Excellent biography of not so hot general/politician
590586
Stephen A. Hurlbut was a controversial figure throughout his whole life. He seemed incapable of giving anything more than mixed results in all his endeavors. Born in South Carolina, he practiced law in Illinois beginning in 1845. He served as a Whig in the state legislature just prior to the Civil War, and then was appointed brigadier general of volunteers in 1861. He served in northern Missouri for a time, but had little understanding of guerilla warfare. He did much better at Shiloh defending the Union left. He also commanded well at Corinth and Meridian, but failed to seize the initiative after the Confederates were defeated at Hatchie's Bridge. Although he was loyal and dutiful, he was not a strong leader of men. He was also a heavy drinker, which got him into hot water. He was extremely harsh toward southern sympathizers, blacks, and Jews, and it was a mistake making him commander of the Department of the Gulf in September 1864: he was charged with corruption and was antagonistic toward the Louisiana authorities. His drunkenness was also becoming a major handicap. After the war he became a Republican leader in Illinois and helped organize the GAR. He was a minister to Colombia, 1869-72, and then minister to Peru during the Peru-Chile War, where he drunken behavior was an embarrassment to the US. He died in Lima in 1882. Jeffrey Lash's account of Hurlbut's life is informative and well written and pulls no punches.  Except for having the ability to organize for his political causes, this southerner with a Yankee heritage was only mildly competent in as well as out of uniform. Lash's efficient and well-fitted biography is better than Hurlbut probably deserves. Recommended.
2276171
French carries no historical baggage - he was born in 1966 and has proved his credentials with an excellent biography of Younghusband. This book is an affectionate portrait of the story of India's struggle for independence. French departs from conventional methods by trying to look at Gandhi, Jinnah, Nehru and Patel as human beings and politicians. To me - educated in India - this is refreshing, because in the subcontinent, no one is objective about the four and their influence. Using access to archival material declassified recently, he shows the increasing weariness of Britain to govern her reluctant crown in the jewel. He implies that the father-son relationship between Nehru and Gandhi lead to exasperation on Nehru's part - Gandhi's saintly nature sometimes being out of step with Nehru's urbane instincts.
1150498
Hoover, so often vilified and ranked as one of the worst presidents, just begs for a good biography. You just know theres more to the story than we have heard. Charles Rappleye gives us a biography of Hoovers turbulent presidency and only enough of his life before and after to contrast it with his one term in office. He went into office with tremendous respect and admiration and left it with little love lost.

Rappleye did not write as a fan of his subject, but with keen research he did strive to present a balanced picture. Besides, perhaps, going too far in some of his psychological analysis of Hoover, Rappleye brought Hoover to life in this book.

Hoover was a hard worker, had a peculiar personality that was really not a good match for the presidency, and was somewhat petty. At the same time, he had core principles, determination, and great brains. He was also a most unfortunate victim. The Depression was in no way caused by him and was ready to explode before he even took office. There were international factors out of his control too. Really, everything lined up against him and likely no politican could have stopped it. His popular successor was much better at calming the people, but did not stop the Depression either throughout the 1930s.

I left this biography feeling sorry for Hoover and thinking that many of the things he stood for would have been better than what transpired after him. He just lacked a real connection with the American people.

This well-written biography fills in many of the questions you may have. It is a solid contribution.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255.
3249817
I was pleasantly surprised when reading this book, having little knowledge about the man. I found him to be a man of great character and moral fiber who said many wise things about how to live a good life. This is rare in a politician, most of which seem to forget what they promised during election campaigns. This was indeed an admirable man, most impressive. The book is slim and devotes much to how he grew up and the values learned during growing up. There is an excellent section devoted to how a president should act.
He emphasizes that one should never degrade another person and that good laws are made by treating members of the other party with respect and dignity. There is no discussion of problems during his presidency and how he resolved any problems. The book is more a primer as to how a president should act. This was an eye opening book but one has to turn to others for details. The number of stars given represent what was written, the lack of a higher score represents the missing details.
802132
Potentially one of the most well researched biographies of one of the most misunderstood presidents in modern (or all) history. While most of modern history has reduced Nixon to one word and one phrase (Watergate and "I am not a crook", respectively) Farrell manages to provide nuance and depth to Tricky Dick and his long life in politics.

While choosing not to deeply drill in any one particular moment of Nixon's life, readers get to understand the entire scope and span of his rise to power, and how, after getting it all threw it all away. Telling the story of a charismatic speaker who managed to hitch his wagon to an ascendent political movement (McCarthyism - which may have been better called Nixonism, given his starring role in the HUAC), and quickly move up in the political hierarchy,  readers would be remiss to not draw modern day parallels to political movements blooming both in the US and in other countries.

While Farrell doesn't dwell deeply on Watergate itself, this is not a flaw of the book, but rather a strength. Given Nixon's long political career (US Representative, Senator, Vice President, and three time Presidential Nominee), the book spends time drawing on how Nixon got to become the man who had to resign the presidency in disgrace, and some of the main reasons he became known as Tricky Dick. All of this is done without scorn or judgement on the man, rather looking at the picture from a larger scope.

Readers looking to get a better understanding of Watergate itself would be better served reading something from Woodward and Bernstein. For someone looking to read a well written, nuanced picture of the 37th president, they would be well served to pick this up.
1162345
Disappointed by recent US political events, I decided to read about a "good" politician. I searched and settled on this book about an exceptional, fascinating, intelligent and talented woman. Highly recommended!
3608603
A really good biography that is especially relevant nowadays in our turbulent political times. We need more political leaders like Grant and although he wasn't perfect, he was a solid leader with convictions that have endured to this day. Even if you think you know Grant, you don't know the full story and this biography is a great way to learn. Way better than most biographies that get obsessed with the minor details of everything, this one lays out the compelling pivots and turns that define Grant's legacy. Excellent read.
2164833
Surprising portrait of a very misunderstood leader. Very well written.
509410
While I am a fan of Jesse, and support his governorship of Minnesota, I'm not clouding my review with my agreement with what he says.
This is a book by a politician (albeit not a professional one) espousing his views on  many facets of political (and therefore social) life.  Jesse is very  articulate in what he believes, and says it well here.  He is consistent  and clear - thus gaining him 5 stars for this book. You will definitely  know what he thinks, and what he is doing politically, after reading this  book.
I also appreciate his willingness to replay his life - what brought  him to where he is, and especially I appreciate his candor and his honesty  about even the not-so-glamorous things he has done.  He makes no apologies  for what he has done or for what he believes, which is a very welcome way  for a politician to write.  His book would benefit from more exposition,  but he covers an awful lot of ground here, and as he often says, he just  doesn't have the space to go into great detail about everything. Hopefully  he will continue to write, and will concentrate on more specific items in  those writings.  But of course, one can also watch his governorship to  learn more about the specifics, too.
It is unfortunate that he gets the  bad press he does - he is one of few honest politicians out there.  Whether  you agree with him or not, at least he tells us what he thinks and believes  about the many important things he is doing as governor.
1014987
I collected this book from a Newmarket Press sales rep at the ALA convention in Philadelphia, and she billed it as "the first adult biography on Condoleeza Rice."  I was of course intrigued since all the other Newmarket books in the display catered to younger audiences.  After reading this book on the train home, I have this observation: This is a book which easily bridges the gap between public school easy reader books and grit-you-teeth boring "adult" biographies.
While not totally child's play (there are great insights into Dr. Rice's personality and upbringing), author Felix's style is so accessible, I felt talked down to a number of times in the book.  I look forward to more a more mature biography of this truly fascinating woman.
1813365
This is great book for someone who wants to know as much about Mitt Romney as can be packed in one book. It includes a chapter on the Romney family history and its relationship to the Mormon religion, and fully explains the Mexican settlement of Mormons which his great-grandfather helped to establish.  The authors know their subject well and treat it with an even-handedness not often seen in political biographies. I came away from reading this book with not only a better understanding of Mitt Romney but a more personal view of him.
1649762
Christopher Hibbert is one of those historians that seems to write about everything.  Peter Gay is another that comes to mind.  Hibbert provides us a very readale account of George's life.  The early years are a bit confusing keeping track of the lineage and order of succession in the Royal family.  Many biographies of monarchs suffer from this problem because there are so many family connections to keep track of.  Once we get past this point and the young george becomes king, the book starts to pick up.

What becomes apparent is that George III was extremely fare and decent man for his time.  We should have such politicians today with this kind of integrity! The emphsasis in this bio is on George's private life.  His dealings with his German Queen Charlotte, his son and sucessor the future George IV, who was a continual source of stress for him.  The chapters on his dealings with the colonies provided a much less bias account than one normally hears from most US historians.  The King was willing to come to any reasonable settlement short of independence.  This book shows how he tried to grapple with the American problem, but that it just got out of control.

His dealings with the various parliamentry governments provides a classic example of how personalities shape governments.  Petty likes and dislikes lead to complete policies that are often inane.  Still, the British people stuck by their old George, espesically when the excesses of the French Revolution became known.

The book gives a good account of some of the other Royals, including George IV, the Duke of York, etc.  Most come across as aristocratic fopps and losers, but some manage to have some merit.  Over all a great book which chronicles both the life and times of Georgian England.  The life of George III was indeed that of England in its heyday.  A great read for the time and persoanlities concerned.
2170530
Very readable, but more of an overall sketch of a personae.  I was looking for something with a bit more socio-political focus, but even so, I enjoyed this biography immensely.
419865
This book is VERY well written, which is just another example of his great communication skills (no one can doubt the man is a brilliant orator, whether you like him or not). While the story did drag on at times, a clear impression the reader gains is that this man is consumed with politics; a self professed "political junkie." I find it fascinating that unlike many other recent presidents and politicians, he came from relatively little in his early life (both in monetary value and in political connections). He is an engaging man who is easy going and admits that he finds it difficult to hold a grudge, which explains how he is able to hold on to friendships and connections so easily. I learned a lot about how he viewed his presidency, which I feel is important since during his presidency we were bombarded with how the right viewed his presidency. I found the book VERY interesting and a worthy read.
4626017
I have never been one for political biographies (thinking them little more than history textbooks), but in "Hamilton" is the portrait of a man, with his wishes, arrogance, successess, and follies, such that he is relatable over 200 years later. Eagerly awaiting what the next biography brings!
4733872
It is obviously incredibly unusual for a sitting head of state to write an autobiography.  A potential historical record becomes instead a political campaign promotional.  I'm not sure what the General was doing here.  He does not come across as a particularly modest fellow.  He's very proud of himself (rightly so, perhaps) for working his way up from a middle-class, "immigrant" background to the head of State of an increasingly important country.  He shares intimate details of his personal and family background.  But sometimes he appears to go too far.  Throughout the book he names and particularly castigates many different individuals who, over his lifetime, slighted him, were disloyal to him, political opponents, etc.  This comes off as petty.  As Pakistan is the THE frontline state in America's war on terror he provides amazing insights and information on many of the Al-Qaida types.  While obviously incredibly defining for him, he spends way too much time focusing on the two attempted assasinations against him. But his appeals to moderation and proposed solutions to conflicts and the "malaise" in the Islamic world are admirable. He rightly states that the Islamic world needs to get its own house in order.  Thankfully, he does not talk like just about every other Islamic leader who seem to want us to believe that Israel and America are at the root of every problem facing Muslims today.  A "braver" editor would have made this book earn 5 stars in my opinion.
692340
Very good short Bios of major political figures, who are not well-known in the U.S.
I liked the different styles of each one.