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AMERICA’S GENERALS Over the next months,
the library will sponsor a monthly book discussion group based on ten of
American’s most famous generals. The
books will be read in chronological order and are as follows: 1.George Washington: A
Life Willard
Sterne Randall This is the
human story of a man who turned an impoverished childhood and frequent
humiliations at the hands of a mother he feared and the British generals he
admired into a career of rebellion and creation. King George III once said that if
Washington could give up power he would be the greatest man of the eighteenth
century. And Washington did so, twice. 2. The Life of Andrew Jackson Robert V.
Remini The author
is an expert on Andrew Jackson and the Age of Jackson, when this nation
passed from its time of creation to the establishment of the institutions
we’re familiar with today. Jackson’s
career, from a childhood during the Revolution to heroic status during the
War of 1812 to his controversial presidency is covered in depth, as is his
colorful personality and life. 3. Winfield Scott: The Quest for Military
Glory Timothy D.
Johnson One of the
most important figures in antebellum America, Winfield Scott is known today
more for his swagger than his sword.
“Old Fuss and Feathers” was a brilliant military commander whose
tactics and strategy were innovative adaptations from European military
theory; yet he was underappreciated by his contemporaries, overshadowed by
the Civil War generals who learned their craft under his command, and, until
recently, was overlooked by historians. 4. Grant Jean Smith Ulysses
Simpson Grant was a failure in many of the things to which he turned his
hand. An indifferent, somewhat
undisciplined cadet who showed talent for mathematics and painting, he served
with unexpected distinction in the U. S. war with Mexico, then repeatedly
went broke as a real estate speculator, teamster and farmer. He was redeemed by the Civil War and,
within three years of its beginning, was in command of all Union armies and
was the first American general to wear three stars since Washington. Five years later he was elected president
of the United States. 5. Robert E. Lee: a Biography Emory M.
Thomas In this
book, Lee emerges as a man of paradoxes whose frustrations and tribulations
were the basis for heroism. Believing
that evil springs from selfishness, he found release in service to his
family, his country and to the men he led.
He was one of history’s great generals and, after leading the forces
threatening to destroy the country, did all he could to assure its survival. 6. Theodore
Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life Kathleen
Dalton While not a
general, Roosevelt did serve as a colonel in the Spanish-American War and
that service catapulted him to the vice-presidency and then the presidency
itself. While TR was often described
as larger than life, the author presents a fully fleshed, down-to-earth
version of TR in this vigorous biography of the 26th president. 7. Until the Last Trumpet Sounds: the
Life of General of the Armies John J. Pershing Gene Smith Pershing
may not be as honored as other American military heroes, but he outranked
them all. He’s the only soldier ever
to hold the rank of six-star general.
His career spanned the final frontier wars of the nineteenth century
to the Spanish-American War to his pursuit of Pancho Villa in 1916 and,
finally, to his command of the American Expeditionary Force in the First
World War. 8. General of the
Army: George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman Ed Cray Marshall
was FDR’s wartime Chief of Staff who raised an army of nearly seven million,
was the principal architect of Allied victory, and did much to shape the
post-war world as secretary of state and secretary of defense under Truman. In this well-balanced biography, Marshall
emerges as a person of integrity, nobility and greatness, both of vision and
character. 9. Eisenhower Geoffrey
Perret Covering
both his life and career, the author presents a portrait of Eisenhower that
leads from an impoverished boyhood in Kansas to West Point, Supreme Command
of the European Theater of Operations and, eventually, to the White House. Eisenhower has been called the 20th
century’s Washington, the indispensable man” of World War II. 10. American Caesar: Douglas Macarthur, 1880-1964 William
Raymond Manchester The writing
of biography has produced no finer practitioner than William Manchester. In Macarthur, Manchester has found a
subject as large as his talent. As
commander in chief of allied forces in the Pacific during World War II and of
U. N. forces in Korea, he was as controversial as he was brilliant. This gracefully written and impeccably
researched book is a thrilling and profoundly ponderable piece of work. Other America's History Book Discussion Titles: [America's
Wars] | [America's Crisis] [America's Traitors]
Created and maintained by: Brad
Silverman and Jamie Edrich.
Sachem Public Library 150 Holbrook Road Holbrook, New York 11741 631 588-5024 sachemlibrary.org |
