Paratrooper: The Life of Gen James M Gavin [Hardcover]

T. Michael Booth (Author), Duncan Spencer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 1994

The first complete biography of one of the legendary heroes of World War II and the most famous paratroop leader of that war draws from Gavin's own papers, including his unpublished autobiography, to provide this candid portrait. Photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Jumpin' Jim" Gavin (1909-1990) is best remembered as the intrepid commander of the 82nd Airborne Divison during WW II. In postwar years he served as Army deputy chief of staff until his retirement in 1959, then became an executive at the consulting firm, Arthur D. Little, and served as John F. Kennedy's ambassador to France. In this engaging, smoothly written biography of America's most famous paratrooper, the authors trace Gavin's early years in Pennsylvania coal country, where life in a foster home became so intolerable that he ran away, won an appointment to West Point and found his natural home in the United States Army. Much of the narrative concentrates on Gavin's wartime command in Sicily, Italy, France and Germany, and his rivalry with General Maxwell Taylor, commander of the 101st Airborne Division. Booth, a freelance writer, and Spencer, a columnist for the congressional newspaper Roll Call , draw on Gavin's unpublished autobiography for revealing comments about his two marriages and his affairs with journalist Martha Gellhorn and actress Marlene Dietrich. Photos.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Historian Booth and journalist Spencer have written a thought-provoking biography of an often unsung, though brilliant and tormented figure. Gavin, who died in 1990, was the youngest U.S. general since Custer; his name is inextricably linked with one of the most formidable fighting forces in 20th-century military history, the 82nd Airborne Division. Gavin developed and led airborne forces during World War II, served in the postwar Pentagon as well as in private industry, and was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War. A fruitless search for an Irish mother who gave him up for adoption led Gavin to idolize women ("they are my solace"), resulting in two marriages and many affairs--the most famous with Marlene Dietrich. The many exciting vignettes of combat in Europe and of the deadly new talents of the paratrooper add to the book's appeal. Recommended for public libraries.
- Thomas G. Anton, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First edition (April 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671732269
• ISBN-13: 978-0671732264
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #498,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Biography of the Paratrooper Legend, January 24, 2002

By 

S. Miska (Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paratrooper: The Life of Gen James M Gavin (Hardcover)

This is the finest biography of the life of Jumpin' Jim Gavin, a legendary World War II leader. The other biography is written by Bradley Biggs and lacks the thorough research of Booth & Spencer's work. Read Biggs if you need a summary (and somewhat biased rendition) of Gavin's heroic life of service to the nation. Read this book if you want the details of Gavin's life in an impartial account - from his days as an orphan, then adopted growing up in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania to his WWII exploits, service as Ambassador to France under President Kennedy and his time as CEO of Arthur D. Little & Company. This biography presents the uncut version of the life of James M. Gavin.

Many former and current paratroopers still pay homage to the memory of this great man. Gavin is buried in the cemetery at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Each year on 6 June, his wife Jean, other family members, and members of the 82nd Airborne Division Association, both officers and enlisted, gather for a D-Day memorial to honor one of the greatest leaders of the war. Gavin led the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment on airborne drops into Sicily and Salerno, and later he led the entire 82nd Airborne Division on the Normandy and Market Garden jumps. It is a fitting tribute that the impact of his legacy still lives on in the hearts of the men and women who knew him and went to war with him. If you want to understand why his memory still inspires many of us in uniform, read this book. (You can also get more insight into the man by reading the several books that Gavin wrote himself, like Crisis Now, Airborne Warfare, and On To Berlin.)

Highly recommended for all paratroopers and anyone who interacts with military professionals.