Customer Reviews

Eisenhower

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This latest biography of Eisenhower adds depth and understanding to this very complex man. His role as supreme commander in the European Theatre and as president is extremely well researched and well written. The character and foibles of the generals around Ike are presented in such a way that the reader feels he is in the same room. An excellent read.

This is the first biography I've read about Eisenhower and I'm not exactly an expert on World War II, so I really cannot comment on the degree to which the author does or does not offer new information. As my first biography on Eisenhower, Perret did an excellent job of elevating the former president's reputation in my own mind. In school, I was taught that, "...the American people believed that all Eisenhower did while president was play golf. They were right." After reading Perret's biography, I can see that this is clearly untrue. Eisenhower played a great role in the early years of the Cold War. Furthermore, unlike some of the men who became president after him, Eisenhower had a good understanding of world events, a vision of the United States' role in the world (esp. relations with the USSR), and went about making that vision a reality. The narrative, for the most part, flowed. However, there were several times in the book when I had to stop, shake my head a little and re-read a paragraph just to make sure I read an odd statement correctly as Perret makes some very odd remarks in this book. For instance, he advances the notion that General Marshall (of Marshall Plan fame) might have been gay; he laments the fact that Dwight and his son John S.D. Eisenhower never shared father-son moments such as urinating together; Eisenhower becomes angry because Russian ICBMs are larger than American ICBMs "like a man becomes upset when comparing his penis to another man's to find that the other man's penis is larger." Statements like this detract from the book rather than illuminate the facts. Overall, the book was very much worth my time, but I'm sure there are better Eisenhower biographies out there.

Based upon sales figures, this effort by Perret is not destined to become a classic as is Ambrose's two volume (later condensed into one) standard biography of Ike. That's too bad because I believe that Perret gives great insights into the human side of Ike, such as his tremendous grief over the death of his first son, and his troubled relationship with his second son, John. Indeed, I recently saw John interviewed on television and John's uncomfortable reactions to being compared to his father, including his striking physical resemblence, show that Perret's observations are well taken. I also was fascinated by Perret's analysis of the Kay Somersby rumors. Perret carefully sifts the evidence and determines that the two were emotionally close but never had sex. Perret points out that if Kay's account is true, they would have been doing it in a common area of a house shared by others. That's highly unlikely. Most importantly, this book backs up recent historians who rate Eisenhower as a better president than did historians of a generation ago. Perret documents a great deal of achievenment in the Eisenhower administration that has previously been overlooked. Ike's seeming detachment was actually calculated and he always was in control and knew exactly what he wanted to do. I recommend this interesting biography.

Very well written, it lends itself to being read in a few days. It portrays Ike as a very complex and multifaceted man, much more than I had expected before reading it. I remember, not being able to wait until Ike goes to war in Europe. But actually the African Campaign is the most tedious reading in the book. The most entertaining part of the book, was the political intrigue of the presidency, which I enjoyed immensly. Still, I wish that there had been more about Ike's relationship with Nixon and more explanation of his mysterious final address, in which he spoke of the growing power of the military-industrial complex.

Rather colorless writing, not even up to his earlier bio of MacArthur, but useful never the less, largely because of the interview material from John Eisenhower. Some new light on the relationship with MacArthur, very little new from the WWII period, and not up to the Ambrose study of the presidential years. In short, just not very original; he even closes the last paragraph as Ike dies almost verbatim from Ambrose's bio.Perhaps I have a somewhat jaded view here because I had a number of rather lengthy personal conversations with Eisenhower after he left the Presidency and I remember much more color and personality than this book portrays. It wont add very much to the story of one of the finest men of this sad century.One final comment: the Kirkus reviewer refers to the Eisenhower presidency as "mediocre." That is a comment in nitwiteracy and any historian today worth his salt would make a mockery of it.

This effort was not on the par with the authors other biographies. There were errors(Hitler committed suicide on April 30 not May 3) and after a great deal of discussion about Ike and Patton, old blood and guts simply vanishes. I would have like more about Eisenhower and the concentration camps as well. Overall, this was an Ok attempt

It is amazing how much compression is needed to fit a fascinating biography of this man into approximately 600 pages plus notes and pictures. In particular, the Presidential years give the impression of being a fly-by, with highlights lucky to be included. Nonetheless, this is an impressive biography. Much has been made of inaccuracies found in this book, but these quibblers are missing the big picture, which is exactly what the general reader is looking for. There are parts of the book that I am not entirely happy with, but overall it is a fantastic introduction.

I was lucky in that I found this for sale for $3 in a used book store. The cover picture alone is worth that.

Read this book for a view of the real Ike. No other book comes close.

It is very difficult to write a one volume biography of Eisenhower but this comes as close as one can get to being a thorough and accurate account of his life. The biography is a fair treatment of Eisenhower and looks at many of the myths that have come up about his life and dispels them. Starting with his early years and time growing up in Abeline to the days in the white house the reader can clearly see the evolution of Eisenhower. It covers not only his personal evolution but really looks at the situations he was in and addresses how he changed the situation of the army and the structures of command in Europe. Perret is a specialist in the military biography and his treatment of Eisenhowers war years is among the most thorough ever written on the man. The book is plainly written and easy to read making it a fast 600 pages that leave the reader well informed and with the right amount of information on their subject. If you are really looking for the complete history of Eisenhower though you should consider some of the multivolume works that have been done but for a thorough one volume account this cannot be beat and will leave you saying "I Like Ike"

In "Eisenhower" Geoffrey Perret gives an outstanding biography of a very interesting and important historical figure. Here we meet Ike from birth to death.

The reader is treated to an introduction to the Eisenhower family, to the father who could never be close to his sons, the mother who had little influence over them and the brothers with whom Ike grew up and continued his mutually supportive relationship through their highly successful careers.

The relationship with Mamie, their lost son, and son John, all reflect Ike's personal strengths and limitations.

Perret does equally well in telling the stories of the junior officer and the commander as well as those of the President and senior statesman.

Eisenhower's evaluations of many of the characters who crossed his path add to the allure of this book. Ike's admiration, followed by his contempt for MacArthur, his dislike of FDR, his lack of respect for Truman and his lack of affection for Nixon, all add to the insight into Ike's times. Omar Bradley, George Marshall, John Foster Dulles, Henry Cabot Lodge and Joseph McCarthy are just a sampling of the world characters who played on Eisenhower's stage.

Perret thoroughly reports each phase of Ike's life in a way as to maintain interest throughout. He comments on Eisenhower's rights and wrongs in a way which provokes thoughts, without seeming to be opinionated. I believe that this is what makes this biography superior so many others..