Customer Reviews

MacArthur (Great Generals)

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

 

 

When there are multi-volume biographies running 800 to 900 pages each, what can be said about Douglas MacArthur in 198 pages?

Read Richard Frank's excellent book and find out. He's crammed at least 12 pounds into a 10-pound bag, providing a taut, concise examination of one of the dominant military figures of the 20th century. Frank's forte' is objectivity: at the end of the book you don't know what he personally thinks of Douglas MacArthur--and that's the mark of an impartial historian.

Some reviewers have complained that other Palgrave Great Generals bios address the subject's likely attitude toward current events, as does Frank. But those critics should "read the manual" and recognize that contemporary comparisons are part of the series format.

Frank's incisive bio addresses MacArthur's origins (his father was a general with the Medal of Honor), his motivations, his strengths and failings. Arguably his greatest accomplishments were before and after WW II: his spectacular heroism and leadership in WW I, his intelligent if controversial handling of postwar Japan, and his exceptional fortitude in reversing the Korean debacle with the Inchon landings in 1950. Ironically, soon thereafter his talents failed him and he brought dismissal upon himself.

Frank stresses a telling point: MacArthur's powerful aura and presence prevented nearly all his superiors from managing his colossal ego throughout his life. That trend apparently was not seen by anyone above him in the chain of command until the massive Chinese intervention in Korea. That he continually bulldozed his way from one success to another, often "improving" the facts to suit his needs, says much about the nature of geopolitical gatekeeping.

Ultimately, MacArthur was, as Frank demonstrates, straight out of a Greek tragedy: a magnificently flawed hero. Aeschylus and Sophocles would immediately understand Douglas MacArthur, and recognize the worth of this book.

A man as controversial as Douglas MacArthur is a difficult subject for any author, and the relatively brief "Great Generals" series makes it an especially challenging one. Richard Frank does an excellent job of covering the main details of MacArthur's career, and manages to condense a fair amount of analysis into a few brief lines. In particular, he manages to clearly convey the problem of MacArthur's singular stature in the Army; by his frequent comparison of the general's seniority and experience with those of his colleagues (Marshall, Eisenhower, etc.), the enormity of the gulf between them is made very clear. For such a small book, it does a good job of giving a good feel for the man and his career.

This is however the most flawed book of the series so far. Frank's projection of MacArthur's views forward to the present times lacks context; he does not adequately 'ground' his postdictions with references or justification, and it comes off sounding more like a caricature than is the case in the other books. Furthermore, the editing work on the book is shockingly subpar; each chapter is riddled with typographical and formatting errors (which reveals either that Wesley Clark's title as series editor is purely honorific, or that he is a magnificently incompetent editor).

Overall, it is worth reading, particularly if one desires a brief introduction to MacArthur's career and his significance as a general. Seeing that this is more or less the point of the series, one might well declare that it has accomplished its mission, despite its rather glaring flaws.

Not unlike MacArthur himself, as it happens.

In this fascinating biography, author and historian Richard B. Frank tells the story of General Douglas MacArthur, one of only nine American men to be promoted to the 5 star rank. Beginning with MacArthur's childhood in the closing days of the American West, he follows his career as he streaked across the American sky like a meteor.

Overall, I found this to be an absolutely fascinating audiobook. The author does an excellent job of presenting the real Douglas MacArthur, showing him at his most brilliant, and at his worst - falsifying reports, making tragic blunders, and so forth. And, Tom Weiner does a great job of reading the book, his voice sounding pleasant on the ear, making the 7 hours (on 6 CDs) go by quite pleanantly.

Now, everyone seems to mention the book's attempt to give what would have been MacArthur's views on current events. Admittedly, this is a rather subjective exercise. But, that said, I think that the author did do a good job of suggesting what the general would have said and thought.

Yep, I think that this is an excellent audio-biography of General MacArthur, one that should be purchased by every armchair student of World War 2.

Frankly, I am amazed at the other reviews posted, and wonder if we read the same book.
Two themes seemed to prevade this book. The first is a hyper critical hindsight critique of MacArthur's stratigic decisions, particularly in the Phillipines, though Clark does not offer alternative solutions. The second, perhaps driving the first, is political. The biography is a critique of MacArthur's world view from the vantage point of American Apologia so in vogue today.
If you were to form your opinion of MacArthur simply on this book, you would wonder A) how he ever rose to command, and B) how did we ever win the Second World War.
I would strongly urge looking on to other offerings.

Richard Frank's third book, MacArthur is by far his shortest. But it is still great reading, very insightful review of General Douglas MacArthur's controversial career. Frank states he wants to be objective and let the reader decide who or what General MacArthur was. Along the way, he points out myths that MacArthur's supporters and detractors have gotten wrong along the way. The writing style is very matter of fact, well researched and documented.

The book is really 4 ½ stars, or nine out of ten. Just a few comments - it's small - the print is tiny...get the large print version. I enjoyed it completely right up to the end when the author went out on a limb and began predicting how Mac would have reacted to modern history & events. That's just a way for the author to inject his personal views on current events. There's no need for that, it soils an otherwise perfectly balanced and neutral look on MacArthur.

Of interest, Richard Frank states in his conclusion that Douglas MacArthur is second only to Franklin Roosevelt in having an impact on the 20th century. All who ever met or dealt with MacArthur agree that he was intelligent, his career was longer and marked with more brilliance than his peers and his was very adaptable. He was also vain, insubordinate and completely unable to grasp his own flaws. As one of his officers remarked, "the best and the worst things you ever heard about him are both true".

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Far Eastern history, the Pacific Theater, students of military history and those interested in leadership. There is a lot to learn here, examples of what to do and not do. As with many geniuses, the only thing everyone can agree on is that this man is controversial.

MacArthur is an audiobook biography of legendary general Douglas MacArthur, known not only for his brilliance in World War II, but also his peacetime occupation of Japan - the most successful occupation in history. Written by Vietnam veteran Richard B. Frank, MacArthur explores how a man commissioned before the Wright Brothers' first flight became one of the most adaptable and innovative military leaders, quick to adjust to new dimensions in warfare. Enthusiastically recommended especially for public library collections. 6 CDs, 7 hours, tracks every three minutes for easy bookmarking.

In this fascinating biography, author and historian Richard B. Frank tells the story of General Douglas MacArthur, one of only nine American men to be promoted to the 5 star rank. Beginning with MacArthur's childhood in the closing days of the American West, he follows his career as he streaked across the American sky like a meteor.

Overall, I found this to be an absolutely fascinating read. The author does an excellent job of presenting the real Douglas MacArthur, showing him at his most brilliant, and at his worst - falsifying reports, making tragic blunders, and so forth.

Now, everyone seems to mention the book's attempt to give what would have been MacArthur's views on current events. Admittedly, this is a rather subjective exercise. But, that said, I think that the author did do a good job of suggesting what the general would have said and thought.

Yep, I think that this is an excellent biography of General MacArthur, one that should be read by every armchair student of World War 2.

Riddled with typos, this is nevertheless a model of short biography, by far the best of the four books in this series that I've read so far. An accomplished historian of World War II in the Pacific (see GUADALCANAL and DOWNFALL; I believe he's currently working on a trilogy covering the entire Pacific War), Richard B. Frank avoids the oversimplification, sentimentalization, and borderline hagiography of the other volumes. Brief but meaty, this book provides a fairly detailed overview of MacArthur's career, focusing on World War II but also covering his prewar career and Korea; indeed, Frank wades so deep into describing the conduct of operations that MacArthur at times drops out of the narrative. Frank praises MacArthur's intellect, boldness, adaptability, and rhetorical skills but also highlights the general's flaws, such as his being a difficult subordinate and, relatedly, drifting too far into politics. All in all, this is an entertaining and informative book.