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Title: To America : Personal Reflections of an Historian by Stephen Ambrose ISBN: 0743202759 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 15 October, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.93
Rating: 4
Summary: Lovely Final Effort By America's Most Prolific Historian!
Comment: For a wildly prolific academic historian who, by the end of his illustrious career, had become a kind of one-man cottage industry by pumping out a steady stream of excellent historical works on World War Two, Lewis and Clark, and a number of other important subjects, his declaration early on in this poignant memoir that he is a storyteller is a magnificent understatement by a man not known for his modesty or introversion. Stephen Ambrose may or may not have been the best American historian and biographer of the last decade, but he certainly was, hands-down, the single most prolific of his generation. His catalogue of World War Two histories and biographies alone is breath taking in its breadth and content, and he loved to tackle other important historical issues, as well, as his best-selling portrait of the Lewis and Clark expedition so wonderfully illustrates.
Yet, while I have often been a fan of the works he pushed out with almost monotonous regularity during the 1990s, I have to admit to having been a bit put out by the man himself, who I never found to be particularly erudite academically, and who was found sometimes notoriously ungracious to others within his profession. But the true measure of historian's contribution must be located in the welter of his works, rather than in his personal habits, character, or foibles, and therein lies what must be considered a most remarkable corpus of work that will continue to be read, studied, and appreciated for decades to come.
This is a short and intensely personal book. I read it over the last weekend, my swollen right ankle propped up on a pillow on the leather couch after slipping down the ice-covered stone stairway on the deck of the house. Yet the throbbing pain in my ankle seemed suddenly less important and less real as I was swept away by this fellow historian who clearly has such a wonderful gift for story telling. The vignettes and situations he describes came alive for me, and I found myself wishing he had written more of this sort of thing along the way now that he has vanished from our presence, likely striding over the battlefields of Valhalla and laughing, smoking one his omni-present cigarettes and laughing that hoarse southern cackle of his.
Stephen Ambrose will long be remembered for this work, and likely by the parade of memorable students he had who are now among the ranks of professional historians themselves. His body of work and his sense of dedication to telling the human stories so important (and so often neglected) in history will stand in singular relief as a testament to important academic work done in a quite distinctive and most memorable way. His own ability to recognize the importance of locating the acting individual in the context of his existential, social, and political situation while telling the single solitary person's story will offer those of us still standing a remarkable standard to hold up in order to measure our own burgeoning efforts. This, then, is a wistful, emotional, and memorable book, and one I can recommend for anyone wanting a more personal glimpse at a man who gave much and who will always remain in our collective memories. Enjoy!
Rating: 5
Summary: So tell me how you really feel
Comment: Mr. Ambrose presents a fascinating life in To America. After years a research and telling the stories of history, and helping his readers to comprehend pivotal events in history, Mr. Ambrose lets us into his heart and mind. It has always amazed me how historians can write and research on subjects they dislike; Ambrose gives us perspective on Nixon and almost thankless characters from history. What is so extraordinary is the care with which Ambrose tells the story of the people and events he admires and respects. A historian makes a unique kind of patriot: a believer in the American way of life who loves it so much that he can talk of the very best and the very worst of our society. In this book, Ambrose steps into the whirlwind of public opinion rather than writing observations from the outside. It shows us his love of the land, and most of all, his love of the people, all of the people, who have shaped our great nation over the last 2 centuries.
Rating: 5
Summary: We will miss you Mr. Ambrose.!
Comment: This book let me say good-bye to the greatest American historian in my generation. Mr. Ambrose will be missed. I looked forward to reading more of his future works. It's too bad I will never read his "Pacific Theater" version of Citizen Soldier. He brought the battles of WWII to life for me and showed me how ordinary men could do extraordinary things in the worst of circumstances. I'm sure he battled cancer to the end, just like Dick Winters or his boys were fighting the Germans. It's hard to imagine he didn't outlive many of the heros he admired so much and wrote about. I hope he and Ike are sharing stories again and he is meeting some of the boys he wrote about who gave their today for our tommorow. Thanks again Mr. Ambrose, Your writings are your legacy. Thank you!
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Title: The Mississippi : and the Making of a Nation by Stephen Ambrose, Douglas Brinkley ISBN: 0792269136 Publisher: National Geographic Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
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Title: The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945 by Michael Beschloss ISBN: 0684810271 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 22 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors by Stephen E. Ambrose ISBN: 0385479662 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 1996 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Bush at War by Bob Woodward ISBN: 0743204735 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 19 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: Comrades : Brothers, Fathers, Heroes, Sons, Pals by Stephen Ambrose ISBN: 0743200748 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 07 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
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