American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964

American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964 – by William Manchester

I was first introduced to William Manchester when I read his wonderful three volume series of the life of Winston Churchill.  Even though I thoroughly enjoyed that series, each book was about 1,000 pages long, and 3,000 pages of the life of anybody is a bit much.  Well, this one was only one volume and “only” about 800 pages, so it was much easier to tackle.  800 pages is still quite a lot, but I felt it was the perfect amount for the subject matter.

There are some that call this retrospective too one-sided, and claim that there’s too much “pro” Douglas MacArthur here.  That might be true, but I find that what I read within these pages was pretty much accurate in terms of what most knew about the man.  He’s painted as a very confident man, yet pretty cocky as well.  There always seems to be a radiant halo around this man, yet much of the glowing seems to be originated from the man himself.  Not that he doesn’t deserve much of this praise, he simply seems to be drawing attention to his accomplishments since he knows that this attention only is helping the cause of the fighting – whatever the particular cause might be.  He’s also portrayed as quite fearless.  There are many times in combat, for example, where the man marches into unfriendly territory in the heat of a battle, inspecting front lines, causing his advisors to panic as they try to get their commander to act more cautiously.  This man seems to somehow know that no harm will come to him.  His reply to his nervous aides is that, if he cowers from the enemy on the front lines, how can he expect his soldiers to act any different?

Part of what makes this book so appealing is that the major events of this man’s life seem to get more and more interesting as the book, and the man’s life, progress.  On that note, it should be pointed out that the book starts out rather dull.  We begin with a synopsis of some of his ancestors (his father and grandfather as I recall) and their lives as soldiers during the Civil War and other key events of the nineteenth century.  I guess this was to educate the reader of the man’s military “history”, but I found it unnecessary.

We then move rather quickly through the first half century of the man’s life.  We learn about his family background that is entrenched in the military already, including a meddlesome mother who seems to use her connections help her boy get promoted throughout his career.  We briefly learn about some of his escapades in the first World War (where he is promoted to Brigadier General), and his tenure as Superintendent of West Point for a few years following the conclusion of World War I.

This book really becomes interesting around the late 1930s, as MacArthur is assigned as a military advisor in the Philippines.  Although things are quite unstable already, nothing is as bad as when the second World War breaks out, and the Japanese attack the Philippines a mere few days after Pearl Harbor.  Mac is determined to fight to the end, but his country desperately needs his military skills as a leader.  So rather than fight to the death in the Philippines, he and his family are evacuated off of Corregidor Island under dangerous conditions to the continent of Australia.  This is what prompted the famous “I Shall Return” speech.  This entire episode would make a great book in and of itself.

So MacArthur is now Commander of the Armed Forces in the Far East, and we see methodically how he turns the tide in favor of the U.S., culminating in the end of the war with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Then we witness events which, for me, became the most fascinating part of the life of Douglas MacArthur.  Unlike most conquering armies in the recorded history of civilization, MacArthur is an extremely magnanimous vanquisher.  The misguided Japanese have visions of being raped, pillaged and enslaved at the end of the war.  After all, that’s what the victor is supposed to do to their subjects.  Right?  Well, time and time again, the U.S. shows that this isn’t how you treat a defeated nation.  Instead, MacArthur, as ruler of Japan, brings reform to the people, slowly building them up to a proud nation while eliminating aspects of their recent barbaric history.  Of course the Japanese now revere the man as a god, yet it really isn’t all that surprising considering just how far he has turned things around in this nation.

Then, we come to Korea.  The final “chapter” in MacArthur’s life is probably the most ugly.  Without going into too much detail, MacArthur and President Harry Truman have very different ideas as to how to handle this war…..excuse me…..Police Action, and tempers are, indeed, hot on both sides.  Long story short, most love MacArthur, yet really don’t know what to think about Harry Truman.  MacArthur’s ego, rather than Truman’s orders, guide many of the general’s decisions, eventually leading to his firing.  After his dismissal, most on the home front are enraged and MacArthur is treated as a hero when he returns stateside, much to President Truman’s consternation.  There are endless ticker tape parades, speeches, and fainting women, yet when MacArthur is brought before a subcommittee in congress, it’s proven that Truman did the right thing.  What was quite fascinating, yet rather depressing, was to see so many lines drawn in the sand during this conflict between the two political parties (MacArthur was a diehard Republican).   Things were quite nasty.  Anyone who thinks that partisan politics has only become awful in later years need only study this particular timeframe to note that idiotic partisan bickering, sadly, is nothing new.

After the whole Korea thing, it does seem that the general does indeed seem to quietly fade away.  Yes, he’s still around, and he still gets in the spotlight from time to time, but nothing seems to be quite as prevalent as the time frame between 1937-1952.

This was a great book, and William Manchester seems to know, for the most part, where to spend the majority of his focus when writing about his subject.  I’m also glad that this was only one volume instead of three.

Emotionally Weird

Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson

I mentioned in a previous review that Kate Atkinson is my “new favorite author”.  I’m still going to let her claim that title in my heart, but to be brutally honest, her third book (the fourth I’ve read by her) is the first one that I would define as less than spectacular.  Ironically, Atkinson’s gift isn’t necessarily telling a good story, but rather her ability to draw you in with her off-beat characters along with their observations and descriptions about their bizarre situations.  I say “ironic” because it is the story that lacks here, but it lacks so much, that it does bring down the whole experience a notch.

There’s actually several different stories going on here, and none of them are happening at the same time.  In other words, this book is a story about a character who is telling a story, and within that story, another character is telling another story. And so on and so on.  Kind of like that stupid movie Inception (some people liked that movie.  I have no idea why) where characters were dreaming inside of their dreams, inside of other dreams, etc.   In this book, I’m not even quite sure which is the “main” story, and which is the “invented tale”.  It can be that confusing.

What I think is the main story consists of college-aged Effie and her somewhat aloof Mom, Nora.  We don’t know much about these two, other than mother and daughter are drifters.  They basically have no home, and tend to find themselves in a different sea port town every couple of months or so.  There’s a lot of mystery around this relationship.  What is their past?  Why do they have no home?  How exactly do they survive?  Well, the author doesn’t tell us much at all (until the very end), yet instead, the majority of this book is a story that young Effie tells.  Effie’s tale (I think it might be a partially “true” story, but I’m not really sure) is about life at a small English college where she’s studying literature.  This takes place around 1972, and it seems like at this particular college, the only thing studied is composition, writing theories, and anything related to literature.

This is where we really see the author’s strengths shine.  Like every other Atkinson novel (at least the ones I’ve read), all of the characters seemed destitute and somewhat miserable, yet Atkinson presents the story in a rather humorous way.  None of these kids want to really learn anything.  They all sleep a lot, have a lot of physical contact with one and other, live in squalor-like conditions, have children out of wedlock, and do a lot of drugs.   There’s really too many characters to keep track of (another trait of Atkinson), and it seems like every one of these kids is always being hunted down by a teacher about a paper that’s overdue.

Well, since Effie is learning about Creative Writing or whatever, we also see many of her unfinished stories throughout the pages that, I guess serve some sort of purpose, but simply seemed too much of a distraction.  There’s also too many strange things that happen that make her life a bit silly, but since this is really the “story within the story”, I’m thinking it’s supposed to be that way for some strange reason.  Maybe the author’s intention is to make this novel some sort of work of art where readers debate back and forth what the real meanings and intentions are with some of the bizarre instances that happen within the pages?

I must say that despite all the confusion, the ending of this book was nicely done, and I thought that it tied up all of the loose ends really well, but I still felt a bit disappointed after reading some of her other books.  That leads me to conclude that if you’ve never read this author, I would highly recommend another selection in her catalog to get you started.   Her style isn’t for everyone, and I would only advise this book for those that would call themselves fans.  Others may be too put off by her odd style.

Sycamore Row

Sycamore Row – by John Grisham

Some have advertised this as the “sequel” to Grisham’s first novel “A Time To Kill”.  That’s a bit of a stretch.  It’s more like another story using many of the same characters from Grisham’s first effort that rightly propelled the author to stardom.  In that novel, Grisham told us the story of a young lawyer named Jake Brigance who defended an African-American man after he killed two white redneck racists after they raped his little girl.  Being that the story took place in the Deep South in the 1980s, the story was filled with racial overtones.  It was a great book and, at the risk of divulging a spoiler, it had a very satisfying conclusion.

Well, in real life, after such a momentous occasion, the good guys rarely live happily ever after.  Even though Jake becomes a celebrity, things quickly go back to normal, and he ends up being just another lawyer in a small town that’s already too crowded with lawyers.  

So he plods along the best he can trying to keep himself, his wife, and his young daughter above the poverty level.

Then he receives a letter.  It’s actually a revised will from a dying millionaire named Seth Hubbard, who has just committed suicide by hanging himself.  In the new will, Hubbard  essentially disinherits his entire family, and wants to leave the bulk of his fortune to his African-American housekeeper.  Jake is to be the executor of the will.

So Grisham then does what Grisham does best.  He tells a tale of how such an event is likely to occur, while at the same time, educating his readers on many aspects of the legal profession.  The task of throwing the old will out the window and replacing it with the new one isn’t going to be easy.  There are too many greedy lawyers and clients around and everyone is throwing wrenches into the work to discredit the revised will.    Was Seth delusional?  After all, the mad DID kill himself.  Was he doped up on pain medication?  And who is this mysterious housekeeper anyway?  Was there hanky-panky going on between the two?  Did SHE somehow coax him into this?

And on and on and on.  Fortunately, Jake knows the law pretty well, but he’s drastically outnumbered and outspent.  The good thing about Jake’s situation is that he is getting paid pretty well for the entire process regardless of the outcome.  Still, however, Jake is a lawyer with high moral standards (such creatures are rare in a Grisham novel), so he’s doing his due diligence and working long hours to ensure justice is done.

This is a very typical Grisham novel.  For the most part, that is a good thing.  You never get bored hearing about how the legal system really works as opposed to how it’s supposed to work.  The one drawback I had about this story is it seem to contain an awful lot of red herrings.  There were simply too many side stories and episodes that really didn't add much to the entire plot, yet I kept thinking that they somehow would.  One episode in particular has Jake and family pondering buying a rather expensive house since money is now coming in.  I kept wanting to warn Jake that this money would only be temporary, and what good would it be to have a nice expensive house once this case is over and you’re back to thinking about food stamps??

I’d also add that reading the first “episode”, A Time to Kill, isn’t really necessary, although I would recommend reading that one as well since it is one of Grisham’s best.  This was a very good read, although I’m a bit tired of the whole “the real legal profession” shtick.  Grisham has written a few novels about stuff other than law, and most of those books have been equally as rewarding.  I would like to see him dabble more frequently in different genres.

First Family

First Family – by David Baldacci

This is probably my favorite Baldacci book so far (I’m reading them sequentially).  I’m a bit surprised as I seem to prefer his “Camel Club” offerings as opposed to the “King and Maxwell” episodes, which is what this one is.  Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are your typical crime solving duo.  Both single, both incredibly attractive, yet the relationship is purely platonic so we can focus on action without too many distractions.  Since they’re based in the Washington D.C. area, many of their crime solving adventures involve high level officials within the powerful corridors of the government.

This one is no different.  It seems the President’s 12 year old niece has been kidnapped.  The action just so happens as Maxwell and King are on their way to visit the immediate family, so they witness the event actually happen to some extent.  It seems as though Sean King is quite friendly with the family, and has been friends with the First Lady as well for quite some time.  So in addition to King and Maxwell being at the scene of the crime as it is being committed, FLOTUS also insists that the duo be assigned to the case.

We then meet Sam Quarry, the individual responsible for the kidnapping.  Baldacci spends a lot of time with Sam, and the more we know him, the more we become convinced that the man isn’t necessarily a deranged lunatic.  It seems like he has a very clear motive for his crime, yet the author doesn’t let us know exactly what it is until near the end of the story.  Instead, Baldacci masterfully peels back layer upon layer of Quarry’s motivation.  No, we never cheer for the guy, but we come to understand why he did what he did.  This, for me, was probably the most appealing part of the story.  I always looked forward when the story would come back to Sam, so I could add one more piece to a complex puzzle of understanding.

In the King and Maxwell books, David Baldacci dives a bit deeper into these two characters, and what exactly it is that makes them tick.  It seems as though, especially with Michelle Maxwell, there are a lot of skeletons in her past, and they’re so severe, that her subconscious has mostly blacked them out of her memory.  So we revisit her past from time to time.  In this book, her mother dies in an accident during the investigation, which causes her to go home to attend the funeral, etc. and there’s a LOT of time spent on digging up old ghosts.  It is quite the distraction from the main story, yet I never really felt as though the diversion was unnecessary nor too lengthy.  That might be a motivation to read these books in order, but if one doesn’t, it’s probably not that big of a deal.

I also enjoyed the somewhat of a cliffhanger ending quite well, and it makes me anxious to see how the next book plays out.