Lindbergh

Rating:
Summary: Great Book, Great Author
Review: As a teenager who's knowledge of Charles Lindbergh was confined to his historical solo flight across the Atlantic, I became a convert overnight to the biographical genre as I developed a intensed fascination with Lindbergh and his life. This intricate man is stunningly displayed, in a highly readable style as the author delves into his life, interests, accomplishments, and much more. A throughly fascinating biography! A. Scott Berg surely deserved his Pulitzer, and your library definitely deserves this book.

Rating:
Summary: More than just a flight...
Review: A simply amazing book. Only being 30, I missed the hubub around Lindbergh during his lifetime. My only recollection of the man was that he was the first to fly across the Atlantic. What a surprise it was to find that the Atlantic flight was only a small part of an incredible man. Those that grew up in Lindbergh's time are likely to learn things about him that were glossed over or misunderstood by the media. Those like me are going to come to realization that C.A.L. was one of the greatest Americans to ever live.

Scott Berg does a tremendous job with what I consider to be the best biography I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Hero or Villian?
Review: As a teenager, I admired Charles Lindbergh for his heroic accomplishments, knowing only of his solo voyage across the Atlantic. When I read this biography, I was surprised to find that the man I had thought so heroic was instead deeply flawed. His association with the Nazi party during the thirties and his work with the America First party is hard to believe. Perhaps in retrospect it is always easy to identify evil. Many accomplished people during the thirties were taken in by Hitler. Even more revealing is the story of his marriage. Again, I had always thought of his relationship with Anne Morrow as a fairy tale, a joining of two soulmates. Yet the misery that Anne experienced during her marriage was heartbreaking. She was able in her later years to live as she pleased but gave up so much to try to win the affection of a man totally incapable of showing his feelings. The author did an excellent job of detailing Lindbergh's life in a vivid and interesting manner. I found his writing style flowed easily and he never tried to gloss over the unpleasant periods in Lindbergh's life but instead explained them in the context of the time and the background of Lindbergh.

Rating:
Summary: An American first.
Review: It seems that everyone knows at least one thing about most famous people, Charles Lindbergh is no exception. First to fly the Atlantic solo, victim of the tragic kidnapping and loss of his firstborn, outspoken isolationist and possible anti-Semite, environmentalist. This fine biography carefully and fully fills in the blanks between these often conflicting heroic and tragic personas. With seemingly unprecedented and unlimited access to family materials, the author has given life to the man the world felt they knew intimately. This is a very readable biography of a complex and ultimately unknowable man.

Simultaneously, the author gives us the personal perspective in the life of an individual and his family who became the earliest victims of an, at times, out of control media. From the moment of his touchdown in Paris in 1927 and throughout the remainder of his life the world demand more, as though he were a commodity of which they couldn't get enough. The intrusions in his life as a result, run the gamut from the amusing to the shocking. In many ways the text is often as much about the national attention Lindbergh garnered both on purpose, and by accident, as it is about the man himself. The narrative is a veritable who's who of the twentieth century, Lindbergh crossed the paths of the great, near great, and often to unfortunate consequences the infamous. The world sought out this intensely private man.

The family man behind the heroics depicted here is of another age and time. Overly strict, critical and controlling, often absent for extended periods of time the parallel story of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's life with her famous husband is revealed in heartbreaking detail as well.

Of special note, the story is never more tragic or suspenseful than during the chapters that revolve around the kidnapping and original "trial of the century." The author does not leave the reader speculating as to the author's opinion on the ultimate outcome; no fact or detail is left undiagnosed.

Though of minor significance, but worth mentioning, the author often fails to resist the urge to insert a cheap pun with usually aeronautical references, used in non-aeronautical ways; say along the lines of "Lindbergh's interest in flying took off." Though few, these are all too obvious and not up to the intelligence and strength of the overall work.

Rating:
Summary: The audio version certainly was a disappointment.
Review: Maybe the book version is better. But I was looking forinformation on his infatuation with Hitler and the Luftwaffe. Nothing!The audio version does talk about the "America First" movement & his "alleged" anti-semitism but skipping entirely the many trips he made to pre-war Germany is really inexcusable. Either this is a really bad editing job or a whitewash of an important part of his life.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, excellent, excellent
Review: This book was very well researched and beautifully written. Mr. Berg showed Lindbergh in all his complexities. The book is at its bestwhen Mr. Berg describes the marriage of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Charles Lindbergh, complicated couple.

Rating:
Summary: Lindbergh--The 20th Century's First Media Hero
Review: A. Scott Berg's, "Lindbergh," portrays the great aviator as the first media-created hero of the 20th century. It traces Lindbergh's rise from as an international phenomena, following his cross-Atlantic flight, to his life-long efforts to escape the media circus that followed him to the end of his life. It also provides great insight into this most enigmatic man and his relationships with friends, family and especially his wife, Anne Morrow. While written, first as a biography, the book is a primer on how the media creates heroes and then gobbles them up and how media scrutiny can lead to unhappiness in the life of the one being scrutinized. Some of the sadder moments in Lindbergh's life, such as the kidnapping and death of his son, seem a direct result of the fame that brought not only wealth, but tragedy. Lest you think the book is discouraging-it is not. Much of the book allows us to sit as a third passenger in Charles and Anne's small airplane as they crisscross the world in Indiana Jones-like fashion. Charles really lived the life of ten men-He was an inventor, a key player in the rise of commercial aviation, and a pilot in World War II-and these are just the beginning. This book is one that cannot be put down.

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Summary: Emotions to Sift Through
Review: After digesting this book, I'm still sorting out my feelings about Lindbergh. His flight required unprecedented courage and confidence. His objections though to WWII is what I find hard to accept. Born in 1954, I did not experience our country's dealings with the War, but I just cannot understand how a patriot could object to stopping the spread of Nazism. But yet, he serves his country in other ways, including his involvement in the the fight with the Japanese. Why didn't he participate against the Germans? Was he a racist? There are underlying hints throughout the book. His treatment of his wife was disgraceful but this was not a normal man. Those who accomplish great things never are normal; something has to suffer. Insofar as the book, educational and entertaining. However, certain sections are difficult to read such as page 534 where Berg jumps around so much from narrative to quotes I couldn't determine who was saying what! Lindbergh: courageous, dedicated, pioneer, sensitive to issues close to heart, but a poor husband - to me, one of the most important traits a man can have.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Biography
Review: "~This is a well-researched and entertaining biography. Mr. Berg captures the essence not only of Charles Lindbergh's accomplishments, but also the eccentricities and nuances of the man as well. The book reads like a fast-paced novel and is absorbing from beginning to end. It chronicles the life of a unique and complex American whose life was irrevocably changed within the course of 30 or so hours."~ autobiography which won the Pulitzer Prize many years ago. Unlike that marvelous book, which focused primarily on the transatlantic crossing in detail, Mr. Berg's biography spends substantially less time on the actual flight, but places it in nicely within the totality of his entire life.

Rating:
Summary: Great beginning but poor conclusion
Review: This book was at it's most interesting when describing the young Lindgergh. I am always fascinated by the events that led up to great moments in history. Berg relates the story of Lindbergh's life from his childhood up to his famous flight vividly. He truly makes the reader feel what Lindbergh must have felt. Unfortunately, as the book progresses, Berg begins to lose focus. He clearly admires his subject and at times fails to emphasize Lindbergh's numerous flaws. The issue of Lindbergh's anti-semitism was not explored nearly enough. Lindbergh was an admirer of the Nazis. This has been well documented. Berg did not give that fact it's due attention. Another criticism I have is that Berg never really explains why so many have come to believe that Bruno Hauptman is innocent. He relates the evidence of Hauptman's guilt but never discusses any of the inconsistencies of the prosecution's case. Despite these criticisms, I would have to recommend this book. A. Scott Berg is an excellent writer. Whether one agrees with the approach he took to describe certain events in Lindbergh's life or not, the book is definitely worth reading.