Readers will decide if Arnold’s choices were forced upon him or if he was, indeed, flawed. Malcolm provides plenty to...
An attempt to bring understanding, if not forgiveness, to the story of Benedict Arnold (1741-1801).
Examining a variety of primary sources, including Russell M. Lea’s 2008 publication of Arnold’s war correspondence and other Arnold papers “recently discovered in Quebec,” Malcolm (George Mason Univ. School of Law; Peter's War: A New England Slave Boy and the American Revolution, 2009, etc.) dives further into the psyche of the man synonymous with the word “traitor.” His ability as a soldier, acknowledged even by the British, and continued heroics indicate a truly talented, heroic patriot who dedicated his life, lost his fortune, and suffered crippling injury for the American cause. Arnold was also rash and impetuous, and his pride and successes made many enemies. The micromanaging of the Army by the Congress made such rivalries more common, as they often appointed ill-qualified but well-connected leaders. After Ticonderoga, Arnold led a heroic trek through the bleak winter landscape to meet up with Gen. Philip Schuyler at Montreal. But Col. Roger Enos abandoned that trek and left with a third of Arnold’s force. Even so, Arnold was successful at Montreal and then built a fleet of shallow draft boats on Lake Champlain to block the British. At Saratoga, Gen. Horatio Gates disliked him intensely and confined Arnold to his tent. Not to be held back, he led the leaderless army to turn the battle, but he was also grievously injured. George Washington sent him to Philadelphia to lead, a huge mistake since Arnold had very little political ability. He was often denied pay and promotions, and a series of false accusations pushed him over the edge. Others would suffer similarly and resign their commissions, but Arnold felt the war was lost and turned to the British. The author does her best to paint her subject as underappreciated—and is mostly successful in that endeavor—and she rejects the accusations that his wife drove him to treason.
Readers will decide if Arnold’s choices were forced upon him or if he was, indeed, flawed. Malcolm provides plenty to consider.Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68177-737-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Pegasus
Review Posted Online: March 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular...
A neurosurgeon with a passion for literature tragically finds his perfect subject after his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer.
Writing isn’t brain surgery, but it’s rare when someone adept at the latter is also so accomplished at the former. Searching for meaning and purpose in his life, Kalanithi pursued a doctorate in literature and had felt certain that he wouldn’t enter the field of medicine, in which his father and other members of his family excelled. “But I couldn’t let go of the question,” he writes, after realizing that his goals “didn’t quite fit in an English department.” “Where did biology, morality, literature and philosophy intersect?” So he decided to set aside his doctoral dissertation and belatedly prepare for medical school, which “would allow me a chance to find answers that are not in books, to find a different sort of sublime, to forge relationships with the suffering, and to keep following the question of what makes human life meaningful, even in the face of death and decay.” The author’s empathy undoubtedly made him an exceptional doctor, and the precision of his prose—as well as the moral purpose underscoring it—suggests that he could have written a good book on any subject he chose. Part of what makes this book so essential is the fact that it was written under a death sentence following the diagnosis that upended his life, just as he was preparing to end his residency and attract offers at the top of his profession. Kalanithi learned he might have 10 years to live or perhaps five. Should he return to neurosurgery (he could and did), or should he write (he also did)? Should he and his wife have a baby? They did, eight months before he died, which was less than two years after the original diagnosis. “The fact of death is unsettling,” he understates. “Yet there is no other way to live.”
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular clarity.Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8129-8840-6
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
PERSPECTIVES
Well-told and admonitory.
Young-rags-to-mature-riches memoir by broker and motivational speaker Gardner.
Born and raised in the Milwaukee ghetto, the author pulled himself up from considerable disadvantage. He was fatherless, and his adored mother wasn’t always around; once, as a child, he spied her at a family funeral accompanied by a prison guard. When beautiful, evanescent Moms was there, Chris also had to deal with Freddie “I ain’t your goddamn daddy!” Triplett, one of the meanest stepfathers in recent literature. Chris did “the dozens” with the homies, boosted a bit and in the course of youthful adventure was raped. His heroes were Miles Davis, James Brown and Muhammad Ali. Meanwhile, at the behest of Moms, he developed a fondness for reading. He joined the Navy and became a medic (preparing badass Marines for proctology), and a proficient lab technician. Moving up in San Francisco, married and then divorced, he sold medical supplies. He was recruited as a trainee at Dean Witter just around the time he became a homeless single father. All his belongings in a shopping cart, Gardner sometimes slept with his young son at the office (apparently undiscovered by the night cleaning crew). The two also frequently bedded down in a public restroom. After Gardner’s talents were finally appreciated by the firm of Bear Stearns, his American Dream became real. He got the cool duds, hot car and fine ladies so coveted from afar back in the day. He even had a meeting with Nelson Mandela. Through it all, he remained a prideful parent. His own no-daddy blues are gone now.
Well-told and admonitory.Pub Date: June 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-06-074486-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Amistad/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2006
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
