SEAL Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden /Review

Chuck Pfarrer (Author)
Description

The true story of the killing of bin Laden by author and former U.S. Navy SEAL Chuck Pfarrer
On May 2, 2011, at 1:03 a.m. a satellite uplink was sent from Pakistan crackling into the situation room of the White House: "Geronimo, Echo, KIA." These words, spoken by a Navy SEAL, ended Osama bin Laden’s reign of terror. SEAL Target Geronimo is the story of Neptune's Spear from the men who were there.  After talking to members of the SEAL team involved in the raid, Pfarrer shares never-before-revealed details in an exclusive account of what happened as he takes readers inside the walls of Bin Laden’s compound penetrating deep into the terrorist’s lair to reach the exact spot where the Al Qaeda leader was cowering when the bullet entered his head. SEAL Target Geronimo is an explosive story of unparalleled valor and clockwork military precision carried out by the most elite fighting force in the world—the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six.

Praise
“Chuck Pfarrer writes with the brilliant eye of a novelist and the real-world authority of a soldier who has fought in the world’s most mysterious corners. He’s not only a poet and soldier, but also a deeply read historian. Pfarrer has written a true page-turner about the inside story of Operation Neptune’s Spear. There is enough action here, enough human drama, enough fascinating history, to keep you reading until dawn—you simply have to know what happens next. SEAL Target Geronimo is first-rate storytelling. It’s an amazing story, written about a world no one knows better than Chuck Pfarrer himself.”
--Doug Stanton, author of In Harm’s Way and Horse Soldiers
About the Author
Chuck Pfarrer is a former assault element commander of SEAL Team Six. He has written op-eds for The New York Times and the Knight Ridder syndicate, and appeared as an author and counterterrorism expert on C-SPAN2, NPR, Alhurra, IPR, Voice of America, Fox News, and America Tonight. Pfarrer serves presently as an associate editor of The Counter Terrorist, the American Journal of Counterterrorism. Pfarrer is the author of the bestseller Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy SEAL. His Hollywood credits include writing and producing work for Navy Seals, Darkman, Hard Target, The Jackal, Virus, and Red Planet. He lives in Michigan.
Product Details
    Hardcover: 240 pages
    Publisher: St. Martin's Press (November 8, 2011)
    Language: English
    ISBN-10: 125000635X
    ISBN-13: 978-1250006356
     Nonfiction

Review
By Hassan Z. Brockovich Sr.

Chuch Pfarrer is a good and captivating writer--not as good as one of the greats of American literature, Dr. Seuss, but sort of close to him--but a lot of what he reveals in this novella makes me ashamed to be an American. Full confession: I am hardcore, Obama-voting and liberal, but that played no role in my opinion on this novella. It's just that some of the "stuff" (read: mischief) revealed by Pfarrer makes me wonder whether US taxpayer dollars are really being spent wisely on a bunch of testosterone-overloaded Navy Seals.
For example, Pfarrer reveals that some of the Navy Seals--get this...get this...--were actually high-fiving and cheering like a bunch of high-school kids about to get laid when they realized they got been Leiden!! What the heck kind of example does that set for the rest of the world, huh?! What does that kind of evil sadism say to the peaceful Arabs and Muslims whom we are "fighting" in the age-old American tradition of US hegemony for the purpose of establishing a global warming foothold in the Middle East, huh??? I'll bravely tell you what it says: It says that the US does not have respect for the beautiful and misunderstood traditions of the splendorous Muslim culture...that's what!
For this reason, my opinion about being slightly glad that been Leiden was killed in an unconstitutional and secretive US drone strike has changed 183%. I now hang my head in shame every time I see an Arab dude or someone with a dark enough complexion that he could be an Arab. Still I recommend that you dig deep into your life savings and buy this book because of its educational value. Since the best president in US history (Obama) has now lowered the unemployment rate to an excellent 9.0%, you should have just enough disposable income to afford this book and maybe...half a pack of gum (over the next three months).

»»  read more

Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda/Book Review

Eric Schmitt (Author) & Thom Shanker (Author)

Publisher: Times Books; 1 edition (August 16, 2011)

Language: English

ASIN: B004SHEJLM

DESCRIPTION

Inside the Pentagon's secretive and revolutionary new strategy to fight terrorism--and its game-changing effects in the Middle East and at home

In the years following the 9/11 attacks, the United States waged a "war on terror" that sought to defeat Al Qaeda through brute force. But it soon became clear that this strategy was not working, and by 2005 the Pentagon began looking for a new way.

In Counterstrike, Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker of The New York Times tell the story of how a group of analysts within the military, at spy agencies, and in law enforcement has fashioned an innovative and effective new strategy to fight terrorism, unbeknownst to most Americans and in sharp contrast to the cowboy slogans that characterized the U.S. government's public posture. Adapting themes from classic Cold War deterrence theory, these strategists have expanded the field of battle in order to disrupt jihadist networks in ever more creative ways.

Schmitt and Shanker take readers deep into this theater of war, as ground troops, intelligence operatives, and top executive branch officials have worked together to redefine and restrict the geography available for Al Qaeda to operate in. They also show how these new counterterrorism strategies, adopted under George W. Bush and expanded under Barack Obama, were successfully employed in planning and carrying out the dramatic May 2011 raid in which Osama bin Laden was killed.

Filled with startling revelations about how our national security is being managed, Counterstrike will change the way Americans think about the ongoing struggle with violent radical extremism.

PRAISES

"This eye-opening account of how the U.S. government has vastly upgraded its counterterrorism efforts since Sept. 11 reminds readers that while the threat from al Qaeda and its affiliates persists, so does the American will to strike back."—Joshua Sinai, The Washington Times

"In Counterstrike, Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker, reporters for the New York Times, warn that another catastrophic terrorist event is inevitable, but their behind-the-scenes account of the evolution of U.S. counterterrorism strategy gives officials the highest marks… Counterstrike is a glowing portrayal of the American intelligence community."— Robert D. Crews, San Francisco Chronicle

"The book [Counterstrike] sheds light on offensive U.S. cyber operations almost never discussed by U.S. officials."—Bloomberg.com

"New York Times correspondents Schmitt and Shanker review events after 9/11, focusing on government and military counterterrorism experts who convinced administration ideologues to switch gears… [A] reassuring argument that, after an expensive and massive effort, terrorism seems on the decline."—Kirkus Reviews

"A remarkable detective story by two of the nation’s best reporters. With meticulous research and fine storytelling, Counterstrike reveals who, what, when, where, and why in describing the long campaign by the United States government to demolish Al Qaeda and ultimately to kill Osama bin Laden."--Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of An Army at Dawn

"Counterstrike lays bare the provocative new ideas that are driving the war on terrorism. Generals often talk about changing the hearts and minds of people in faraway lands, but Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker reveal the importance of changing the hearts and minds of America’s defense strategists. This is a groundbreaking intellectual history that is also a great read."--Jessica Stern, author of Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill

"Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker dig deep to tell the story of the covert campaign to defeat Al Qaeda, from the CIA to the Pentagon. Counterstrike is a richly reported work that is a seminal account of the battle between America and Al Qaeda since 9/11."--Peter Bergen, author of The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al-Qaeda

"Filled with amazing characters and details, Counterstrike traces the evolution of America’s strategy for stopping the next attack. It’s a fascinating story and a great read, too."--Dexter Filkins, author of The Forever War

"Counterstrike scores a direct hit. Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker, two of America’s most respected national security correspondents, provide pathbreaking reporting on and incisive analysis of the secret war against Al Qaeda after 9/11. This cogent history of America’s elusive search for a strategy – essential reading for specialists and concerned citizens alike – should inform our national debate on how best to counter this most urgent threat."-- Lee H. Hamilton, former congressman and co-chair of the 9/11 Commission

"Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker have written a brilliant and important account of America’s battle with Al Qaeda. It is an exceptional work in that it truly addresses strategic issues and not just the tactical fight. There are critical insights and recommendations provided in this book that make it a must-read for all those who want to understand how we must deal with this complex threat."--General Anthony C. Zinni, USMC

REVIEW

Authors Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker give a wide-ranging and engrossing look at our secretive and expansive efforts to fight a new type of war against terror in the days following 9/11. When the Bush administration was caught off guard by a deep strike at the heart of some of America's most treasured institutions by the evil Osama bin Laden and his forces, the administration was pushed into a change of direction in both collating and sharing internal intelligence between revitalized/reorganized agencies, sometime unconventionally, and in fighting the major terrorist enemy of Al Qaeda and its offshoots that extended far beyond what had begun in the Clinton administration. When we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, this new type of war was 'templated' over conventional war on the battlefield, from the highest levels to the lowest combat units. The authors trace the rise of an interesting cast of characters, thru 3 presidential administrations, who changed the approach from "kill or capture" of high valued targets in Al Qaeda to a new overall approach that has even expanded our philosophy of nuclear war to include the WMD implications of the war on terrorism, as in the case of Bush's National Security Presidential Directive 46. The many successes and frustrations of the Bush administration were handed over to the Obama administration and its own particular strategy, ultimately leading to the killing of the top man in Al Qaeda and the further expansion of the continuing war on terror from countries such as beleaguered Pakistan to our own efforts on US soil to prevent attacks and contain internal threats. While the book sometimes dwells at length on the backgrounds of unfamiliar but colorful terror-fighting personalities involved in the Bush and Obama administrations and doesn't fully connect the dots about incidents that have come to light in recent years, the authors unearth an awesome amount of new information (such the "Two + Seven" strike at Al Qaeda leadership and the stunning "Taji" and "Sinjar" intelligence treasure troves in Iraq) that makes this book both an eminently worthwhile read that adds significantly to our store of knowledge and shows us where we are headed in the future of the war on terror. Clearly, the anti-terror pace and successes of the Bush and Obama administrations may surprise many readers. Highly Recommended.

»»  read more

The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life/ Book Review

Ann Patchett

Publisher: Byliner (August 25, 2011)

Language: English

ASIN: B005JEXTBO

Amazon.com Review

Ann Patchett's The Getaway Car doesn't offer prospective writers a step-by-step guide to the craft of fiction. Instead, this primer from the highly-respected novelist mostly shares her own experiences--her childhood dream, her life as a struggling writer who sets aside her work to make ends meet, and her ultimate success, reached with the help of teacher/mentors like Russell Banks and Grace Paley. Though Patchett attributes much of her achievements to good luck and hard work, her story contains enough specific advice ("The ability to forgive oneself" is crucial, Patchett writes) and words of encouragement to make it worth a read.

Description

“The journey from the head to the hand is perilous and lined with bodies. It is the road on which nearly everyone who wants to write—and many of the people who do write—get lost.”

So writes Ann Patchett in "The Getaway Car", a wry, wisdom-packed memoir of her life as a writer. Here, for the first time, one of America’s most celebrated authors ("State of Wonder", "Bel Canto", "Truth and Beauty"), talks at length about her literary career—the highs and the lows—and shares advice on the craft and art of writing. In this fascinating look at the development of a novelist, we meet Patchett’s mentors (Allan Gurganas, Grace Paley, Russell Banks), see where she made wrong turns (poetry), and learn how she gets the pages written (an unromantic process of pure hard work). Woven through engaging anecdotes from Patchett’s life are lessons about writing that offer an inside peek into the storytelling process and provide a blueprint for anyone wanting to give writing a serious try. The bestselling author gives pointers on everything from finding ideas to constructing a plot to combating writer’s block. More than that, she conveys the joys and rewards of a life spent reading and writing.

“What I like about the job of being a novelist, and at the same time what I find so exhausting about it, is that it’s the closest thing to being God that you’re ever going to get,” she writes. “All of the decisions are yours. You decide when the sun comes up. You decide who gets to fall in love...”

In this Byliner Original by the new digital publisher Byliner, "The Getaway Car" is a delightful autobiography-cum-user’s guide that appeals to both inspiring writers and anyone who loves a great story.

»»  read more

Reluctant Hero by Michael Benfante & Dave Hollander / Book Review

Michael Benfante (Author),

Dave Hollander (Author)

Print Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (August 11, 2011)

Language: English

ASIN: B005JDD5UA

Description

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, Michael Benfante went to work, just like he had day after day, at his office on eighty–first floor in the World Trade Center North Tower. Moments after the first plane struck, just twelve floors above him, Benfante organized his terrified employees, getting them out the office and moving down the stairwells. On his way down, he and a co–worker encountered a woman in a wheelchair on the sixty–eighth floor. Benfante, the woman and Benfante’s co–worker then embarked on a ninety–six–minute odyssey of escape—the two men carrying the woman down sixty–eight flights of stairs out of the North Tower and into an ambulance that rushed her to safety just minutes before the tower imploded.A CBS video camera caught Benfante just as he got out the building, and almost immediately, the national media came calling. Benfante sat on the couch with Oprah Winfrey, where she hailed him as a hero. Almost one year to the day after 9/11, Benfante got married and the woman in the wheelchair sat in the front row. That’s the storybook ending. But in the aftermath of 9/11, Benfante began a journey fraught with wrenching personal challenges of critical emotional and psychological depth in Reluctant Hero. Benfante shares the trappings of his public heroism, the loneliness of his private anguish, and the hope he finds for himself and for us. Because all of us—whether we were in the towers, in New York City, or someplace else—we are all 9/11 survivors.

Review

"This fast-paced, moving story of 9/11 and its aftermath presents the experience of the hard-working Benfante, who became a national hero after helping colleagues in the WTC north tower to the staircase after the building was hit and, with a coworker, carrying a wheelchair-bound woman down 68 floors to safety. . . . Benfante and journalist Hollander present an appealing story of personal and national trauma and the difficulty for the individual, and the nation, of moving forward. Showing the unhappiness behind what looked like one of the triumphant images of 9/11, this is recommended reading." --Library Journal.com

»»  read more

After America: Get Ready for Armageddon/Book Review

by Mark Steyn (Author)

In his giant New York Times bestseller, America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It, Mark Steyn predicted collapse for the rest of the Western World. Now, he adds, America has caught up with Europe on the great rush to self-destruction.

It’s not just our looming financial collapse; it’s not just a culture that seems on a fast track to perdition, full of hapless, indulgent, childish people who think government has the answer for every problem; it’s not just America’s potential eclipse as a world power because of the drunken sailor policymaking in Washington—no, it’s all this and more that spells one word for America: Armageddon.

What will a world without American leadership look like? It won’t be pretty—not for you and not for your children. America’s decline won’t be gradual, like an aging Europe sipping espresso at a café until extinction (and the odd Greek or Islamist riot). No, America’s decline will be a wrenching affair marked by violence and possibly secession.

With his trademark wit, Steyn delivers the depressing news with raw and unblinking honesty—but also with the touch of vaudeville stand-up and soft shoe that makes him the most entertaining, yet profound, columnist on the planet.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hardcover: 400 pages

Publisher: Regnery Publishing; 1 edition (August 8, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1596981008

ISBN-13: 978-1596981003

Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.5 inches

Praises for After America

“Mark Steyn is a modern day Jeremiah with a quiverful of devastating one-liners, nailing what the liberals have done to our country. He presents an alarming—and frighteningly convincing—prophecy of where we’re headed. The choice is stark—we either listen to Steyn and act on his recommendations or face economic and cultural armageddon.” —Mark Levin

“Mark Steyn has done it again. In his new book, After America, he clearly defines the dangerous signals which show America is embracing the same doomed path as the failed European economies, and how vital it is to implement and avoid policies right now to prevent us from the same fate.”

—Sean Hannity

“Only Mark Steyn can write about the decline of America and leave you laughing.”

—Ann Coulter

REVIEW

It is eerily prophetic that Steyn's book was released August 8th, 2011, the first business day after Standard and Poor downgraded America from a AAA credit rating. Sadly, per Steyn, it is only the first, and mildest, of the blows America is to receive in the near future. The outcome will likely not be pretty.

Still, if you must cross the River Styx, it is at least enjoyable to have Steyn as your ferryman. With his trademark wit, he manages to leaven the bad news. It makes for an enjoyable book, if not an inviting future.

If you have been reading or listening to Steyn, his complaints are not new. The United States has been developing an ennervating, over-regulated, freedom -stifling, and ultimately unsustainable welfare state for generations, and that process accelerated under Pelosi's Congress and Obama's Presidency. It has long been said that things that can't go on forever, won't. Well, the U.S. economy is leaving the town of Can't in the rearview mirror as it accelerates headlong into to the uncharted land of Won't.

However, just because it is uncharted, don't think that it can't be predicted, and Steyn manages to do this as well. The world after America will be a Hobbesian thing, with life that is "nasty, brutish, and short". And sadly, there probably won't be too many Steyn's around to lighten the mood. The last time Steyn broached the decline of the West, in America Alone, he was dragged before the Canadian Thought Crimes Tribunal (or whatever they called it) for criticizing Islam. Don't imagine that satire will flourish After America.

»»  read more

Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man by Michael Hingson & Susy Flory /Book Review

Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero

By Michael Hingson, Susy Flory

DESCRIPTION

A blind man and his guide dog show the power of trust and courage in the midst of devastating terror.

It was 12:30 a.m. on 9/11 and Roselle whimpered at Michael's bedside. A thunderstorm was headed east, and she could sense the distant rumbles while her owners slept. As a trained guide dog, when she was "on the clock" nothing could faze her. But that morning, without her harness, she was free to be scared, and she nudged Michael's hand with her wet nose as it draped over the bedside toward the floor. She needed him to wake up.

With a busy day of meetings and an important presentation ahead, Michael slumped out of bed, headed to his home office, and started chipping away at his daunting workload. Roselle, shivering, took her normal spot at his feet and rode out the storm while he typed. By all indications it was going to be a normal day. A busy day, but normal nonetheless. Until they went into the office.

In Thunder Dog, follow Michael and his guide dog, Roselle, as their lives are changed forever by two explosions and 1,463 stairs. When the first plane struck Tower One, an enormous boom, frightening sounds, and muffled voices swept through Michael's office while shards of glass and burning scraps of paper fell outside the windows.

But in this harrowing story of trust and courage, discover how blindness and a bond between dog and man saved lives and brought hope during one of America's darkest days.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hardcover: 256 pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (August 2, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN: 9781400203253

ISBN-10: 140020304X

ISBN-13: 978-1400203048

REVIEW

On September 11, 2001, Michael and his seeing eye dog, Roselle, walked down 78 flights of stairs in the North Tower of the World Trade Center and survived. The story of this day is told throughout the book, interspersed with the story of the author's life.

As I began this book, I was impatient to hear the story of September 11th and was a bit irritated with the interruptions of the story of the author's life; however, the more I read, the more I appreciated this way of telling. The story of how Michael seized life shows the attitude, education and faith that provided a means to cope with this horrific challenge. One cannot be told without the other.

Michael never saw himself as disabled, just different. He rode his bicycle around the neighborhood, excelled at math and competed for a job with an office in the World Trade Center. Even as a youth, his audacity led to his receiving his first seeing eye two years below the minimum age to enter the program.

This book holds not only the story of one man and his dog on one day; it is the story of a blind community, the story of Guide Dogs for the Blind, a story of technology and a story of friendships and love. In these stories we learn of courage, teamwork, patience and faith.

This book is published by a faith based company. The first mention of Michael's faith comes on page 120; however, God's hand is evident in every page. Even though he made it out, Michael does not claim to know why he survived and others did not. He just makes the most of each day.

»»  read more

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough/Book Review

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris

David McCullough (Author)

Description

The Greater Journey is the enthralling, inspiring—and until now, untold—story of the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, architects, and others of high aspiration who set off for Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900, ambitious to excel in their work.

After risking the hazardous journey across the Atlantic, these Americans embarked on a greater journey in the City of Light. Most had never left home, never experienced a different culture. None had any guarantee of success. That they achieved so much for themselves and their country profoundly altered American history. As David McCullough writes, “Not all pioneers went west.” Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor in America, was one of this intrepid band. Another was Charles Sumner, who enrolled at the Sorbonne because of a burning desire to know more about everything. There he saw black students with the same ambition he had, and when he returned home, he would become the most powerful, unyielding voice for abolition in the U.S. Senate, almost at the cost of his life.

Two staunch friends, James Fenimore Cooper and Samuel F. B. Morse, worked unrelentingly every day in Paris, Cooper writing and Morse painting what would be his masterpiece. From something he saw in France, Morse would also bring home his momentous idea for the telegraph.

Pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk from New Orleans launched his spectacular career performing in Paris at age 15. George P. A. Healy, who had almost no money and little education, took the gamble of a lifetime and with no prospects whatsoever in Paris became one of the most celebrated portrait painters of the day. His subjects included Abraham Lincoln.

Medical student Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote home of his toil and the exhilaration in “being at the center of things” in what was then the medical capital of the world. From all they learned in Paris, Holmes and his fellow “medicals” were to exert lasting influence on the profession of medicine in the United States.

Writers Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, and Henry James were all “discovering” Paris, marveling at the treasures in the Louvre, or out with the Sunday throngs strolling the city’s boulevards and gardens. “At last I have come into a dreamland,” wrote Harriet Beecher Stowe, seeking escape from the notoriety Uncle Tom’s Cabin had brought her. Almost forgotten today, the heroic American ambassador Elihu Washburne bravely remained at his post through the Franco-Prussian War, the long Siege of Paris and even more atrocious nightmare of the Commune. His vivid account in his diary of the starvation and suffering endured by the people of Paris (drawn on here for the first time) is one readers will never forget. The genius of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the son of an immigrant shoemaker, and of painters Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargent, three of the greatest American artists ever, would flourish in Paris, inspired by the examples of brilliant French masters, and by Paris itself.

Nearly all of these Americans, whatever their troubles learning French, their spells of homesickness, and their suffering in the raw cold winters by the Seine, spent many of the happiest days and nights of their lives in Paris. McCullough tells this sweeping, fascinating story with power and intimacy, bringing us into the lives of remarkable men and women who, in Saint-Gaudens’s phrase, longed “to soar into the blue.” The Greater Journey is itself a masterpiece.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hardcover: 576 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (May 24, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1416571760

ISBN-13: 978-1416571766

Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.8 x 1.7 inches

PRAISES

"An epic of ideas, as well as an exhilirating book of spells . . . This is history to be savored."

—The New York Times Book Review

“A lively and entertaining panorama. . . . By the time he shows us the triumphant Exposition Universelle in 1889, witnessed through the eyes of such characters as painters John Singer Sargent and Robert Henri, we share McCullough's enthusiasm for the city and his affection for the many Americans who improved their lives, their talent and their nation by drinking at the fountain that was Paris.”

— The Washington Post

"From a dazzling beginning that captures the thrill of arriving in Paris in 1830 to the dawn of the 20th century, McCullough chronicles the generations that came, saw and were conquered by Paris. . . . The Greater Journey will satisfy McCullough's legion of loyal fans . . . it will entice a whole new generation of Francophiles, armchair travelers and those Americans lucky enough to go to Paris before they die."

— The San Francisco Chronicle

"McCullough's skill as a storyteller is on full display. . . . The idea of telling the story of the French cultural contribution to America through the eyes of a generation of aspiring artists, writers and doctors is inspired. . . a compelling and largely untold story in American history."

—The Seattle Times

"There is not an uninteresting page here as one fascinating character after another is explored at a crucial stage of his development. . . . Wonderful, engaging writing full of delighting detail."

— Chicago Sun-Times

“McCullough’s research is staggering to perceive, and the interpretation he lends to his material is impressive to behold. . . . Expect his latest book to ascend the best-seller lists and be given a place on the year-end best lists.”

—Booklist

“For more than 40 years, David McCullough has brought the past to life in books distinguished by vigorous storytelling and vivid characterizations. . . . . McCullough again finds a slighted subject in The Greater Journey, which chronicles the adventures of Americans in Paris. . . . Wonderfully atmospheric.”

— Los Angeles Times

“McCullough has hit the historical jackpot. . . . A colorful parade of educated, Victorian-era American travelers and their life-changing experiences in Paris.”—Publishers Weekly

-----------------------------------------------------------------

»»  read more