A Time to Lead: For Duty, Honor and Country [Hardcover]

Wesley K. K. Clark (Author), Tom Carhart (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1403984743 | ISBN-13: 978-1403984746 | Publication Date: September 4, 2007 | Edition: First Edition

Four-star General Wesley K. Clark became a major figure on the political scene when he was drafted by popular demand to run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2003. But this was just one of many exceptional accomplishments of a long and extraordinary career. Here, for the first time, General Clark uses his unique life experience--from his difficult youth in segregated Arkansas where he was raised by his poor, widowed mother; through the horror of Vietnam where he was wounded; the post-war rebuilding of national security  and the struggles surrounding the new world order after the Cold War--as a springboard to reveal his vision for America, at home and in the world. General Clark will address issues such as foreign policy, the economy, the environment, education and health care, family, faith, and the American dream.

Rich with breathtaking battle scenes, poignant personal anecdote and eye-opening recommendations on the best way forward, General Clark's new book is a tour de force of gripping storytelling and inspiring vision.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Army generals frequently remain little known outside the military. That was true of four-star general Clark until he decided to seek the Democratic Party nomination for the 2004 presidential race. In a combination memoir, patriotic tract and broadside about contemporary American politics, Clark explains how his dismay with the Bush administration's determination to invade Iraq without good reason primed him to seek the presidency. On the campaign trail, Clark suggested that using military force to defeat terrorists would likely prove futile. Instead, he touted the value of negotiation. How a four-star general ended up less hawkish than the civilian in the White House is linked to the events of his life, from growing up in the segregated city of Little Rock, Ark., to becoming NATO's supreme allied commander, Europe. The freshest material covers his command of international peacekeeping troops in Kosovo, as the 1990s civil war in the former Yugoslavia threatened to engulf neighboring countries. Little will be unfamiliar to those who supported Clark's presidential bid, or of interest to those who didn't. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

Clark's autobiography begins with an account of the serious wounds he received in battle in Vietnam. His experience there, he avers, crystallized principles of leadership. Yet as interested as some are in the secrets of successful leadership, most will approach Clark's memoir for the windows it opens into his personal and professional life. Although Clark recalls salient memories from his youth in Little Rock, Arkansas, such as the desegregation crisis of 1957, he structures his material largely by his ascent up the military hierarchy, from the West Point class of 1966 to his last post, as NATO commander of the 1999 war on Serbia. West Point was a life-altering experience: he survived the hazing, discovered a talent for soldiering, and met his future wife. In direct, unadorned prose, Clark imparts his conviction of the anticommunist cause in Vietnam and his significant contribution to the army's recovery in the 1980s. The book closes with Clark's Democratic Party presidential candidacy in 2004 and his criticism of the Iraq war, signaling that the author's engagement in politics may continue. Taylor, Gilbert

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; First Edition edition (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403984743
• ISBN-13: 978-1403984746
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,238,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > History > Europe > Serbia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories from the life of Wesley Clark and the lessons they teach, September 4, 2007

By 

Stanley Davis "Stan Davis" (Lakewood, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Time to Lead: For Duty, Honor and Country (Hardcover)

The book could easily be subtitled, "Stories from my life and the lessons they teach," for that is the basic structure of the book. In chronological order, except for the Preface, in which he relates the incident in which he was wounded in Viet Nam, Gen. Clark tells stories of his life and then completes each chapter with the lessons those stories have taught him--lessons for life and lessons on leadership. The final chapter applies those lessons to articulate a vision for America, for governance, and a path to follow for the 21st century.

Most of the stories he tells will be familiar to the avid Clark supporter community, but we've never heard them in his own words before, and in some cases in as much detail. The personal touch and the insights he provides bring the stories alive in his straightforward--dare I say simple?--language. It's an easy read, but the message is deep, but not complex.

If there was any disappointment in my reading of the book is that he downplays his own achievements, accomplishments, and uniqueness as a public servant, soldier, scholar, and leader. While his brilliance shines through the prose, he goes out of his way to avoid making him the star of the narrative. For example, his account of the Mt. Igman tragedy in Bosnia leaves out the danger and personal risk he undertook in making his rescue attempt. And there are almost too-casual mentions of his being number one in his class at West Point and his selection as a Rhodes Scholar. He omits altogether the praise that has been lavished on him in his formal Army evaluations and in other, less formal ways.

His mission in writing the book was to teach. The stories are necessary to understand the significant events in his life that have shaped who he is, led him to his beliefs, developed his character, and instilled the principles that guide him still. Extracting the leadership lessons from the stories and putting them all in one place could be used as the basis for a day-long seminar on principled leadership.

I didn't get the impression that he was touting his own leadership traits or promoting himself for his own purposes. Rather, I think he was hoping that others would internalize the lessons he teaches and adopt the same principles. He seems to think that the country has a dearth of such leaders and would like to develop more of them in all walks of life.

Readers of Clark's third book should enjoy it at at least two levels: the stories themselves as a compelling and often poignant narrative, and the points to ponder in developing leaders to take America to the places she should go in the future.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, September 7, 2007

By 

Patricia K. Spiegel (Aptos, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Time to Lead: For Duty, Honor and Country (Hardcover)

I read this book in only two sittings because I was anxious to see how a man who faced some severe challenges as a child and almost died in Vietnam could go on to become a great leader and American hero. It is a wonderful story of commitment and love of country as well as the lifetime love of one woman.

I TOTALLY DISAGREE with the snarky last sentence of the Publisher Weekly review (at the top). In fact, I am giving copies of this book to my younger friends and family members who truly want to do something with their lives, but don't exactly know what that might be or how to go about it. This isn't to say that the book is a recipe for how to become a 4 Star General or something as spectacular, but rather how to experiement with one's strengths (and weaknesses) and the focus on the goals that emerge from such a journey. Perhaps without being fully aware of it, Clark gives hints for all of us about how to be the best we can be, and reveals more about himself than I was expecting. The road isn't always easy. There will be setbacks. But one just keeps at it, and success can be the outcome.

I loved this inspiring book.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A life led, and a life of leading., September 21, 2007

By 

Ronald J. Esquerra III "Public Servant" (Munising, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Time to Lead: For Duty, Honor and Country (Hardcover)

Wes Clark has lead a life that could only be described as extraordinary. From growing up in Arkansas, to West point, to Oxford, The bloody fields of Vietnam to the halls of Washington and everywhere in between. This book gives an inspiring account of how one man from humble origins and a will to achieve went from a poor, small town boy to one of the most decorated Military leaders in modern history. This book is practically a manual on leadership. Whether you are in to politics or not, you should get this book. You cannot read this without being inspired, and hopeful for the future of this country.