Colin Powell: Soldier/Statesman, Statesman/Soldier [Audio Cassette]

Howard Means (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1994

"Colin Powell is the most effective general officer we've had since George Marshall."
H. NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF
General Colin Powell embodies the fulfillment of the American Dream. Born in Harlem to a wonderfuly supportive family of Jamaican heritage, and raised in the poverty-ridden South Bronx, Powell's discipline and determination drove him to become the highest-ranking military official in the nation. Now, after 120 interviews with family, colleagues, and General Powell himself, Washington insider Howard Means traces the extraordinary life of the man behind the medals.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a laudatory, well-written biography, a Washingtonian magazine senior editor explains why President Bush jumped General Powell over 30 senior officers to make him both the youngest chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first African American to hold that post. Means details the family background, upbringing and education of this Harlem-born son of Caribbean immigrants, his two Vietnam tours, his rise through the ranks, his virtuoso mastery of Pentagon politics as Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger's military assistant, his tenure in the White House as President Reagan's national security adviser and finally his role in the planning and execution of operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Means so admires Powell's accomplishments, character and personality that he finds it hard to say anything negative about the general, but he does criticize his subject for advising President Bush to call an early cease-fire in the Gulf War. He suggests that probable career options available to Powell in the near future include command of NATO forces and possible entry into national polities. This stirring biography depicts the general as a shining role model, a man who combines the skills of a soldier, politician and diplomat. 50,000first pKnting;first serial to Washingtonian magazine.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- A timely biography, and an inspiring account. It is superb reading for YAs, as Powell is a glowing example of a man worthy of their respect and admiration. Means provides a lengthy index and appendixes to round out the picture of this exemplary military leader.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Books on Tape, Inc. (November 1, 1994)
• ISBN-10: 0736628592
• ISBN-13: 978-0736628594
• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,004,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a former schoolteacher (Deerfield Academy, St. Albans School) who segued into journalism (The Chronicle of Higher Education, Washingtonian Magazine as senior writer, the Orlando Sentinel and King Features Syndicate, and back to the Washingtonian as senior editor) and from there into books as editor, collaborator, and author. My interests are broad, but increasingly, they seem to be focusing on a constellation of interrelated subjects: American eccentricity and self-reliance, the Civil War as the primal act of American history (an event we are still not over), religious fundamentalism and utopianism, and Manifest Destiny as the great engine of our national story. In my new biography, JOHNNY APPLESEED, all those forces except the Civil War (and that, too, if we project forward) come together in, I hope, fascinating ways. Born and raised in Lancaster, PA, I live now in Millwood, VA, in the northern Shenandoah Valley.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars readable account of an outstanding individual, July 17, 1999

By 

Blaine Greenfield "eclectic reader" (Belle Meade, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Colin Powell (Mass Market Paperback)

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."

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but needs editing, December 28, 2007

By 

Kim Callahan (Springfield, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colin Powell (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is very good!, November 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Colin Powell (Mass Market Paperback)

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!!