American Commander in Spain: Robert Hale Merriman and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (Nevada Studies in History & Political Science) [Hardcover]

Marion Merriman (Author), Warren Lerude (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Nevada Pr; First edition (April 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874171067
• ISBN-13: 978-0874171068
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,978,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Life meets Literature, January 27, 2002

By 

Jose Gonzalez Seco "lordjim" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Commander in Spain: Robert Hale Merriman and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (Nevada Studies in History & Political Science) (Hardcover)

"American Commander in Spain" is a vivid account of the last years in the life of Robert Merriman. The book was written by his wife, who followed Merriman when he went to fight in the Spanish Civil War. The book will not be helpful to the profesional historian, save perhaps a few anecdotes that could link specific historical characters to specific places during the war. The book is also not a novel and cannot be read as a work with high literary intentions. Rather it is an interesting portrait of a man whose life has the special quality of blending reality and legend. Merriman became fiction when Hemingway, who met him during the war used him as the basis for his character Robert Jordan in "For whom the bell tolls." The work will therefore be of most interest to those readers looking for the sources where Literature drinks from Life and with some emotional attachment to the historical context.

...For when one reads about Robert Merriman it becomes clear that he was an american patriot searching for solutions to get his own country out of the Depression and later trying to stop the rise of Fascism in Europe. That his countrymen were so blind then (and it seems still now) cost them dearly in WWII. The insensitivity shown by these reviewers hurts most those of us who look up to the american volunteers in awe, not for their ideological beliefs, but for their sense of sacrifice and love for freedom. It is a sin against Humanity to see Merriman's death any other way. If there is a God and these other reviewers are ever judged, I only hope that all their sins will be remembered.

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable book, December 7, 2007

By 

James D. Crabtree "Doc Crabtree" (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Yes, remarkable in that it portrayed one of the "true believers" in the "fight against fascism" during the Spanish Civil War. No doubt as military history it is somewhat accurate as to the difficulties the volunteer brigades met in fighting for the leftist Republic (a fact not mentioned in the book: many of the volunteers had received military training during trips to the USSR, especially future officers) but much of the book is further romanticism regarding the Cause.

Merriman's wife tells of being raped by a Republican soldier... but says she didn't report it because it would hurt the Cause.

Yes, a remarkable book. It gives insight into the True Believers of the Communist Party of the 1930s.

4 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opener, October 15, 1999

By 

James Crabtree ([e-mail]) (El Paso, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Commander in Spain: Robert Hale Merriman and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (Nevada Studies in History & Political Science) (Hardcover)

Interesting, if for no other reason than to see for yourself the nature of the "true believers" of the Left. We now know that Americans participated in Stalin-inspired Trotskyite hunts within the ranks of the International Brigades. While Merriman almost certainly met his end at a Nationalist firing squad, how many American Reds met their end at Merriman's orders? The writing style of the book was in the nature of a justification of a cause that was morally bankrupt, even in the context of fighting fascism. I recommend the book to anyone who wishes to better understand the mindset of liberal thinking . . .