Americans at War

While this may not be some of Ambrose's best work, it is never-the-less very good stuff. As one reviewer pointed out, Ambrose is not only a pretty good historian, but he is an excellent teller of stories. That is a good combination. Ambrose writes popular historical books. This is good. With this collection of writings, and the many others of which he is responsible for, he has brought history to the general public, in a readable form, and not just let it molder in academic land. This is a collection of Ambrose's writings. It is not his more popular fist person interviews. This is not a collection of essays, rather, it is little bits of this and that, addressing America's fighting men and women throughout the years. He has done well here. Recommend this one highly.

This collection of essays from the entire span of Ambrose's writing career provide an entertaining, very readable and very worthwhile display of American military legacies. There is really no single theme that can said to represent this collection except that which its title states, as it really is a diverse selection of topics from across the US military history field. The discussion of Vicksburg at the beginning of the book was the longest but also the most informative of all the work, though his retouring of D-Day beaches in a later chapter is also a deeply impacting read that would be well worth your time. His analysis of MacArthur is fair and unbiased, also deserving of accalaid, but perhaps the most important is his My Lai analysis, which delved deeply into the mentality of atrocity, soemthing often overlooked but especially important. Another A+ to go on the list Ambrose has already respectably accumulated.

Ambrose, even though he has been accused of triumphalism with his writing, is still a kick A-- writer about the respectful, dedicated, and sometimes flawed people that have surrounded the history of this country - but especially surrounding war. I agree with another reviewer who said that you could read this in sections because of the organization. There is so much material in the book for any student of American History. I found the chapters on MacArthur, the Bomb, and Vietnam (Nixon) to be especially enlightening. I have to say that I think the best chapter is entitled "D-Day Revisited". If it doesn't make you weep, maybe you need to read it again. As a history teacher, I plan to read some of these chapters to my classes (if i don't make them get the book).

I have just started reading Ambrose's work, and I enjoy every moment of it. He has a wonderful sense of history, he is not afraid to admit his mistakes, and does not criticize. I can not stand historians who argue with should, could and would. Mr. Ambrose does none of that. I can't say I agree with every conclusion he draws, but that's what makes like interesting.

Mr. Ambrose presents a collection of essays which range from Custer & Grant in the Civil War to Patton & MacArthur in WWII to Nixon's Bombing of Hanoi. Easy to understand and enjoyable to read. A must read for anyone yearning to understand how War has shaped America and how American leaders have shaped war.