Customer Reviews

Eisenhower: Soldier, General of the Army, President-Elect, 1890-1952

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After reading Ambrose's so-so history of the transcontinental railroad, I was admittedly looking at reading this book with low expectations. Fortunately, this book is far superior to Ambrose's more recent work.

Ambrose does a great job at showing what Eisenhower was like prior to his election as President. Although a generally affectionate work, Ambrose also points out the flaws in the man. The book shows the value of hard work and intelligence, as Ike was essentially a self-made man who got where he was without any special family or friend connections.

This book also depicts the dangers of politics. As Eisenhower gets more involved in the political arena, he becomes a less admirable person, succumbing to the hypocrisy that seems inherent in that field.

This is a well-written portrait of one of the more significant people of the last century. I look forward to reading the second volume and learning more about Eisenhower the President.

Stephen Ambrose, America's most dynamic, truthful and objective historian, has given us the clearest picture of one of the most incredible personalities of the 20th Century. From General Eisenhower's birth to the the election of 1952, Ambrose covers the life of this man in such detail, and with such clear objectivity, that one can hardly put it down. As a former teacher, I believe it, along with Volumne II, should be required reading of all students, from the 12th grade on into the college ranks.

Ambrose doesn't manage to totally bore me to death, but I find him highly overrated, judging from this work. He manages to turn the life of a great man into your typical boring biography. It really doesn't compare with the biographies written by Remini or the other top historians. Still, it does a fairly good job of covering Eisenhower's life and times, based very much on Ike's own writings. Moderately recommended.