Wesley K. Clark: A Biography (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It may not be too little, but it is too late. Felix's previous bio is of Condi, and this chronicle of the former supreme allied commander in Europe—and now 2004 presidential also-ran—crosses party lines in a thorough and periodically engaging fashion. Felix begins with Clark's childhood "response" to the launch of Sputnik: he built a rocket and began learning Russian in an attempt to "know your enemy." From there, Felix backtracks through the Jewish immigrant heritage of Clark's paternal side; with Clark's (né Kanne) father's death just before Clark's fourth birthday, he moved with his mother from Chicago back to her Methodist family in Little Rock, Ark., where she met her third husband, Victor Clark. Felix is detailed on these years and the rest of Clark's life, having dug up almost everyone who can tell her anything firsthand (and nice) about Clark (as well as 16 pages of unremarkable photos). After getting himself into West Point (first in his class), Clark landed a Rhodes scholarship, got married, got wounded as a platoon leader in Vietnam, converted to Catholicism, went back to West Point for a three-year teaching stint and piled up more degrees and more prestigious posts. By midbook, Clark accepts his first Joint Staff position in 1994, and the rest—much of it related to his work in Bosnia commanding NATO forces—is covered in dutiful detail. More sympathetic and more minutiae-oriented than the average newspaper campaign profile, the book leaves Clark, who comes off as super-smart and dedicated, graciously handing the Democratic nomination off to John Kerry. Look for this book's second edition, if necessary, in 2008.
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Product Description

The first biography on General Wesley K. Clark, Democratic presidential candidate and former NATO Commander, covering his prestigious military career and the personal history that shaped his character—from the author of Condi: The Condoleezza Rice Story.

Four-star Gen. Wesley K. Clark (Ret.) made headline news upon announcing his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination, and instantly became one of the frontrunners in the heated race. Now, biographer Antonia Felix paints a fascinating portrait of the man behind the medals.

Clark entered the world stage in 1997 as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, leading Operation Allied Force, which successfully ended the conflict in Kosovo. He set his course for achievement at West Point, graduating at the top of his class, and went on to receive a Master's Degree at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Clark did two tours of duty in Vietnam, leading an infantry division and earning the Silver Star and Purple Heart for wounds received in combat.

In this comprehensive biography, drawn from dozens of interviews and independent research, readers will discover a personal story that is as compelling as Clark's highly decorated military career. Son of a Jewish father and Southern Baptist mother, Clark later converted to his wife's Catholic faith while fighting in Vietnam. The Wesley Clark Story covers Clark's life from his early days in Little Rock, Arkansas, and his time at Oxford (he is widely regarded as a savvy intellectual who speaks four languages), to his distinguished military career and recent role as CNN military analyst on the war in Iraq.

A general against the war in Iraq, Clark has been considered by some too political for the military and too military for the political arena. To others, his is the perfect combination for American leadership at this moment in history. 16 b/w photos.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Newmarket Press (June 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557046255
• ISBN-13: 978-1557046253
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,069,037 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Thin: Clark Deserves a Better Treatment, October 26, 2005

By	E. L. Devereaux "Retired Career NCO" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is very thin as a biography; it appears as something produced in haste to take advantage of the national political scene. My interest was on General Clark's military career with an emphasis on the early years. The writing appears as a collection of comments from past officer efficiency reports and some of the narrative from awards and decorations General Clark received over his long career. It was obvious that the author doesn't know much about the military as an organization and it shows. General Clark deserves a better biography written some someone who understands the military culture as well as national politics; Ms Felix did the basic job of putting the facts together; she didn't take the time to do an interpretation of the facts. Over the past few years as more is know about General Clark, the critics both in and out of the military, are providing many valid questions for the next biographers.

Full disclosure: I served as the brigade operations sergeant for then Major Wesley Clark in Bamberg Germany in 1977. Of the five operations officers over three years plus clearly Clark was the most brilliant, intelligent and complex of the five and two of them, still friends today, were really intelligent officers and worked well with the Noncommissioned Officers Corp. I was disappointed that his time as a battalion and brigade operations officer was skipped over. Besides, the biography misspelled the name of his rater Lt Col Dick Schonberger. All that not withstanding, I bought several copies of the book to give to others who were in Bamberg at the time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid narrative with little insight, February 18, 2005

By	Alex Frantz (San Leandro, ca USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Felix has written a very positive, but not especially deep, biography of former and probably future presidential candidate Wesley Clark. This looks like something of a political leap for her, since she has written bios, apparently equally uncritical, of Laura Bush and Condi Rice. But it's less of a leap than it seems; there is nothing in this book to offend the strongest Clark supporter, but also nothing to offend partisan conservatives. For instance, Felix mentions that Clark's decision to run for President in 2003 was motivated partly by his disapproval of the direction of Bush's policies, but goes into little detail about what he disliked or why.

What she has focussed on is a list of the many highlights of Clark's life and career, from his early successes in High school swimming and forensics competitions to the numerous companies that invited him to become a director from 2000 - 2003. She particularly highlights the impressive list of awards and honors Clark has won, from "Boy of the Year" as a Little Rock teen and the oddly named Peruvian Army plaque (for 1st in his class at West Point) to the Presidential Medal of Freedom after his retirement from active duty.

Most of the book is necessarily about Clark's career in the military. There's an important and potentially fascinating story here of how the US military rose from its disastrous post-Vietnam condition to become the efficient powerhouse of the first Gulf War and the Kosovo campaign. The generation of young officers who served as junior field commanders in Vietnam and then rose through the ranks, such as Clark and Colin Powell, played a big role in this story. Felix does show Clark's focus throughout his career on training and the welfare of his troops, but her account of Clark's rise is too much a listing of positions held, units commanded, and honors awarded to adequately tell this broader story.

Certainly those unfamiliar with Clark and his background will learn a lot from this book; those already aware of the general story from the coverage of the 2004 campaign will be disappointed by the relative lack of new information. The book reads almost like one aimed at children due to its short length, simple vocabulary, and generally superficial treatments.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very basic, but good as a thumbnail review, November 20, 2005

By	DebofTheDales "Deb" (UK) - See all my reviews

For folks interested in the prestigious and impressive history of Wes Clark, this book presents the basics. While not the in-depth biography I hoped for, I found it - coupled with Clark's own "Winning Modern War" to provide a fairly fleshed out picture of one of our history's greatest Generals.

Worth a read.