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Superbly written

Revisado: 11-29-22

It took me almost four months to get through this book on my daily work commute. Now I can say I've heard all 3 volumes. The book is superbly written with vivid prose and strong character descriptions. This was driven home to me when I heard the section on Lincoln's assassination. I was quite familiar with many of the details, yet Foote's portrayal was very vivid. There are many more books I want to hear, but in a few years I plan to go through these volumes again!

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Well Worth the Listen

Revisado: 07-22-21

Surely, this must be the most detailed biography of Kennedy to date. Having heard it, I eagerly look forward to the second half. I was surprised to learn that “Jack” seemed more destined to greatness than his older brother Joe and Joe, much to his bitter disappointment seemed to realize it before his untimely death. My respect for Kennedy grew, for he was a very independent thinker in the realm of foreign policy. A speech he gave in the mid-1950s on the topic of Vietnam War was very far-sighted. It sounded like an evaluation of the war that could have been written in 1969. I’ve always been skeptical of claims by his advisors that he would have never gotten the US so deeply involved there. I can certainly see that his thinking was more along the lines of not getting involved. He also had the opportunity to see the world, especially Europe when it was on the verge of WWII. He developed his own view of what American foreign policy should be. He developed it with the influence of Winston Churchill, of whom he was a fan and against his own father; an isolationist through and through. There is much in this book about his pre-marital affairs and his extra-marital affairs. He could easily have ruined his political hopes through this activity and took great and unnecessary risks in this matter. In that world before the rise of modern feminism, he got away with it. On the other hand, in our modern world post-feminism presidents of been public womanizers and have won support from both the left and the right. Perhaps how much his behavior might have mattered had it been uncovered has been overblown. This volume ends with the completion of the campaign of 1956 with “Jack” contemplating his future in politics. I look forward to hearing part 2.

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A Great Listen

Revisado: 06-25-21

This audio book was just shy of 53 hours at the normal speed. It took a little over four months to complete it on my morning work commute. I listened to volume 1 in January-April of 2019 and I plan to listen to volume 3 in early 2023.
Foote, a novelist by trade, weaves this history together with beautiful, vivid language as though he were writing a novel. His brilliant characterizations of people bring them to life, capturing their physical appearance, actions, motives, and character. The volume’s center, indeed, the center of the three volumes is the battle of Gettysburg. In Foote’s telling, this battle is the climax of the Civil War and its decisive moment. The battle, in my estimation took 10-12 hours of riveting listening. Gettysburg is preceded by a tremendous Confederate victory (the battle of Chancellorsville) and a simultaneous Confederate loss (the accidental killing of “Stonewall” Jackson). Gettysburg is followed by another great Confederate victory at Chickamauga. However, Gettysburg overshadows all surrounding events and, in hindsight, destroys the south’s hopes of victory. In the last third of the book, the great battle of Gettysburg is commemorated three months later with Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. You can feel the greatness of the address and its poignancy when Foote arrives there. There are other great Civil War historians whose works I have not read. Surely, Foote’s work must stand among the best.

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