child, and as a freed woman. Yet by many standards she is just an ordinary person living her life, doing what she CAN do. It's a nice read. She's not trying to be anybody's heroine, more simply I think she was writing to tell herself who she was, that she could survive, that she could be of service. Neither boring or exciting (so far), simply real.



2. It's a short book (especially when you consider the added historical footnotes and pictures), but very valuable. It's so rare to hear the perspective of someone who was a slave, and who then lived free in the post-war period. Her heartfelt tales of the bigotry of the _post_-war period to me were even more memorable than her focus on the war itself.



3. "A Black Woman's Civil War Memoirs," by Susie King Taylor, was first published in 1902. A new edition, edited by Patricia Romero and featuring an introduction by Willie Lee Rose, appeared in 1988. In that new intro Rose declared, "There is nothing even vaguely resembling Susie King Taylor's small volume of random recollections in the entire literature of the Civil War, or in that of any other American conflict insofar as I am aware." Indeed, this book is a rare and valuable historical document.

   Taylor was born a slave in 1848 on an island off the coast of Georgia. She gained her freedom and worked as a laundress for an African-American Union regiment during the war.

   Taylor recalls how she learned to read and write and then herself became a teacher. She offers fascinating details about her life with the troops. She had many different duties beyond laundry service. I loved the episode where she recalls concocting "a very delicious custard" from turtle eggs and canned condensed milk, and serving it to the troops.

   Taylor condemns the lack of appreciation shown for both black and white Civil War veterans. She also condemns early 20th century racism. Reading her book I was reminded of W.E.B. Du Bois' classic "The Souls of Black Folk," which was first published around the same time; I think the two books complement each other well.

   Taylor ends on a note of hope and pride, noting "my people are striving" for better lives. This book is, in my opinion, an important milestone in African-American literature.

5 comments about Anais: The Erotic Life of Anais Nin.

1. Granted, Anais Nin, having spent her life veiling and concealing truths, is a most difficult individual to research. This fact, however, offers no excuse for the writing style of this book. The use of the present tense serves to obscure the meaning of references to the present day. In the text, does "today," mean the year being discussed, or the year of writing? In additon, Fitch mercilessly peppers a paragraph with names, only to use an imprecise pronoun in attributing a quotation. Who was it that said that again? Random comparasions to other writers, (i.e. anne Sexton) spring up in one sentence, neither led up to nor substantiated. Bare facts are laid down side by side with purple prose and phrasal flights of fantasy.
   In short, the self-consciousness, name-dropping, and obscuring of facts makes this book only slightly less obsfucating than the writing of Nin herself.



2. This book is a thoroughly delicious read for the Nin fan. Noel Riley Fitch's fine scholarship, deft analysis, and solid writing make vivid what is surely one of the most fascinating lives of the 20th century. As the title indicates, this books focuses on Nin's love/sex life, but it uses all available diaries and fictional works to piece together what can sometimes be a real puzzle. And, unlike the biography by Deirdre Bair, Ms. Fitch has an obvious affection, admiration, and appreciation for Nin which does not compromise the objectivity of her analysis.

   The one possible problem in Fitch's analysis is that she makes the presumption that Nin was physically violated by her father. There is no doubt whatsoever that Nin was emotionally abused by the man, but Fitch is the first to suggest actual sexual molestation. Though she makes an excellent case for this possibility, her daring thesis caused a bit of an uproar amongst Nin's family and close friends who believe Fitch played fast and loose with the facts. I can understand their concern; it is a serious thing to accuse someone of such a crime. Still, Fitch's argument is so compelling that I don't believe it can be easily overlooked.

   For anyone interested in understanding Anais Nin, this book posits a provocative theory while also pulling together the facts of her life.




3. If you are fascinated by Anais Nin's diaries, you will find this biography even jucier! Fitch uncovers all in a way that further illuminates what was behind the woman who once said, "Erotica is like a veil."
   After reading this book, I felt I'd witnessed Nin in a way no one could have by just knowing her. To me, this is what biographies are all about. It made me see Nin in a new way, and allowed me to finally see what drove her mysterious behavior, talent, obsessions, and extreme privacy. In fact, this book made me more interested in biographies than reading diaries.
   If you like this, you might also try the biography of Clara Bow, "Runnin' Wild," as well as the biography of Katherine Ann Porter.



4. I've read several biographies of 20th century female writers, and this was the worst.
   
   This was a frustrating read because the biographer seemed to dislike Nin, and I felt that Fitch somehow blamed her poor biographical work on Nin's so-called "double life." Fitch reacts to Nin's life as if it were far more pathological and complicated than any other artist a biographer ever had to deal with.
   
   Fitch's telling of events is confusing. The story goes back and forth between decades, enemies, versions of what may or may not be truth- it's a mess. It goes on for pages mentioning this lover and that lover, and then there's little more than a tiny paragraph about a major career step Nin achieves, but little, if any credit, is given to Nin for her work and effort. Fitch never misses an opportunity to explain why Nin was not talented, not a true artist, not a good wife, not a true Parisian, not a true American, not a good daughter, and just does not deserve to be known, appreciated, published or even remotely liked.
   
   The only redeeming point that Fitch can be proud of is sort of investigating a possibly incestuous relationship Nin experienced with her father. Even this uncovering is a half-baked attempt at taking a feminist point of view about sexual abuse and female artists and popularizing it into something salacious and one dimensional. Fitch's inclusion of this relatively new information about Nin is a transparent attempt at making this biography seem scholarly. Biographers who have delved into the lives of Anne Sexton, and other writers who may have been sexually abused should be offended by Fitch's treatment of this information.
   
   Despite the fact that Nin helped and nurtured many artists, this book is full of catty swipes from several of those people. Robert de Niro's mother (a student who typed for Nin), for example, may well have meant her comments to be neutral, but hers and several others comments read as a mid-20th century, Greenwich Village, literary scene "Mean Girls." Gore Vidal is often quoted, without any mention to the fact that Nin helped his early career or even the slightest admission by the biographer that Vidal himself is one of the tallest tale-tellers and self-aggrandizers in American literature. Vidal's agenda was never noted. Fitch does not seem to try to balance them out with a different point of view or interpretation for the reader to try and understand why or what would make some so hateful of Nin. If you read this book, it seems you must blindly accept that Nin had overwhelmingly bad traits, and few, if any, good, or even neutral ones.
   
   I learned nothing about Nin's true philosophy and ideas. Nin's explanations are even filtered through comments and actions by those who clearly dislike her.
   
   What Fitch cannot account for is why Nin became so popular and beloved, yet the biographer does admit Nin had a following. There is no social context, no cultural context, nor objectivity to this biography.
   
   This badly researched and poorly written bio left me with one thought: I must try to find a good, objective biography about Anais Nin.



5. I have to agree with some of the other reviews here that Fitch's work can be cumbersome at times. It is a little confusing in spots, mostly due to the tricky present-tense and Fitch's tendency to make giant, intuitive leaps from one reference to another. I do not, however, feel that this detracts one bit from the subject matter.
   
   I can't imagine another biography addressing Nin's complicated life and neurosis with the same unflinching honesty and compassion. Nin was an extremely complex woman who spent most of her time and energy trying to compartmentalize her life, then painfully pushing against the boundries of those compartments with her life and work. Fitch pulls from multiple sources to draw a more cohesive picture of Nin's life than Anais herself ever did. Though that's rather the point, isn't it? The original published diaries are now understood to be a construct of Nin's talented metaphorical writing: true in a sense, but bearing little resemblence to hard facts. One doesn't read Nin's rich, feminine, lyrical prose for an accurate histoical record. And although it's difficult to be accurate about history under the best of circumstances, Fitch does a fine job piecing together the available clues not only for an accurate timeline, but for some kind of insight into Anais Nin's motivations.
   
   Overall, Fitch portrayed Nin without prejudice, balancing the horrors of childhood abuse and neglect against the adult Nin's conscious betrayals of lovers and friends. Ultimately, she shows Nin to be a very flawed, very passionate artist without excuses. She neither condemns Nin, nor places her on a pedastal. I prefer this way... it's like seeing Nin through the eyes of a true friend;one that loves her for who she was, with no excuses.

No comments about The Namesake: The Biography of Theodore Roosevelt Jr..