Book Description

Translated into a dozen languages, printed in hundreds of editions, and read by millions of people, Franklin’s autobiography has had an influence perhaps unequaled by any other book by an American writer. Written ostensibly as a letter to his son William, the autobiography offers Franklin’s reflections on philosophy and religion, politics, war, education, material success, and the status of women. This edition of the autobiography, prepared by the editors of The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, is drawn with scrupulous care from the original manuscript in Franklin’s handwriting now in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. The introduction by Leonard W. Labaree places the autobiography in literary and historical contexts.In a new foreword, Edmund S. Morgan writes about Franklin’s dual allegiance as an American and a subject of an English king—and his emergence as a leader of the American Revolution.This edition also includes biographical notes, a chronology of Franklin’s life, and an updated bibliography. ... Read more

Book Description

History has remembered J. Pierpont Morgan as a complex and contradictory figure, part robber baron and part patron saint. Now this magisterial biography, based extensively on new material, draws a definitive, full-scale portrait of Morgan's tumultuous life both in and out of the public eye.Morgan earned his reputation as "the Napoleon of Wall Street" by reorganizing the nation's railroads and creating some of its greatest industrial trusts, including General Electric and U.S. Steel. At a time when the United States had no Federal Reserve System, he appointed himself a one-man central bank. He had two wives, three yachts, four children, six houses, mistresses, and one of the finest art collections in America. In this extraordinary book, award-winning biographer Jean Strouse vividly portrays the financial colossus, the avid patron of the arts, and the entirely human character behind all the myths.

Brilliantly crafted, epic in scope, Morgan reveals a man we have never seen before, offering new insights on the culture, political struggles, and social conflicts of America's Gilded Age.

Reviews (31)

A Decent Biography
Jean Strouse has tackled a fascinating biographical subject in this book, John Pierpont Morgan. Morgan was the kingpin of the fledging American financial industry from before the Civil War until his death just before World War I. Morgan's firm helped to bring European capital to the United States that helped financial the great industrial boom of the later 19th Century and constructed huge corporate mergers like U.S. Steel in 1901. Morgan's sound financial dealing led to be highly respected both on Wall Street and off. In 1907, his stature with leading financial institutions helped him engineer a stop to a panic that threatened Wall Street. Morgan was an extremely wealthly man and later in life used that wealth to finance the Metropolitan Museum of Art and to build his own extensive art collection. Morgan had more of a European attitude toward marriage and after his own marriage began to deteriorate in 1880 or so, kept mistresses for the remainder of his life. He was also very involved with the Episcopal Church, taking three weeks out of his busy schedule every three years to attend the Church meetings, and in yachting, helping to finance several America's Cup winners.

Strouse obviously spent a tremendous amout of time researching her subject. In an interview she said that she had gained access to previously untapped copies of letters and diaries of both Morgan and his inner circle. Her book details Morgan's life in almost painstaking detail - from his financial dealings to his art acquisitions to his affairs to his relationship with his father. The author also does a good job and giving us background information about the period in which Morgan lived - the social conditions, the progressive movement and various presidential elections. This is important because all of these factors effected how Morgan conducted his business and how he was viewed by the press and public at the time.

Unfortunately, for all of her research, this is not a very readable biography. The writing is some what bland and uncolorful. The author does a serviceable job trying to explain the complex financial dealings that ruled Morgan's world but often bogs the reader down in figures. I felt as if I needed a degree in finance just to understand the way Morgan shifted around stocks and bonds. It was push for me to finish this book, often times I had trouble wanting to pick it up and continue.

There are few recent biographies of this important 19th century character available, which is why I was excited when I saw Strouse's biography of Morgan. Morgan is a man shrouded in the myth and legend of his financial dealings and I was hoping this biography would shed some light on the man. One cannot fault Strouse's extensive research into her subject however her writing style bogs down the information and makes the book difficult to complete.

Insightful!
Author Jean Strouse presents an in-depth historical account of J. Pierpont Morgan's life and times as a preeminent financier during the expansion of the American economy in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She details the deals he engaged in to raise capital in Europe, help the railroads overcome bankruptcy, and provide bonds and loans to clients. She also details his role in working with other financial leaders and government officials to stabilize markets and - at a time when the U.S. had no national bank - to set up many of the corporate and financial structures we now take for granted. We at getAbstract.com were particularly interested in Strouse's descriptions of the political, economic, and social history of each period as a backdrop for Morgan's life. Morgan comes alive in her descriptions of his family life, travels, and art collection. This excellent, comprehensive biography will intrigue executives, managers, historians and anyone who appreciates war stories about a master dealmaker.

Thorough Biography
Jean Strouse's thorough biography on J.P. Morgan was...thorough. Strouse must have gone through a tremendous amount of work to put together this almost 700-page book. The result of her toil was an in-depth study of J.P. Morgan's life. The biography is divided into four parts, which makes it easier if one would prefer to skip around and concentrate on only certain aspects of Morgan's life and career. I most enjoyed Part I, which discussed the formation of his character. This section went through extreme detail of his parents and his childhood. What a surprise to learn that Morgan was a relation to Jonathan Edwards and Aaron Burr! Even though the biography was a great length and did become rather boring at parts, it is a must read for those who wish to learn more about J.P. Morgan. Without him, America would not be what it is today.

A in-depth look at America's financial genius
In her book, "Morgan: American Financier" Jean Strouse has made a bold attempt to capture the essence of the man whose ideas shaped America's economy from the Civil War up through, at least, the New Deal. While the style of the writing of "Morgan: American Financier" may seem "dry", we have to remember that Ms. Strouse is not writing a biography of a colorful person like Nellie Bly or William Randolph Hearst. Still, she captures the tensions behind high-stake financing, plutocratic rivalries (Morgan vs. Andrew Carnegie, for example), and the ambitious attempt to rein in the wild speculation of railroad magnates. What makes the text of this book engaging for those not inclined to read these types of biographies, is that Strouse never lets you forget how much is at stake, not just in terms of dollars but in terms of the future of America's economic stability and growth.

For me, the chapters on JP Morgan's relationship with his father, Junius, and the internal struggles he had with traditional financing versus the role of financer as corporate director were at times touching and admirable. Specifically, the chapters entitled "Family Affairs and Professional Ethics" and "Fathers and Sons" were the most successful and enjoyable. Bottom line: if you enjoy biographies/histories of the people who shaped American capitalism, this is a wonderful book. But even if that isn't your cup of tea, there is a lot of the human element to make this great reading.

Morgan: American Financier
The presence of J.P. Morgan looms large over the financial and economic landscape of the Gilded Age. Either castigated for wielding economic clout or praised for providing stability to the industrial order, Morgan has remained a mystery. Although recent scholars V. Carosso and R. Chernow have studied the financial activities of the House of Morgan, there have been few biographies of Morgan. Making use of new archive sources and the extensive collection of Morgan materials in the Pierpont Morgan Library, Strouse fills this void with a masterful biography. She carefully depicts Morgan's taciturn personality, his financial tutelage under a critical father, and his relations with both wives and his children. Strouse provides a balanced evaluation of Morgan's financial activities, carefully articulating his role as the nation's unofficial central banker. He attracted European capital to American enterprises, organized new corporations to promote efficiency, consolidated bankrupt railroads, worked to stabilize financial markets when crises arose, and established new business structures. While Morgan was frequently demonized for his activities, Strouse argues that he often acted in the nation's best interests (and his own). His role as art collector is also examined. Students of the Gilded Age will find this biography essential reading. Highly recommended for all economic and business history collections. ... Read more

Book Description

As one of the greatest presidents of the twentieth century, Ronald Wilson Reagan succeeded in renewing pride in America, strengthening the principles of family, faith, and freedom on which this nation was founded, and restoring our hope for the future. President Reagan endeared himself even to his political opponents with his self-effacing wit and irrepressible optimism. Inspiring, thoughtful, and at times downright funny, he had an amazing gift for stirring emotion, sparking debate, and calling a nation to action.

In In The Words of Ronald Reagan, his oldest son Michael Reagan has gathered a wonderful collection of his father’s public and private words, providing a close-up portrait of our fortieth president. From hilarious one-liners to eloquent letters to intimate family moments, these selections depict Ronald Reagan in all his many roles—as world leader, conservative icon, orator, actor, and father. Complemented by Michael Reagan’s personal and insightful commentary on his father’s life, In The Words of Ronald Reagan will delight you, inspire you, and motivate you to finish the job Ronald Reagan began—the job of rebuilding the American dream.

Book Description

Unabridged Audiobook - 12 CDs - Read by Dan Cashman ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Thomas Triumphs as John Paul Jones Sails the Seas!
Pirates in the Caribbean is bringing them in at the movie complex this summer! Benjamin Franklin is renowned as the "Founding Hippie" as walter Isaacson's popular bestseller reigns high in the Amazon heavens!
And now....John Paul Jones! Evan Thomas has done justice the Father of the American Navy who never married or had children
(Jones was a womanizer who never married!). Jones was a Scot
who left home for the dangerous life aboard eighteenth century ships. He was a raider supreme as he attackted British towns and ships on the coast of England and Scotland .
Thomas tells in detail about Jones efforts to build an American Navy during the Revolutionary War; his frustrations with finding funding for the navy from a reluctant congree; his battles with his peers and with the formidable enemy incarnated in the British navy.
Thomas gives us an easy to undersand chornicle of what war was like aboard ship in the age of sail. His account of the battle between HMS Serapis and the Bonhommie Richard (captained by Jones) is a classic portrait of the vicious naval warfare of the violent age.
Jones was a complex character who never flagged in his devotion to the new United States. After the revolutionary war eneded he fought for Catherine the Greek as he led Russian sailors against the Turks. Jones died in poverty in Paris. Today his tomb is at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Evan Thomas is a fine historian and anyone who loves the tales of Patrick O'Brien would enjoy this entertaining, informative and inspiring story of a largely forgotten hero of our early history.

John Paul Jones - A Big Little Man
Hip, hip, hooray and a five star salute for a readable biography of John Paul Jones! For any fan of the American Revolution, this account of our "Father of the American Navy" fills a lacuna in history books. What role did the navy play in our fight for freedom? Where did the men and their captains come from? What were the naval battles really like? With descriptions worthy of the sea story master Patrick O'Brian, the life and society of an 18th century man of adventure is detailed. We follow John Paul Jones from his obscure beginnings in Scotland to his role in the American Revolution to his pathetic escapade in Russia.
Scrupulously honest and persistently explaining the captain's many character flaws, Thomas obviously thinks highly of his subject and leaves the reader admiring the man whose body lies entombed in splendor while in life is described as a "desperado," "pirate" and "little Jones."
Interesting, well researched, a good biography.

"Officer of Fine Feelings"
The book is very entertaining, due in part to quite a bit of supposition and the occasional sacrifice of objectivity. You will turn the pages. You will long for the days of wooden ships and iron men.

The author paints a very interesting picture of John Paul Jones. He is made out to be somewhat of a manic depressive thrill seeker who, when not within an inch of his life or seducing the wife of a close friend, may be clinically depressed. "Fussy". Very easily slighted. Hypersensitive on issues of personal honor, almost paranoid. An accurate depiction? Who knows.

So you get John Paul Jones, kind of a Heathcliff made good, almost suffocating until he gets his next chance to try and fulfill his death wish. Who is he trying to please and what is he trying to prove?

Stepping back, it's a good period piece as the chapters of his life (and the book) weave through the American and French revolutions and intertwine with quite a few other historic greats.

I ended up very much empathizing with Jones throughout the book. I felt his frustration in trying to get the American Navy off the ground. I felt betrayed and offended as he was betrayed and offended through personal dealings. I have to attribute some of this to fine authorship. Speaking of authorship, I have to say the author is a little harsh on Jones at some points and I thought the books stopped maybe a few too many times to dissect his character flaws. Hey, we're all human, but this man was great. I'd follow him today. I have to strongly disagree with statements in the book's closing about JPJ's fitness for fleet command.

The book follows his life to the very bitter end and, if you become emotionally invested, you'll put it down with bitterness. While the author made a few scholarly discoveries previous biographers had not dug up, he does not resort to TOO much invention either. I almost wish he had made up a plot line for Madame T__'s child or explained the dying prayer (was it salvation at last?). Questions to remain unanswered forever perhaps.

Medicore hero, medicore book
It is an interesting formula for literary success. Take a man whose career was a footnote to momentous events and produce a book which mirrors this relationship. Is the book "balanced" or just muddled? We will never know, because Mr. Thomas could not refrain from bombarding us with his opinions and conjectures at every possible opportunity. Next time, Mr. Thomas stick with the facts.

Solid Story About A Spectacular Man
What a difference half a decade can make! In 1774 John Paul was a destitute ex-slave-ship captain on the lam, forsaking his native Scotland for the unknown British colonies of North America. In 1779, that same man, now known as John Paul Jones, was the most feared pirate of the British Isles, the victor of an incredible sea battle which made his name across the Continent, and the first great figure of what would become the American Navy.

Evan Thomas's "John Paul Jones" begins aboard of Bonhomme Richard, a crank Indiaman under Jones' fractious command, just as it is about to engage the British man-of-war Serapis off England's Flamborough Head. Cannons are primed, sand is spread over the decks to keep them from becoming slick with blood, and the doctor in the cockpit lays out buckets and saws for the surgery ahead. The Bonhomme Richard would not survive the battle, but Jones would emerge victorious anyway, plucking victory from the jaws of defeat by virtue of his grit and visionary fortitude.

Thomas makes a great story out of Jones' life. A senior writer with Newsweek, he is nothing if not readable, with attention for detail and a zest for the telling touch. After allowing a pair of lieutenants to hit up an earl for his silver, Jones goes out of his way to make amends, writing florid and flirtatious letters to the earl's wife and then, finally, returning the silver. "The tea leaves were still inside the teapot," Thomas writes.

He offers some interesting insight into what made Jones tick. It's very engaging, and fits together, but as a shrink, Thomas is a good journalist. A lot of times he talks up some awful situation Jones faced, being passed over or calumnied by his Revolutionary brethren, and ascribes the result to Jones' overweening pride. Jones seems to have been a proud man, though not excessively so given his accomplishments or the age he lived in. He did tarry in Paris a bit long between battles, but he was also given some pretty lacking subordinates and superiors.

Thomas calls him "the father of the American Navy." It was interesting to read others here saying that John Barry deserves that title. I find myself agreeing with Thomas. Barry was an accomplished commander, and America was lucky to have him, but Jones captured the imagination in a way that would resonate through the centuries. He was quoted, erroneously but with ringing grandeur, by U.S. naval leaders scraping themselves off the sea floor after Pearl Harbor. He remains a figure of pride today. He may never have said "I have not yet begun to fight," but he sure walked the walk.

I would have liked Thomas to have laid off the dime-store Freud and focused a chapter on just how much of an outlier he was in the early American naval tradition. Thomas does mention Barry in a footnote, and speaks passingly of other decent captains such as Gustavus Conyngham, a privateer who took the fight to English shores before Jones, but most of his analysis of the Revolutionary Navy is so disparaging as to beg wonder at how the Americans won, Jones or no. It's entertaining reading of losers like John Manley and Dudley Saltonstall, and no doubt accurate, but just how much of a sorry lot was the first U.S. Navy? We are told that when Jones engaged the Serapis, "no captain of an American navy ship had ever defeated and captured a British man-of-war of any real size or strength." But how unusual were Jones' successes? My sense is that when you include his capture of General Burgoyne's winter uniforms in 1776, and his harassment of British trade ships off the coasts of Nova Scotia and the home islands, Jones simply towers over his contemporaries. Just how much so would have made for good reading.

Instead, we get a lengthy examination of his poor record as a lothario, cadging young women, some disturbingly young, and writing verse of obvious below-the-beltline focus. He places his trust in charlatans and spies, and Thomas has at him for it, but the feeling that he may have been more of a victim of his own patriotism and honest zeal for liberty is not adequately addressed.

One interesting comparison Thomas makes all-too-briefly is with another American military commander, Benedict Arnold. It can be argued that Jones did at sea what Arnold did on land, giving legitimacy to the Revolutionary struggle via a blazing triumph against all odds. Both were traduced by scheming cohorts, and underappreciated by superiors. "But unlike Arnold, Jones remained steadfast to the American cause," Thomas notes.

That seems a point worth remembering. Even opting out of the U.S. Navy itself and becoming an American privateer, as many did, would have allowed Jones to make more money without committing treason. But he didn't. That's more worth study than his dalliances with the ladies of Holland or France. Thomas writes about Jones with appropriate zest and awe, and his book is a true joy, but its a bit of a missed opportunity too, in not getting past the trendy cynicism of our time and figuring out what makes for a genuine patriot. It's a good biography in the warts-and-all tradition of our day, just not definitive. ... Read more

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Reviews (5)

A Controversial Election; a Moderate Reign
Most U.S. presidents seeking a second term look upon their re-election as an affirmation of their first-term administration. Rutherford B. Hayes had to take a vicarious pleasure in the election of his successor, fellow Republican James Garfield. Four years earlier, when engaged in a tough fight to succeed President Grant, Hayes promised the voters he would serve only one term if elected. One gets the sense from reading this biography, however, that if he had sought re-election in 1880, voters would have awarded him with another term based on the distinguished and moderate agenda he accomplished during his first term, and in spite of the controversy surrounding his 1876 election.

Trefousse quickly runs through the pre-political life of Hayes from his first-rate education to his distinguished military career, showing that Hayes was one of the most intellectually minded of American presidents and that his war record was very impressive. In the Civil War, Hayes was an officer of solid character, who earned the respect of his men by his faithful service to them. Hayes's character is also shown in the warm relationship he had with his wife Lucy for over forty years.

Trefousse's recounting of Hayes's pre-presidential political life and the election of 1876 is finely done, but it is the chapters on Hayes's presidency that most pleasantly surprise. Before this book -- the first biography of Hayes I have read -- I primarily knew of Hayes as the president who ended Reconstruction after a controversial election. But there was far more to Hayes's administration. Once in office, Hayes sought civil service reform (much to the horror of many in his own party), toned down the nastier elements of America's Indian policy, and pushed hard for a moderate solution to the anti-immigrant sentiment towards the Chinese flaring out on the West Coast. He also fought to prevent silver from being used as coinage, fearing the inflated currency would ruin the nation's credit.

In my opinion, the greatest value of The American President Series is what it has done for neglected U.S. presidents like Rutherford Hayes. By presenting a series of short volumes on all the American presidents, it makes the lives of those chief executives, who are generally considered less important in U.S. history, more accessible to the reading public. Few people, even among serious readers, would probably want to sit down with a 300- to 400-page book on the lives of Rutherford Hayes or Gerald Ford with the same anticipation they would a similar-size book on the lives of Theodore Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan. This wonderfully written series ensures that those readers will never again have to make the choice between a long biography on some neglected president or no biography at all.

Solid if brief biography of a lesser known president
This brief biography of Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president of the United States both benefits and suffers from being part of a series. The series is, of course, The American Presidents, under the editorship of Arthur M Schlesinger Jr. The aim of the series is to provide a brief biography of the presidents of the United States. Personally, I am finding this series to be very helpful on the lesser presidents like Hayes, but less helpful for presidents like Teddy Roosevelt, who has been written about quite extensively.

Rutherford B. Hayes is a perfect subject for one of these brief biographies. Unless for some reason one wants to delve especially deep into Hayes's life, he is not one of the foremost presidents, and therefore not someone a great number of people want to spend a great deal of time studying. As Trefousse shows, he had some substantive achievements in his administration, including ending Reconstruction and the beginning of civil service reform. Moreover, he emerges as a likeable and admirable individual, as a person who did the office of president a great service. The book also is somewhat guilty of minimizing Hayes weaknesses as a president. However, Trefousse was not able to convince me that he is one of the pivotal figures in American history, and while I can't rule out going on to read another biography of Hayes at some point, I feel that 150 pages on Hayes was just about right.

One thing that bothered me a bit in the book was Trefousse's attempt to stress parallels between Hayes's election and that of 2000. In both instances, the election was extremely close, with the loser winning more of the popular vote but losing on the electoral votes, with Florida playing a key role each time. The instances, however, are nonparallel in a number of other ways. In 1876 Hayes, the winner, was deprived of a vast number of black votes by Southerners harassing blacks as they attempted to vote, so that he probably would have won the popular vote as well as the electoral. In 2000, tens of thousands of black voters were illegally (in the strict since, for the Ashcroft Justice Department later ruled that the Civil Rights of black voters had been interfered with in the voter purge, not that it will reverse the outcome of the election) from the list of registered voters, depriving Gore of tens of thousands of votes. Also, although both Hayes and Bush became president of a deeply divided nation, Hayes worked very hard to unify the nation, while Bush has increased the division since being named president by the Supreme Court.

Still, I do recommend this biography. It is likely to be all that one would need on Hayes. I do not think it is as strong as some of the other books I have read in the same series, for instance Garry Wills's superb little book on Madison or Remini's surprisingly good biography of John Quincy Adams (surprising because Remini is the foremost biographer of Jackson, and he and Adams were bitter political rivals).

Excellent in the abridged audiotape format
Recently I had a sixteen hour drive to see my daughter in Kansas, and I was fortunate enough to have RUTHERFORD B. HAYES: AMERICAN PRESIDENTS SERIES along for the trip. While Hayes might not be a particularly notable president, like Washington or Lincoln; or a racy one, like Warren G. Harding; or an interesting one, like JFK--Trefousse does a fine job of portraying a thwarted genius, a man between a rock and a hard place, a man for whom greatness was a possibility unfulfilled. Anyone can write an interesting bio of Lincoln--but Rutherford B. Hayes is a challenge and a half, and I commend Mr. Trefousse for depicting him with such character and nobility. One warning, however: the tape is not likely to keep you awake during the long hours of a drive, and I did, once or twice, wake up in a cornfield, having missed his Ohio governorship and most of the reconstruction. I would listen to it again, but my grandson has taken the audiocassette now and used it for some sort of DJ mix. Other than those minor mishaps--nothing compared to Hayes's mishap of withdrawing troops from the South--the tape was a solid five stars!

He sounds too good to be true
It seems that every Presidential biographer strives to make his subject out to be the next Washington of Lincoln, implicitly or explicitly. The same is true for this book about Hayes. While Hayes has usually fallen well short of that lofty mark in many assessments, he seems almost to acheive greatness in Trefousse's book. I found myself repeatedly asking if this man could be this good and insightful why isn't he considered one of our best leaders. In short, Hayes seems too good to be true in this slim volume. I was particularly disappointed in the chapter on the 1876 election. The book is a good overview of the issues Hayes faced but it has little depth or analysis. It also has piqued my curiosity to read more and determine if Hayes was, in fact, this good.

More, Please
A quick read, "Rutherford B. Hayes" touches all the highlights of Hayes's interesting and varied career. The book draws from the usual sources: Ari Hoogenboom's and Harry Barnard's 20th century biographies, Watt Marchman's work and Hayes's own extensive diaries and correspondence. It draws to a lesser extent from newspaper accounts and editorials of Hayes's day, particularly those concerning his political campaigns.
What the book doesn't do is provide new insight into Hayes himself: arguably the best-educated man ever elected to the presidency, someone who successfully navigated the treacherous political seas of the four decades that began just before the Civil War and ended with the election of McKinley a few years after Hayes's death in 1893. Hayes's interests in civil-service reform, literacy, equal rights for blacks, education, technology, penal reform and the establishment of facilities for the insane are all mentioned, but we get little more. His Civil War career (Hayes was in the thick of several battles, was wounded and eventually received a battlefield commission as a major general) merits somewhat more attention, but even that tends to go by in the writer's apparent rush to finish his story.
Hayes's post-White House service to the Slater Fund, a 19th century foundation that did much to advance the education of freed slaves, merits a only few lines.
At two points in his narrative the author points out the similarities between Hayes's situation in the disputed 1877 election and the election of 2000, but he does so in such brief fashion as to suggest he added them at the last minute, perhaps at the urging of an editor. Again, what we don't get at these points is any insight into the significance of these elections and their outcome, either constitutionally or in terms of the workings of the political system.
Repeatedly, I found myself thinking I was reading a term paper, based on secondary sources. It's not in a class with three other biographies I've read recently: David McCulloch's "John Adams," David Michaelis's "N.C. Wyeth," and Edmund Morris's "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt." Interestingly, each of these books chronicles the life of a compulsive diarist and letter-writer who became prominent in his own lifetime. Hayes had a similar compulsion, keeping a diary from his college days at Kenyon in the late 1830s until his death in 1893. Thousands of published and un-published letters he wrote are still in existence as well. They are available to scholars and could provide the basis for a thorough examination of Hayes's life. ... Read more

Amazon.com

While on a trip to East London in 1883, Jane Addams witnessed a distressing scene late one night: masses of poor people were bidding on rotten vegetables that were unsalable anywhere else.

Their pale faces were dominated by that most unlovely of human expressions, the cunning and shrewdness of the bargain-hunter who starves if he cannot make a successful trade, and yet the final impression was not of ragged, tawdry clothing nor of pinched and sallow faces, but of myriads of hands, empty, pathetic, nerveless, and workworn, showing white in the uncertain light of the street, and clutching forward for food which was already unfit to eat.

This scene haunted Addams for the next two years as she traveled through Europe, and she hoped to find a way to ease such suffering. Five years later, she visited Toynbee Hall, a London settlement house, and resolved to replicate the experiment in the U.S. On September 18, 1889, Jane Addams and her friend Ellen Starr moved into the second floor of a rundown mansion in Chicago's West Side. From the outset, they imagined Hull-House as a "center for a higher civic and social life" in the industrial districts of the city. Addams, Starr, and several like-minded individuals lived and worked among the poor, establishing (among other things) art classes, discussion groups, cooperatives, a kindergarten, a coffee house, a lending library, and a gymnasium. In a time when many well-to-do Americans were beginning to feel threatened by immigrants, Hull-House embraced them, showed them the true meaning of democracy, and served as a center for philanthropic efforts throughout Chicago.

Hull-House also provided an outlet for the energies of the first generation of female college graduates, who were educated for work yet prevented from doing it. In some respects, however, Addams's impressive work, often hailed by historians as "revolutionary," was nothing of the sort. She embraced the sexual stereotypes of her day, and, though she was clearly an independent woman, soothed public fears by acting primarily in the traditional roles of nurturer and caregiver. Hull-House was a rousing success, and it inspired others to follow in Addams's footsteps.

Though Twenty Years at Hull-House is meant to be an autobiography, it is Hull-House itself that stands in the spotlight. Addams devotes the first third of the book to her upbringing and influences, but the remainder focuses on the organization she built--and the benefits accruing to those who work with the poor as well as to the poor themselves. At times Addams's prose is difficult to follow, but her ideals and her actions are truly inspiring. A classic work of history--and a model for today's would-be philanthropists. --Sunny Delaney ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A Progressive who Took Her Own Path
Like many of her fellow "Progressives," Jane Addams was born in the midwest and received an exceptional scholastic and religious education. She was strongly devoted to her father and shared with him a reverence for Abraham Lincoln not just as a man, but as a living ideal against which all men should measure their ideas and actions. Typical of many reformers of her era, Addams was not attracted to evangelical duty. Missionary work left her with a sense of futile detachment from the wretched social conditions she witnessed in East London. After visiting Toynbee Hall, Addams decided to establish a similar settlement house in the rapidly-growing city of Chicago, where "the evil and vices of American life seemed to be exaggerated." Her experiences at this settlement house are the subject of this book.

Although, on the one hand, Addams seemed the typical Progressive; on the other hand she did not follow many of the ideas of the more radical reformers. She was very practical and refused to be swayed by the claims of certain social movements and untried panaceas. she did not become a socialist. Although she greatly admired Tolstoy, she found his message "confused and contradictory" and doubted its suitability to the situation in Chicago. She deplored any violent tactics associated with socialist and anarchist groups despite their "noble motives." Addams demostrated an understanding of the ways in which strikes had a detrimental effect on people outside the labor movement (her dying sister was unable to see her family because the transportation system was blocked due to the Pullman strike. Unlike most reformers, she also had respect for the immigrant cultures represented at Hull House. A labor museum put native sewing machines and other instruments and crafts on display for all to enjoy.

One observation made by this reader was the animosity on the part of European reformers toward the work of the settlement residents. Tolstoy offered petty criticisms and one English visitor concluded that reformers in America were indifferent to the plight of the poor because they could not recite the "cubic feet of air required for each occupant of a tenement bedroom." Such remarks smack of a "caring competition." Addams, however, was well aware that the settlement house experiment was far from complete. Jane Addams' honest and humble account--albeit long and sometimes rambling (don't let the skinny paperback fool you)--demonstrated her unwavering commitment to achieving the improvement and unity of humanity.

Learn to Read Before You Review
Most of the people who reviewed this book were forced to read it in college, admittedly. A couple of them openly confessed to having given up part-way through. My question: Why are you reviewing the book you haven't even read? Granted, it's not a Hollywood film, but it is perhaps one of the greatest works of the 20th century, written by an author who stands on par with Gandhi or Mother Teresa in her committment to social justice. Think about it this way: Addams' settlement house (or Hull House, as it was called) was like an ashram built in the middle of Chicago's dirtiest late 19th century slum. She was doing social work of a kind that had never been done before - working with immigrants, single mothers, orphins, troubled youth and the unemployed. The scope of her sociological experience has never been matched. Politically, Addams was an advocate for the abolition of war, and these views not only secured her the Nobel Prize, but also a black-listing with the House of Un-American Activities. I don't see what is not to like about this book. It is autobiographical in the strict sense of the term, but Addams was larger than life. If you are even vaguely interested in ethics, social work, sociology, social justice, or democracy, Addams' story will inspire and amaze you. Her life was a paradigmn of exellence. It was a life that will inspire you to achieve greatness yourself. I cannot over-recommend familiarizing yourself with this figure, and 20 Years at Hull House is the best place to start.

More context...
Two great books that discuss Addams huge contributions to society are the more general "That Jazz!: An Idiosyncratic Social History of the American Twenties" and the Chicago-specific (where she ran Hull House), "Altgeld's America." Check these out as well as this source material by Addams herself (quite a good writer, actually, despite what the 20-year-old reviewer said!).

Not for the Beginning Reader
I just started reading the "classics" in my own spare time, and this one was recommended to me. I think I would have appreciated it more if I had been a little bit more educated on the writing style. The vocabulary was a little difficult for me, and I'm almost 20, but I thought that the underlying message was clear. Jane Addams was a brilliant woman, and a true humanitarian. Maybe someday I'll pick it up again. This is a great autobiography, but not for beginners.

Wonderful book.
Although, I did find this book to be hard to read at times, I did find it very interesting. It was an inspiring book, showing what a group of dedicated ladies can do when they set their minds to something. Jane Addams is quite the heroine along with the many other ladies that helped her run Hull-House. A very inspiring story. We should all be as dedicated to doing good in the world. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Excellent Overview of Grant's Civil War Career
This is a well written book covering the campaigns and military career of U.S. Grant during the civil war.

Chapter 12 and the appendixes give a solid analysis of what made Grant a success and offers a great discussion of the attacks upon his record by his detractors.

Included within the book are statistical analysis demonstrating the losses suffered by Grant's armies were not out of proportion, especially when viewed in contrast to those suffered by Lee and his other opponents.

This book brings forth in a very readable style how and why Grant was a success as a general. It should be enjoyed by the novice and the expert on the subject of Grant's civil war career.

A Modest Revision of History
Perhaps it is the American tradition of rooting for the underdog. Perhaps it is the influence of movies like 'Gone With the Wind' that have created a golden image of the south (In spite of the South's Peculiar Institution - Slavery.) But for whatever reason, Robert E. Lee has been raised to almost God like esteem, while Grant has been considered a drunken butcher.

Of late, the reputation of Lee has suffered some. Incidents like Picketts Charge have been looked more closely in the reliaziation that Lee's most trusted Liutenant, Longstreet recommended against the Gettysburg campaign so heavily.

It is good to see that Grant is getting a new look. He led a masterful series of military campaigns, often over the objections of his superiors such as Hallack. And in the end, he won the war. Dr. Bonekemper does not go into the troubles Grant had as a civilian, either before the war or during his presidency. But after all, this is not a biography of Grant but a military history. Well done, well written, highly recommended.

Enjoyed this Book
I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. While I never thought of Grant as a "butcher", it gave me new insight into his merits as a commander and a person. It brought out a number of things that I had read in other contexts relating to the failings of other civil war generals and highlighted the strengths of Grant in avoiding their problems.

It was easy to read and understand. I recommend it highly.

A Myth No More
Historical myth, especially those connected to the Civil War, are not easily changed. Decades of authors have tried to embellish a myth until it is accepted as fact. Mr. Bonekemper does an excellent job of pulling together statistics, details and opinions concerning Ulysses Grant and then analyzing what these really mean. A case is meticulously built that Grant was a brilliant leader and apparently the only general who had an overall view of what needed to be done and how it would be accomplished. He not only understood the military actions needed on the battlefield but the political implications to Washington. Mr. Bonekemper refutes the myth that Grant was a butcher and shows how he generally minimized his overall loses by understanding the "big picture" and changing tactics when needed to overcome his opposition. The book is easy to follow and is highly recommended.

To the victor goes the spoils
Towards the end of the war Grant was losing 5000 troops per major engagment. Mary Todd Lincoln called him a butcher and wanted him removed. Abe wanted to end the war. Grant made no bones about his motive. To crush the south, and he did. I wonder if it was because he knew that sacrifice was necessary and with the Northern industrial complex behind the logistics and a draft in full swing (whew)... at that point Lincoln finally had a General who had the will to win at any cost. He could have won with one hand tied behind his back... the south was in poor shape. Yet Lee managed to give back worthily at just about every juncture, save Petersburg and the rear guard action into Appomatox. Was the book that good? No suprises here. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (5)

"Teddy" McKinley?
The previous reviewer is correct that Phillips has written an extended argument more than he has a traditional biography. But the argument is so cleverly advanced, and covers so much of McKinley's political life and presidency, that I found the book of compelling interest -- the best of the more than half-dozen biographies I've read in this wonderful The American Presidents series so far.

The core of Phillips's argument is that much of the credit given to Theodore Roosevelt properly belongs to his predecessor McKinley. In establishing a political realignment in 1896 based on both labor and urban-dweller votes, in greatly expanding America's world role, and in beginning the reforms to tilt the balance of economic power from capital to labor, McKinley either preceded Roosevelt, setting the pace for the latter's presidency, or outdid TR altogether.

Phillips's argument holds up fairly well, although some parts are better than others. He is very convincing in describing how McKinley created a political realignment in 1896 (and solidified it in 1900), but less so when discussing the importance of McKinley's rather circuitous route to protect labor against big capital.

Some of the most interesting parts of this book are its sidebars. Phillips should be commended for including short write-ups on the importance of Ohio to late-nineteenth century and early-twentieth century politics, as well as the importance of silver in that era. I even enjoyed the sections on McKinley and the tariff. This is not your typical biography, but its unusual approach is a strength, not a weakness.

An argument, not a biography or history
Phillips is a political commentator, not a historian or biographer. His goal with this book isn't to sketch in McKinley's life but to argue a thesis. His thesis is that McKinley was a important president, and the thing that makes him important is that he illustrates Phillips' career-making mega-theory about realignment politics. It's a campaign strategist's view of history.

Phillips doesn't seem to have consulted any primary sources at all. We get a lot of "he must have reflected" stuff, and assertions that McKinley deliberately wore a mask of conventionality, and that his blandness was a conscious strategy, etc., with no attempt to demonstrate the historical validity of any of it.

Still, there is some good stuff about Ohio's political centrality in the post-Civil War era, and a very good summary of the gold-silver debate, which was a matter of passionate interest in the 1880s and 1890s but is so baffling to modern Americans.

The author falls well short of his goal.
I have become a major fan of the short biographies presented in the American Presidents, and the Penguin Lives series. They are a means to provide both scholars and casual readers with insight into historical figures in a purposefully confined presentation.

Most of these figures come with an abundance of published biographies, and one measure of success for these short presentations is whether the reader is left wanting to read more extensive treatises. Unfortunately, this 200 page biography of William McKinley left me anxious to finish, and no desire to read more.

The author, Kevin Phillips, stated goal was to show how McKinley was more than just Teddy Roosevelt's predecessor, and deserved a ranking of much higher esteem. He contests the historical view that McKinley's importance is solely his expertise in tariffs. Oddly, the author then proceeds to include in each chapter significant discussion on tariffs. This made for very dry, and sometimes mind numbing reading. It also defeated his purpose of highlighting McKinley's other achievements.

As to these other accomplishments, what he provided were mostly anecdotal claims of superior skills, and simple conjectures of what he may have accomplished if not assassinated. As to the circumstances involving the assassination, the author seems to presume that the reader is too well acquainted with the story to bother providing any details. He also states that the president was more concerned with others while he lay dying, than of his own self. This is a heartening claim, but he failed to give any example of what he meant.

Furthermore, the author chose to not give any comparisons between how the Republican McKinley coped with national problems and with the current Republican president. This was an unfortunate choice by the author since it seemed like fertile ground, and would have gone far to make his subject more relevant to modern and future readers. I read the book thinking that the author was encumbered by his professional position as a Republican strategist. I now realize that he seems to have written this biography in conjunction with another book, published a few months later, faulting the Bush family's unprincipled influence on national politics.

It appears, therefore, that the author had much more to say, but chose to not do it with McKinley's help. Perhaps he was correct, and my suggestions may not have made a difference, but the resulting book gives us little to dispute the historical portrait of this president. McKinley does appear to have been a genuinely good person with many scruples not often visible in current politicians, but still not one who deserves much elevation in historical importance.

Historically, Theodore Roosevelt is tough act to precede.
There is so much more to President McKinley than we know. Kevin Phillips presents his biography in an interesting & informative way. This is a postive work to be sure & Mr. Phillps argues that McKinley is a near great or, maybe a better term would be highly sucessful president.
He learned well from his service in the Civil War & and close associations with political allies & mentors Presidents Garfield, Hayes & Harrison.
Given TR's bombastic personality & energy McKinkey comes off in comparison as dull, boring & self effacing. He spent most of his time away from the job caring for his sickly wife.
However, it appears that much of TR's success can be traced to the McKinley administration. Although lackluster, he was well liked by both sides & worked well behind the scenes allowing others to take credit for his accomplishments. He didn't need the ego gratification of TR, Taft or Wilson who preceeded him. In temperment & integrity he was much like his predecessor, Grover Cleveland, although they were political opponents.
As the 20th century drew near America was at a crossroads. McKinely guided the U.S. through those historic times with skill & wisdom.
When he took office, The U.S. was just recovering from the worst depression in history. He protected markets & wages rose.
He redeveloped kinship with England that continues today. Then there was his "Splendid little War" with Spain. It propelled the United States into a new position of economic & military significance. The United States then entered upon it own era of overseas expansion (Imperialism). This was all a percursor to what became America's Century.

A lively, bold apologia for a possibly underrated president
I have tremendously enjoyed the volumes that have appeared so far in Arthur Schlesinger Jr.'s The American Presidents, but this is the first volume to have appeared so far that managed to transcend the limitations inherent in a series such as this. Most of the other volumes consist of a chronological recounting of the relevant president's life and career, with some assessment of his significance and achievements. Kevin Phillips, in a comparable number of pages, manages to present a case for a complete revision of the popular understanding of William McKinley, our 25th President. Although many of McKinley's biographers have argued some of the same things that Phillips does here, he does so in a much more vigorous fashion.

The stereotype of McKinley is that he was a somewhat dimwitted puppet under the control of Big Business, a man of little imagination, no culture, and a nonprogressive who was eclipsed by the ascendance of Teddy Roosevelt following his assassination. Phillips, on the other hand, wants to argue that he was a self-confident reformer who masked his goals under a congenial exterior, possessed a highly cultivated knack for maneuvering others to his own position, was vastly more concerned with protecting laborers and wages than the desires of business, and laid the foundations for progressive reforms that he himself would have begun had his life not ended so suddenly. Phillips shows that McKinley's obsession with tariffs had little to do with a desire to reward the rich, but with a desire to increase the wages of American workers.

Though but lightly stated, much of Phillips's book is intended as a polemic against contemporary misuses of McKinley, such as Karl Rove, George W. Bush's chief aide. Many conservatives envision turning government back to a time before the unquestionably Progressive Roosevelt, to a mythical William McKinley who is assumed to share many of the values of contemporary supporters of Bush. Phillips shows over and over, however, that McKinley in fact shared almost no basic political goals or values with contemporary conservatives. Continually throughout the book, Phillips shows that McKinley had deep ties to labor, and was concerned with the needs of business primarily to the degree that healthy business meant higher wages for workers. He was quite sympathetic to organized labor, to a degree unusual in his time, and even the right of workers to strike. On the other hand, he, like all 19th century American presidents, found the accumulation of excessive amounts of wealth to be repugnant and a little obscene, hardly a quality he holds with contemporary conservatives. Even further destroying the parallels between current conservativism and McKinley, Phillips refers to McKinley's concerns with tax fairness, which did not mean lessening the tax burden on the wealthy and business, but the demand for a progressive tax structure that required those best off paying more than those less well off. McKinley's progressivism in the book comes out also in his strong support for women being given the right to vote, for blacks to be allow to vote unimpeded, and for senators to be voted by direct vote by the people, and not by selection by state legislatures.

Phillips notes that many give McKinley more credit for achievements in foreign policy, but brings the credit he deserves into sharper focus, noting that during the crisis with Spain he essentially took on the jobs of Secretary of State (due to the unexpected rapid aging of John Sherman) and Secretary of War.

Lest one imagine that these are all creative rereadings of McKinley's career based on playing lose with the facts, Phillips shows that the essential assessment he makes was borne out by the evaluations of the illustrious individuals who served in his cabinet. He also displays the causes for the unflattering portrait of McKinley that grew up after the onset of the New Deal.

One could easily disagree with much in the book, and nonetheless celebrate it for being a significant and spirited reevaluation of a significant American president. Nearly all the writers in this series have attempted to validate the claim that their subjects were underrated presidents (except Robert Remini, who though maintaining that John Quincy Adams is one of the great American public servants, concedes that he was a pretty dismal president), but Phillips wants to do more than that. In Schlesinger terminology, he wants to argue that he is a near great president, but on top of that has been horribly misunderstood in profound and important ways. Whether one agrees with his reassessment, this book performs a great service by dismantling a persistent but untenable stereotype. Of all the books in this series (I have read all but Garry Wills book on Madison), this one is by far the most invigorating one that I have read. The other volumes have deepened my knowledge of several of our presidents, but this one has actually changed my mind. ... Read more

Amazon.com

On August 5, 1949, lightning came crashing down in the vast spruce forest above Seeley Lake, Montana, and touched off a roaring blaze. As every Westerner knows, lightning means fire, but the fire that raged through Mann Gulch that day was huge--the sort that occurs only every few decades. A battery of paratrooper-firefighters, many of them fresh veterans of World War II, had been anticipating it, and even looking forward to the chance to fight a great fire. Before the day ended thirteen of those smokejumpers lay dead, their charred remains evidence that something had gone terribly wrong. Norman Maclean gives a thorough account of the incident in language not meant for the squeamish: "Burning to death on a mountainside is dying at least three times ... first, considerably ahead of the fire, you reach the verge of death in your boots and your legs; next, as you fail, you sink back in the region of strange gases and red and blue darts where there is no oxygen and here you die in your lungs; then you sink in prayer into the main fire that consumes." After August 1949, he notes, the Forest Service came to recognize that not all fires need to be fought and that fire benefits most forest ecosystems. ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Innocence in the Face of Danger
Have you ever known someone that has been involved with firefighting? Do you want to know more about the brave, young firefighters that are risking their lives on a daily basis? If firefighting is an interest of yours or if you want to ignite a spark that will increase your interest in firefighting, I recommend reading Norman Maclean's Young Men and Fire. Maclean takes the readers through a devastating story of a young group of Smokejumpers that lost their lives in the Mann Gulch fire on August 5, 1949, in Young Men and Fire.
Maclean first captures the audience and draws them into his personal relationship to the story of the Smokejumpers. He does so by telling of his experiences with working in the forest service department. Maclean immediately presents the dangers and the horrible after effects that fires have. An emphasis on the fact that everyone is susceptible to the dangers of fire helps introduce the story. Maclean shows even the impacts that forest fires have on the animal. "A deer terribly burned. It was drinking and probably had been for a long time." (12) Maclean compares the deer's suffering to the suffering that some of the few survivors from the August 5 Smokejumping crew may have endured. It seems that fire brings life down to its barest form and demands that all things living be bonded because they are all vulnerable.
Smokejumping was a topic that I had never heard of before Young Men and Fire was suggested for my book group. I was both interested and excited at the chance to learn more about the mysterious world of Smokejumping as Maclean presents it in Young Men and Fire. Maclean's rhythmic language and detailed description all help to bring the Smokejumpers' story to life. The Smokejumpers, as people, come to life and it is easy to see them as more than just firefighters. I could see some of the same characteristics in these Smokejumpers as I see in my brother, father, uncles, grandfathers, etc. Maclean emphasizes the important characteristics that the Smokejumpers must have, "They had to be young, tough, and in one way or another from the backcountry." (26) As rough and as strong as these young men were, they still were young, innocent, and naïve to the fact that they were being sent to one of the roughest landscapes in the country to fight fires.
Maclean creates the landscape in a way that demands the readers to fear the beauty of the land before them. The Mann Gulch fire occurred in a rural area of Montana; Mann Gulch is only easily accessible by boat or by helicopter. A photograph insert is included in most copies of Young Men and Fire and it is very helpful to be able to see through photographs what Maclean is talking about. Maclean references to the included photographs and uses them only to emphasize the sheer greatness of the landscape. One aspect that Maclean elaborates on is the steepness of the land saying that the land possesses a, "76 percent slope having no shade." (192) In many of the photographs, the crosses of the 13 men that died fighting the Mann Gulch fire can be seen. Maclean particularly uses the photographs to elaborate on how details, such as crosses, helped him to reveal the truth behind the Mann Gulch fire.
At one point in Maclean's narrative, he revisits Mann Gulch with an expert friend and two of the fire's survivors, Sallee and Rumsey. Maclean continues his journey of revealing the truth behind what happened on August 5, 1949 through the first hand accounts of Sallee and Rumsey. A lot of controversy surrounds the events that occurred that day, most of which surround the foreman of that day's jump crew, Wag Dodge. Dodge and his fellow Smokejumpers knew that they were in trouble from the start because of the fire's unpredictable direction changes. Because of the steep landscape, it was impossible to keep the crew within shouting distance of one another and the group began to split apart. These young Smokejumpers quickly became terrified and began to, as Rumsey says, "'I was only thinking of my own hide.'" (96) I could not help but think that these young men were supposed to act as a team and yet, in a moment when they needed each other the most, they split and went their own ways. The majority of controversy surrounds the "escape" fire that Dodge created; an "escape" fire being a secondary fire that would create ashes for the men to lay down in and let the fire "jump" over them. Many people question the fate of the crew had they followed Dodge's instructions.
Maclean, the son of a Presbyterian minister, presents religion in Young Men and Fire in a very non-confrontational way, seeming to almost hint at the importance of religion. Maclean says that you can tell if a man is Catholic or not by whether or not he has a cross around his neck. The Smokejumpers' struggles through their journeys and their way of taking relief breaks causes me to see the allusions of the Stations of the Cross. Religion continues to peek its way through Maclean's narrative and adds to the question of fate.
Maclean does a wonderful job of telling the Smokejumpers' story and what they encountered in the last few hours of their lives. Maclean describes his own writing style in Young Men and Fire, as that of a storyteller. Maclean says, "A storyteller, unlike a historian, must follow compassion wherever it leads him." (102) As I progressed through Young Men and Fire, I could tell that Maclean is telling a story that he does not want to be forgotten. The tragedy of the Smokejumpers is one that Maclean found a great deal of compassion for and that is why he pursued the story. He spent nearly 25 years writing Young Men and Fire, only in an attempt to tell the Smokejumpers' story with the most precise details and stories. Young Men and Fire is a very accurate novel and it takes into account various viewpoints from many experts and survivors of the fire.
I would recommend Young Men and Fire to anyone that is interested in a glimpse into an often-overlooked piece of history. Smokejumping is a very interesting subject because it is rather new technique used in firefighting, coming into existence only around the early 1940's. Maclean's simple, storytelling technique will sooth you through a disastrous story of death and destruction. Maclean took great care when writing Young Men and Fire because he did not want to down play what happened to these young men. The story of Mann Gulch fire on August 5, 1949 will live forever through Maclean's Young Men and Fire. I would rate Young Men and Fire an A-. Enjoy this fantastic read about the journeys that Maclean went through to tell the most accurate story of the Smokejumpers.

An excellent story about a story
I've read a number of reviews that talk about how repetitive and disorganized this book is, but I really didn't find this to be a problem.

To me, the book read almost as though the story being told was not merely the story of the smokejumpers at Mann Gulch, but of the uncovering of the story of that tragedy. I almost imagined the story of the fire as the main character of the book and I was getting to know a little more about this character as the book carried on. It's hard to describe, but I thought it was an interesting angle to take. Perhaps it reads that way because the author wasn't finished when he died, but that didn't make a difference to me.

As pure literature, I might not find it so engaging -- the writing is beautiful, but if you are only interested in the events of the fire, this book takes the long way 'round. Taken as both a historical narrative and something of a literary exploration (the whole "story of the uncovering of a story" thing), however, I think it's fantastic. Maclean's writing is just breathtakingly beautiful, and I speak glowingly of this book to all my friends.

Great book
A powerful and complex book, compelling, clearly written. It covers human drama and tragedy, scientific search and discovery, all with a "you are there" in the great outdoors setting. As good a book as I have read, bar none.

For better and worse a poetic expostion
It's hard to classify this book beyond saying that it's a moving non-fiction tale. Maclean uses historical techniques to reconstruct the Mann Gulch fire of August 5, 1949, but his exposition is poetic rather than historical. For example, the author imagines his characters' thoughts and ponders the writing process as well as his wife's death from cancer. Sometimes Maclean's lyrical prose seems just and apt, at other times silly and pretentious. I suppose every reader could put together his own list of good and bad sentences.

As examples of the former let me suggest two from the first paragraph of Chapter One: "In 1949 the Smokejumpers were not far from their origins as parachute jumpers turned stunt performer dropping from the wings of planes at county fairs just for the hell of it plus a few dollars, less hospital expenses.... They were still so young they hadn't learned to count the odds and to sense they might owe the universe a tragedy." (19)

As examples of the latter, I offer two from near the end of the book: "...the compassion felt for themselves by the tragic young is self-pity transformed into some divine bewilderment, one of the few emotions in which the young and the universe are the only characters. Although divine bewilderment addresses its grief to the universe, it only cries out to it." (299)

Generally Maclean, his subject, and his literary style seem most congruent when the humanity of the Mann Gulch tragedy is addressed, less fitting when the author discusses hard science. Perhaps recognizing this weakness, the University of Chicago Press did not create an index for this book.

A Heated Investigation
Soaring high above the earth, you are on a mission. Densely crammed into a plane, you are part of a team of adventurous souls. Sitting straddle-legged on the floor with your back to the cockpit, the group forms one body. The roasting heat of the fire below rises, and the air begins to gnaw tirelessly at your soul. In preparation of the jump, you and the others stand, approach the open door, and wait anxiously for the signal. Receiving a tap on the left leg, it is time. Crouching in the tuck position, you fall into the flaming world below.
The task of a smokejumper is intensely frightening. In Young Men and Fire, Norman Maclean shares the tragic experience of thirteen smokejumpers' fight in the Mann Gulch Fire. Searching for truth, in a land of ashy remains, Maclean thoroughly explores the untold stories of one group's disastrous struggle in the forests of Missoula, Montana. Deeply gripping, Young Men and Fire becomes one man's captivating journey through the fires of the land and his aged soul.
Young Men and Fire is a three-part, non-fiction account of one of Montana's deadliest forest fires. Haunted by the unanswered mysteries of the Mann Gulch Fire, Maclean begins to unravel the stories of these thirteen young men who so horribly perished. In sensitive and compelling language, he describes the innocence of these smokejumpers. "As the elite of young men, they felt more surely than most who are young that they were immortal. So if we are to feel with them, we must feel that we are set apart from the rest of the universe and safe from fires, all of which are expected to be put out by ten o'clock the morning after Smokejumpers are dropped on them" (298). In a tender, almost storyteller tone, Maclean molds our visions of these men by conveying their "immortal" outlook on life. The author wants his readers to feel connected to their souls and illustrates images of their lives: the women they loved, the families they parted from, and the goals they were unable to reach. As Maclean develops our understanding of the smokejumpers, both their personal characteristics and the dynamics of their job, he begins to explore why the Mann Gulch tragedy had such a personal impact on his own life.
In every aspect, Maclean's exploration through the Mann Gulch Fire was a religious experience. He describes the smokejumpers' falling as "umbilical, an act of rebirth," as they descend from sky to earth (53). With overwhelming Christian tones, Maclean shares his beliefs that smokejumping is a spiritual task; just as we are delivered from the heavens, the jumpers fall again from the skies above. Continually, the author will refer to his religious analogies of smokejumping. After studying the scientific details surrounding the deaths of the smokejumpers, Maclean shares his own evidence on the meaning of the death. "At the very end beyond thought and beyond fear and beyond even self-compassion and divine bewilderment there remains some firm intention to continue doing forever and ever what we last hoped to do on earth. By this final act they had come about as close as body and spirit can to establishing a unity to themselves with earth, wind, fire and perhaps the sky" (300). I was deeply moved to see that Maclean had such reflections on the passing of life. For here, the reader is able to see that the Mann Gulch tragedy had turned into a search for answers in the hills of Montana as well as in the heart of one elderly man.
Maclean's in depth study of the Mann Gulch Fire, gives readers a breathtakingly real understanding for the complexity and seriousness of smokejumping. I had no previous knowledge of this aspect of firefighting, and found his lessons fascinating. Maclean provides a haunting investigation into the emotions and realities that plague all smokejumpers. His writing is historic, yet simple, and allows many audiences an opportunity to learn the story of such a significant event. Maclean prompts his readers, through his comprehensive writing, to reexamine their notions of the tragedy. He suggests, "you can see tragedy coming from a considerable distance when you are older, but when you are young tragedy dies not pertain to you and certainly never catches up to you (278). Again, Maclean is exposing his views, and the reader begins to see that this book became an exploration of his own mortality.
For fourteen years, Norman Maclean searched for truth. He did not find every answer to the mysteries surrounding the Mann Gulch Fire; however, he discovered something greater. Maclean gave voices to those who could not speak, shared stories that were buried far too long, and found meaning through tragedy. Norman Maclean passed away before his book was published, but the press uncovered his work and concluded that "Young Men and Fire was where, near the end, all the lives he had lived would merge: the lives of a woodsmen, firefighter, scholar, teacher, and storyteller" (xiii). This book is truly an accomplished work of nature, humanity and faith. ... Read more

Book Description

Whittaker Chambers is the first biography of this complex and enigmatic figure. Drawing on dozens of interviews and on materials from forty archives in the United States and abroad--including still-classified KGB dossiers--Tanenhaus traces the remarkable journey that led Chambers from a sleepy Long Island village to center stage in America's greatest political trial and then, in his last years, to a unique role as the godfather of post-war conservatism. This biography is rich in startling new information about Chambers's days as New York's "hottest literary Bolshevik"; his years as a Communist agent and then defector, hunted by the KGB; his conversion to Quakerism; his secret sexual turmoil; his turbulent decade at Time magazine, where he rose from the obscurity of the book-review page to transform the magazine into an oracle of apocalyptic anti-Communism. But all this was a prelude to the memorable events that began in August 1948, when Chambers testified against Alger Hiss in the spy case that changed America. Whittaker Chambers goes far beyond all previous accounts of the Hiss case, re-creating its improbably twists and turns, and disentangling the motives that propelled a vivid cast of characters in unpredictable directions.

A rare conjunction of exacting scholarship and narrative art, Whittaker Chambers is a vivid tapestry of 20th century history. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Great piece of recent American History
This was quite a compelling saga. I knew very little of either Chambers or the Hiss case prior to reading this book. The author makes the details and players come to life. Quite enlightening to read how Richard Nixon got his career kicked into overdrive via the Hiss Case. As the 1900's come to a close, this book provides a unique way to review some of the key political events of the 20th Century - the rise of the Soviet Union, Communism in America, the New Deal, the McCarthy Hearings. I would recommend this to readers from either side of the political aisle.

A fascinating man who lived in the (fore?)shadows
Mr. Tanenhaus has written a book that simply outstanding...truly hard to put down. Admittedly, I am not of the generation that lived through the Hiss trials, and my knowledge of events of the time suffered from cobwebs before I read this book. But two things in particular struck me: 1) the absolutely fascinating life that Chambers led, and the historic people he met (and impressed) along the way from Columbia to the underground, to Time, to the world of politics; and 2) the way in which the Hiss case presaged modern political scandals, in terms of the role of Congess and ambitious politicians (e.g., Nixon), the role of the media (Meet the Press and the televised 'Confrontation Day'), and the way in which politicians can suspend disbelief to preserve "the cause" (in this case New Deal liberalism) or the class. Finally, viewing the whole Chambers-Hiss encounter from 1948 on as a class conflict makes the whole damn thing mind-boggling...and great reading.

Definitive Assessment of Chambers and the Hiss Case
This is probably the best version of the Whittaker Chambers's life. It is particularly useful as a supplement to Chambers's own story: "Witness."

Tanenhaus's biography of Whittaker Chamber was written with a deliberately neutral stance, although collaborated well with Chambers's own story. It was backed by copious and meticulous research, and filled in more than a few gaps.

The most notable gaps in "Witness" included Chambers's strong [same sex] tendencies and his having engaged in habitual [same sex] acts for a period of time, even though he had made testimonial depositions to that effect. In fact, in "Witness", the reader gets the impression that Chambers regarded his adversaries' insinuation of his [alternative lifestyle] as a baseless attack. Another omission was that Chambers, in his youth, was apprehended for stealing significant number of books from two libraries, and was barred from them. These issues later emerged as a strike against him during the Hiss trials. A third, perhaps most significant "omission" was that Chambers in his own book consistently claimed that the reason he withheld the evidence of espionage was because he wanted to shield Hiss and his family from being prosecuted for a much more serious crime. The truth of the matter was that Chambers was also shielding himself from the same crime. Tanenhaus's book provided these facets, which Chambers would rather not get into.

Tanenhaus's book also gave a much more nuanced version of the proceedings of the Hiss trials, including defense lawyer Stryker's courtroom rhetoric and the sparring on the Woodstock typewriter. As well, there were some interesting facets of Chambers's life after the Hiss trial, in particular the writing and publication of "Witness", his declining health, his support of and eventual distancing from Senator Joseph McCarthy, his friendship with the up-and-coming William Buckley, Jr., and the gradual, mellowing shift of his political thinking in his last years away from the extreme right. Also, Tanenhaus's book added some new material regarding the accusation, which surfaced after the cold war, that tend to put Alger Hiss's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Although not as riveting as "Witness", this book more than held its own in terms of style, pace, clarity, completeness, and analytic insight. Tanenhaus also tried hard to maintain a sense of neutrality on a person as complex and controversial as Whittaker Chambers. I am quite willing to regard "Whittaker Chambers" as the definitive portrayal of the person, and definitive assessment of the Hiss Case.

A Wonderful Biography About a Complicated Man
Whittaker Chambers still arouses great passions. He accused Alger Hiss (and others) of spying for the Soviet Union and claims he knew that it was true because he was himself a communist spy and was Hiss's contact. But that story, while a part of this book, isn't the sole focus of this magnificent book. You can read the story of the trials of Alger Hiss, the testimony given, and more about that story in Allen Weinstein's very fine "Perjury" (a book which also arouses strong emotions).

The story of Chambers' life is also told by Chambers himself in his powerful autobiography "Witness". His life is a rather involved tale, and though the spy story is why Chambers became famous (infamous) it isn't reason why he is important. It is hard to recapture the vast esteem in which Stalin and the Soviet Union were held by the "literate" classes in American Society. But it doesn't take too much reading to peel back current revisionist writing that pretends the left rejected Stalin. It wasn't so. They loved Uncle Joe at the time of the Hiss case and made apologies for him even after the horrors of the Gulag were revealed. Even after Hiss' guilt has been proven beyond all but the most determined and self-blinded doubt, you can find those who insist on his innocence.

Whittaker Chambers was a gifted writer and a well regarded editor at Henry Luce's Time magazine. When he admitted his role in spying for the USSR and International Communism it represented the initial break in the dam. In "Witness", Chambers' autobiography, Chambers describes the agony he went through in realizing he had no choice but to take the course of trying to stop Hiss and thereby ruining his own life and irreparably harming his family.

Chambers was pessimistic about the West surviving a mortal struggle with Communism. He is often linked with McCarthy, but he thought McCarthy's recklessness more of a benefit to the other side.

"Witness" was an important best seller and is still in print. In it Chambers pours out his conscience and how his atheism turned to a deep faith and why that turned him against the movement he had embraced and had helped prosper through his gifts as a writer and editor.In this amazing book.

In this wonderful biography, Tanenhaus gives us context for all of this and so much more detail. The author also provides verification (and refutation) of claims made by and about Chambers. This book is beautifully written and carefully researched. The author shows great judgment and insight into all of the issues involved in this rich life at the extremes of human philosophy.

It is wrong to condemn this book and its author because of anger with Chambers. It is beyond all doubt that the thrust of Chambers' story was the truth. In my judgement, it is the truth in all but a few details. Tanenhaus is the reporter of fact and wishes that reality were different cannot change the facts. What is the old saying? You are entitled to your own interpretations, but not your own facts.

We owe Tanenhaus a great deal for putting such wonderful talent and years of hard work in giving us this outstanding book. This book was the subject of a great interview on Booknotes and is still available online. I am glad to see that this book is now part of the Modern Library series. It should be widely read.

Master of Deceit
At first W. Chambers claimed that Alger Hiss and others were secret Communists whose purpose was to influence poli