This biography explained the life of Civil War General Robert E. Lee. This book explains his life from birth and his family, to the marriage and his influence in the war. It explained how the general was the leader of the Confederacy. The book also explains the Civil War so that it is easy for the kids to understand. In the book there are also great pictures that mildly display war along with quotes ad images from that time period.
The author did a wonderful job displaying the war and allowing children to understand the concept on a very neutral level. I also liked the outline at the end of the book on his life. It helped children really visualize the order of events.
I like this book for all the above reasons also for the ease of reading. I found it so easy to understand and I think that this book will allow the children to gain interest into biographies and the war. Maybe even lead them into reading all Adler's other biographies.

I very much enjoyed reading Tim McKinney's Civil War Chronicle "Robert E. Lee at Sewell Mountain". I read the book because several of my ancestors and their relatives were members of the 19th and 27th Brigades of The Virginia Militia (from Southern West Virginia). The book chronicles the conflict of Union and Confederate troops in West Virginia during August through October of 1861. The author provides a good description of the feud between Confederate generals Floyd and Wise - an important factor in the logistics of the Confederate retreat. The book emphasizes the cold rains, which nearly immobilized both Union and Confederate Armies. The author provides several good photographs and sketches to help document his chronicle. The book includes an extensive bibliography.

I give this four stars for being good at what it is: a horror story with more gore and interpersonal depravity than genuine scariness. Yes, there's good old chills-up-the-spine creepiness, but the impression that sticks is of the sadism and brutality.

Readers who like the splatterpunk horror style will enjoy this. Readers who don't know what the splatterpunk is should probably think long and hard about finding out. Anybody with a normal human sense of empathy should go read some James Herriot or something like that, with kitties and sunshine. There is none of that here.

The author's theory is that the North had the burden of conquering the South, a huge, defensible area consisting of eleven states. The South only had to play for a tie and only had to wear down the northern will to win. Specifically, the South had to hold onto its precious manpower resources and convince the North to vote Lincoln out of office in 1864. Instead, Lee unnecessarily went for the win, squandered his irreplaceable troops, and weakened his army so badly that military defeat became inevitable. With the Confederacy outnumbered four-to-one, Lee's aggressive strategy and tactics proved to be suicidal. The author looks beyond Lee's battles in the East and describes how Lee's Virginia-first myopia played a major role in crucial Confederate failures in the West. He itemizes Lee's refusals to provide reinforcements for Vicksburg or Tennessee in mid-1863, his causing James Longstreet to arrive at Chickamauga with only a third of his troops, his idea to move Longstreet away from Chattanooga just before Grant's troops broke through the undermanned Confederates there, and his failure to reinforce Atlanta in the critical months before the 1864 Presidential election. Lee's final failure as his continuing the hopeless and bloody slaughter after Union victory had been ensured by each of a series of events (the fall of Atlanta, the re-election of Lincoln, the fall of Petersburg and Richmond) is described. Finally, the author explores historian's treatment of Lee, including the deification of him by failed Confederate generals attempting to resurrect their own reputations. How Robert E. Lee Lost the Civil War is a unique, thoughtful, challenging reassessment of one of the pivotal participants in the American Civil War.

I recently came across this book, but have long agreed with it's premise. I think that the others reviewers who call this book revisionist, or monday morning quarterbacking are missing the point. First, Lee missed the biggest and most obvious military lesson from a man to whom he was related by marriage - George Washington. Washington was not the tactician Lee was, but he understood that in fighting for independence from a numerically superior foe, all you need do is survive long enough to tire out the enemy. You don't even need to win any battle, just make sure that your army stays in the field. Even territory, for the most part, is irrelevant, except in a symbolic sense. Some people may not see it, but the Revolutionary War, was largely a guerilla war. Northern opinion was sharply divided throughout the was and the South really never took advantage of this fact.

Second, the revisionist history is that which was propagated soon after Lee's death by the anti-Longstreet cabal, led initially by Gen. Early. That is what has become accepted as "history", in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, because the South needed something coming out of the was to have pride in. Lee sybolized that.

I do, on the other hand, think that the author's anti-Lee attitude comes out a little too much. His cause would have been better served with a more neutral tone. I disagree with his idea that Lee should have resigned in late '64, when it was apparent that a military defeat was inevitable, especially after Lincoln's re-election. That thought pre-supposes modern values that did not exist in the mid 19th century. The idea of the cavalier fighting the good fight was still a very real ideal at that time. There was no way Lee was going to walk away while the cause still possessed the ability to fight on.

However, in spite to the tone, I found the book to be mostly well reasoned, and supported by the evidence. Either way, a definite read for any Civil War enthusiast. If nothing else, it's great conversation fodder.

This book challenges the widely held view -- which also happens to have been my view -- that General Lee's military genius staved off an inevitable defeat by the South. You may not emerge totally convinced that Lee lost the war. You will absolutely emerge knowing a lot more about the War Between the States and having read a magnificently crafted work. The book stimulates further thought on a subject that is a focal point of American history. It is a worthy counterpoise to Freeman.

"Gone for Soldiers" focuses almost exclusively on the relationship between and experiences of General Winfield Scott and Captain Robert E. Lee during the Mexican-American War. Readers looking for much more will be disappointed. The war at large and the exploits of many of it's primary figures, including General Zachary Taylor and his major role in the conflict, are virtually ignored. However, when viewed as a prequel to Jeff Shaara's "Gods and Generals" and "The Last Full Measure", as well as his father's "The Killer Angels", this book is a worthy addition to the narrative thread the two men have woven. "Gone for Soldiers", while the least exciting of the narratives, is still an engaging and enjoyable read. Shaara, like his father, breathes life into the sometimes one-dimensional figures of history by using the historical fiction genre to give voice to their unrecorded musings and conversations. For readers looking for a more balanced history of the war, John Eisenhower's "So Far From God" is strongly recommended for it's thorough treatment of the subject. The "Class of 1846" by John Waugh is also an outstanding book for those interested in the pre-Civil War story of that war's participants.

For those who have an interest in the American Civil War and in some of the more noted people who became involved in the conflict, will be able to see some of these people at the early stages when all fought on the same side. This "Prequil" to use the term is fitting for this book by Jeff Sharra. Gone For Soilders: A Novel of the Mexican War. Is a very insightful historical fiction. Though the story revolves more around Robert Lee, Jeff Sharra does introduce the reader to an early Sam Grant and James Longstreet.

Like his father before him who's book Killer Angels brought to life again the battle of Gettysbugh as seen through the eyes of some of the people found in Gone For Soilders. The characters are well fleshed out and the story moves along well. It should help bring more people to read up on Pre-Civil War America and some of the men whos names are covered in this fine novel.

Having brought the Civil War to life through his continuation of his father's classic, "The Killer Angels," Jeff Shaara has now ressurected one of America's most forgotten wars, the Mexican War.

In his latest novel, Mr. Shaara introduces us to many of the Civil War's greatest leaders as they learn their craft under fire in Mexico. The book follows the exploits and deeds of one General Winfield Scott as he leads the campaign to defeat Santa Anna's army.

At his side is a young engineer, Capt. Robert E. Lee. Shaara's portrayal of Lee as a young officer, unsure of his untested abilities and his place in the command structure, is truly wonderful. It is a whole different Lee than the polished General of the Civil War. With each new mission Scott assigns him, we can see Lee grow and mature as an officer.

Many of the other men who would later become Generals are also with Lee in Mexico, Grant, Jackson, Meade, Johnston, Pickett, Longstreet, albeit as Lieutenants. They are not given the same in depth treatment as Lee, but already you can see their abilities developing for command.

General Scott and Santa Anna are also portrayed in manners rarely seen. Few modern Americans have heard of Scott, which is a shame since he was one of the best Generals in our early history. Santa Anna is usually mentioned only in conjunction with the Alamo, but here he is given a very fair treatment.

Overall I would say this book is every bit as good as the Shaaras' works on the Civil War. Once again Jeff Shaara has restored life to a long dead period of our nation's history.

First, I was surprised to find out that the media is as conservative and Republican as it apparently is. One would certainly not guess it from the reporting that is done. And what was really lacking in this book was any kind of even handed approach to bias in the news. I'd grant that there is bias towards the right in some reporting. But by reading this book you'd think that there was only far-right leaning reporting only with nary a lean to the left in any news reports.

One point raised by the authors more than once was the use in news reports of unnamed sources and few hand-picked named "expert" sources. But throughout their diatribe against the right-wing controlled media they used many of these same techniques with many an unnamed source as well as the (over)use of a small number of "expert" sources used to prove their points.

I was truly looking for a book that helped in understanding and, as they say, detecting biases in the news media. What I came away with in this book was that it was written by some far left wing fanatics (should have guessed based on the foreword being written by Ed Asner) who did not want to give a balanced treatment to this topic (who but someone like Asner could have guessed that the NY Times is really a Republican mouthpiece!)

This book carefully in no nonsense language, analyzes the media bias and the institution of the media and how it operates and how the final product gets aired on news televison or in print. This along with Manufacturing Consent by Herman and Chomsky is a must if people want to know the truth about the media

This is one of the single most thought provoking books I've ever read. It provides the reader with a real behind the curtain look at the media and politics. This is a must read for every American!

This is a good, quick summer read. The author leans too much toward the gore end when the plot gets weak, but tries to keep things moving along.

I read this book and found myself wanting to get back and read more. This writer's style is good and in this novel, his characterization is great. The characterization more or less carries the novel. Not five stars, though. I thought the conflict, which I won't mention here to spoil it for potential readers, is a more than an overworked conflict. Good writing, though. Never a dull moment. Worth a read. I start reading many books and put down many after the first ten or so pages. I read this one through. A strong four stars!

Clare was a promising member of the Air Force, one that thought she would go far because of her drive and determination she had, and she worked hard at the security detail she worked. She was easily defined as a motivated individual, clearly exclaiming this fact in the way she approached tasks that were presented to her, and she was respected by her associates as someone that put her job before her free time because of this. So, when he came, the deformed child of one of the Air Force's top brass, having his way with her and shattering her dreams as the progression of this physical and mental rape took place, she found herself stunned by the events that followed. While she thought that someone would hear her plight, she found her claims on what had transpired thrown out and then, as the ultimate insult, she was dishonorably discharged from the service. Thus the nightmare began. Now, a year later, she finds herself unable to find employment, living in shelters as only a shadow of what she once was, and wanting so desperately to have something - anything - to steer her life in the right track. And then one day, while digging through the trash, she finds a fortune cookie that grants her the boon of prophecy, exclaiming "Something Very Good Will Happen to you Today," and things begin to seem as if they are turning around. She finds herself offered a job, one where she would be the head of security at a clinic that is located in the middle of nowhere, and that offers her a home in the middle of a would-be paradise. White-sand beaches, friends, a cottage to call her own, a good salary, and a vehicle are only some of the things she founds suddenly thrust in front of her. Thinking this is too good to be true, she finds herself happy, wondering if the dream will end. Sadly, the dream is only a silver lining and the cloud, it is one with teeth.

A wildlife preserve in the depths of Flordarian naturalism, The Air Force doing what the Air Force likes to do, an archeological dig that find some well-preserved mummies dating back 10,000 years, and a cancer treatment facility seem like a string of things that wouldn't connect very well. In fact, they all seem like portions that could be good and could be ill by themselves, but that wouldn't make too harrowing a tale for someone when telling it. Still, when coupled with the name Edward Lee, definitely take on a much more gruesome shade of fabrication. When Edward Lee wants to create some vestibule of the horrific, meshing it into an almost B-movie storyline that makes for a wild world of entertaining notions, he can do it well because he understands some of the smaller portions that need to be given. His writing style, while somewhat simplistic (depending on the tale), allows for the use of some interesting analogies on how to prod and poke, how to maim and mutilate, and how teeth and the human form fit together and greeting one another warmly. It always seems to find a way to put a rural class of people in as antagonists and victims, people working as disposable cast members that can be seen in their addictions to alcohol and chemical crutches, and that are not always "bad," but not normally "good." That and it always creates beasts that work as beautiful horror boons for the reader looking for something that has the potential to destroy. So, in that right, Monstrosity delivers.

In some portions of the tale, there are some shortcomings as well, like the fact that some of the characters seem a bit too plastic for my tastes. Many of them, they seem to flutter through the story but without any impact other than in the lusting department, and that makes it hard to really ingest their suffering. Then there is the fact that the overwhelming allure of sexuality always inflicts Edward when writing and he, a victim of these needs, seems to think that the reader has to be reminded over and over again of these in order to feel the plight of the characters. Unfortunately for us, we oftentimes do not. While this doesn't necessarily hurt the read, mind you, but it is something worth noting and it does begin grating on the nerves a little, making me want more of the beast and less of the burdens.

Basically, if you like Lee's looks into what is or isn't the normal thing to find hiding in swamps, then you'll be pleasantly entertained. It isn't the most grotesque thing he's ever created but it does have a few moments that are nice, and its scripting is something that reads easily and quickly. If you haven't checked him out before, I would suggest starting in another place, looking around before you delve straight in, but I would say that this would make good reading at another time. Dying, deformity, and despair always made good snacks before bed.

This book is very historical and full of facts and footnotes but that is its downfall. We don't get to see the real, personal man. It has alot of North Carolina politics and deals with some of the relations of England to the colonies but most people want to get to know the man intimately. It does tell of his death and the aftermath and goes into the legal fallout after Blackbeard's death, such as who had legal right to Blackbeard's loot. All in all I would rate it as average read.

as this book is more of an in-depth research paper concerning all things blackbeard, it deals mostly with litigation and politics surrounding his life. that is what all the known public records deal with, and that is almost all that is in this book. the last 75 pages are footnotes. it's well-researched and interesting if you want that level of information.

This book, while a bit dry in writing style, is a decent history. However, it is not a decent history of Blackbeard, himself. While the author makes some nice points about Blackbeard and the creation of his image, the main focus of the book is the political struggle that led up to the attack on the "retired" Blackbeard and the fallout from that action. If political intrigue between Virginia and North Carolina during this period is your interest you may enjoy this book. If you are looking for a history of Blackbeard, the man, look elsewhere.

At least they saved the title. Or should we say they stole a good title to market trivial trash. It copies the movie, and has all the flaws. The troopers in the movie had no guns. We're expected to believe that they flew starships and the best personal weapon they could find was an automatic rifle hardly better than 20th century. They had no guns. Even a battery of civil war field pieces would have been a major improvement. A Sherman tank would have been a miracle. Given the starship technology a viewer/reader would expect them to carry real guns that fire real destruction, not those puny ineffective popguns they died holding. The lack of credible weapons makes these troopers seem like ineffective jerks and destroys the credibility of the whole thing.

Heinlein's troopers wore armored suits and carried weapons sufficient to destroy everything alive within several hundred yards. They had to pay attention when they got within half a mile of each other so they wouldn't wipe each other out. Not these fools, they have to fire a hundred rounds to kill one unarmed bug. Pathetic and unbelievable.

The original Starship Troopers spends half the book discussion moral philosophy of government, command structure of troops, and the morals of space exploration. This has none of that. What a waste.

Maby I'm biased a little bit, but i found this book uninteresting and insulting to Robern Heinlein (may he rest in peace). I felt the book strayed too far from the original purpose of Heinlein's excellent book. This novel detailed the military aspect well, but completely missed the philosophical aspects of Heinleins book that made it a classic. The book is often thought of with the movie, even though they are nothing alike. It is unfortunate that this other seemed to have never even read the novel Starship Troopers, much less adhered to its purpose.

I really liked this trade-paperback because my parents prohibited my viewing the 1997 sci-fi thriller. This comic sets the stage by showing the prequel (Insect Touch) in which man comes in contact with the vicious arachnids, the tie-in (Brute Creations) in wich Raczak tries to save the inhabitants of Port Joe Smith, and the actual adaptation of the film itself.

Urban legends come in all shapes and sizes and most, as we all well know, are based on an inkling of truth. It is, after all, the movement of information that produces misinformation, the passing down of tales that turns travesties into things that children scoff at before they journey off to sleep at night. The Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, they are all one and the same: myths based on fabrications and also on the 'real.' So, when Jerrica and Chastity, visiting a small town in the middle of nowhere, hear the story of The Bighead, a man-beast that devours brains and ravages the living, they laugh as well, knowing that this can't be truth. Sometimes, however, it is that shred of understanding, that cognitive portion spun into something seemingly nightmarish, which is truly of the most fiendish variety.

In The Bighead, Edward Lee decides to pull out all the stops, trying to produce a tale about, amongst other things, a beastly creature that stalks the 'higher woods' on a journey toward understanding and toward fulfillment. After the death of its grandfather/keeper, it has found itself aimless, directionless, killing in the most depraved fashions but, at the same time, empty. It wants to know what lies beyond, in the realms its grandfather told it to avoid, so it begins wandering. And that's when it hears the voice that keeps saying one thing to it. Come.

Herein, Edward produces a quality monstrosity, unleashing it on an unsuspecting world as it enjoys a variety of interactions that are amongst the most wretched types. Because of that, I was pleased. I was also pleased by some of the other characters as well, namely a priest that believes that profanity isn't a sin because it is communion and that also thinks that he sees and speaks with, and a few odds and ends that they inflict on others ' in the most gruesome manners. After a time, however, many of the characters and the things that plagued their lives, the little bits that should have made them stand out, began to bore me. For instance, with Jerrica, the uncontrollable libido in human form, there was a constant reminder of what she liked and what she wanted to do, to the point that my mind began fanning through pages to get to the reason behind the story: The Bighead. Other people followed the same methods as well, especially a pair of rurally-challenged killers roaming the land and killing between moonshine runs, with the horrific beginning to wear down and no longer shock this audience. Instead, the comparison of the human monsters versus the mysterious beast began to make me sometimes wonder when the true beast would emerge.

That said, the ending of the book was interestingly odd and The Bighead and Charity, our human main character that seemed without purpose for most of the tale, began to play roles that were somewhat twisted. The Bighead's plight, that of being unsated in the realms of pleasure, found themselves manifesting ends and, despite the fact that many people died that had been worked on for so long without so much as a whimper, I found myself reading on and on. Why? Because there was a curve in the pitch and it hooked my gaze.

For anyone thinking of reading the book, I am of a mixed mind in recommending it. First, I'll have to say that some of the book is pretty disturbing, crafting a lexicon of deeds that would make many quiver while journeying forward. Second, I feel I have to note that there is a repetition of ideas, that the hammer must strike the nail more times than I could contend with, and that this may cause of page skimming. Third, the beast itself, it may not be everything you might want from a monster and, in the end, it may disappoint you. That said, there are a few reasons to read it, namely if you are an Edward Lee reader already, if you want something that is overly graphic and just keeps giving and giving, and because the ending is interesting. If you aren't accustomed to the gore classification in books, perhaps you should begin somewhere else. If you are a new reader to Lee, you should also try another book on for size first, easing into the waters before going here. Otherwise, The Bighead might getcha!

I've only read the out-of-print edition only, and I don't know if there's new/deleted material here or not in this "Author's Preferred Version". Furthermore, I don't think I WANT to know. The tagline to the other one was "The Grossest Book You'll Ever Read!" The Bighead might not be THE grossest book I've ever read (I've read some pretty nasty ones) but it's up there in the top 5. It takes a lot to shock me and make me sick but at least every 10 pages I would say out loud "Oh MAN!".

Unlike, say, American Psycho, which is also disgusting but boring, you actually care about the characters in this book and what happens to them, especially the priest and the nympho. There is some really sick stuff in here, that makes me want to not run into either Ed Lee or John Pelam in a dark alley. But, if you can stomach it (and why would you buy it if you wanted something mild) it's a great read. There are images in the book, mainly the detailed exploits of the two hillbilly killers (who make the guys from Deliverance look like Mr. Rogers) that will stick with you for a looooooong time. I dare anyone to read it while eating and not spit out their food. Edward Lee and John Pelham are a great team, and I eagerly await their next collaboration...just not while I'm trying to eat...

I don't know if this is THE grossest book I've ever read (I've read some pretty nasty ones) but it's up there in the top 5. It takes a lot to shock me and make me sick but at least every 10 pages I would say out loud "Oh MAN!". Unlike, say, American Psycho, which is also disgusting but boring, you actually care about the characters and what happens to them, especially the priest and the nympho. There is some really sick stuff in here, that makes me want to not run into either Ed Lee or John Pelam in a dark alley. But, if you can stomach it (and why would you buy it if you wanted something mild) it's a great read. There are images in the book, mainly the detailed exploits of the two hillbilly killers (who make the guys from Deliverance look like Mr. Rogers) that will stick with you for a looooooong time. I dare anyone to read it while eating and not spit out their food. Edward Lee and John Pelham are a great team, and I eagerly await their next collaboration.