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Biography
The Great Man Theory
The "great man" theory of history proposes that the course of events is guided by prominent individuals within a society. Because a person occupies a position of power he or she can guide events - presidents and kings, emperors and prime ministers leading their nations to glory or disaster. We see Churchill leading Britain during the great world war. Or we see Mao bringing a great people to the brink of cultural destruction. Yet opponents of this theory believe that the masses move history. Perhaps leaders are thrust to the fore only because the people of the time demand them. Would Churchill have ever become the greatest man of the 20th Century had not Britain cried out for a bulldog warrior who could stand up against the totalitarian states of continental Europe? Would Barack Obama have become president of the United States had not the majority of the people become tired and moribund, desiring more than anything a nanny state to take care of them? Which ever theory you believe, you can benefit from the study of biography. For either way we should understand where power comes from and how it is wielded.
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Hugo Chavez and the War Against America: The Threat Closer to Home, by Douglas E. Schoen and Michael Rowan. Hugo Chavez is a sworn enemy of the United States. His rhetoric and rantings make accusations, his pronunciations are threats of destruction. This is all well documented by Schoen and Rowan. This book contains a concise biography of Chavez, relating events of his life to the current situation in Venezuela. The authors do a great job of presenting credible evidence that policies instituted by Hugo Chavez are designed to hurt the United States, destroy his political enemies utterly, and to hold his nation in thrall to his own power. Do the authors have an axe to grind? Perhaps, but the evidence presented in this book is incontrovertible and presented in a way that is clear and intelligent. Chavez is a big player at OPEC. He is funding terrorists. He is systematically destroying freedom of speech, property, and liberty in his own country - and he is trying to spread his revolution. This is an important book that should be read by anyone interested in current events, Venezuela, the oil economy, foreign policy, or the war on terror.
Read the Conservative Monitor extensive review of Hugo Chavez and the War Against America.
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Gentleman Revolutionary : Gouverneur Morris, the Rake Who Wrote the Constitution, by Richard Brookhiser. Gouverneur Morris was a man of many parts, great ability in the fields of politics, finance and diplomacy. He is the author of the Constitution, including the famous preamble. It was his assiduous work that financed the Revolution. He was the US ambassador to France during the French Revolution. Even so, he had his faults. He was a notorious womanizer, even sharing the mistress of the infamous Tallyrand. Among the Founding Fathers he was in the first tier, but until this concise and informed biography he has been relatively ignored. A fascinating book about a fascinating man.
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Reagan's War: The Epic Story of His Forty-Year Struggle and Final Triumph over Communism, by Peter Schweizer. Liberals loathe to give Ronald Reagan credit for his greatest triumph, the destruction of world communism. It is taken for granted in conservative circles that his strategy of militarily out-building the Soviets resulted in their economic and peaceful overthrow. This book digs deep into Ronald Reagan's personal history to reveal the roots of his ideas and the source of his inner strength. It moves on to Reagan's actions and policies as President to show exactly how they led to the victory of economic freedom over communist totalitarianism. This is a fascinating and vital history.
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Defying Hitler: A Memoir, by Sebastian Haffner. The harrowing and intense days in Nazi Germany just before World War II are described with precision and feeling by reknown author, Sebastian Haffner. It is a record of his younger days and how he was affected by the grand historical events begining in World War I and ending with his escape from Germany to go to Great Britain in 1939. This book goes a long way to explain the processes and psychology leading to the rise of Hitler and his ability to bring terror and destruction to the entire world.
Read Our In-Depth Review in the Conservative Monitor!
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Clarence Thomas: A Biography, by Andrew Peyton Thomas. Clarence Thomas rose from humble Pin Point, Georgia beginnings, headed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Ronald Reagan and finally became a conservative Supreme Court Justice. The story of his meteoric rise in the face of stiff opposition (and one of the most sensational senatorial confirmation hearings in history) is both dramatic and instructive. Andrew Thomas (no relation to Clarence Thomas) tells the Justice's story with verve and with a critical eye. His pronouncements are fair, thoughtful and in the end show Clarence Thomas in a very positive light, revealing him to be "one of the great intellectual and political rebels in American history." The first full-length biography of this imposing figure.
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Churchill: A Biography, by Roy Jenkins. Sir Winston Churchill stands out as the greatest figure of the 20th century. His life in power spanned two World Wars and the beginning of the Cold War. His words gripped the world in time of crisis and continue to reverberate to this day. Roy Jenkins tells his life with a chatty style that both entertains and informs. He covers all the major aspects of Churchill's life, from his flights of oratory to his political backroom brawling, from his loving family life to his restless and prolific writing. From his brave military exploits to his foolhardy military exploits, readers will fly through 1000 pages and 91 years and in the end wish for a few more pages and a few more years of Churchill.
Read our in-depth review at the Conservative Monitor!
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Mao, A Life, by Philip Short. Mao was a pernicious historical figure in that he used ideology as an excuse for the destruction of millions of his fellow countrymen. Although Mr. Short does not outright condemn Mao for his actions, he does take a relatively even-handed approach in this biography. As a correspondent for the BBC in Beijing Mr. Short has had opportunity to access the available information about Mao (much he was not privy to as many documents are still hidden away in secret archives). This work shows that Mao's leadership as a general and statesman bore traces of brilliance. He was a keen observer and manipulator. He was even a tolerable poet by some reports. Yet his megalomania approached that of Stalin. One need only witness the number of purges carried out to purify the party, or the unreachable quotas and squandering of resources in the "Great Leap Forward" (resulting in millions of deaths through famine); or his declaration "Let a hundred flowers bloom, a hundred schools of thought contend." The subsequent brief period of openness proved a trap for thousands of intellectuals who lost their lives or their freedom. This book is huge in its scope and depth. It should be read in spite of its inability to condemn Mao for the crimes it ably chronicles.
For a shorter, yet comprehensive version of Mao's life consider taking a look at Mao Zedong by Jonathan D. Spence.
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Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II, by George Weigel. Three years ago John Paul asked Mr. Weigel to write his biography. In that short span of time Mr. Weigel has come up with a monumental and definitive work. Of course, he had plenty of material to create an engaging, thrilling and thoughtful biography. Pope John Paul II's life has been formed by his experiences, first as a young religious leader in a Poland over run by Nazi Germany then held under the communist yoke of the Soviet Union. He is credited for his instrumental role in bringing the cold war to an end. He has become the world's counsellor and conscience. This is a great book about a great man.
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Pennsylvania Ave: Profiles in Power, by Howard and Seib.
Adopted Son, by David A. Clary.
Alexander Hamilton, by Richard Brookhiser
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