The Unexpected Storm was extraordinarily written. Filled with emotion, this book gives an honest perspective of a citizen soldier serving our country with dignity. The author, Steven Manchester showed how courageous he is by sharing his innermost thoughts and feelings. And he did an outstanding job specifically describing the physical environment in the Gulf region. His ability to help the reader visualize and feel what he experienced is remarkable. Veterans, or not - people of all ages should read this book!

This new author's writing style keeps you interested and entertained from the very first page to the last. This book provides an accurate as well as enlightening account of the Gulf experience for those of us safe at home. While reading The Unexpected Storm, I experienced emotions ranging from grief and laughter, to fear and disgust. The story explains the physical and emotional changes these men went through during the war. Most left as boys, and returned as men, with much more respect for those who went before them. This is a book I would recommend everyone to read -- it makes you think about the many things we take for granted.

It's not often that I pick up a book about something other than the Vietnam War but I'm so glad I did. The Unexpected Storm: The Gulf War Legacy by Steven Manchester is amazing! It's not that the war was amazing but rather the way the author has depicted it and perhaps amazing is still not the right word to use.

As I opened Chapter One for the first time Steve was talking about being onboard the C-5A Galaxy plane that was taking his National Guard unit off to the Middle East. He wrote candidly of his feelings toward the war and his fellow soldiers. He was open and honest throughout the entire book.

This was the first time the American public watched as members of the National Guard and various Reserve units around the United States were being deployed along with their active duty counterpart troops to serve their country. No it's not the first time units of that nature were deployed but this time was different. Everything was aired on television and the country quickly became aware of the sacrifices our men and women in uniform were making. Many were leaving spouses, children and jobs behind. In some instances both parents of children were being deployed and their children were being left with grandparents or other family members.

Steven's group was no different. Many members of his Military Police (MP) Company from Massachusetts were married and had families. Throughout the chapters he reflected on some of them. He spoke of how he and "his comrades have come to heal their nation from a ghost that has haunted them for two decades: the poltergeist of Vietnam." He wrote of seeing "the after-effects of 41 days of uninterrupted bombing." AND how "The Arabian Desert has been used as a testing ground for every new weapon in the American arsenal." He held nothing back including his feelings and emotions.

The war itself ended on 28 February 1991 but that's when Steve's group was really put to work. However, Steve's war began earlier when he was first injected with the many shots required of the soldiers before they could deploy. They were already getting ill from those shots and the pills they were forced to swallow frequently that were supposed to protect them from various known nerve agents. Now "Steve's body is invaded with its own ghost of torment." He and his fellow soldier's have been "brutally introduced to 'The Mystery Illness'" better known to the American public as Persian Gulf Syndrome.

As Steve sat onboard that C-5A he reflected on his life, family, friends, and how he got to that point in his life. He realized he was 23 years old and now responsible for ten other lives in his squad. His wife was being left behind, out of work due to a back injury, to handle everything that he normally did.

He wrote about growing up in a loving household in New England-an area that I'm very familiar with-of his school years, and his best friend. Steve spoke of their very special friendship. His friend wanted to go in the Marine Corps but Steve thought that joining the Army and being trained as an MP would help him in his ultimate goal of working in Law Enforcement. They chose the Army National Guard. He wrote about their Basic Training, the first MP Company they were assigned to, and the company that Steve transferred into that eventually went to Saudi Arabia.

Steve wrote of his parents and siblings. He spoke of his uncle who served in Vietnam and how that war affected him. This author readily shared the love of his life, his girlfriend who became his wife, with his readers. They had a story book romance which went bad in large part due to the after effects of the war.

Steve wrote about finally getting the word that his group was returning home. They attempted to smuggle some souvenirs out. They were on their way to the most glorious homecoming scene in decades in the US. Steve had seen and experienced so much. He wrote "the Army had broken him down....He was affected physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually."

The soldiers were whisked through out-processing-nothing like what they went through when they were in-processed. "The Army wasn't even pretending to care. Like their Vietnam War predecessors, Uncle Sam just wanted them off his menial payroll." They soon learned "It was going to be a long fight." This was going to effect his relationship with his wife too.

His book went onto explain what was done to him, how it effected his relationship with his wife, and what he ultimately did. When his wife became pregnant he worried the whole nine months that he would have passed on his illness to his son. Steve spoke of deciding to change jobs and how he came to realize what would make him feel better.

As I said at the beginning this was an amazing book. This is one book that needs to be read in its entirety by everyone. Go through his life with him, journey to a foreign land, and pray for him as he goes. This is truly an inspirational story even though the author has changed the names of the people and units to protect them and wrote it in third person. I highly recommend it.

I first owned this volume of poetry in 1978. That book simply fell apart after more than 20 years of reading and handling (sometimes roughly by my children). I replace this book with a new one just last year.
The old favorites are all here; Fireflies in the Garden, The Road Not Taken, Fire and Ice, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, and a hundred more. In my opinion this is the definitive volume on Frost.
I have always been awed by the number of poems Frost wrote about the stars. A Star on a Stoneboat, The Star Spitter, Stars, Canis Major and many others. Truly Robert Frost is the astronomers poet.
Also in this volume is perhaps my favorite Frost poem, Brown's Descent.
If you love reading Frost on a crispy fall evening, then you'll love reading him when the crickets chirp. You'll need to own this book.

Robert Frost was and is America's greatest poet. Excepting, perhaps, W. B. Yeats, he may be the greatest poet to write English in the twentieth century. (To me, it's a toss-up.) To read this volume systematically or desultorily is to become convinced of that. But Frost is, above all, accessible, so the casual reader may not appreciate the difficulty of what he does. Like much of the greatest art his looks easy, even inevitable.

All of Frost's poems are here, plus his two dramatic Masques. When this book first appeared (in 1969) it caused a furor: the editor, it was angrily asserted, presumed too much. He dared to clarify - inserting a hyphen here, excising a comma there. That furor has since died down, as people realize that he did not do away with the sacred texts (any emendation was noted), but simply performed his job as editor. He regularized spelling and the use of single and double quotes (though not Capitalization, which can legitimately be thought of as integral to the poet's expression (think of e.e. cummings!)), and corrected other obvious errors. The notes give the published variants for each poem, so if you wish you may make your own call on some of these finicky issues.

I cannot emphasize enough: BUY THE HARDCOVER! After all, you will be reading this book for the rest of your life. It is a beautifully-built volume, of an easy size and heft for use, with understated appealing typefaces and an exemplary design. Put out by Frost's long-time publisher, this is one of the few essential books of American literature.

"It is absurd to think that the only way to tell if a poem is lasting is to wait and see if it lasts, The reader of good poem can tell the moment it strikes him that he has taken an immortal wound-that he will never get over it...The proof of a poem is not that we have never forgotten it, but we knew at sight we would never forget it."

Robert Frost

I have to admit it! When I first met Robert Frost's poetry in Freshman English class I took an immortal wound-that I will never get over it. Perhaps the then recent memory of the white haired poet who inaugurated Camelot that cold, January day conditioned me to receive the wound. Maybe Fr. Sheridan's teaching opened these poems for me. Most of all, I think that it is the words themselves which have made the poetry of Robert Frost such an important part of my life for almost 35 years.

This complete collection complemented the high school text book to which I had so often referred over the years. Here is the source of lines which I have often quoted. Many family vacations have begun with: "I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep" (Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening).

When my son tries to silence his sister's singing he is reminded that "Of course there must be something wrong In wanting to silence any song" (A Minor Bird).

Here we find philosophical reflections. "Good walls make good neighbors" counters "Something there is that doesn't like a wall" (Mending Wall).

Here "The Death of a Hired Man" challenges us to reflect upon how we value and treat others while "Christmas Trees" reminds us that not all things have prices. Here we are invited to follow the road of the poet who wrote "I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference" (The Road Not Taken).

I have writen just a sampling of the treasures to be found in this collection, but I have written enough. It is now time to indulge again with words I have never forgotten. "I shan't be gone long-You come too." (The Pasture).

William Manchester's first Churchill volume is one of those books that makes you just love to read.

This clearly isn't a book for all those who are fascinated by the mediocre and skeptical of the possibilities for true greatness. This is an unreconstructed and unapologetic look at a leader whose instincts often cut against the grain of the 20th century, but who would emerge as one of the great heroes of it, just when extraordinary leadership was needed the most.

Manchester is the rare gifted writer who has mastered the biographical craft as well as the sweeping narrative needed to succinctly encapsulate the mores and habits of an entire nation at a particular moment in time. He does this brilliantly in his introduction, about one hundred pages long, which sets the stage with a lavish description of Victorian England. This is one of the best parts of the book.

Early on, it is clear that the ambitious young Winston is headed for big things. This wasn't only because he came from one of Britain's most prominent families -- his father rose to become the second most powerful man in the government, and his mother was romantically linked to the Prince of Wales. Despite this, Manchester convinces us, successfully, that Churchill was the best of his generation, that he would have risen even from less auspicious circumstances (admittedly, this interpretation has its limits, since entire social classes were excluded from Parliament at the time).

Churchill made his career as a political maverick, changing parties not once, but twice, consistently taking positions that brought him close to political death. Yet Churchill survived -- and what's more, he turned out to be one of the most enduring political presences any democracy has ever seen. What is striking about Churchill's career is that it didn't simply culminate in 1940 after a plodding journey up the political ladder. No -- Churchill had first been elected to Parliament forty years earlier, and he rose quickly within a few years of his election. But then his career plateaud for about a quarter of a century. Here you had a man who was considered a future Prime Minister at age 30, who was in a position to be considered the heir apparent in governments of two different parties at various points from World War I until the late 1920s, and yet didn't take the next step. What happened?

The Great War and its aftermath, more than anything, foreordained Churchill's postponed "rendezvous with destiny." It was here where Churchill was the most out of step with prevailing political attitudes. Churchill held close to his heart a heroic vision of Britain, and believed deeply in the nobility of a war fought for a just cause. He also believed in the Empire, and did not think that Britain should relinquish what was already hers, even in a time of relative decline vis a vis the United States. Where most saw senseless slaughter in the trenches of France, he saw selfless heroism, a nation at its best.

The nation, or at least the political classes, did not agree with this interpretation. In a time that Walter Lippman proclaimed was "tired of greatness" and where the great fear was that Britain had overextended herself, Churchill defended greatness and Empire. In his view, strength in the service of democracy, and not blind disarmament, would prevent future wars. This view, ascendant in World War II, and in many ways, ascendant again in America today, was seen as discredited at the time, and Churchill in the 1920's repeatedly butted heads with a Conservative leadership over disarmament and withdrawal from India. The trend was so strong in the other direction that Churchill was effectively cast out of his party by the end of the 20's, and looked destined to repeat the fate of his iconoclastic father, who was cast permanently out into the political wilderness for his own apostasies.

But with this son, there would always be a second act.

"The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932," is the first of William Manchester's projected three-volume biography of Winston Spencer Churchill. I found it a superbly crafted, supremely well researched account of the first 58 years of the life of the 20th century's greatest statesman. With wit and candor, Manchester chronicles Churchill from his earliest days as the neglected and troublesome first child of Lord Randolph Churchill and his American-born wife, Jennie, to his entry into the political "wilderness" over home rule in India in 1932. Manchester's portrait of his subject is balanced and objective; we see Churchill at his finest: a courageous (almost to the point of foolhardiness) army officer, and later a gifted Member of Parliament who became one of the youngest Cabinet ministers in British history. We also see him at his worst: a Cabinet minister with appalling political judgment at times, quick to meddle in other ministers' affairs while neglecting his own, and with an uncanny ability to alienate not only his political foes, but almost all his political allies as well.

In addition to a wonderfully written chronology of Churchill's life, Manchester provides an overview of the times in which Churchill lived. I was fascinated by the author's account of Victorian England -- its culture, its mores, and its view of itself in the world. The sections which describe Churchill's times make highly entertaining and absorbing reading by themselves.

"The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932," clearly shows why William Manchester is one of the pre-eminent biographers at work today. The book is written with obviously meticulous scholarship, insightful analysis, and crisp, sparkling prose; I have yet to find a better account of Churchill's life. Now, if only Mr. Manchester would give us that third volume . . .

William Manchester does much more here than tell the story of perhaps the greatest person of the 20th century--he transports you back to the pre-WWII England to see the events that shaped Winston Churchill's life and political destiny. You not only come away with a true sense of who Churchill was (and he truely was the hand that slammed the door to Hell during WWII)--you also gain real insight into other key British politicial figures of the day including Lloyd George, Lord Halifax, Nevile Chamberlain and many others in the context of their often-changing relationships with Winston.

I came away with a fresh perspective of the key people and geopolitical events of the time; and gained a wealth of useful historical information as well. This, and Manchester's first volume of Churchill's bigography should be required reading in any proper 20th century college-level history course. (They're crafted so well that students might actually read them!)

Beware--you will not want to put it down once you start reading; I didn't.

William Manchester's first Churchill volume covers the first fifty eight years of Winston's life. His second, "Alone," covers just eight. Assuming that there will be a third, it will cover the final quarter century, including most of World War II and Churchill's two spells as Prime Minister. To the elementary observer, these divisions seem somewhat out of sorts.

It's only by reading that middle volume that we understand just how critical those eight years were. Above all, "Alone" is a morality play -- the best one I know -- about what happens when democracies fail to confront aggression. At no other time in the 20th Century were so many people so wrong about a matter as grave as the Nazi buildup in the 1930s. Only Winston Churchill and a few of his cohorts disagreed at the time.

Early in the book, Manchester briefly lays out a powerful case for Britain's aversion to confronting Germany. Britain sensed the unfairness of the Versailles "diktat," and reacted strongly against it. To a great degree, London was fed up with France's insolence after the war, both in its lust for revenge against Germany, and in the flaccid disillusionment of Paris intellectuals. At the same time, Great Britain was a nation cornered by two bloodthirsty wolves -- Nazism and Bolshevism. In order to defeat the other, one would have to be appeased. Being a country dominated by aristocrats, Britain chose to enlist Hitler as a bulwark against Communism. In doing so, they ignored the basic fact of geopolitical proximity: only Germany, abutting France and a few hundred miles away from Britain's shores, had the capacity to strike at the West. Britain's aristocrats bet wrong, and Churchill, ever the "traitor to his class" immediately recognized it.

Churchill's story also holds valuable lessons for us today. By nature, Churchill was naturally aggressive, and as such, Manchester writes that he saw exactly what Hitler was up to. Pacifists often distrust such assertiveness, even in a democracy. In fact, assertiveness in defense of democratic values is almost always the right foreign policy. One can have assertiveness for good, or assertiveness for evil, and one must choose it for good. In this way, Churchill's "black and white" Manichean worldview has truly stood the test of time.

As one reads William Manchester's second volume on Churchill, one is struck by Churchill's uncanny grasp of the threat of Nazi Germany, and his many attempts to warn Britain of its peril. Like Cassandra in Greek mythology, though, Churchill's predictions are not believed, and he is only included in the War Cabinet when war was inevitable. William Manchester's book is thoroughly researched, and is at least as good as that of Churchill's official biographer, Martin Gilbert, with one important difference: Manchester's book is written on a far larger canvas, and the level of detail he is able to devote to Churchill is far greater -- and the subject is more than worthy of it. Mandatory reading for anyone studying Churchill, a good prelude to read before reading Churchill's own five volume history of World War II in that it gives insight into Churchill's mind. On a personal level, I know that Mr. Manchester is advanced in years, and I cannot help thinking, in my selfishness as a historian, that I hope he completes volume III soon. It would be a tragedy if the task of completing this wonderful history proves to be too much for him.

Most people today know Winston Churchill at the great British Prime Minister of WWII. But Churchill was 65 when he became Prime Minister and had a public career spanning more than forty years. In this excellent book which is part biography, part history, William Manchester focuses on the period of 1932-1940 when Churchill was out of power, an outcast in his own party and universally derided as a warmongering relic. Churchill referred to these years as his "wilderness years" and they are among the most fascinating of his life because the years of Churchill's political exile coincide with the rise of Hitler and the growth of Germany from defeated power to world menace. Indeed, as Manchester chronicles, Churchill's return from the wilderness was intimately connected to the rise of Hitler because Churchill's relentless public opposition to Hitlerism and British policy towards Germany throughout the thirties is what led to his continuing exile while this same stalwartness preserved him from the mark of shame that infected the rest of the British elite when the policy of appeasement collapsed in 1939.

Manchester has an unrestrained admiration for Churchill. Nevertheless, at no time in this volume does he overlook Churchill's many faults of personality. Many of these faults become clear when Manchester examines Churchill's personal life at his Chartwell estate and his relationship with his family and the servants and secretary's who worked for him. Despite these faults, however, the Churchill of this book comes across as a man touched with greatness and who is well aware of it. But this book is not merely the story of Churchill but the story of the small shabby men whose policy of appeasement in the face of absolute evil laid England low. Most of the government during the thirties fits this bill but in particular Manchester singles out the three prime ministers, Ramsey McDonald, Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain and Chamberlain's foreign minister Lord Halifax.. The author's contempt for these "Men of Munich" drips on virtually every page. He contrasts their fecklessness with Churchill's steadiness. Certainly Churchill recognized from day one that Germany had been overtaken by a deranged criminal regime and that such a regime would necessarily threaten the peace of the world. The Men of Munich just could not see it. Churchill believed, without once wavering, that a foreign policy built on strength and deterrence could prevent war but that a policy of appeasement could only guarantee it. The Men of Munich believed quite the opposite. Manchester shows the motivation of the appeasers to be more complex than commonly understood. Nevertheless, since, to their mind, no rational human being could want war, any dispute with Germany could be resolved through diplomacy and negotiation. It never occurred to the Churchill's foes that Hitler was no rational human being but rather quite mad or that they were not "negotiating" with him so much as giving in and retreating.

A review of the events of the thirties shows a steady British retreat beginning with the failure to stop the re-occupation of the Rhineland then the failure to halt the annexation of Austria, the infamous betrayal of Czechoslovakia at Munich and finally the failure to prevent the final conquest of Czechoslovakia. Indeed, even after the invasion of Poland and declaration of War, Britain and France held back from aiding the Poles for fear Hitler would "turn west". Not until Churchill returned to power, nearly a year after the start of the war and days before the capitulation of France did the policy of appeasement truly end.

Even without the benefit of hindsight, the policy of the British government during this period defies belief. Churchill stands as starkly in contrast to these appeasers as he does to the criminal Hitler. Churchill's wilderness years contain important lessons for today's policy-makers. Appeasement of evil is not only wrong but foolish. It never preserves peace but only guarantee's war. Manchester is a great writer. His prose is lively and his storytelling ability is excellent. All lovers of history will adore this book. I highly recommend it. What a pity that there will never be a third volume chronicling the war and post war years of Churchill's 90 year life.

This book was published in 1967. Reading it today gives the reader an opportunity to contrast the perspective of the mid-'60s with current information. The subject matter is treated with great reverence. At times, objectivity suffers. The book is very close to fawning in its treatment of Jackie Kennedy, for example. It is also very apparent that one who admired John Kennedy wrote the book. Again, there is that perspective thing. The ravages of time have taken its toll on the martyred president. More of the unsavory details of JFK's personal life are now a matter of public information. Jackie Kennedy stepped down from her pedestal and became "Jackie O" in the late '60s. The Kennedy aura in general has suffered.

Equal to the book's admiration of John Kennedy is its utter contempt for Lee Harvey Oswald. Great effort is made to disparage Oswald as the most contemptible of losers. Oswald is portrayed as arguably history's greatest mediocrity. A nonentity who forced his way into the history books by a despicable and cowardly act. The book openly regrets that Oswald's memory will be forever enmeshed with JFK's.

William Manchester takes the reader through the bleak events of that long November weekend in 1963. The trip to Dallas, the motorcade, the assassination, the hospital, the plane trip back to Washington, the funeral, the inside details of the friction between the Kennedy and Johnson factions, the worldwide reaction, and Oswald's unplanned televised execution by Jack Ruby are all discussed in meticulous detail. This book is a grim portrait of a turning point in American history. Regardless of one's politics, this single event marked the death of innocence and naivete that was typical of much of post WWII America, even as late as 1963. After President Kennedy's murder, the country was caught in an escalation of violence and death for much of the rest of the 1960s, typified in that dreadful year, 1968.

This is an exhaustive book on a grim topic. The adoring treatment of JFK and the Kennedy family is quaint. In some ways, the book is an antique, illustrating the temper of a bygone era. Reading this book is not an uplifitng experience, but it is a very effective memoir of this major event in American history. The book can be especially recommended for those too young to remember. Just a warning to other readers: reading this book can add to one's reflective midlife melancholy as one considers where we have been, and also the road left before us. The cadence of the muffled drums that escorted the funeral procession to Arlington remains in the mind for days after finishing this book.

I was continually left in wonder at the depth of Manchester's attention to detail. For a book that basically only chronicles 6 days in the history of the U.S., the 700+ pages almost seems insufficient given the level of information the author gives the reader. Early in the book Manchester states that he personally visited many of the key sites described in the book, and that dedication is rewarded in almost every situation that can benefit from a precise description. I really wouldn't recommend this book to anyone bent upon proving some "conspiracy theory" because the author does a sound job of debunking many of the sources of the myths that the current conspiracy fans hold dear. If I could have asked for anything more from this book, it would be that a second reflection could have been written after the end of the Johnson presidency and the assassination of RFK. So much more has been learned and revealed in the years after this book was finished (in 1967), that I think even more material on those 6 days could be written. And I suppose that is the best testimonial I can give.

I cannot tell you where I was when Kennedy was shot because I wasn't yet alive. By the time I became interested in the world around me, Kennedy's aura had dimmed somewhat, with tales of his infidelities in specific and society's increasing disillusionment with government and politics in general. So I was quite unprepared for the depths emotions that I would experience while reading this book. I felt the power of the Kennedy charisma, awe of Jackie's strength in the aftermath of her very public grief, horror at the power of an assassin to make himself permanently associated with the Kennedy legend. Manchester is a powerful writer, and he weaves together this narrative into a beautiful yet devastating read. His admiration of the Kennedy family is obvious, yet appropriate. I have heard that the Kennedy family was upset about the book after its publication. That is a shame. It is the perfect testament to the death of a great man and leader, who affected the world far more than most Americans (especially those of us in the "slacker" generation) knew. All of the Kennedy's are treated with great respect in relation to their importance to their brother and their grief at his early loss.

There are some disconcerting elements in the book that the writer could not have foreseen. The book was published in 1967, so no one knew yet that RFK would not survive the decade. No one knew that Jacqueline Kennedy would marry Aristotle Onasis (although he does make an appearance in the narrative) and later die young of cancer. No one knew that the little boy who finally gave a perfect salute to his father's coffin would die a very premature death three decades later. This knowledge only made it more poignant for me as I read the book.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is highly readable and very literate. And it certainly helped fill in holes in my knowledge.

Now in the twilight of his years Manchester has revealed he lacks the mental focus necessary to complete his trilogy on the life of Winston Churchill (while heroically fending off his publisher's suggestion that he graft on a co-author to complete it). In its zeal to conjure some way to make more money off the Manchester name, is it perhaps time for this publisher to ponder why one of the greatest biographers and historians in memory can only be read by combing the bins of used bookstalls or grasping the dog-eared library tome?

The Arms of Krupp (out of print), and many others of the canon are seminal works with a devoted readership. Perhaps the right marketing opportunity simply has yet to strike. Making a movie (and a bad one at that) about Pearl Harbor popped even the questionable Gordon Prange back into prominence. Clearly, in these days when book publishers are conveniently tied into the entertainment world as a matter of corporate domain, the lonely vigil of the Manchester devotee must await the serendipity of Hollywood. Until then, Mr. Manchester I laud you with the words of one still in print:

"To me fair friend you can never be old,
For as you were when first your eye I eyed,
Such seems your beauty still."

How DARE they let this book go out of print! This is one of the most brilliant histories of recent years, a classic to go along with Bill Shirer's "Rise and fall of the Third Reich" and Barbara Tuchman's "August 1914"/"The guns of August", to which it is an excellent companion. It captures both eras and characters wonderfully well. ABove all, Manchester is a passionate historian. No academic distance for hîm. The words burn with anger at the treatment of the slave workers of the Third Reich - and their murdered offspring, to whom the book is dedicated. Long it may be but it bears rereading, because nobody ought to forget this stuff.

This is an excellent book about a family struggle. It looks lengthy however; I am waiting for a sequel. One of the things I like to do is to read books that become movies and movies that are novelized. You are right this would have to be a mini-series. Ha, I will bet you did not notice that in the book William Manchester mentions that the movie "Major Barbara"; the only play actually written by George Bernard Shaw was modeled on the Krupp family.

This is an excellent book about a family struggle along with a nation. We start out in 1587 and follow their progress and politics of the family and industry of making arms (cannons) until the fairly recent time.
One of the things I like to do is to read books that become movies and movies that are novelized. You are right this would have to be a mini-series. Ha, I will bet you did not notice that in the book William Manchester mentions that the movie "Major Barbara"; the only play actually written by George Bernard Shaw was modeled on the Krupp family.

"The Arms Of Krupp" is the incredible biography of a powerful and incredibly rich and powerful family that was central in the advent and progress of European history for the more than four hundred years they presided as an almost imperial force within the boundaries of what is present-ay Germany. Certainly no other non-royal dynasty engenders such controversy and hotly expressed differences in opinion than does the multiple generations of this critically based family so critical to the development and technological capabilities of the German war machine. Of course, no one could do a better job at providing a definitive historical biography of the Krupp family than William Manchester. This is truly a magnificent book, a spellbinding story splendidly told by a master of English prose, rendered in a flawless, comprehensive, and objective treatment of this fascinating, often outrageous, and sometime imperious string of Krupp family member who ignited the wars raging in Europe in terms of their ability to provide the motherland with such complex, ingenious, and technically superior weapons of war.

This is, in fact, considered a masterwork of history, an eminently readable and elegantly stylish work by Manchester, a master of the trade. Manchester, a retired history professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, is widely regarded as one of this country's preeminent biographers and historian. The Krupp dynasty was extinguished in 1967, when the last surviving family member passed away. With his death the legacy of a four hundred year span of contribution to the European armaments industry came to an end, and so brought to a conclusion a tradition spanning wars and quite profoundly influencing outcomes of European history for centuries. The Krupp Arms conglomerate was technologically innovative, devising new weapons such as a superior cannon to an anti-air vehicle weapon designed to counter the reconnaissance capabilities of aerial observation balloons to exotic and much more capable submarines, which they then built for over four decades.

In so doing, they became fabulously rich, and rose to become extremely influential and exceedingly conservative voices within the realm of German political circles. No German leader could hope to marshal the resources or the weapons of war necessary to mount a military campaign without first gaining the trust, confidence and support of the Krupp family, which then cleverly and cynically manipulated this influence to vastly enrich themselves. During World War One, their cannons helped to flatten the French city of Verdun, and at one point succeeded in lobbing projectiles into Paris from as distant a location as some eighty miles away, an unheard-of innovation at the time. Aiding the Third Reich in its secret rearmament effort after the end of the First Word War, they provided a much advanced tank design that eventuated in the Panzer tank, used subsequently so successfully in Hitler's blitzkrieg through France in the summer of 1940.

They were quite influential within the German society as well, having armed the forces of Kaiser Wilhelm for battle before World War One, and then surreptitiously backed Hitler financially in the so-called terror-campaign" of 1933. Incredibly, the Krupps participated in the war crimes of the Third Reich, even controlling and operating more than 130 concentration camps during the war. Afterwards, they help to rebuild Europe in the eventual development of the European Common Market. This is a truly fascinating book written with all of the usual style and substance one come s to expect of William Manchester, and it is certainly a book I can highly recommend to anyone with an interest in European history. Enjoy!

Fantastic book. I am reading this for the second time. It is very dense, and really informative, yet also an interesting read.

This family was so incredibly sick and ghoulish, it is almost hard to believe. There is actually one part of the book where Hitler requestes that Krupp treat his Russian slaves better.
That is amazingly sick when Hitler has more of a conscience than Krupp does.

This author is just amazing, and it is clear that he is one of the great history writers ever. I highly recommend this book for history buffs especially. It is as good as "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William Shirer.

"American Caesar" is a highly literate, extremely well researched biography of General Douglas MacArthur. Since the General's Army career spanned almost 50 years, the time sweep of "AC" is quite extensive, but Mr. Manchester maintains reader interest throughout. As a work of history, it should qualify as a masterpiece. The strongest point of "AC" is that the persona of the General never gets lost in a sea of facts or too many characters. It remains a biography, first and foremost. The reader always is aware that s(he) is reading about a human being- with strong points and weak points just like all of us. I was impressed with the obvious importance of family, especially his wife and son to the General. Major historical figures like F.D.R. and Harry Truman take a backseat to the main character. Some readers might maintain that is exactly where they belong! While "AC" covers the General's heroism in World War I, the focus is on his military campaigns in World War II. Great detail is given to his controversial and hazardous- initial retreat from the Philippines to Australia and his push back north, capturing strategic New Guinea and retaking the Philippines. To his credit, author Manchester, a former Marine, strives to demonstrate that the General's tactics saved thousands of U.S. casualties, compared to the frontal assaults on other Pacific islands such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa. For example, the General bypassed and isolated the strong Japanese garrison on Rabaul in eastern New Guinea, rather than attack in force. He also talked the Navy and Marines down from a senseless, hazardous and tactically useless invasion of Formosa (Taiwan). His casualty rates are also compared very favorably to those incurred by General Dwight Eisenhower at Normandy and the Bulge. (The two did not exactly admire one another). If there are any weak points in "AC", they are minor. One could argue that the bio of the General is not sufficiently critical, but this reader would defer license to a talented author. One could also argue that too much space is allocated to the General's troubles with Harry Truman during the Korean War. Since so many identify the General with that particular segment of his career, it would be difficult for Manchester to pass lightly over it. (The author does not exactly admire HST). A note of warning: The MAPS in the paperback version of "AC" are too small for a close following of the SW Pacific War. If amazon could offer a large print/ hardcover version of "AC", the extra cost would be worth it. I used a magnifying glass! Inadequate maps seem to be a requirement for military tales "AC" has plenty of company in this regard. I hope this review has done credit to a first rate work of historical biography. Over 844 pages, followers of history and military affairs will not be disappointed.

Manchester always writes a great book--he is a superb stylist and has an unusual knack for placing a historical figure in the context of his times. (I have previously read his biographies of H.L. Mencken and Churchill as well as Death of a President and The Arms of Krupp.) In this book, he really attempts to explore what motivated Douglas MacArthur, an extremely complex warrior-statesman. Especially good is his review of the famous Truman sacking of the general during the Korean War; in Manchester's eyes, this incident evolved out of ambiguous directions from the Joint Chiefs and the Chiefs' unwillingness to confront a powerful, winning senior officer. Especially amazing is the breadth of experience MacArthur had throughout his life--from Wild West stations with his general father through the post-Spanish-American War period in the Philippines, then the trenches of World War I, and finally the general's phenomenal recoveries after early disasters in the Philippines in World War II and in Korea. This is a balanced though sympathetic review of MacArthur's life--Manchester concedes that he was both a vain popinjay with a touch of paranoia, but also a brilliant military strategist and a true old-style liberal democrat in his viceregency in Japan after World War II. This is a "must read" for anyone interested in World War II and is a good companion to Manchester's personal account of his own experiences as a Marine in the South Pacific.

It is a sad fact that many people in this day and age would be unable to state who Douglas MacArthur was or what place in history he has assumed. As the Second World War drifts further into the annals of history, the lives and accomplishments of the war's great commanders are in danger of , as MacArthur himself said "slowly fading away".

Douglas MacArthur was a colossus. He did not merely play an important role in the war in the Pacific, he dominated it and went on to play a crucial role in the West's early response to Communism in the Far East. William Manchester's exhaustive biography paints a warts and all portrait of the General. Manchester expresses rightful admiration for MacArthur's strategic brilliance and his amazing role in the recontstruction of post-war Japan. Yet, he does not shy away from criticism of MacArthur's extraordinary vanity which, in many cases, almost led (and during the Korean War did lead) to the General's downfall. I finished the book far more enlightened on the character of this individual and yet was left to draw my own conclusions as to his place in history.

Manchester's book is not just an immensely readable, throughly documented portrait of Douglas MacArthur. It also serves as a valuable work on the prosecution of the war in the Pacific and the early years of the Cold War and draws some very valuable and raises some interesting questions on the origin of America's entry into the war in Vietnam.

Individuals such as Douglas MacArthur should not be forgotten. Love them or hate them, they played a critical role in the history of the 20th Century and to the lives which each and every one of us live today. "American Casear" does justice to all aspects of Douglas MacArthur's life and character and I have no doubts that it will fascinate anyone who picks it up.

5 stars without any hesitation whatsoever.

Anyone fortunate enough to read the first few chapters of this terrific work by William Manchester will no longer wonder why he is considered one of the finest historians writing about the 20th century. From the opening description of the tensions in Washington in the early 1930s with the conflict over the so-called "bonus marchers" to the ending essay on the removal of Richard Nixon from the Presidency in disgrace in 1974, there simply isn't a dull page in the book. As for anyone who hasn't experienced this author and his superb prose style, there is no time to waste!

This truly is a masterful and magisterial historical narrative of the period of time from the onset of the Depression to the climax of the Watergate scandal; all the color and detail one would want from a work purporting to cover such a momentous time span in our recent national melodrama is here in spades. His prose style is at once both erudite and immensely readable, and he always seems conversational even when discussing matters that are delicate or controversial. Whether discussing the momentous details of FDR's "New Deal", the daring and cunning of the Japanese in carrying out the attack on Pearl Harbor, the sad and sorrowful political potshots taken by scurrilous swine like Joe McCarthy during the House Un-American Activities Committee or the quizzically vengeful approach taken by insiders during the Nixon years, Manchester consistently steers us knowingly and safely through the rocks and shoals of domestic history, avoiding veering into the controversial reefs and coral that can rip us to shreds with partisan political revisionsim and politically-correct views.

As he does in other books such as "American Caesar" and "The Death Of A President", Manchester always satisfies the reader's curiosity without being salacious, gossipy, or unfair. He takes great pains to be objective and as thorough as possible, and the sources he cites are always impeccable. If I have any criticism of the book at all, it relates to its long length, as I read the two-volume hard cover version a friend gave me as a birthday present. It is really a small quibble, however, for though it was along read I came away from the several week reading adventure feeling much better informed, and with a much better perspective on many of the troubling issues that have transpired in the fabled years since the Depression. I heartily recommend this book, but advise you to find yourself a comfortable armchair to escape to with book in hand. You are going to want to devour it. Enjoy!

The Glory and the Dream

William Manchester's The Glory and the Dream, paints a vivid and detailed picture of America from 1932 to 1972. It begins at the height of the Great Depression, and tells of the New Deal, the events leading to America's entry into World War II, the prosperity of the late 40s and 50s, and the militancy of the 60s and early 70s. The book ends with the growing distrust of the nation surrounding the Watergate scandal. In his decription of these forty years, before and after World War II, Manchester shows how America has reveled in its glory as the most powerful nation in the world, yet continues to dream for new heights of power. The Glory and the Dream is an excellent book, because the author is able to make many of the characters and emotions of the time come to life, in his detailed and engaging style. However, I personally believe that the author treats some of major figures of the time too harshly.
Manchester is able to make his characters come to life through effective use of quotes and actions, which describe the feelings and concerns those people had. The desperation and general sadness of the Great Depression is shown in the lyrics of a song by Rudy Valee.
They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob.
When there was earth to plough or guns to bear
I was always there right on the job

Once I built a railroad, made it run
made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done.
Brother, can you spare a dime?
At that same period, the shame of Americans is shown in this observation from the Governor's mansion in Albany at a time Franklin Roosevelt was still governor, "Professor Rexford Tugwell of Columbia, a house guest, was summoned to the master bedroom, where his host lay surrounded by clouds of newsprint. As Tugwell entered, Governor Roosevelt covered photographs of the violence against the Bonus Army by the American army with his hands, as though in shame for his country."
The author shows that at the same time the American people felt shame and sadness, there was also a growing sense of resolve that something should be done to alleviate the poverty that many Americans were facing. A quote full of this growing resolve and determination comes from Franklin Roosevelt address to the Democratic Convention in 1932 in which he accepts the party's nomination for President. "I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a New Deal for the American people." A quote of Franklin Roosevelt that helps to illustrate his character and the general feeling of the time come from his conversation with Tugwell. "'There is nothing inside that man but jelly,' Roosevelt said angrily. 'Maybe there never was anything else. Why didn't Hoover offer the men coffee and sandwiches, instead of turning Pat Hurley and Doug MacArthur loose?" This illustrates the generosity of Roosevelt's spirit in contrast to the rudeness and inattentivenss of his opponents in the Republican party.
In its 1302 pages, this offers an in-depth portrait of America at that period. Its lively details and examples with use of many quotes, strong verbs and adjectives make you feel as if you were suffering through the Great Depression, prospering through the New Deal, fighting through World War II and reliving the Vietnam war. Unfortunately this lengthy book could intimidate some. However by splitting the reading into decades, one may avoid the frustration of reading such a dense and interminable book at once.
My one reservation lies in Manchester's condemnation of leaders I believe benefited America, even though they made some very grave mistakes. His views on President Lyndon Johnson, for his decision to escalate the Vietnam war, and for the questionable legality of the Gulf of Tongkin resolution are concerning. Lyndon Johnson did escalate the war to far, but his support of the Civil Rights Movement overshadows in my opinion his extreme hawkishness towards Vietnam. Without his support, America would be a very different repressive place towards race.
The Glory and the Dream is a work of popular history at its best as it makes history accessible to all. You can understand and enjoy this book without being a scholar or a historian. It also covers an important period of history which is still relevant to our political, economic, and cultural present. Therefore in reading this book you widen your understanding of current events.

The Glory and the Dream

William Manchester's The Glory and the Dream, paints
a vivid and detailed picture of America from 1932 to
1972. It begins at the height of the Great Depression,
and tells of the New Deal, the events leading to
America's entry into World War II, the prosperity of
the late 40s and 50s, and the militancy of the 60s and
early 70s. The book ends with the growing distrust of
the nation surrounding the Watergate scandal. In his
decription of these forty years, before and after
World War II, Manchester shows how America has reveled
in its glory as the most powerful nation in the world,
yet continues to dream for new heights of power. The
Glory and the Dream is an excellent book, because the
author is able to make many of the characters and
emotions of the time come to life, in his detailed and
engaging style. However, I personally believe that the
author treats some of major figures of the time too
harshly.
Manchester is able to make his characters come to
life through effective use of quotes and actions,
which describe the feelings and concerns those people
had. The desperation and general sadness of the Great
Depression is shown in the lyrics of a song by Rudy
Valee.
They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob.
When there was earth to plough or guns to bear
I was always there right on the job

Once I built a railroad, made it run
made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done.
Brother, can you spare a dime?
At that same period, the shame of Americans is shown
in this observation from the Governor's mansion in
Albany at a time Franklin Roosevelt was still
governor, "Professor Rexford Tugwell of Columbia, a
house guest, was summoned to the master bedroom, where
his host lay surrounded by clouds of newsprint. As
Tugwell entered, Governor Roosevelt covered
photographs of the violence against the Bonus Army by
the American army with his hands, as though in shame
for his country."
The author shows that at the same time the American
people felt shame and sadness, there was also a
growing sense of resolve that something should be done
to alleviate the poverty that many Americans were
facing. A quote full of this growing resolve and
determination comes from Franklin Roosevelt address to
the Democratic Convention in 1932 in which he accepts
the party's nomination for President. "I pledge you, I
pledge myself, to a New Deal for the American people."
A quote of Franklin Roosevelt that helps to illustrate
his character and the general feeling of the time come
from his conversation with Tugwell. "'There is
nothing inside that man but jelly,' Roosevelt said
angrily. 'Maybe there never was anything else. Why
didn't Hoover offer the men coffee and sandwiches,
instead of turning Pat Hurley and Doug MacArthur
loose?" This illustrates the generosity of Roosevelt's
spirit in contrast to the rudeness and inattentivenss
of his opponents in the Republican party.
In its 1302 pages, this offers an in-depth portrait
of America at that period. Its lively details and
examples with use of many quotes, strong verbs and
adjectives make you feel as if you were suffering
through the Great Depression, prospering through the
New Deal, fighting through World War II and reliving
the Vietnam war. Unfortunately this lengthy book could
intimidate some. However by splitting the reading into
decades, one may avoid the frustration of reading such
a dense and interminable book at once.
My one reservation lies in Manchester's condemnation
of leaders I believe benefited America, even though
they made some very grave mistakes. His views on
President Lyndon Johnson, for his decision to escalate
the Vietnam war, and for the questionable legality of
the Gulf of Tongkin resolution are concerning. Lyndon
Johnson did escalate the war to far, but his support
of the Civil Rights Movement overshadows in my opinion
his extreme hawkishness towards Vietnam. Without his
support, America would be a very different repressive
place towards race.
The Glory and the Dream is a work of popular history
at its best as it makes history accessible to all. You
can understand and enjoy this book without being a
scholar or a historian. It also covers an important
period of history which is still relevant to our
political, economic, and cultural present. Therefore
in reading this book you widen your understanding of
current events.

The Death You Deserve: A Novel by David Bowker is in effect a modern day horror story along the lines of Exorcist or Silence of the Lambs with one big difference-this book is very funny.

The story center on Billy Dye and his boyhood friend-now professional hitman-now known as Rawhead.

Their friendship as boys was based on a shared interest in the occult and the classic horror stories of the time. It's a friendship cut short by the incarceration of Rawhead after he stabs a fellow student.

Billy grows up to be a failed journalist and novelist of the occult. He comes to the attention on one Malcom Priest, the head of a violent Manchester gang who signs Billy on to ghost his autobiography. Billy's a professional sarcastic SOB and he finally alienates Malcom to the point that he sets Billy up to be hit by Rawhead-his hitman of choice though one he has never seen and knows nothing about.

As Rawhead takes aim at Billy's head with his 44 Magnum he realizes that this is his boyhood chum and spares his life. This, predictably, does not please Malcom and so the chase is on.

Up to this point the book stands as a run-of-the-mill mafia tale. Once rejoined, however, the mutual attraction that Billy and Rawhead have for horror takes over and elements of a classic horror story dominate the action. Rawhead puts Billy up in an old, apparently haunted house-the night hours are filled with groans, screams and the smell of blood. Flies and maggots infest the property. Billy's instinctively knows that there's something wrong here but can't bring himself to depart both because he's a target of subsequent hitmen Malcom hires and needs Rawhead's protection as well as his attraction to the supernatural aspects of Rawhead's persona.

The action-and there is pleanty of action-builds to a tumultuous ending.

Bowker can write. The book is fast paced, hip and riddled with sarcastic and farcical humor. It's also, at points, scary as hell. It's also riddled with lots of profanity and some truly horrific and graphic violence. Readers should beware-this is not a book for the easily offended or those who have any sort of queasy constitution.

This is a wild romp of a story. If you can handle it, you'll be glad you went along for the ride.

British author David Bowker, formerly of Manchester, gives an American readership a first glimpse of his incredible wit in THE DEATH YOU DESERVE. His fifth novel tells the story of Billy Dye, a failed horror writer. Billy's girlfriend has left him. His novel draws no reviews and, thus, no sales. He does interview a local gangster, Malcolm Priest, for a magazine article. Based on a diluted version of the story Billy has written, Priest hires him to become his biographer. Billy's troubles begin for real at this point.

Billy's character is the ultimate "loser." He wades into predicaments that should teach him lessons about the human psyche, but Billy manages to sink deeper into the muck of his own making via his acid tongue. He is soon put at the top of Priest's "hit list." Rawhead is the hitman hired to eradicate Billy, who soon finds himself kidnapped and held in a manner of protective custody. It turns out that Rawhead is a childhood friend from grammar school who had idolized Billy.

Bowker's wit is hilarious. His characters are real yet side-splittingly funny. Rawhead's many-sided character is a hoot to follow. He is both a professional killer and a student of supernatural literature classics, with an extensive collection of signed first editions. Billy is both impressed with and frightened of him. The two unlikely companions are knit by a tighter cord when they run from Priest's henchmen, bent on killing them both.

A little book, THE DEATH YOU DESERVE can be read in an afternoon with a thirst for more. Notwithstanding a couple of stumbles through British slang, Bowker's story is a great read. Billy is the bumbling bloke that endears himself to us by his misadventures in Manchester and beyond. Despite his shortcomings, he deserves a hearty cheer for his fortitude. Names like Chef, Dogman, Beast and Heidi are Bowker's clever insertions that will make THE DEATH YOU DESERVE a chuckle in the memory bank.

--- Reviewed by Judy Gigstad

Horror novelist Billy Dye needs cash so he accepts the assignment of interviewing the crime kingpin of Manchester, England, Malcolm Priest. Surprisingly, the interview goes quite well as the boastful Priest profanely brags equally about his life of crime as much as his support to good deeds charities. Proud of his efforts, especially getting out with his skin intact, Billy consumes too much alcohol, which leads to his handing in an uncomplimentary picture of Priest.

Sober, Billy wonders if his knees, elbows, or fingers will be broken, that is if he lives to feel the pain. However, Billy gets a break as the editor turns the piece into friendly fluff. Pleased with the article, Priest hires Billy to ghostwrite his memoir. However, Billy being Billy manages to quickly destroy the good will of the article. Priest casts the die that Dye must die so Billy ends up in a graveyard facing execution by Raghead the hit man, who wears a bag over his head to hide his identity from his customers and victims. However, Billy's luck finally changes when Raghead turns out to be his closest childhood friend, who loyally tries to protect his buddy from Priest's gang of thugs.

THE DEATH YOU DESERVE is an entertaining crime thriller that satirizes invincible hero types defeating armies of trained killers. The story line never takes itself seriously, which leads to readers receiving a wild tale populated by an eccentric cast. Though Billy is the star, Raghead and Priest make the tale as caricatures of criminals.

Harriet Klausner