I purchased this book following a visit to the Marshall Museum at VMI. I opened it this past autumn and began to read. As some other reviewers have indicated, 700+ pages is a daunting read. I am very glad that I sat down to read it. I didn't know very much about Marshall prior to my visit to VMI. I knew about the European Recovery Program that bore his name; I knew about his remaking of the Infantry School, and his elimination of the seniority system in promotions. That's about it.

This book is far more than a biography; it's an excellent study of the make-over of the US Army's personnel and educational system, under Marshall's guidance at the Infantry School. It's a study of the interplay between Churchill and Roosevelt. It's a study in the subbordination of the military to civil rule in America. It's a fine summary of "how we lost China," as if anything could have saved the Nationalists from their own venality and ineptitude.

It's a study in how a man of personal fortitude, rectitude, and character made such a contribution in service to his nation. We are blessed to have such figures on occasion in American life. Marshall goes into my personal list of heroes in American public-life alongside George Washington, George Mason, and Robert E. Lee.

This book is excellent in every way. The prose is well-written, and the compelling narrative keeps things moving along at a brisk pace.

This book rested on my bookshelf for about two months after I received it from Amazon. Frankly, I found 700-plus pages a little daunting. But having read The Supreme Commander - Stephen Ambrose's masterful book on Ike's war years, this seemed a natural follow-up. It was especially alluring because Ike so admired Marshall. As I deem Ike a genuine hero, it was natural to be interested in his hero.

Well, I'm glad I tackled it! I rank it alongside biographical masterpieces like Edmund Morris's two-volume biography of Teddy Roosevelt and Ron Chernow's biography of Rockefeller. Simply put, this is one of the best books I've ever read.

For anyone interested in the WWII era, or generally the history of America in the first half of the 20th century, this is MUST reading.

James B. Hagerty
Cincinnati Ohio

This is a fine companion piece to Leonard Mosley's "Marshall: Hero For Our Times." Together, the two volumes provide a managable portrait of a man who conceivably can be considered the most influential American of the 20th Century. Forrest Pogue's volumes are far more comprehensive, though not from a human-interest standpoint. Cray's and Mosley's works explore Marshall's more sensitive facets.

Marshall's towering integrity (he wrote no memoirs because he wanted no one profiting from them) has kept him in history's shadow, though he wasn't exactly cloaked in anonymity during WWII (since he reported to Roosevelt, and gave orders to MacArthur and Eisenhower). I hope more young people will read about him, and emulate his character.

Marshall is the last of the great Americans that the Clinton Democrats have not trashed in some fashion, denigrating generally accepted history in furtherance of their own self-serving, power-seeking, heck-with-our-nation political agenda. That's probably because the Democrats just haven't yet discovered Marshall... since they've never been too keen about reading serious history, and there's never any material about Marshall on MTV, CNN or the Spice Channel.

I checked this book out of the library and was so impressed I am asking Amazon.com to find me a copy (it is out of print). It presents Marshall's strengths and weaknesses and those of Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, De Gaulle, Truman, MacArthur and many other powerful people from 1914 through 1959. Five stars!!! I am now going to read as many other of this author's books as I can find.

The book by Stoler is an excellent,albeit somewhat abbreviated account of the life of Marshall. The format, which discusses a time period and its relevance in US History and the life of Marshall was an excellent choice by the author. The only place it falls short, in my opinion, is in that its not really a critical review - the author never really analyzed Marshall's actions and took him to task for anything, and I find it hard to believe that, while a great man, Marshall never did anything wrong. Nonetheless, anyone who wishes to understand US military and foreign policy in the 20th century needs to read this book.

As other reviewers note, Marshall was one of the greatest men of the 20th century and a model of what our leaders should be. The author does not engage in hagiography, but instead provides a concise view of this man's life in its historical context. Unfortunately, I was hoping for something more comprehensive, yet not as massive as Pogue's exhaustive (exhausting) work.

Stoller does a good job of describing the footprint that Marshall left upon the world, but not enough about him as a man.

Mark Stoler writes a concise account of the life and accomplishments of George C. Marshall, one of the greatest soldiers and statesmen in U.S. history. The opening lines in chapter one describe how Marshall was the only professional soldier to receive the Nobel Peace prize. Stoler's work provides inspiration to not only those in uniform, but also diplomats and others interested in leadership in general. I found the book highly readable, succinct, yet having the detailed notes that provide guidance for further reading. It is well worth the read.

Stoler's work comes in at just under two hundred pages, but adds depth with extensive notes for the reader who wishes to pursue more details on the life and accomplishments of General Marshall. The author leans heavily on Forrest C. Pogue, Marshall's official biography, and others who have written extensively on the leader and World War II. The book also features a chronology of Marshall's life, two sets of photos, a bibliographic essay, and an index.

I found the chapter on Marshall's time as Secretary of State to be extremely interesting. He not only garnered passage of the European Recovery Plan ("Marshall Plan") during his tenure, but he also helped negotiate the Rio Pact and Organization of American States, witnessed Tito's Communist coup in Czechoslovakia, opposed the Soviet blockade of Berlin, and supported the creation of NATO. Marshall's immense impact on world affairs can still be felt in Western Europe and elsewhere, as his military and diplomatic efforts set the stage for international relations for the remainder of the 20th century.

As a military leader, I found this to be great reading and a good source for future reading on General Marshall. Read Stoler's work if you are a student of history or enjoy reading about leadership. Highly recommended!

Much has been made of this. Sen. McCarthy had some things to say about the so-called good general. Eisenhower went ape, as they said then, and the establishment press pontificated---but these words, written by Forrest McDonald, are worth a view. Where was Marshall on Pearl Harbor day? Why did he consistently side with Mao? Read this for a decidely different view from the conventional one.