Joshua Chamberlain: A Hero's Life and Legacy [Hardcover]

John J. Pullen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999

"Joshua Chamberlain was much more than a war hero, and Pullen's thoughtful book fills out the picture of his remarkable life. An entertaining and inspiring story." --Senator George J. Mitchell

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Recently, Joshua Chamberlain has emerged in the popular mind as the archetypal Union military hero, based largely on the actions of his regiment, the 20th Maine, at Gettysburg. His image now appears on T-shirts, and he has been immortalized in film and in prose. In short, his lifelong effort to fashion a heroic image of himself has prevailed. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Pullen's brief examination of Chamberlain's postwar life. Pullen, whose previous work includes a marvelous study of the 20th Maine, falls prey to uncritical hero worship, unpersuasively portraying Chamberlain as a martyr to his belief in sectional reconciliation while unquestioningly accepting his minimal interest in the fate of the freedmen. Pullen does remind us that Chamberlain pursued a public career in Maine politics and at Bowdoin College, but the patchwork nature of the prose, the author's ruminations about today's world, the acceptance of Chamberlain's words at face value, and the unyielding admiration of author for subject result in a flawed book.?Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State Univ., Tempe
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books; 1st edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811708861
• ISBN-13: 978-0811708869
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A genuine American hero who transcends both myth and hype., July 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Joshua Chamberlain: A Hero's Life and Legacy (Hardcover)

Joshua Chamberlain reaches through time and space and grips the imagination of all that encounter him. John Pullen, who drew back the shroud of a forgotten hero in his excellent book "The Twentieth Maine," has come full circle in this engaging and enlightening biography. Chamberlain, the hero of Little Round Top, burst upon the American culture in the film "Gettysburg." As if in answer to the question "What makes this guy a REAL hero?," Pullen has gathered the facts and presented us with both the man and the myth. Few heroes, stripped of legend, endure the light of truth. Chamberlain not only lives up to his legend: he invites further acclaim by the manner in which he lived, and the integrity of his character. John Pullen fills in the blanks of Chamberlain's postwar life, and shows us a man worth admiring. A true American hero, Joshua Chamberlain emerges unsullied, untarnished and quite human. Thank you, Mr. Pullen!

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pullen has done it again!, August 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Joshua Chamberlain: A Hero's Life and Legacy (Hardcover)

I don't think I could say it better than the reader from Huntington, Pennsylvania - what a great review! But I agree wholeheartedly, this book allows the reader to see Chamberlain *the human* and despite his faults and frailties, he remains someone well worth admiring. John Pullen, as always, has written a very well researched and very readable book that gives one a look at the whole person. For those who are just starting to become interested in Chamberlain, this book will give you an excellent view of his later life and accomplishments (all of which were achieved despite a debilitating wound!). For those who have been Chamberlain fans for years, this book will help you get to know him even more and give you further reason to admire him.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something Abides, May 9, 2001

By 

The Rev. Dr. Daniel J. G. G. Block - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joshua Chamberlain: A Hero's Life and Legacy (Hardcover)

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain did not appear "ex nihilo" on 2 July 1863 at the craggy slope of Little Round Top. Neither did he disappear on 12 April 1865 following his magnanimous violation of military protocol at Appomattox Court House. In this volume, Mr. Pullen documents Chamberlain's life after the Civil War, demonstrating that the hero's character continued to illuminate all his life until his death in 1914.

Unlike Sis Deans', "His Proper Post;" Michael Golay's, "To Gettysburg and Beyond;" or Willard M. Wallace's, "Soul of the Lion," Pullen's text does not presume to be a complete biography. It does not address the question of what forces in Chamberlain's up-bringing formed such an extraordinary man.

Unlike Chamberlain's own books "Through Blood & Fire at Gettysburg," and "The Passing of the Armies;" or Michael Shaara's, "The Killer Angels," and Alice Rains Trulock's, "In The Hands of Providence," this is not primarily a book about soldiers at war.

The question that Pullen addresses is, "What becomes of the hero after the battles cease: how is courage displayed after the war ends?" In the case of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, and other great Americans, the answer is that true heroes continue to demonstrate the same commitment to service in peace as in war. True heroes demonstrate the same integrity and courage in their chosen civilian occupations that they once showed while facing iminent death.

Forget the trendy books on leadership and values. Instead, read Mr. Pullen's book. Be inspired by the story of an exceptional leader, who demonstrated his commitment to American values until the day he died.