Rating: 
Summary: You Feel Chamberlain's Courage and Sense of Duty
Review: Trulock has written a good book about old values: principle, sense of duty and personal courage. Gen. Chamberlain comes across most as a man of ideals and integrity. His willingness to risk all living up to these character traits is inspiring: first risking life and limb on the battlefield then opportunity and office in Maine politics. The author's book is readable, well paced and engaging. A further examination of Chamberlain's political career as governor would have nicely rounded out the story. I imagine his dealings with the legislature and public would have further supported the author's demonstration of her subject's wartime personnae. But that is a minor observation, the war story is fascinating and moving.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent .... for 3 reasons:
Review: Trulock's biography of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is an excellent book for 3 reasons: 1) the man, 2) the times, and 3) the biographer.The man -- Joshua Chamberlain is a fascinating and worthy topic for biography. His defense of Little Round Top turned the Battle of Gettysburg, and his subsequent bayonet charge down the slopes and into the Devil's Den awed not only his peers, but Americans to this very day. The times -- the Civil War -- is perhaps the most important and interesting period in American history. But it is the biographer -- Trulock -- that brings this book alive. Her accounts are well-researched, well-footnoted, and read with an insight and flow. Her account of Chamberlain's stand at Little Round Top is consistent with Shaara's The Killer Angels, and goes into about as much detail. And this is why I, and others I expect, bought this book. Trulock mixes narrative, quotes in a nice way here. But it is not the account of Little Round Top that sets this book apart, in my estimation. It is the *rest* of the book, which places these and other events in context of his life and times. His childhood, relationship with his wife, parents, brothers, college, and post-war career are all well-told and add considerable and interesting information to this truly heroic American. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent .... for 3 reasons:
Review: Trulock's biography of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is an excellent book for 3 reasons: 1) the man, 2) the times, and 3) the biographer. The man -- Joshua Chamberlain is a fascinating and worthy topic for biography. His defense of Little Round Top turned the Battle of Gettysburg, and his subsequent bayonet charge down the slopes and into the Devil's Den awed not only his peers, but Americans to this very day. The times -- the Civil War -- is perhaps the most important and interesting period in American history. But it is the biographer -- Trulock -- that brings this book alive. Her accounts are well-researched, well-footnoted, and read with an insight and flow. Her account of Chamberlain's stand at Little Round Top is consistent with Shaara's The Killer Angels, and goes into about as much detail. And this is why I, and others I expect, bought this book. Trulock mixes narrative, quotes in a nice way here. But it is not the account of Little Round Top that sets this book apart, in my estimation. It is the *rest* of the book, which places these and other events in context of his life and times. His childhood, relationship with his wife, parents, brothers, college, and post-war career are all well-told and add considerable and interesting information to this truly heroic American. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: No more Chamberlain!
Review: When will people realize how overrated Chamberlain really is? The book does a fair job of describing a moderately interesting man, but his place is the Civil War is consistantly over-emphasized. Just once I'd like to see a little attention paid to someone important like Meade.
| 
