Customer Reviews

A General's Life: An Autobiography by General of the Army Omar N. Bradley

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I was extremely surprized by this book. It is quite well-written and it tells a terrific story -- and though it is fully first-person, Omar Bradley comes across as a really fine guy. While he genuinely earned the rank, authority and privilege he ultimately exercised as a top US Army general, the story of his slow-but-steady rise through the hierarchy conveys the depth of personality he had achieved by the time he reached the upper ranks. A biography of George Marshall calls Bradley the "most effective troop leader ever produced by the US military system," and one can certainly see the validity in that appraisal by reading his autobiography. Bradley's honesty about other famous generals is interesting (though it is true he pretty much outlived all of them, and was able to have the final word) and appropriatedly honest/kind. Not far into the book, you wish you actually knew him, he seems the sort who would make a great friend.

Bradley's evaluations of several significant events make this book essential reading for students of 20th Century history. The perspective from which he witnessed everything was perfect for retrospective observation -- he wasn't so high up (like Churchill) that he had a global view, nor so low down that he could only see the trenches. And his micro-brief account of Anthony McAuliffe's "Nuts!" episode is just laugh-out-loud funny.

An outstanding autobiography of General Omar Bradley. Informative and homorous at times, but always entertaining. I found the work to have no slow areas, it held my attention throughout. Not only is it the story of Omar Bradley but it is also the story of the US Army for the first half of the twentieth century. Students of World War II history and the true military professional will enjoy this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

If General Bradley could have been alive at the time this book was due for final review before being publication, I can't imagine that he would have supported its release.

While the book is loaded with interesting snip-its of history (and to a lesser degree, the details of battles in which Bradley fought), these incidents are counter-balanced by what comes off as simply impish, petty sniping at comrades long since dead, men who can no longer defend themselves. It gets tiring reading "I was FURIOUS at so-and-so!" and "This is what he said, but that's not true!", as if to imply that everyone but he is lying all the time...and this on every other page!

All too often, it reads more like a young teenage girl's vitriol diary, as opposed to an important review of history by a General of the U.S. Army.

What you end up coming away with after reading this book is the impression of Bradley as a pompous, arrogant, all-knowing, "back-stabbing the dead", perpetually victimized, "more petty than Rosy O'Donnell", Class-A Whiner! From everything I ever read about Bradley, he was not really like that. He comes off as perpetually bitter all too often...and it seems inconceivable that he built his entire military career around having that kind of attitude and hence, found all of the success that he did.

This book was written with a ghost writer (Clay Blair), and was not finished or approved by Bradley himself before he died. I don't believe that Bradley would have wanted to be remembered in this way. Did all or most of the incidents happen which were put forth in the book? I don't doubt that they did. But it seems to me quite possible that the confidential relationship between ghost writer and author was abused by Blair. Bradley simply did not have a chance to review the final copy and sign off on it as being 100% accurate or in proper context.

The book is published by "Bradley's estate", and while that can denote approval of content, who can say for sure? Any number of possible scenarios could have brought about the publishing of such a "whiner" (the estate was hard up for cash, etc.? Who knows...)

So all things considered, I can't honestly say that this is a great read that I'd recommend (in case you couldn't tell, lol). I'd wait until you see this one at the Local Library Yard Sale and buy it for a dollar...like I did ;-)

I found "A General's Life" fascinating. Prior to reading it, my only knowledge of Omar Bradley was limited to the Karl Malden characterization in the movie "Patton". This book is not only about General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley, but about his classmates. West Point 1915, "The class the Stars fell on". Omar Bradley and over fifty of his classmates became generals during WWII. On December 1941, they were Majors, Lieutenant Colonels, and Colonels. They became Division, Corps, Army and Army Group Commanders. Classmate Dwight Eisenhower became "Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force". This book was written after the wartime diaries of Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, and other wartime leaders had been declassified. It gives an inside view of the personalities that made the tactical and strategic decisions of WWII. General Bradley tells who got going when the going was tough and who didn't. Who played nice with other generals and who did not. A "must read for those who are interested in WWII and Korean War history.