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Narrated by Norman Dietz
Richard AldousUnabridged — 18 hours, 41 minutes
Narrated by Norman Dietz
Richard AldousUnabridged — 18 hours, 41 minutes
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[Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.] has found in Richard Aldous an agreeably judicious biographer…Aldous gracefully balances an appreciation for his subject's talents as a writer of narratives and speeches with an acknowledgment of his shortcomings as a political analyst and aide.
★ 08/21/2017
Writing in a lively, incisive style worthy of his subject, Aldous (Reagan and Thatcher), a professor of history at Bard College, documents the life and work of Arthur Schlesinger Jr. (1917–2007), the liberal historian who championed the progressive tradition in American politics. Like his eminent historian father, the son became a professor at Harvard, where he made his scholarly reputation with the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Age of Jackson. He soon moved beyond the academy into politics, writing speeches for notable Democrats, most famously John F. Kennedy during the then-senator’s presidential run. The central chapters on Schlesinger’s role in the Kennedy White House, where his advice wasn’t always welcomed, and his composition of A Thousand Days, his tribute to the late president, are models of dramatic historical exposition. Aldous also touches on Schlesinger’s rivalry with fellow speechwriter Ted Sorensen. Readers learn only as much as they need to know about Schlesinger’s relationships with his parents, his two wives, and his five children. Whatever one’s opinion of Schlesinger as a political thinker, few will dispute Aldous’s concluding assessment of him “as one of the finest narrative historians America has ever produced.” It’s a judicious, balanced account that focuses on the high points of Schlesinger’s career. Agent: Georgina Capel, Georgina Capel Associates. (Oct.)
"[A] convincing portrait, rendered with skill and sensitivity, sympathetic toward its subject while capturing the quirks that made him, in the words of one contemporary, ‘so Arthurish.’"
"[A] compellingly narrated and well-researched biography."
"[A] very readable distillation of a long and fruitful life."
"Aldous writes with a verve and clarity that matches Schlesinger’s ... his book is likely to long endure as the standard work on its gifted title character."
"[A] judicious, balanced account that focuses on the high points of Schlesinger’s career."
"As a biographer, Mr. Aldous’s prose is cool and even-handed. ... [Schlesinger] is especially good on the inner conflicts of presidential politics."
"A provocative and definitive account of a man of great achievement and charm who looms over nearly a century of the history that he himself so meticulously recorded. A great read—and an absorbing, essential book."
"Aldous’s absorbing biography will surely be the definitive account of the historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.. Schlesinger was often accused of writing hagiography, but Aldous deftly avoids a similar charge. While clearly admiring of his subject, Aldous is thoughtful and insightful, and at times critical."
"In his marvelous, moving, and unsparing Schlesinger, Aldous brings us the brilliant, ambitious, colorful, sometimes maddening Schlesinger in full flower—with all of his stunning professional triumphs and glaring personal failures. A noteworthy achievement."
"In this elegant biography, Richard Aldous reveals the fascinating story of the ‘knee-pants genius’ who won his first Pulitzer Prize at the age of twenty-eight and went on to become the Kennedys’ court historian. Aldous presents an intimate portrait of a man of thought and a man of action living at the ‘vital center’ of Cold War America.”"
"[Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.] has found in Aldous an agreeably judicious biographer. … Aldous gracefully balances an appreciation for his subject’s talents as a writer of narratives and speeches with an acknowledgment of his shortcomings as a political analyst and aide."
"Richard Aldous’s Schlesinger is a deeply researched and skillfully written biography of a brilliant, scheming, perceptive and highly-partisan figure who believed in writing “useful history” to promote liberal causes and hoped to affect history by his own participation in American politics."
"The triumph of Richard Aldous’s new book is that it separates the myth from the reality, explaining both the seemingly inexorable rise of Schlesinger and how he contributed so much to the subsequent mythologising of the Kennedy era."
"Aldous provides a well-researched and balanced examination of Schlesinger and his academic and political achievements."
"In this elegant biography, Richard Aldous reveals the fascinating story of the ‘knee-pants genius’ who won his first Pulitzer Prize at the age of twenty-eight and went on to become the Kennedys’ court historian. Aldous presents an intimate portrait of a man of thought and a man of action living at the ‘vital center’ of Cold War America.”"
★ 09/01/2017
Pulitzer Prize-winning author (for The Age of Jackson and A Thousand Days) and acclaimed, sometimes controversial historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. (1917–2007) was a political insider who embodied 20th-century liberalism. He served as a speechwriter for presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson and special adviser to President John F. Kennedy. Aldous's (history, Bard Coll.; Reagan and Thatcher) deeply researched, comprehensive biography delves into Schlesinger's career, personal life, and writings. While not denying his subject's talents, Aldous discusses how Schlesinger's academic path was smoothed by his historian father, Arthur Schlesinger Sr., with whom the son shared an often rocky relationship. Aldous is at his best when investigating the public response to Schlesinger's books. Devastated by the deaths of John and Robert Kennedy, Schlesinger devoted the rest of his life to recording their stories. Aldous effectively captures the optimistic spirit of post-World War II America as viewed through Schlesinger's experiences. VERDICT Entertaining and exhilarating, this book will appeal mostly to historians but also be enjoyed by popular history readers. See also Schlesinger's memoir, A Life in the 20th Century, for more insights into his life.—Karl Helicher, formerly with Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA
2017-06-14
An admiring portrait of a historian who made history.When he was 28, Arthur Schlesinger Jr. (1917-2007) won a Pulitzer Prize for his first book, The Age of Jackson, an intellectual history of Jacksonian democracy set in a sweeping social, economic, and cultural context. Selling an astonishing 90,000 copies in its first year, it was acclaimed by many historians as "the most influential book of the postwar era" and marked the beginning of Schlesinger's illustrious career as a writer, professor, prominent liberal intellectual, and, most notably, presidential adviser to John F. Kennedy. Aldous (History/Bard Coll.; Tony Ryan: Ireland's Aviator, 2013, etc.) draws on Schlesinger's prolific publications, letters, and diaries, as well as interviews with family members and colleagues, to produce a well-paced, lively biography of a controversial figure. He was a brilliant man derided as "a court historian" for his golden portrayal of the Kennedys as well as an eyewitness to history who held firmly to the "Progressive notion that historical inquiry might promote liberal reform." A sharp analyst and outspoken adviser, Schlesinger "was both a small ‘d' democrat and a snob; his clever, ironic personality could also be waspish and peevish." The son of a historian and Harvard professor, he deferred a career in academia to go to Washington to write for Fortune magazine. There, he socialized with the Georgetown set: Joseph and Stewart Alsop, Philip Graham, Averell Harriman, Clark Clifford, and other influential men. A supporter of Adlai Stevenson, Schlesinger defected to Kennedy, although he questioned the president's commitment to liberalism. When Kennedy invited Schlesinger to join the White House staff, both men saw the advantage: as "in-house liberal" and "intellectual gadfly," Schlesinger gained a privileged position as witness, participant, and chronicler; Kennedy saw Schlesinger as a historian-in-residence who would shape and burnish his legacy. He performed that task admirably in A Thousand Days (1964). By the 1990s, identity politics and attention to diversity left his historical stance open to criticism. A solid, well-researched life of one of America's "finest narrative historians."
| BN ID: | 2940170156351 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HighBridge Company |
| Publication date: | 10/10/2017 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
