By any standard, George C. Marshall looms large over the twentieth century. Debi and Irwin Unger’s in-depth biography will raise an eyebrow or two over the man we thought we knew and provide an intriguing look at Marshall’s guarded personality, his complicated relationships, and his turbulent times.
An excellent reexamination of Marshall’s career that is ideal for general readers.
Integrity, honor, humility-how quaint, and how sorely missed, these virtues seem today. They were embodied in George Marshall, the great World War II army chief of staff and Cold War secretary of state. Marshall’s leadership style drives this grand but judicious biography of a fascinating man.
…[an] elegant and iconoclastic biography, which pokes innumerable holes in Marshall's reputation for leadership and raises intriguing questions about how such reputations get made. Marshall emerges not as the incarnation of greatness but as an ordinary, indecisive, "less than awe-inspiring" man who achieved an unexceptional mix of success and failure…Mostly, the Ungers' vision of Marshall is persuasive. Praise for the general has soared so high over the years that the reality is bound to lie closer to the ground. The book also offers a useful reminder that glorification of the World War II era may tell us more about the disappointments of our own times than about an increasingly remote past when—no surprise—American leaders stumbled and were sometimes saved from their errors by the scale of the American war machine and the endurance of their allies.
The New York Times Book Review - Mark Atwood Lawrence
10/06/2014
Elegant and iconoclastic… refreshing… persuasive.” — New York Times Book Review
“A full-scale biography of this great soldier-statesman that is both comprehensively researched and highly readable.” — Publishers Weekly
“This biography provides an excellent overview of one of the 20th century’s most influential soldiers and statesmen… Strongly recommended for those interested in military and war history.” — Library Journal
“An excellent reexamination of Marshall’s career that is ideal for general readers.” — Booklist
“By any standard, George C. Marshall looms large over the twentieth century. Debi and Irwin Unger’s in-depth biography will raise an eyebrow or two over the man we thought we knew and provide an intriguing look at Marshall’s guarded personality, his complicated relationships, and his turbulent times.” — Walter R. Borneman, author of THE ADMIRALS and AMERICAN SPRING
“Integrity, honor, humility-how quaint, and how sorely missed, these virtues seem today. They were embodied in George Marshall, the great World War II army chief of staff and Cold War secretary of state. Marshall’s leadership style drives this grand but judicious biography of a fascinating man.” — Evan Thomas, author of IKE'S BLUFF
Elegant and iconoclastic… refreshing… persuasive.
New York Times Book Review
10/15/2014
2014-09-29
