bookshelf

THE BITTER HERITAGE

Name: THE BITTER HERITAGE
Author: Arthur M. Schlesinger
ISBN: 0395081564

VIETNAM AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, 1941-1966

by Arthur M. Schlesinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 19, 1967

bookshelf

Why we are in Vietnam is today a question of mainly historical interest. We are there, for better or for worse, and we must deal with the situation that exists," says Pulitzer-prize winning Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., who has acted as Special Assistant to two Presidents. He retraces the route of our involvement in Vietnam and along the way to his own proposals for future action poses all the hard questions. The prevalence of the military, with their "one more step," has placed us "deeper and deeper into the morass" from which LBJ would extract us by a negotiated settlement, at this time to be achieved by increasing the "quotient of pain" on Hanoi and forcing such negotiation. Will China fight in Vietnam? Is this a Communist war or a national one? What are the lessons of history for us at this time and in this place? What in our national outlook is at the root of our trouble in dealing with Vietnam? These are the questions asked and answered; the solution he sees is a middle course between withdrawal and escalation, a holding of the line in South Vietnam, placing a civilian government in Saigon, cessation of bombing North Vietnam, even a place at the peace table for the Viet Cong. Finally, Mr. Schlesinger sees America faced in Vietnam with a test of our democracy. Incisive, clarifying, calm, Mr. Schlesinger deals with the situation from a position of informed authority in relation to the seats of power; of the many, this is the one book on Vietnam which appears to hold a usable key in this connection, to provide a move acceptable to the administration.

Pub Date: Jan. 19, 1967

ISBN: 0395081564

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: May 22, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1967

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE DISUNITING OF AMERICA
by Arthur M. Schlesinger

- BOOK REVIEW
THE CYCLES OF AMERICAN HISTORY
by Arthur M. Schlesinger

- BOOK REVIEW
ROBERT KENNEDY AND HIS TIMES
by Arthur M. Schlesinger

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.