Customer Reviews

Colin Powell

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heard the taped version of colin powell: soldier/statesman, statesman/soldier by howard means . . . very readable account of how he grew up in the poverty-riden south bronx to become the highest ranking military official in the nation . . . my only regret: it was written in 1992, and i now find myself wanting to know more about this outstanding individual . . . he would certainly have my vote in an election; in fact, as part of a bradley-powell ticket? (i dream, but do like the sound of that!)

i also liked hearing again the quote from his famous 1991 press briefing, in which he described the alied strategy for the desert storm war: "Our strategy for going after this army is very, very simple. First we are going to cut it off, and then we are going to kill it."

This is the first biography I've read of General Colin Powell and I'd like to read the more recent biography that was recently released. While this book gives a nice overview of General Powell's career, the author in several instances goes off on tangents which add little to the point of biography. For example, we are given several pages about the history of the Bronx which I kept expecting would somehow be tied into the formation of Powell's character, but it never does. The author simply seemed to find it interesting and wanted to include it. We also get several mini-biographies of General Schwarzkopf, Dick Cheney, and others who arecentral characters in Powell's career, but the reader would not be poorer had they not been included. The book also seems to be written in two parts. In the first part of the book, it seems to be fairly straight-forward facts. In the second part of the book, there is a heavy reliance on speculation - both from the author and from others, including (anonymous) "sources." While I walked away knowing more about General Powell's career, I didn't necessarily walk away feeling like I knew a great deal about Colin Powell the man. There just seemed to me to be a lack of depth. I look forward to reading the more recent biography as well as General Powell's own book.

Hello,

This is really good. I loved it all. i wish I could meet Colin Powell. He is a good man. Keep up the good work!!