BIOGRAPHIES
& JOURNALS
The best books about the famous and not-so-famous are those that not only have an interesting life story to tell, but can tell it in a compelling way. Journals are especially noted for this, because you feel as if you are living their life day-by-day alongside them. And the best biographies are those that can take a well known person and give us a new perspective. Here are some of our picks:
Lindbergh: The Crime by Noel Behn. Lindbergh, the all American hero? Not when you get through with this book. An insightful, fresh approach to the kidnapping and its aftermath.
Thomas Jefferson by Fawn Brodie. Tom Jefferson was a very great man of which there is little doubt. Whether or not he was very human is very much in doubt. Brodie does an excellent job of presenting him as a visionary with very down to earth needs. If you read two books on Jefferson, make this one of the two.
The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw. This book isn't a true biography, but I thought I'd place it here simply because of its importance in understanding the sacrifices made by an entire generation of ordinary people for the benefit of future generations. There is no understatement when I refer to 'sacrifices' made by the people who fought The Great Depression, Nazism and Fascism and presented their children with a wholly different world. Brokaw tells their individual stories with compassion, clarity and a sense of awe. And that is as it should be. We may never see their likes again-and the world knows, we may need that kind of effort once more.
The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power and The Means of Ascent by Robert Caro. The best thing about this book is that Caro is a Liberal who believes in Lyndon Johnson's programs but not in Johnson. Even he has to admit that Johnson and the attainment of power are a dangerous mix. Don't we just love to skewer our heroes? In these two books there's much to skewer.
JFK: Reckless Youth by Nigel Hamilton. When Hamilton approached the Kennedy's about writing a book on JFK, they were receptive. When they got a chance to look at what he wrote, they cut off all contact with him. It's a pity. This book is very well written. It presents a view of a flawed young man, but with great leadership potential nevertheless.
Intellectuals by Paul Johnson. Liberals and Paul Johnson don't mix. His broadsides against the great liberal thinkers (Shaw, Rousseau etc.) make you think twice about whether any of these individuals have the ability to use a rational thought process.
Peter the Great by Robert Massie. Superlative work by Massie. Not only was Peter a larger than life leader, he was also a larger than life man--6' feet 7" and all Russian. His vision for Russia pulled the Cossacks into the modern age.
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. The most startling thing about this book is the end, which leaves you with the question: How could he have gotten from that point A to this point B? The immense poverty of his young life in Ireland leaves you begging to know how he managed to continue on to be the age he is now. We looked forward avidly to his next installment and were not disappointed when "Tis was then published.
A Question of Character by Thomas Reeves. Like Robert J. Caro, Reeves believes in the policies and programs of the Kennedy administration, but has doubts about whether or not Kennedy is the right messenger. He sees a man deeply flawed and perhaps quite incapable of leading a great nation forward during a difficult period in history. A revealing work on the Kennedy mystique.
Radical Son by David Horowitz. The radical left wing and Marxism are staples of Horowitz' life -- until questions surface in his mind about his association with the Black Panthers. Interesting travails about a man caught between the hard left and what he knows is right. A must read for the 60's generation.