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Knowledge is the quickest and safest path to success in any area of life. Stephen Covey has encapsulated the strategies used by all those who are highly effective. Success can be learned and this book is an excellent way to learn how to do that.  I also highly recommend Turner, Turner, Turner: The King of Network Marketing to learn strategies from another highly spirited man who has learned how to achieve maximum effectiveness and keep balance in all aspects of life. --thereesa shigohout 

David McCullough is known as a sterling storyteller of American history with two Pulitzer Prizes for Biography ("John Adams" 2001 and "Truman" 1992) and a National Book Award ("Mornings on Horseback" 1981). What many readers may not realize is that he is a researcher par excellence as evidence by the ten years he spent reading original documents, interviewing and traveling to relevant sites for "Truman." Now he utilizes some of his previous background research for "John Adams" to tell the tale of the crucial year of the American Revolution. "1776."

Most Americans are familiar with the Christmas Eve crossing of the Delaware River to win the Battle of Trenton and to close out 1776. Mr. McCullough describes the more unfamiliar stories of the American siege of Boston in driving out the British army and the British victory in driving the Revolutionary army from New York City.

His real strength is as an editor, in choosing which historical stories to include and to exclude, for his 284 page narrative (with 100 additional pages of supporting documentation) could easily have been thrice its current length. In fact, David Hackett Fischer's "Washington Crossing" (2004) and William Dwyer's "The Day Is Ours" (1983) are both over 400+ pages in reciting only the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. The reader should be aware that "1776" is merely an introduction to that year, for the actions of the other Founding Fathers (and Mothers) are barely mentioned.

"1776" is fun to read as the 229th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches. Mr. McCullough makes clear how close the American Revolution came to failing that year. British overconfidence and Washington's determination (for his battlefield experience as a military commander was nil) were the difference. The reader is directed to "Patriots" (1988) by A.J. Langguth for the best overall view of the American Revolution (1761-1783). -- C. Hutton

Not a bad book, not really a good book either. But, it does a Great Job defining a new enemy and tactics. Woulfe does an incredible job of describing asymmetric warfare, tactics, and possible outcomes. These plausible tactics could be effectively employed against the US Military or any other strong military force. Very scary if you think about it.

Distinguished author Ben Lambeth details the initial U.S. military response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, namely, the destruction of al Qaeda's terrorist infrastructure and the removal of the ruling Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Lambeth emphasizes several distinctive achievements in this war, including the use of precision air-delivered weapons, the first combat use of Predator unmanned aerial vehicles armed with Hellfire missiles, and the integrated employment of high-altitude drones and other air- and space-based sensors.

I'm always a little wary of long history books written by journalists, who sometimes present history as a tedious interview of various "sources." Stephen Budiansky, a correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly, is a happy exception to the rule. His prose is clear and crisp, and he tells an engaging story in a way that kept drawing me back to his rather hefty "Air Power."
Budiansky begins his book by explaining why the accomplishments of the Wright Brothers were so remarkable. He then renders a detailed history of the military uses, both real and imagined, of aircraft. The result is a story of a rapidly emerging technology told against the background of the military theories of the 20th and early 21st century.

Throughout his book, Budiansky takes issue with the views of theorists and generals who claimed that air power could be a "war-winning" weapon, either because it could be used to terrorize civilian populations into surrender or because it could cause rapid economic collapse by striking at the chokepoints in an enemy's supply system. The author argues that, with very few exceptions (such as the interdiction of German oil supplies in the last year of World War II), air power has not performed very well as a strategic tool and has always been far more effective when used as a tactical weapon in support of forces on the ground. In this sense, the Second Gulf War in Iraq can be viewed as the apotheosis of the effective use of air power: with the advent of readily available precision weapons, even "strategic" aircraft such as the B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers have been used to great advantage in the role of close support of ground troops.

In the aftermath of the opening phases of the Second Gulf War, air power is for the moment ascendant on the battle field. But if there is anything to be learned from Budiansky's meticulous history, it is that military innovation is a very Darwinian business. Plenty of bright people are studying the successful American and British invasion of Iraq, trying to make sure that the air power strategy used in that conflict will work just as well in the next war--or, for those worried about being on the receiving end, trying to prevent that strategy from working at all. -- semloh2287
 

Charles E. Heller and William A. Stofft assembled a distinguished team of American military history experts to examine the first major battles fought in each of the nations wars through the Vietnam conflict. This is militay history at its best, dramatic, insightful and informative, not only for an audience in uniform but also for any American interested in how the military functions in our society. The descriptions of battles ranges from well known actions such as Bull Run in the Civil War to the savage jungle fighting at Buna, New Guinea in World War II. I frequently refer to America's First Battles as I prepare my lectures on American military history. We can only hope that the editors will consider a new edition in the future to take the story through the triumph of Desert Storm, and the confusion of the Clinton administration. A military history classic.

This author wastes energy on knocking down a straw man: we already know that leadership and command are "art," not "science". Directing men in situations of fear and chaos requires odd combinations of qualities and that instinct usually proves more valuable than learned behaviours. Even so, this book traces what has been uniquely American about our leaders' actions, efforts and behaviour. The case studies are well chosen, as is the level of analysis. We can all learn more about our human relations from this book, which provides great value for money.

This book provides a superb historical assessment of the invasion and ensuing war in North Africa in 1942-1943. This book combines in-depth insight into Allied campaign planning, strategy, and tactics directed at ejecting the German Army from North Africa. The leadership traits and wartime relationships of Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel are thoroughly chronicled, and are instructive to leaders in the 21st Century. -- CSAF Website

As grippingly as any novelist, preeminent World War II historian Stephen Ambrose tells the horrifying, hallucinatory saga of Easy Company, whose 147 members he calls the nonpareil combat paratroopers on earth circa 1941-45. Ambrose takes us along on Easy Company's trip from grueling basic training to Utah Beach on D-day, where a dozen of them turned German cannons into dynamited ruins resembling "half-peeled bananas," on to the Battle of the Bulge, the liberation of part of the Dachau concentration camp, and a large party at Hitler's "Eagle's Nest," where they drank the madman's (surprisingly inferior) champagne. Of Ambrose's main sources, three soldiers became rich civilians; at least eight became teachers; one became Albert Speer's jailer; one prosecuted Bobby Kennedy's assassin; another became a mountain recluse; the despised, sadistic C.O. who first trained Easy Company (and to whose strictness many soldiers attributed their survival of the war) wound up a suicidal loner whose own sons skipped his funeral.

The Easy Company survivors describe the hell and confusion of any war: the senseless death of the nicest kid in the company when a souvenir Luger goes off in his pocket; the execution of a G.I. by his C.O. for disobeying an order not to get drunk. Despite the gratuitous horrors it relates, Band of Brothers illustrates what one of Ambrose's sources calls "the secret attractions of war ... the delight in comradeship, the delight in destruction ... war as spectacle." --Tim Appelo

I read this book after having read two other books on the Battle of Gettysburg. I found that I wanted to know more about the circumstances surrounding that battle, the situation of the two armies, the generals, the politicians, and the state of the economies of the two sides engaged. But I was daunted by the plethora of information on the American Civil War. I had no desire to immerse myself in some three or four volume 2000-page work because, aside from believing myself unable to keep everything in perspective and not to get bogged down in minutiae, I reasoned that plain laziness and attention span problems would keep me from ever finishing anything like that. Plus I had to admit that it was the battles that interested me the most, and I despaired of having to read a separate book or two on each of the dozens of battles that are considered "major" during those four years.

Then I found this book: a single volume that encompasses the entire conflict from its military and political antecedents to the economic and sociological ingredients that forced the Union to enter into a war that would change forever the face of democracy. And this book did not give short shrift to the battles. To the contrary, the battles remain central and are accompanied by helpful maps.

I took a chance on this book and now that I have finished it I have to say that it is all that I could have hoped for.
Battle Cry of Freedom does what would appear to be the impossible: it includes virtually everything of consequence about the war and continues to hold the reader's interest. There are periods, especially when delving into some of the voting and politicking, the changes of party affiliations, voting data, etc., that get somewhat tedious. But if the reader is willing to work his way through these chapters he finds that he will come out the wiser, and that the next chapter, perhaps one on the next military campaign, will be better understood in itself because the larger context has been appreciated.
How James McPherson (no relation to the Union general of that name) was able to do this is nothing short of astonishing, a kind of scholarly and artistic legerdemain that allows so much to be packed into so short a space. If you want to know as much as your head can comfortably hold, and you do not want to read an entire shelf of your local library to do it, then this book is a must. My wife and I read large portions of this book out loud to one another (heartily recommended) and had our own discussions about it. We also read, concurrently, a shorter book, "Decisive Battles of the Civil War" as a companion piece to get another concise overview of the military engagements themselves.

McPherson has a definite Northern bias, but he is always fair about giving the other side its time in court. It is, after all, the North that won, and our country is what it is today because of that. The South's many disadvantages were built into its culture and ideology. Nonetheless, we intend to read Shelby Foote's three volumes to get a Southern perspective. I would not have had the gumption to go further if McPerson had not made the whole terrible period more understandable in the first place.

Do not be afraid to take the plunge.

 

 Revered by many Americans as a martyr for his cause, Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell has been one of the least understood figures of modern military history. His position as the dominant figure in American aviation from 1919 until his court-martial in 1925 has made him the frequent subject of biography, film, and television, but usually these portrayals have overemphasized the sensational elements of his story. For Mitchell, sensationalism was only a means of drawing attention to his farsighted ideas on aviation. In Billy Mitchell, he emerges as a man with a mission and a true pioneer of modern aviation, a man whose ideas about leadership in aerial operations inspire and instruct today’s airmen and women. Anyone interested in aviation will delight in this compelling biography.

 

Stephen Ambrose pays tribute to the heroes of WWII in the best way possible, in their own words. Covering the war in Europe from June 7 1944 to May 7 1945, Ambrose gives you an overall history of key events backed up by personal reflections of both American and German veterans.
This book contains personal accounts of what it was actually like to live, fight, and mostly survive on the front lines of the battlefield. One amazing story after another describes what it was like to spend weeks in a foxhole under sub zero temeratures, to being cramped into a B-17 under enemy fire. I found myself being completely horrified from one page, to laughing at the next, but always shaking my head and thinking "WOW". There are also accounts of some lesser-published trageties of the war such as the senseless battle of the Hurtgen forrest, the sinking of the Leopoldville, and the way poorly trained replacement troops were shuttled to the front lines only to be killed in large numbers due to their lack of experience.

I turned pages of this book faster than I have with any other book.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this subject and would like a better appreciation of the sacrifices of so many to preserve the freedom that we enjoy today. -- P. Powell 

The thesis of this provocative and potentially important book is the increasing threat of violence arising from renewed conflicts between countries and cultures that base their traditions on religious faith and dogma. This argument moves past the notion of ethnicity to examine the growing influence of a handful of major cultures--Western, Eastern Orthodox, Latin American, Islamic, Japanese, Chinese, Hindu, and African--in current struggles across the globe. Samuel P. Huntington, a political scientist at Harvard University and foreign policy aide to President Clinton, argues that policymakers should be mindful of this development when they interfere in other nations' affairs.

This book does an excellent job of explicating certain key differences between Islamic thought and the world view of the West, which evolved from an "underdog" religion --Christianity --taking control of the Roman Empire. The Prophet founded and ruled an empire in his own lifetime, and that empire continued to expand for 1000 years. Consequently, the fundamental concept upon which Western secularism rests -- "render unto Caesar" -- never developed.

In addition, it does an excellent job of explaining the nature of Wahhabi Islam, and Saudi Arabia's fundamental role in promulgating it.

The book is a little weak in the afterword, where he tries to figure out how rapprochement between the two cultures can be achieved, but so far, a lot of smart people are perplexed by that one.

This work is so in-depth no brief Amazon review can give it justice. Whether you're interested in riveting war stories, early automobile racing, politics or the growth of the American airline industry this is a book that I highly recommend. The story of how an poor kid from immigrant family can rise to the pinnacle of American society is truly an interesting story. For author Lewis this book isn't mere hero worship it is an attempt to give Rickenbacker his due as events from the early twentieth century fader further and further out of our historical memory. -- Jeffrey Demers

Not many books surprise me. I knew the idea behind this book and since it had 4.5 stars and over 2000 review, it was time for me to read it. At first I was skeptical how a 6 year old could be this great military genius to combat the invading alien forces. (I still wish he was 10 years old) but Card does a good job of showing Enders emotional weaknesses. I love how he keeps succeeding against all odds in the training academy and they keep raising the bar making each task more and more difficult until the very end when they put him in a no win situation. I did NOT see the ending coming and was pleasantly surprised.
Read this book - even if I think ender is still too young, the clever ending makes it more that 5 out of 5 stars...

 

Every Man a Tiger

Clancy really did a good job with this book. I have also read the first book in this new series he is putting out "Into the Storm - A Study in Command" and I have to say that this book is much better. One would think that as it is the second book, maybe he learned how to put together a non-fiction story in a more readable and interesting way or maybe the co-author was just a better writer. Clancy has teamed up with the General that was in charge of the air war in the Gulf War, and has a done himself a favor getting someone as intelligent and engaging to work with.

The book is basically three parts, the first section talks about the Generals career in the Air Force, the Air Force development from Viet Nam to the Gulf War and a touch of the politics involved within the different military branches. The second section of the book deals with the build up to the air war. The final section deals with the air war both the stand-alone part and as a joint effort with the ground war.

The author does not give you an action packed, inside the cockpit type of story. What we do get is the process for building up the forces, developing a plan, working with the other countries and military forces and finally the execution of the plan. I found the discussions of target selection and the relationship between the air and ground element to be the most interesting. Overall this is a well-written and constructed book. It has a lot of value if you are interested in the Gulf War or just how current U.S. battles are planned and fought. From watching the nightly news you can see that many of the same processes and tactics discussed in this book were used with the current U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan

What is it like to be in battle? John Keegan, a senior instructor at Sandhurst, the British Military Academy, speaks for soldiers who were present in the fray.

For examples, Keegan selects Agincourt in 1415, Waterloo in 1815, and the Somme in 1916. What is common about them, what is different? Agincourt was hand-to-hand combat, thrust and cut--a fearful and personal encounter. At Waterloo, 400 years later, the battle was still largely personal. As it swayed back and forth, men on opposite sides came to recognize the same individuals they had fought off in previous charges.

Keegan closes his book with the Somme. For him it stands as the distillation of wars in the industrial age: long-distance killing of faceless men by others who merely activate the instruments of destruction.

Fields of Fire

Although I've had "Fields of Fire" for years, I had never managed to read it until I read "The Nightengale's Song", which chronicled the lives of Webb and four other Naval Academy graduates (also a great book). I only regret that I had not read "Fields of Fire" years ago. It is one of the most honest, realistic, and gut-wrenching war novels I have ever read. I think it ranks with the likes of "The Killer Angels", "The Naked and the Dead", and "All Quiet on the Western Front" as one of the best novels written about ANY war.

I did not serve in Viet Nam (I was in the Navy), so I won't pretend to truly understand how the grunt really experienced the war. However, I am certain that "Fields of Fire" probably comes closer to conveying an understanding than any book written on Viet Nam. I have read other, non-fiction accounts of platoon-level fighting in Viet Nam (e.g., "We Were Soldiers Once .. and Young" and "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts"), and the descriptions of everything from the nightly patrols, the constant sense of fear, and just the brutality of so much around them could have been interchanged with Webb's descriptions. Further, Webb, as a highly decorated Marine in Viet Nam, is qualified as few could be to have written this book - he lived it. Much is surely autobiographic.

In short, one of the best books I have ever read, period. - Dennis D. Steinauer

Most best sellers are based on some concept that they create their argument off of - Senge's concept is systems thinking. Unlike other best sellers out there, it is not just a personal journey the author has taken; Senge's book has a multitude of research and analysis behind his theories that makes the reader more willing to "buy in" to systems thinking. A little long winded but worth the read. Make sure to jump around to those chapters that appeal to you more.

 Most people used to recall the Doolittle raid of 1942 from Capt. Ted Lawson's book Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo that was made into a movie. Now, more people recall it for the historically inaccurate rendition it was given in the movie Pearl Harbor. For the real story with more to offer than Doolittle's own biography and Lawson's earlier work, we have The First Heroes.

This book solidly provides the historical background of two important factors. One, the career of air pioneer Jimmy Doolittle, who commanded the raid, and two, the war's progress to that point and the reason the raid was needed.

A thorough (but not dull) description of the challenges facing the unit formed for the raid is provided, as are the issues that developed as training was winding down in preapration for the raid. The relationship that grew between Doolittle and his men is notable, and also touching is the way that the sailors on the carrier Hornet grew from disdain to admiration when the bomber crews came aboard for their mission.

A blow by blow account of each of the 16 planes launched is given, as are the struggles each crew faced in getting back to safety. Information is given on how each crew fared, and the end of the book does a great job at providing an epilogue that tells the reader what happened to each Raider in the years that followed the mission.

No matter how you look at it, the mission was challenging and mind-boggling then, and 60-plus years later, should still inspire us with respect for the sacrifices made on our behalf so long ago. -- David Traill

I have to get a couple of things out of the way right now to make you understand why this book has been so important to me (and could be to you as well). First, I am definitely someone who shuns most self-help tomes--I think most of them are crutches for weak people too lazy to get their acts together or too clueless to embrace a little common sense. Second, my prior experiences with the Covey cult were less than satisfying, as I had a boss (now departed) who talked the Covey talk but did not (I now see) truly walk the walk. This book differs from the _7 Habits_ texts in that it really deals with taking the general Covey concepts ("principle-centered living") and giving them a practical sheen--in this case by applying them to time management. Learning to divide my activities between "urgent" and "important," planning my life around certain "roles" that I have to fill, and composing a "mission statement" (a much more realistic and helpful version of year 2000 New Year's resolutions for me)--these were the concepts that have really helped me organize my life as efficiently as possible (and I was already pretty organized). I highly recommend buying the book and then following up by getting a Franklin Covey planner, where you can take the lessons from the book and start building your time and life around them. I have loaned the book to several friends and students (I teach high school) and all of them have benefitted from it in some way or another. Buying _First Things First_ will be one of the best things you can do for yourself.

And I can't believe I just wrote a positive review of a self-help book. Trust me on how helpful this book can be.

Bill Creech's The Five Pillars of TQM, first published in 1994 and since reprinted a dozen times and in eight languages, lays out an uncommonly clear-headed approach toward results-oriented management. Creech, a former Air Force four-star general and now valued industry consultant, has served on ten corporate boards of directors and worked with five national speaking bureaus. His management philosophy, while mindful that most organizations are not democracies, is essentially a variation on the golden rule embodying basic decency toward others as a core unifying theme. Best summarized as empowerment with accountability, it is rooted in a recognition that loyalty is a two-way street and that an organization can only be as successful as those at the bottom are willing to make it. Among the many insights to be gleaned from this informed and empathetic book are the virtues of managing by walking around rather than by hunkering down in a mahogany-row fortress, unburdening those who want to get things done by lifting the overlay of rules and kibitzers from their backs, and recognizing that what ultimately determines organizational success is what goes on at the front, not on mahogany row. These principles, which Creech first pioneered during his tenure as commander of the Air Force's Tactical Air Command from 1978 to 1984, are now being reapplied by the current Air Force chief, who recently included Five Pillars on his recommended reading list for all Air Force officers. Yet Creech's principles of TQM (for "total quality management"--a term and construct he invented) transcend service applicability and have been amply proven in the corporate world as well. His idea of how a top-flight organization should be run resonates implicitly with how any responsible and motivated worker would like to be treated by his superiors. Such notions as the indispensability of mutual trust and respect; the power of inclusion rather than exclusion; the vast difference in effectiveness between decreeing and persuading; and the central role of pride as a motivator are part and parcel of Creech's enlightened approach to effective leadership. Five Pillars spells out these principles and more in rich detail, offering must-read insights for those at all levels who deal with people as resources

This is a wonderful book. The book starts with Washington's involvement in the French and Indian War, continues on through the American Revolution, into his Presidency and even after his "retirement." As the book title states, this book is about Washington's military life, and the book sticks to that subject.

For those who have little knowledge of Washington's military life, this book would be an excellent book to read. Many people know of Yorktown, and Valley Forge, and the Battle of Trenton (the crossing of the Delaware), but may have never heard of Washington's exploits before the American Revolution in the French and Indian War when he fought for the British. This book covers that portion of his life and well as his military career after the American Revolution.
There are, of course, entire books written on any single event covered in this book. For instance, one could find many full length books on just the subject of Yorktown, or Valley Forge or the Crossing of the Delaware and the Battle of Trenton or George's involvement in the French and Indian War or the Whisky Rebellion. The strength of this book is while it doesn't cover any one event in as much detail, it does covers them all.

And for those who have read much on Washington's military career, this is still a good book. It puts in order all the different battles and dramas of Washington's military life to show how each affected the others. Besides, the book is simply an enjoyable book to read--it is well written and entertaining. Along the way, the author offers logical opinions of Washington's strengths and weaknesses, and while I didn't agree with all of these opinions, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book in any way.

While I have read many excellent books on subjects and events covered in this one, this book was a good read to me just because it put everything in Washington's career back into chronological order--a thing than can be disrupted when reading many separate books on various parts of Washington's life.
So whether one is a newcomer to the subject of Washington or well read on the subject, I don't think anyone will be disappointed to use his or her time reading this book. For a book that attempts to cover the entirety of Washington's military life, this is one of the best I have read.  -- Terry Crock

Good to Great is an exceptionally well researched book. The author, Boulder, Colorado-based Jim Collins, and his team of researchers have made this book into a powerhouse documentary of why some businesses excel towards greatness and while others stagnate.

The book will be of most interest to business leaders, but it may also be interesting to leaders in other types of organizations such as churches or schools. Among other things, Collins shows that, in general, the great leaders are not the ones who are most brash and controversial but those who combine vision and dedication with humility and selflessness.

Through impressive empirical research, Collins shows that the truly great leaders are those to seek fortune and fame for their companies, not for themselves.

If you like business books, you will probably love this one. It is basically well written, especially for a business book, and easy to read. That said, this book deals with how to make a company great. It does not deal with personal greatness, so if you are thinking about buying this as a self-help or inspirational guide, consider something by Anthony Robbins or Dale Carnegie.

This is strictly a business book. It is more informative than entertaining. A times it can provide for dry reading. However, if you're looking for a business book that highlights some of the differences between major "good" and major "great" corporations, you would be wise to read it.

This is a small book, but don't judge it by its size. It is a great little book. Grant & Lee, with such different backgrounds, lead two great armies in the strangest of times. In the end, with no grudge, the two men get to know and respect each other. But the story of how these men fought & how they thought so similarly in the battlefield and how they were both so noble and courageous help show that two men that could not have been more dissimilar, ended up being so alike serving their causes. I highly recommend this book. Very entertaining, and very educational.

"Tom Brokaw has delivered a gift to this and future generations by bringing us these inspiring personal stories of the average Joes, the GI Joes, the young men and women who served our country and shaped the foundation of post-war America. Although some became famous, most returned to their hometowns dedicated to building an even better world. We meet them in this book, whose pages give voice to the standards they set by their strength of character, informed by their experience during World War II. Tom has held up a mirror to reflect what may be their greatest legacy and pose in all of us the question--Is this generation--our generation--worthy as their beneficiaries?"
--Steven Spielberg

A History of the American People

Paul Johnson's "A History of the American People" is very readable history whose objectivity is manifest. While necessarily abbreviated in many respects, the book offers a sweeping panorama of the American political, cultural, and religious landscape. It captures and defines the spirit that made this country the greatest and the most powerful in the history of mankind. Unlike most writers of the modern textbooks of history Paul Johnson understands that it is individual freedom of thought and action and the extension of that freedom to the economic, political, and religious spheres that enabled this country to dominate the rest of the world.
Johnson brings to light the moral dilemma that arose when the American ideals of equality and liberty came in conflict with the economic and social pragmatism of slavery. A moral dilemma that has influenced American ideological, political, social and intellectual history since the country was founded and continues to this day, from the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement up to the present banal multiculturalism.

He also rightly points out that attempts to restrict man's freedom through higher tax rates reduce productivity and progress. The increasing government involvement in the economy during FDR's administration probably weakened the economy and extended the Depression. The economy was recovering on its own at the time FDR took office. Johnson points out that the debilitating effects of FDR's interference with the economy remained with us until Reagan reinvigorated not only the economy but also the Ameritech spirit, which unfortunately again is under siege with Clinton's administration.

Unlike most modern writers of history textbooks, Johnson gives credit where credit is due to Ronald Reagan for ending the cold war and for demonstrating to the world the inherent bankruptcy of communism and socialism and their handmaiden egalitarianism. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in American history without the current politically correct revisionism that permeates most modern treatments of this subject. -- Nicholas C Georgalis