Coming of age duringWorld War I and attaining their finest hour in World War II and theCold War, these men -- FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Marshall, MacArthur-- transformed America from an isolated frontier nation into aglobal superpower. As he tells their stories, Fromkin, author of A Peace to End All Peace , shows how this generation not onlymade America great but largely succeeded in making it a force forgood.
Kindred spirits despite their profound differences inposition, Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman shared a vision of thedemocratic character. They had read or listened to each other’swords at crucial turning points in their lives, and both wereutterly transformed by the tragedy of the Civil War. In thisradiant book, poet and biographer Daniel Mark Epstein tracks theparallel lives of these two titans from the day that Lincoln firstread Leaves of Grass to the elegy Whitman composed after Lincoln’sassassination in 1865. Drawing on a rich trove of personal and newspaper accounts anddiary records, Epstein shows how the influence and reverence flowedbetween these two men–and brings to life the many friends andcontacts they shared. Epstein has written a masterful portrait oftwo great American figures and the era they shaped through wordsand deeds.
For nearly twenty years, Aaron David Miller has played acentral role in U.S. efforts to broker Arab-Israeli peace as anadvisor to presidents, secretaries of state, and national securityadvisors. Without partisanship or finger-pointing, Miller recordswhat went right, what went wrong, and how we got where we aretoday. Here is a look at the peace process from a place at thenegotiation table, filled with behind-the-scenes strategy, colorfulanecdotes and equally colorful characters, and new interviews withpresidents, secretaries of state, and key Arab and Israelileaders. Honest, critical, and often controversial, Miller’s insider’saccount offers a brilliant new analysis of the problem ofArab-Israeli peace and how it still might be solved.
As a defender of national unity, a leader in war, and theemancipator of slaves, Abraham Lincoln lays ample claim to beingthe greatest of our presidents. But the story of his rise togreatness is as complex as it is compelling. In this superb,prize-winning biography, acclaimed historian Richard Carwardineexamines Lincoln’s dramatic political journey, from his early yearsin the Illinois legislature to his nation-shaping years in theWhite House. Here, Carwardine combines a new perspective with acompelling narrative to deliver a fresh look at one of the pillarsof American politics. He probes the sources of Lincoln’s moral andpolitical philosophy and uses his groundbreaking research to cutthrough the myth and expose the man behind it.
The political memoiras rousing adventure story—a sizzling account of a life lived inthe thick of every important struggle of the era. April 1973: snow falls thick and fast on the Badlands ofSouth Dakota. It has been more than five weeks since protestingSioux Indians seized their historic village of Wounded Knee, andthe FBI shows no signs of abandoning its siege. When Bill Zimmermanis asked to coordinate an airlift of desperately needed food andmedical supplies, he cannot refuse; flying through gunfire and amechanical malfunction, he carries out a daring dawn raid andsuccess?0?2fully parachutes 1,500 pounds of food into the village.The drop breaks the FBI siege, and assures an Indian victory. This was not the first—or last—time Bill Zimmerman put his life atrisk for the greater social good. In this extraordi?0?2nary memoir,Zimmerman takes us into the hearts and minds of those making thesocial revolution of the sixties. He writes about registering blackvoters in deepest, most racist Mississippi; marc
The series of essays that comprise The Federalist constitutes one of the key texts of the American Revolution and thedemocratic system created in the wake of independence. Written in1787 and 1788 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay topromote the ratification of the proposed Constitution, these papersstand as perhaps the most eloquent testimonial to democracy thatexists. They describe the ideas behind the American system ofgovernment: the separation of powers; the organization of Congress;the respective positions of the executive, legislative, andjudiciary; and much more. The Federalist remains essentialreading for anyone interested in politics and government, andindeed for anyone seeking a foundational statement about democracyand America. This new edition of The Federalist is edited by Robert Scigliano, aprofessor in the political science department at Boston College.His substantive Introduction sheds clarifying new light on thehistorical context and meaning of The Federalist . Scig
This updated edition contains new analysis on the situation inIraq and the war against terrorism. Sold over 10,000 copies in hardcover. No one outside the intelligence services knows more about theirculture than Thomas Powers. In this book he tells stories ofshadowy successes, ghastly failures, and, more often, grippinguncertainties. They range from the CIA's long cold war strugglewith its Russian adversary to debates about the use of secretintelligence in a democratic society, and urgent contemporaryissues such as whether the CIA and the FBI can defend Americaagainst terrorism.
Widely considered in his own time as a genial but provinciallightweight who was out of place in the presidency, Abraham Lincolnastonished his allies and confounded his adversaries by producing aseries of speeches and public letters so provocative that theyhelped revolutionize public opinion on such critical issues ascivil liberties, the use of black soldiers, and the emancipation ofslaves. This is a brilliant and unprecedented examination of howLincoln used the power of words to not only build his politicalcareer but to keep the country united during the Civil War.
The most important, acclaimed, and galvanizing politicalbiography of our era--which began with The Path to Power--continuesin this national bestseller. In Means of Ascent Lyndon Johnson'salmost mythic personality is seen at its most nakedly ambitious.The culminating drama--the explosive heart of the book--is Caro'sillumination of one of the great political mysteries of thecentury, the "87 votes that changed history."
A brilliant account of religion's role in the politicalthinking of the West, from the Enlightenment to the close of WorldWar II. The wish to bring political life under God's authority is nothingnew, and it's clear that today religious passions are again drivingworld politics, confounding expectations of a secular future. Inthis major book, Mark Lilla reveals the sources of this age-oldquest-and its surprising role in shaping Western thought. Making uslook deeper into our beliefs about religion, politics, and the fateof civilizations, Lilla reminds us of the modern West's uniquetrajectory and how to remain on it. Illuminating and challenging, The Stillborn God is a watershed in the history ofideas.
The former president's personal tale of political intrigue andsocial conflict during his first campaign for public office.Iluminates the origins of his commitment to human rights and bearsfurther witness to the accomplishments of an extraordinary man.
The Politics of Upheaval, 1935-1936, volume three of PulitzerPrize-winning historian and biographer Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr."sAge of Roosevelt series, concentrates on the turbulent concludingyears of Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term. A measure of economicrecovery revived political conflict and emboldened FDR's critics todenounce "that man in the White house." To his left were demagoguesHuey Long, Father Coughlin, and Dr. Townsend. To his right were thechampions of the old order ex-president Herbert Hoover, theAmerican Liberty League, and the august Supreme Court. For a time,the New Deal seemed to lose its momentum. But in 1935 FDR ralliedand produced a legislative record even more impressive than theHundred Days of 1933 a set of statutes that transformed the socialand economic landscape of American life. In 1936 FDR coasted toreelection on a landslide. Schlesinger has his usual touch withcolorful personalities and draws a warmly sympathetic portrait ofAlf M. Landon, the Republican candidate of 1936.
Despite all that has already been written on Franklin DelanoRoosevelt, Joseph Persico has uncovered a hitherto overlookeddimension of FDR's wartime leadership: his involvement inintelligence and espionage operations. Roosevelt's Secret War is crowded with remarkablerevelations: -FDR wanted to bomb Tokyo before Pearl Harbor -A defector from Hitler's inner circle reported directly to theOval Office -Roosevelt knew before any other world leader of Hitler's plan toinvade Russia -Roosevelt and Churchill concealed a disaster costing hundreds ofBritish soldiers' lives in order to protect Ultra, the Britishcodebreaking secret -An unwitting Japanese diplomat provided the President with adirect pipeline into Hitler's councils Roosevelt's Secret War also describes how much FDR had beentold--before the Holocaust--about the coming fate of Europe's Jews. And Persico also provides a definitive answer to the perennialquestion Did FDR know in advance about the attack on PearlHarbor? By temperament and chara
To lead is not to be “the boss,” the “head honcho,” or “thebrass.” To lead is to serve. Although serving may imply weakness to some, conjuring up apicture of the CEO waiting on the workforce hand and foot, servantleadership is actually a robust, revolutionary idea that can havesignificant impact on an organization’s performance. Jim Hunter champions this hard/soft approach to leadership, whichturns bosses and managers into coaches and mentors. By “hard,”Hunter means that servant leaders can be hard-nosed, evenautocratic, when it comes to the basics of running the business:determining the mission (where the company is headed) and values(what the rules are that govern the journey) and setting standardsand accountability. Servant leaders don’t commission a poll or takea vote when it comes to these critical fundamentals. After all,that’s what a leader’s job is, and people look to the leader to setthe course and establish standards. But once that direction is
In this groundbreaking historical expose, Douglas A. Blackmonbrings to light one of the most shameful chapters in Americanhistory—an “Age of Neoslavery” that thrived from the aftermath ofthe Civil War through the dawn of World War II.Using a vast recordof original documents and personal narratives, Douglas A. Blackmonunearths the lost stories of slaves and their descendants whojourneyed into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation and thenback into the shadow of involuntary servitude shortly thereafter.By turns moving, sobering, and shocking, this unprecedented accountreveals the stories of those who fought unsuccessfully against there-emergence of human labor trafficking, the companies thatprofited most from neoslavery, and the insidious legacy of racismthat reverberates today.
Edward Said has long been considered one of the world’s mostcompelling public intellectuals, taking on a remarkable array oftopics with his many publications. But no single book hasencompassed the vast scope of his stimulating erudition quite like Power, Politics, and Culture , a collection of interviewsfrom the last three decades. In these twenty-eight interviews, Said addresses everything fromPalestine to Pavarotti, from his nomadic upbringing under colonialrule to his politically active and often controversial adulthood,and reflects on Austen, Beckett, Conrad, Naipaul, Mahfouz, andRushdie, as well as on fellow critics Bloom, Derrida, and Foucault.The passion Said feels for literature, music, history, and politicsis powerfully conveyed in this indispensable complement to hisprolific life's work.
Now the inspiration for the CBS Television drama, "TheUnit." Delta Force. They are the U.S. Army's most elite top-secretstrike force. They dominate the modern battlefield, but you won'thear about their heroics on CNN. No headlines can reveal theirtop-secret missions, and no book has ever taken readersinside—until now. Here, a founding member of Delta Force takes usbehind the veil of secrecy and into the action-to reveal thenever-before-told story of 1st Special Forces OperationalDetachment-D (Delta Force). Inside Delta Forece The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit He is a master of espionage, trained to take on hijackers,terrorists, hostage takers, and enemy armies. He can deploy byparachute or arrive by commercial aircraft. Survive alone inhostile cities. Speak foreign languages fluently. Strike at enemytargets with stunning swiftness and extraordinary teamwork. He isthe ultimate modern warrior: the Delta Force Operator. In this dramatic behind-the-scenes ch
Never before has a journalist penetrated the wall of secrecythat surrounds the U.S. Secret Service. After conducting exclusiveinterviews with more than one hundred current and former SecretService agents, bestselling author and award-winning reporterRonald Kessler reveals their secrets for the first time. ? George W. Bush’s daughters would try to losetheir agents. ? Based on a psychic’s vision that a sniper wouldassassinate President George H. W. Bush, the Secret Service changedhis motorcade route. ? To make the press think he came to work early,Jimmy Carter would walk into the Oval Office at 5 a.m., then nodoff to sleep. ? Lyndon Johnson gave dangerous instructions tohis Secret Service agents and ?engaged in extensive philandering atthe White House.
An instant classic of war reporting, The Forever War isthe definitive account of America's conflict with Islamicfundamentalism and a searing exploration of its human costs.Through the eyes of Filkins, a foreign correspondent for the NewYork Times, we witness the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, theaftermath of the attack on New York on September 11th, and theAmerican wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Filkins is the only Americanjournalist to have reported on all these events, and hisexperiences are conveyed in a riveting narrative filled withunforgettable characters and astonishing scenes.
"Jefferson aspired beyond the ambition of a nationality, and embraced in his view the whole future of man." --Henry Adams
Reagan’s War is the story of Ronald Reagan’s personaland political journey as an anti-communist, from his early days asan actor to his years in the White House. Challenging popularmisconceptions of Reagan as an empty suit who played only a passiverole in the demise of the Soviet Union, Peter Schweizer detailsReagan’s decades-long battle against communism. Bringing to light previously secret information obtained fromarchives in the United States, Germany, Poland, Hungary, andRussia—including Reagan’s KGB file—Schweizer offers a compellingcase that Reagan personally mapped out and directed his war againstcommunism, often disagreeing with experts and advisers. Anessential book for understanding the Cold War, Reagan’s War should be read by open-minded readers across the politicalspectrum.
In his final book, completed just before his death, Edward W.Said offers impassioned pleas for the beleaguered Palestinian causefrom one of its most eloquent spokesmen. These essays, whichoriginally appeared in Cairo’s Al-Ahram Weekly, London’s Al-Hayat,and the London Review of Books, take us from the Oslo Accordsthrough the U.S. led invasion of Iraq, and present information andperspectives too rarely visible in America. Said is unyielding in his call for truth and justice. He insistson truth about Israel's role as occupier and its treatment of thePalestinians. He pleads for new avenues of communication betweenprogressive elements in Israel and Palestine. And he is equallyforceful in his condemnation of Arab failures and the need for realleadership in the Arab world.