James Reston Jr.Rezensionen

Good historical account.

Anyone who has visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. knows first-hand the power of the experience. This book reconstructs the controversy surrounding how it was selected, built, and adjusted in response to criticism. Suffice it to say the backlash against the selection was extremely ugly, including racism, condescension, and politics. In addition, art appreciation naturally varies widely in personal taste and it is often difficult to envision the final product during the design stage. Throw in the many intense opinions about the war, and how and why it was fought, and the stage was set for a flashpoint of discontent.

The author is a Vietnam Veteran, and in the epilogue, he relates the story of his close friend from military training, who died in the Tet offensive. As he looks at the mirrored black granite surface of the wall, he sees his reflection over his friend’s name. It seems like a separate story, but it is a nice way to honor his friend.

The book is well-researched and reported. I very much enjoyed the inclusion of photos of other submissions, poems, literary references, detailed footnotes, and bibliography. If you are interested in public art or curious about how the Vietnam Veterans Memorial came into existence, this book provides a thorough explanation of the process and pitfalls. It highlights the role of art in the healing process.

A well written account of the Third Crusade and encounters of Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. Written more like an adventure novel, this non-fictional account lays the ground work leading up to the battle of Jerusalem. Then covers the battle and aftermath.

[a: Reston |5696301|James Reston Jr.|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1333550388p2/5696301.jpg] does a great job of being objective, exposing all the greatness and pageantry of these 2 larger than life characters. In the same breath he exposes their flaws and contradictions. The only weakness in the story is Reston's adamant belief that Lionheart was a gay man. I have read a lot on the life of Richard, and although a case could be made, there is no proof. Not that it makes a difference either way. Reston just pushed my buttons a bit on this. The reason being, a reader new to the story of Richard would more than likely take what Reston has said here and believe it. When the fact of the matter is, there is no proof of Richards sexual orientation either way.

Still a stellar read, for those of us who love history and adventure.

A lot of you can't remember the war in Vietnam, but it was an extremely divisive time. The issue wasn't just about the war itself, for many of the activists it was about how corrupt, racist, imperialistic and generally unredeemable America was. As such, the battle was all the more bitter. People live during that time often felt traumatized for years after. An interesting book to read is E. J. Dionne's Why Americans Hate Politics. As Dionne describes the period, the liberals weren't fighting with the conservatives , but with the New Left. He remarks the the New Left demolished the Old, and the conservatives picked up the pieces.

In 1971, the question of amnesty for draft resistors thousands of whom had fled to other countries and deserters from the armed forces ("self-retired veterans") became a hot issue. Richard Nixon had taken office in January 1969, elected in part on the promise that he had a plan to end the war. Obviously, not a very quick plan, but people were thinking ahead to the aftermath. The organization Safe Return, formerly the Citizens Commission of Inquiry, found out that self-retired veteran John David Herndon, who had been living in France, had decided to return to the United States and surrender to the Army. They decided to make his a test case, hoping that either the Army would be forced to either try him, which they would try to turn into political theater, or would be forced to free him, setting a valuable precedent for others. In the end, the Army did neither, rather giving him a bad conduct charge and declining to prosecute, but Herndon still became voice against the war, appearing on radio talk shows, for example. Reston chronicled the issues, Herndon's life, and the outcome in this book.

The difference between how soldiers were sometimes viewed then and now is almost mind-boggling. Before accusations of cowardice or failure to do their duty can be launched, let me point out that both Reston and Herdon served in Vietnam; Herndon was wounded three times. He deserted after the Army planned to send him for a second tour, which I had understood was supposed to be voluntary, but I guess we have all heard about military volunteers.

I didn't like this book much when I read it more than forty years ago, perhaps I have mellowed. The thing which both infuriates and amuses me is the inability of people to grasp someone else's point of view. I have known people who cannot seem to grasp, even in the face of raging controversy, that other people, at least people without horns and a tail, have a different point of view. The main issue for Reston, et al., was that they wanted to obtain what they called a Universal Amnesty, which would mean that the fugitives could return without any penalties or requirements for alternate service. This was as opposed to a General Amnesty, which might require a case-by-case evaluation or service. Where I think Reston was a little delusional is his conviction that a Universal Amnesty also meant that the government admitted that it was wrong and the anti-war faction was right, and took responsibility for all the horrors of the war. (see page xv.) Actually, only the government, to the extent that something as changeable as an elected government can collectively decide something, determines what it admits or takes responsibility for. Certainly, amnesty does not imply an admission of guilt. From Black's Law Dictionary, amnesty is "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of persons, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of persons who are subject to trial but have not yet been convicted."

Reston uses as an example the amnesties issued at the end of the Civil War: Lincoln's forgiving the common soldier, and Andrew Johnson's forgiving the the Southern leaders. Certainly they were not apologizing for defeating the Confederacy and keeping the Union together. And since Andrew Johnson was considered to have been a staunch opponent of rights for the freed slaves, he opposed the 14th amendment granting them citizenship, his amnesty was not universally admired.

In the end, Gerald Ford extended a Conditional, or in Reston's terms, General Amnesty required alternative service for most, and Jimmy Carter extended a Universal Amnesty for almost everyone. Neither one took responsibility on behalf of the country or government for being wrong, but at least there was an amnesty and some people came home, without too much animosity, as far as I can remember.

This is a lively Account of the Third Crusade, with additional biography. Sloppy writing and some errors of fact though. I wouldn't use this as my primary resource on the Crusade

Quite a good history on the subject, written in an engaging way and wrapped up well. It gave enough detail for me to feel like I have a handle on what happened without getting bogged down. The root word of protestant finally clicked for me too which is fun.

So much I never knew about Galileo and the Church - very interesting reading.

Being an historian, I'm always a bit leery of histories written for a more "popular" audience; they tend not to go in depth enough for me, and I'm a bit suspicious of the author's conclusions without having seen the evidence for myself. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It's a bit outside my normal period of study, but I found it both interesting and well researched. Reston provides enough detail for an academic with a passing interest in the subject without giving so much that the casual history buff is overwhelmed. This is no easy feat, and Reston is to be commended for a job well done.

Reyes Catolicos, Boabdil, caida Granada, descubrimiento de America

A very readable history of the Spanish Conquest of Moorish Spain and the Americas, and the resulting power and influence of Catholic Spain over Rome and the rest of Europe. I great place to start if you want to learn about this time period in Spain's history.

A fascinating look at the lives of two very different men, and how those lives collided in the Rose gambling saga.

A good account of history told in an easy to read style. Reston really breathes some life into his characters and this interesting period of history without taking too many liberties. Saladin appears more the gentleman than Richard who loses some of his lustre, is not perhaps the model hero, that the Lionheart suggests. I will be looking for more of Reston's work.

An unforgettable scene of Richard riding up and down a collumn of enemy Saracens, daring any to single combat, and none took him up on it.

Highly recommend this...Richard and Philip Augustus were lovers...Saladin was as great a leader as either of these...½

You would really need to have zero knowledge of Richard Nixon and Watergate to glean anything of value from this book. Though it claims to be an insider's account by a key researcher involved in the infamous interviews between the Nixon and David Frost, the book skims quickly over the events, offering few fresh insights. Shallow and uninteresting - see the movie Frost/Nixon instead.½

An engaging look at the Third Crusade (1187-1192) and the main players: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. An entertaining read about two of the greatest warriors of the East/West dichotomy, Richard with his unmatched strength and skill in battle, and Saladin with his generosity, compassion and military leadership.

Fascinating history of 15th century Spain and Portugal with a specific focus on the Spanish Inquisition. Especially interesting for showing how tightly interwoven the Inquistion was with European exploration and religion. Basically, the Spanish King and Queen financed their explorations by confiscating property from those trapped in the web of the Inquisition--many of whom were Jewish. At the same time, exploration was sold in part on the theory that it would open up new souls to be saved. Also, interesting for reminding us that while talk of an Islamic Caliphate seems crazy today, talk of a Christian Crusade was no less crazy in the 1400s.

A good addendum to the movie “Fost/Nixon Interviews”. Reads straight facts and by itself is very dry unless you’re very interested in the Watergate cover up. Its real value is as a quick read after the movie.

While I have to agree with some other reviewers who found Reston's account of his daughter's struggle against some pretty awful circumstances to be curiously bloodless at times, it is nevertheless a powerful story, well-told, of a family's fight for their beloved little girl. Reston's struggle against a sometimes incompetent medical world was particularly vivid to me, particularly in how, at every turn, his family was faced with unwavering "expert" diagnostic conclusions, many of which were ultimately wrong and occasionally to the extreme detriment of his daughter. This is quite simply a very important book, and one that I'm glad I finally got around to reading.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I read this book specifically because I was curious as to how Reston's narrative would compare to my own in my book, published about two years later. As a result, I suspect that came into this book predisposed to like it.)

Reston is a great author who brings history alive. I cannot commend this work enough! For those who are interested in how events are interconnected, this is a book to read - Reston does a marvelous job of connecting the dots between the Spanish Inquisition, Columbus, and the fall of Moorish Spain.

Galileo is one of the scientists I have always head about in school, especially my physics class. It figured it was about time I learned more about him. What struck me was the number of inventions he worked on in the quest for making a name for himself. In that age, the goal was to get the best teaching job, but only the best paid enough to live on (kind of like today?). The real money was in inventions. Galileo was always working to impress the local politicians in an effort to get commissions. He worked on so many different things, I have lost count. Of course, his most famous was the telescope. But, I was surprised to find out that he actually wasn't the first. A Flemish man was, but when Galileo heard he was in Venice to sell it to the city, he had a friend detain the man a day while he frantically finished one and presented it first. The council fell for it and the Flemish man went home in ruins, the patent being awarded to Galileo.

Galileo was by nature a very showy man, who had to do everything with great bravado. He never missed a chance to show off, which is why he supposedly conducted his gravitational experiments from the top of the tower in Pisa. It was necessary for him to try and get as much attention as possible because he was always had money troubles. His family sucked him dry, from his musician brother that regularly sent his wife and children to live with him to his two sister's dowries that he got saddled with paying. Even his mother demanded money from him. It was this and a household of servants, workers and hangers-on that forced him to always be looking for the next best paying job.

It was this need for the next job that got him into trouble with the Vatican. His views on the Copernican theory of a sun-centered solar system was at direct odds with the accepted Earth-centric view held by the Catholic Church. While he was in Venice, he had protection by the city-state from the Inquisition. Against all his friend's warnings, he left Venice for Florence to be the resident scientist to the Prince. That was just what the Pope was waiting for and it wasn't very many years later that Galileo was summoned to Rome to recant. After many years of political wrangling, he ended up being banished and not allowed to see anyone or do any more writing. He was lucky to be spared the Papal prison or the heretic's death, but the ordeal robbed him of his health and abilities to do what he so wanted to do.

Very interesting book to put a lot of things in perspective beyond Galileo. This was the time when the Pope was cracking down on the Reformation and fighting wars with the "heretics" in Northern Europe. I enjoyed getting this period more firmly fixed in my mind. Good book.

An enjoyable history, I recommend it to anyone interested in the Crusades. The author does an excellent job of paralleling the lives of Richard and Saladin.

This book is popping up everywhere. Terry Gross interviewed Reston a few weeks ago, and Entertainment Weekly ran a long review. Reston writes about his daughter, who has an unknown disease that has left her without the ability to speak or function above a 9-month-old level. It's intriguing. It's also very flawed, in my opinion. Reston carefully documents the name of every doctor and teacher, but never mentions any at home help (yet makes it clear that he and his wife work full time, and believe it's impossible to leave the child alone). He also makes huge statements and completely fails to back them up in any way. His nervous breakdown gets 2 paragraphs, leaving one to wonder if it was just a figure of speech, or an actual episode? I felt that times that the book was a padded version of his daughter's medical record.