Book Description
DECIDE WHAT NOT TO DO
# 46 TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO USE YOUR TIME
# 97 TAKE BACK THE WEEKEND
In Cut to the Chase, bestselling author Stuart R. Levine reveals 100 no-nonsense rules on how to be more effective at work and make the best use of your most precious resource: your time.
Just before CEO and consultant Stuart Levine appeared on the Today show to discuss his book The Six Fundamentals of Success, co-host Matt Lauer said to him, "You know what really drives me nuts? When people come into my office for a five-minute conversation and an hour later, they're still there! Why can't they cut to the chase?"
Lauer's question echoed the concerns Levine has heard from business people and top executives at every level: How can I get more done? How can I stay focused? How can I condense my workday so that I can become more successful and still spend more time with the people I love?
Levine's answer? By cutting to the chase. Successful individuals are the ones who make the best use of their time and energy. They approach each task with clarity, focus, and purpose. They prioritize. They don't allow others to waste their time. They understand the importance of refueling their batteries outside of work. In Cut to the Chase, Levine distills the expertise of hundreds of CEOs, leaders, and professionals into 100 concise, invaluable lessons about how to get to the point, stay on track, and be more successful in everything you do.
In an age where we spend more hours at work than ever before, Cut to the Chase is the indispensable guide for taking control over your time so that you can lead a happier, more balanced life.
Customer Reviews:
Worthwhile making time for.......2007-10-10
Cut to the Chase is light in weight but heavy with practical advice for the workplace. The 100 "tips" are divided into nine sections. Start Now! helps the reader with problems of psychological inertia. Think Clearly deals with organization and anticipation. Speed Up offers advice on promoting and dealing with change. Be Direct encourages clear and effective communication. Meet Smarter has very helpful advice on how to run more effective meetings. Move Forward inspires and guides you to seek and grab opportunities. Cut Back helps you to prioritize. Watch Out is a mix of subjects intended to raise your level of self-fulfillment. Find Balance is additional advice on time management. The book is a quick read and should be added to your list of sources that help you become oriented when life at work seems in disarray.
Benjamin W........2007-06-26
This book is not filled with bromides about being more productive or organized for the sake of being more productive or organized. Instead, it contains concise real-world illustrations of 100 sensible, memorable rules on how to work more effectively so one can live a richer, fuller and more satisfying life.
Very Lightweight Common-Sense Book(let).......2007-06-21
If you're just starting out in the business world this is a good little book to keep around.
I've been in the business world since receiving my MBA in 1988. Time management is something I have a pretty good handle on but hadn't thought about for a couple of years. However, last week my brilliant consultant-wife dropped this book on my desk. She rolled her eyes which I interpreted as "you're on your own with this one". . I read it in 90 minutes and there is some good common-sense advice throughout the volume.
If you have a desperate need to make big strides in time management, then this book would have value to you. I personally found it somewhat "new yorkish". We're not quite so ruthless about people intruding on our schedules out here in Chicagoland. The main issue I have is that there is so little "meat". This is the type of stuff people might have written in the 70's (setting aside references to Blackberrys and email, of course).
My advice would be to keep looking for other books on time management/personal management. Amazon has them all.
Results Oriented.......2007-03-09
Cut to the chase is an outstanding book. The practical wisdom enables anyone to become more effective and balanced in both work and life. This is the type of book that should be kept at one's desk to be used as a daily reference for achieving results. A must read for all serious professionals.
Review from UBS Financial Services.......2007-01-26
Like all of Stuart Levine's books, this one is full of practical and inciteful advice on how to manage our work time as well as personal time. If we only incorporate one or two of his suggestions into our daily routines, we will radically improve our lives. I have ordered this book for my clients as well as my family.
Book Description
Closing that Gift! features dozens of ideas that work day in and day out in fund raising, such as 29 secrets to successful solicitation, 15 fund-raising opportunities with the millionaire next door, 30 commandments for successful fund raising and the top 10 solicitation mistakes. Throughout the book you'll learn the secrets of closing estate gifts, keys to successful prospect research and how to think out of the box about deferred gifts. The book closes with the in-depth, inside stories of five major campaigns, their successes and the lessons learned.
Average customer rating:
- Well written, packed with fascinating facts
- Great Topic, Awful Book
- Smart, funny and well written
- Stylish & Informative -- Highly Recommended
- Should have been a web page, not a $13 book
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99 Red Balloons and 100 Other All-Time Great One-Hit Wonders
Brent Mann
Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0806525169 |
Customer Reviews:
Well written, packed with fascinating facts.......2006-06-03
What I most enjoyed and appreciated about this book was that it focused on lots of seldom-written-about one-hit wonders such as Benny Mardones, Karla Bonoff, Steve Forbert, and The Sanford-Townsend Band. I thought Brent Mann did a really nice job giving many talented, under-appreciated artists their due.
I also liked the style of writing, which I found crisp and witty. A few other reviewers have compared Brent Mann to the travel writer Bill Bryson, and I think that's an apt comparison as they both write well-researched, fact-filled books seasoned with good-natured humor.
Great Topic, Awful Book.......2006-06-03
I had such high hopes for this book but it is truly horribly written and Brent Mann seems to have an unusual idea of what the reader would find interesting.
So many of the entries followed a formula that it's as if the author simply populated a database. "[Band name here] was composed of ..." (should be comprises -- the other reviewer was right in calling out the poor editing). Then he talks about what compilation albums the song appears on (why do we care?). If the band or members are still touring, he lists three places where they've played (which anybody can find online). ANY TIME someone died the sentence begins with "Sadly,..."
Don't get me started about the inane sidebars. Who cares about how many songs have had the word "Japanese" in them, or how many musicians hail from Minneapolis or Louisiana (The Pelican State)? Why do several of the entries begin with feigned surprise about how a band hails from one part of the world and yet had a hit song about another part of the world?
A few of the entries end with "Brent's Two Cents." Isn't the whole book Brent's Two Cents? Actually, that is what's missing throughout this book -- some opinions! There are a couple, but a true in-depth analysis is severely lacking -- it's like he got lazy and wrote a term paper by copying facts off the internet.
I was hoping for a book similar to "The Worst Rock n' Roll Records of All Time" by Jimmy Guterman and Owen O'Donnell, which seamlessly blends trivia with criticism and makes you laugh out loud at the same time. (I can't listen to Charlene's "I've Never Been to Me" without thinking of the hilarious review from that book). This doesn't even come close.
I haven't even touched on the most controversial part of the book -- Brent's contention that artists who had a second hit that HE thinks didn't get enough radio airplay, despite chart numbers within the Top 40, constitute one-hit wonders. This list of Brent's includes a-ha, Sinead O'Connor, and Scandal.
The book is trademarked 2002, but seems out of date. Robbie Williams's album, The Ego Has Landed, is from early 1999. Remember the radio hit "Millennium"? Brent contends that Robbie Williams, formerly of Take That, has released a couple of albums but "nary a chart hit." Huh?
I think it's a great topic for a book but it's disappointing that it was handled so poorly.
Smart, funny and well written.......2005-03-05
I'll tell you just how good this book is: I've had two copies of "99 Red Balloons" lifted from my office cubicle over the past four months. Note to my co-workers: Buy your own copy! As I read this fascinating book, I felt like I was back in high school doing homework and listening to all my favorite songs on the radio. It's smart, funny and extremely well written. Brent Mann gives you the intriguing inside story behind classic one-hit wonders from Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs ("Stay") to Ace ("How Long") to Dexys Midnight Runners ("Come on Eileen") to Chumbawamba ("Tubthumping"). If you like music and pop culture, you will really dig "99 Red Balloons."
Stylish & Informative -- Highly Recommended.......2004-08-21
Did you know that "Seasons in the Sun" was recorded by The Kingston Trio long before Terry Jacks ever got his hands on this tune? If you remember your radio cranking out classic one-hit wonders like Katrina & the Waves ("Walking on Sunshine"), The Standells ("Dirty Water"), Marc Cohn ("Walking in Memphis"), and Ace ("How Long"), you won't be able to put this book down. Brent Mann writes beautifully and his research is impeccable. Anyone who grew up listening to Top 40 music will enjoy 99 Red Balloons -- highly recommended.
Should have been a web page, not a $13 book.......2004-08-18
I can't quibble with Mann's choices for great one-hit wonders, and the book is fun to flip through; it brings back some good musical memories and he does unearth an occasional interesting fact. But there are problems. First, the writing style is poor; phrases like "By the way," "Incidentally," and "Ironically" are sprinkled liberally on virtually every page. I'm guessing the publisher didn't want to spring for an editor. Second, the author's idea of research seems to have been to park himself in front of his computer and surf the web, hoping to come up with enough details to fill a book. Too often, he relies on padding (like telling us what was on the chart at the same time as the song--which gets old and repetitious really fast considering how many of these songs came from the late 80's and early 90's) instead of concentrating on the song or the artist. For example, he repeats the common claim that "99 Red Balloons" has an anti-nuclear message, but spends absolutely no time discussing the lyrics. He tells us that songs like "Life in a Northern Town" and "Tubthumping" have quirky and interesting lyrics, but they get virtually no analysis at all. Finally, and worst of all, he gives no criteria for his ranking. Clearly, it's not based on statistics like chart life or sales, since "Macerena" and "You Light Up My Life," probably the biggest one-hit songs of all time, are absent from his list. It would be nice if we had some idea of how he came up with his list. Like my review title states, this would have been a fun web page, but as a book, it is eminently disposable.
Book Description
What are the secrets of a happy marriage? In this book, couples will discover 99 practical, biblical answers to that very question. They'll also learn the dangerous trends and a few popular tools that do more harm than good. God intended that his Word be a practical guide for living, and this book is no less practical. Whether newlywed or blessed by fifty years of marriage, couples are certain to learn principles to enrich their marriage.
Customer Reviews:
Filled from first page to last with a wealth of invaluable insights and information.......2006-04-05
Secrets Of A Strong Marriage: 99 Time-tested Truths To Make Your Love Last A Lifetime by Frank Minirth (President, Minirth Clinic, Richardson, Texas), and his wife Mary Alice Minirth, is deftly written and presented introduction into the qualities condition, and tactics successful couples have used in order to keep the marriages strong, vibrant, and successful. Filled from first page to last with a wealth of invaluable insights and information, Secrets Of A Strong Marriage will provide a great deal of food for thought to those seeking to enhance and fortify their own marital bonds. Secrets Of A Strong Marriage is very strongly recommended to all readers, but most especially newlyweds as they embark upon their mutual quest for a life-long and loving relationship.
Average customer rating:
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Cal 99 Celtic Book of Days
Sarah Costley
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0500018359 |
Book Description
Did you know...that St. Patrick cursed the rush which pricked him when he sat down, and now every green blade has a brown tip? That the Druids considered mistletoe to be a cure for barrenness? That there is one hour in every day when any wish you make will be granted, but nobody knows when it is? Filled with intriguing Celtic facts, illustrations, sayings, and quotations, this illuminating little book contains an entry for each day of the year. The writings of Celts as diverse as William Butler Yeats, William McGonagall, Tobias Smollett, and James Joyce are featured, as well as a wealth of ancient Celtic sources, manuscripts, and journals. Sarah Costley and Charles Kightly have drawn on their combined knowledge of Celtic lore and literature to produce the ideal gift for the Celts of today and anyone interested in the Celtic world.
Book Description
Jordan's work is a study of Gouverneur K. Warren, a brilliant student at pre-war West Point and a topographical engineer much acclaimed for his explorations of Nebraska Territory and the Black Hills in the 1850s. Although a rising star in the Army of the Potomac, Warren's peculiarities of temperament put a cloud over his service, and he was relieved of his command just eight days before Appomattox. Warren continued as an engineer of distinction in the army after the war, but he was determined to clear his name of inquiry, which conducted an exhaustive investigation into the battle, Warren's conduct, and Sheridan's arbitrary action, but the findings of the court vindicating Warren were not made public until shortly after his death.
Customer Reviews:
Good Look at a Gettysburg Hero.......2007-08-06
In "Happiness is Not My Companion," David M. Jordan performs his usual solid job in assembling a biography. Jordan is, as always, excellent when it comes to digging in primary sources and he does breathe a good deal of life into the rather obscure G. K. Warren. Best known for his role at Little Round Top, Warren led the 5th Corps of the Army of the Potomac during most of the Overland campaign before his removal at Five Forks. He also held a number of important staff assignments under Joe Hooker and George Meade. Jordan is able to offer an excellent account of Warren's Civil War career as well as his quest for vindication from being removed from command. Jordan also offers an excellent look at Warren's morose and often overly critical personality. There remain some problems in the book. Warren's role as an explorer is covered too quickly. The same can be said of his role as an engineer in the West after the war. Still, Jordan is excellent on Warren and the war. Anyone interested in the Union effort in the east would profit from this book about a leading and very unique general.
Civil War Reader.......2007-02-11
For Civil War readers, Gouverneur Kemble Warren is not an unfamiliar name. He is most associated for his slow response in the Wilderness campaign where he was dismissed without, as we read, justifiable cause. This action was driven more by spite and the ego issues of Phil Sheridan, who failed to understand the issues causing Warren's delay at Five Forks. And then there was U.S. Grant's rigid blind faith in Sheridan that led him to summarily dismiss Warren, also without knowing all the facts. Jordan does a good job of showing the many facets of a general who was not only competent but ethical in his conduct of the war. While admittedly cautious and slow at times, he was still able to win battles and not needlessly compromise his men's lives. As a psychotherapist, it was personally interesting to see the psychology of this complex man, from his highs to his rages and deep depression. He was without question, intelligent and with great courage. He did have issues that could compromise his "generalship" at times but then shine at others. Yet, his leadership of men was done with character and ethical responsibility and discipline. I highly recommend this book as not only a means to understanding an excellent civil war general but also as a way to see how circumstances create decisions, both good and bad. To see how incompetent leaders can manage to survive and highly competent ones fall, all in a flash. The book, from the early days of Warren, through his Civil War battles, court of inquiry trial and, ultimately, his lonely and sad death, is well written, easy to read and, like a complex movie, shows us pieces of the war and its many unseen still frames that are so easily missed. The reader will come away with a greater understanding of G.K. Warren as well as the civil war. David L Mazzola
Solid Bio on Warren and the Controversy of Five Forks.......2007-01-13
Solid bio on General Warren, like George Picket, known for Gettysburg and Five Forks, the latter in his casea great controversy. Warren was the opposite of the Confederacy's impetuous A. P. Hill, Warren was brave but detailed and thorough in his planning. Often thinking of his men's welfare, he frequently clashed with not only Meade but by war's end Grant and Sheridan. The author provides a healthy history of Warren's family and his time at West Point and his gallant service mapping the Black Hills among the Sioux before the war. The reader may be a little impatient to get to the Civil War and the controversy but you get there relatively quickly. Warren serves on McClellan's staff and stays as a staff officer as a topographic engineer through his famed role at Little Round Top. Warren then becomes a corps commander, although he seems ill suited personality wise for the task. His dispatches to Meade naively offer too much advice and seemimg less action than his superiors expect, which he never seems to fully appreciate. Jordan utilizes many primary resources such as reports and letters by Warren, his bombastic artillery Officer, close military friends, commanders and many other witnesses to give you a first hand perception of the man. Warren's was notable in refusing to attack Lee's fortifications at Mine Run, a little written about campaign that establishes Warren as a man considerate of his men yet suffering in the eyes of his his commander. Here the author could have offered more maps as the Mine Run campaign starts questions about Warrens propensity to inform and perhaps lecture. During the overland campaign, Warren alternately hesitates and attacks and the author describes the reasons for each, particularly the Confederate fortifications. Rhea, in his great series of books on the 1864 campaigns, probably describes best Grant and Meade's frustration with Warren but Jordan does well here in this 320 page book. Although aquiting himself well during the Petersburg siege, with some question at the Crater, Warren's 5th corps continues to actively pivot late in 1864 alternately with Hancock's 2nd to the western outside edges of Petersburg. A question worth asking here is why, if Grant and Meade already question Warren's timely ability to attack, did they not keep his corps east of Petersburg in a static position? This is not answered by Jordan but should have been explored. By late March 1865, he is ordered to maneuver around Lee's far right to support Sheridan that culminates in the battles of Dinwiddie Court House (a setback for Sheridan) and then Five Forks. This unusual collaboration between two Generals that mutually dislike each other is immediately antagonized by too many confusing orders from both Sheridan and Meade to Warren compunded by Grants independent control of Sheridan. Jordan points out well that Warren is succesful in his dificult manuevers in the face of the enemy yet Warren fails to report timely to Sheridan. Jordan covers the battle of Five Forks well, ironically Warren's best and most succesful attack, and the controversy of Sheridan sacking Warren after the battle was won. Jordan's reserach also notes Warren's colorful charge across the final breastworks with his troops happens just before his sack notice reaches him as opposed to what some historians describe as happening only after he learned he was sacked. Ed Bearss book "Five Forks" in the VA. series probably describes the battle best with an excellent map but Jordan does a fine job describing the battle. The latter parts of the book follow Warren's post war career and his unusual dedication as an military engineer refusing to leave the army for much needed income as a private engineer as he waits his day in court. Warren comes across as a festidious egineer more suited for that kind of work but his extended military career and his desire for a trial seem to aggravate his sensitive health. The trial, 16 long years later, is well covered as well as the political difficulties as Sherman, Sheridan and Grant act as roadblocks. Jordan paints Warren appropriately as a man of talent but lacking in perception that the war changed and that Grant and Sheridan were trying to bring the war to an end in a hurry, which contributed to the abrupt and disasterous decision by Sheridan ironically after the day at Five Forks was won. At Five Forks Warren was relieved not for his actions that were unknown to Sheridan at the time but for the reputation that preceded and sterotyped him in Sheridan's eyes. One of the last ranking officers who served with McClellan, it is unfortunate that Warren did not leave when Hancock did or at least recognize that Grant and Meade required less opinions but timely reports of action as did Sheridan. A sad end with a final victory, reversed court finding, coming too late as the book's title aptly professes, happiness was not be his his post war companion.
Good Bio of a High Ranking Late War Union Officer.......2007-01-08
Before I review this one, let me admit that I've never been into book length biographies, even when they concern Civil War era figures, so this is a bit of a new experience. Keep this is mind when reading these early attempts at reviewing biographies. I picked up this bio of Gouverneur Kemble Warren for two reasons. First, Indiana University Press was having an unbelievable sale, and I managed to find this one as a brand new hardback for only $6. Second, I'd been looking to get into the biography arena by looking at men who commanded at division level or higher during the siege of Petersburg.
"Happiness Is Not My Companion" takes a look at the checkered career of Gouverneur Kemble Warren, a man who was stripped of his command at the moment of his greatest triumph at Five Forks. Author David Jordan covers Warren's life in some detail, though I thought that a closer and more definitive work can probably be penned at some point in the future. With that said, I enjoyed this biography, especially the section dealing with the Petersburg Campaign. Jordan keeps the reader interested while moving the story along. The author argues that Warren was wronged by Sheridan at Five Forks, but he does candidly admit many of Warren's flaws, though I suspect he may not have gone far enough in revealing these.
Gouverneur Warren was an extremely intelligent man, but his main faults, according to author David Jordan, were his difficulty in following orders given to him while at the same time giving frequent unwanted "suggestions" to his superior officers. Jordan downplays somewhat Warren's nature to frequently act with great condescension, which is to me his greatest flaw. Warren was born on January 8, 1830 in upstate New York in the little town of Cold Spring, just a short distance from West Point. That Warren ended up at the Military Academy is hardly surprising given his birthplace and his prominent family. He graduated second in his class, and was awarded a spot in the coveted Corps of Engineers. In this role, Warren spent the better part of the 1850's on expeditions to the west, where he encountered friendly and hostile Native Americans, including the Sioux, and participated in his first military actions. Warren had accepted a position to teach mathematics at West Point by the time war broke out, but he soon became Lt. Colonel and then Colonel of the famous 5th New York, Duryea's Zouaves. He led the men of this regiment as a brigade commander in the Seven Days and at Second Bull Run, and was afterward promoted to Chief Topographical Engineer and then Chief Engineer of the Army of the Potomac. It was in this position at Gettysburg that Warren perhaps gave his greatest contribution to his country. Warren, while out scouting on the Union far left, noticed the importance of the Round Tops and the fact that Confederate infantry were approaching. He immediately found the nearest Union troops, the brigade of Colonel Strong Vincent, and sent them scurrying for the crest of Little Round Top. They barely beat the Confederates to the crest and managed to secure this vital area for the Union. Warren was promoted to Major General after the battle, and he was temporarily placed in command of the II Corps while Winfield Hancock recovered from his severe Gettysburg wound. In the Mine Run Campaign of November 1863, Warren called off an attack that he deemed suicidal on his own responsibility. Meade was at first furious that Warren had disobeyed, but he agreed with Warren's decision after taking a look at the Confederate entrenchments. This first instance of Warren questioning his orders as a corps commander was only the beginning. Meade and Grant would grow exasperated with Warren on more than one occasion during the Overland and Petersburg Campaigns. It was during this time frame, while commander of the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac, that Warren had his greatest problems as a commander. Meade and Grant were on the verge of relieving him several times for his continued questioning of orders, or in some cases, his outright disobedience of these orders. Jordan quotes the diary of Charles Wainwright, the V Corps Artillery Chief, quite often during this time period. Apparently Wainwright did not much like Warren and was constantly critical of his commander. All of this was leading up to Warren's greatest triumph...and his greatest disappointment. Warren was placed under Phil Sheridan during the attack on Five Forks. Grant, apparently having grown tired of Warren's tendency to question his orders, gave Sheridan the right to sack the v Corps commander at any point and replace him with any of the V Corps division commanders. Although Warren moved his men up in a satisfactory manner, and although the V Corps was able to flank and drive off the Confederates guarding Five Forks, Sheridan relieved Warren and sent him back to Grant. Jordan discusses Warren's unceasing efforts after the war in his quest to see a court of inquiry convened. It wasn't until the early 1880's that Warren was able to make this possible. He had known that while Grant or member of his circle were in power that his request would never be granted, so he had waited until Rutherford B. Hayes was President to press home his request. In my mind, Jordan demonstrates pretty conclusively that Warren was not at fault in any way at Five Forks, though Warren's peers who oversaw the court were rather ambivalent in their findings, perhaps to appease Sheridan, who now commanded the entire United States Army. Warren died before the findings of the court were made public. He deserved better, from Sheridan on April 1, 1865, to Grant in the intervening years concerning the granting of a court of inquiry, to the men who finally made judgments on his behavior.
As I stated in the introduction, this is a good but not great book. Jordan goes into considerable detail, but I couldn't help feeling that even more could have been done. He also seems to go a little easy on Warren in some cases, especially when it concerns Warren's difficulty in dealing with subordinates and superiors who he felt were not as intelligent as he was. One trait I dislike more than most in my fellow human beings is condescension. Warren was filled to overflowing with condescension for quite a few people, and I would have liked to see the author get into this in more detail. Other than that, I thought he tried to be impartial, as a good biographer always should. The maps that accompanied the text were solid, and really a bit of an unexpected bonus as far as a biography goes. Anyone interested in biographies of Civil War generals will not be disappointed in this one. Those interested in G. K. Warren or in the later campaigns of the Army of the Potomac will also want to give this one a look.
Happiness Wasn't His Companion.......2006-05-08
Happiness Is Not My Companion is an apt title for David Jordan's 2001 biography of General Gouverneur K. Warren, hero of Little Round Top at Gettysburg, commander of the II and V Corps for the Army of the Potomac, and most famously relieved of command by Major General Philip Sheridan following the Battle of Five Forks in April of 1865. That relief, coming scant days before the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, sparked controversy and an eventual court of inquiry into the appropriateness of the relief.
This biography, long overdue and very much needed, goes far towards painting a picture of the enigma that was G.K. Warren. Get two Civil War buffs together, and you will likely have conflicting thoughts about what made the man tick. Author Jordan does a very nice job of culling the extensive Warren papers and presenting the various sides of "Gouv," and further includes snippets from the letter of his wife to flesh out his subject.
Warren himself is often treated by historians as something of a loaner for whom the trials of war drove him more and more towards despondency and depression. This is much of what Jordan presents, although I found the work somewhat lacking in analysis of the subject's character. For example, one could fairly easily extrapolate that Gouverneur Warren may well have suffered from bi-polar disorder, a malady not uncommon to brilliant men. Jordan's descriptions of Warren's seeming inability to complete after the war his Midwest mapping projects from the antebellum period, and the seeming mountains of work associated with the projects, allows us to see the loaner sitting in his work area with mounds of paper strewn about. That Warren spent most of his life away from his wife speaks volumes.
Jordan does an excellent job presenting Warren's mood swings. Periods of inactivity seemed to drive the downward spiral for Warren's moods, although almost any pretense of activity could perk the general up. What also comes through beautifully is the somewhat odd love affair between Warren and his wife Emily, one that lasted through his lifetime, yet saw the two living apart for so much of their time together.
Jordan further does a good job of chronicling the Warren Court of Inquiry, presenting what is most likely a more balanced side of the Court than Phil Sheridan probably deserved.
Like many military biographies, Jordan spends more time filling in the military history surrounding Warren than looking at the man himself - not too unusual for Civil War biography - but still leaving so much interpretation open to the reader. And that, in and of itself, is not too large a problem, for the reader can draw his or her own conclusions regarding what drove Gouverneur K. Warren, and what led to his premature death at the age of 53.
All-in-all, an excellent work, and well worth the purchase and read.
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