What to Read During the Covid-19 Exile 2020 -- Biographies of the Infamous

Biographies of the infamous figures of history are often more interesting than biographies of acclaimed men and women.  Yes, biographies of infamous historical figures can degenerate into a sort of historical rubber-necking at the scene of havoc to which they contributed.  But there is much to learn from the lives of those who have gone down in history with less then stellar reputations.

Had he lived fifty years later, Grigori Rasputin would have been the world's most famous televangelist.  A theological mystic and a sexual predator, Rasputin wormed his way into the Romanov household and did much to turn the Russian public against the weak Czar, Nicholas II, and his unpopular German wife, Alexandra.  Smith's fascinating biography clears up many of the myths and legends surrounding Rasputin.  But the Rasputin who emerges from myth and legend is every bit as creepy and destructive as the man of legend.  Smith: Rasputin

Richard Bushman is a Mormon historian and sympathetic biographer of Joseph Smith.  Bushman's account of Smith's production of the Book of Mormon is worth the price of the book.  Smith's odd and unorthdox beliefs, the militarism of the sect, and the effort to establish autonomous self-government, provoked the locals wherever the sect attempted to establish itself.  Bushman establishes a link (which I've long suspected) between the LDS leadership and the Masons.  Highly recommended--fascinating.  Bushman: Joseph Smith

John Brown (whose body "lies a moulderin' in the grave") is a tragic figure.  A man who thought his own judgments to be infallible, Brown's on the side of the angels when it comes to his cause--the end of slavery.  But his methods (hacking people to death with broadswords and seeking to create a slave insurrection) were the work of the Devil.  A civil war between the northern states and the slave holding states of the south was inevitable.  But Smith's capture of the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, along with the election of Abraham Lincoln heightened tensions to the breaking point.  This is a well-written book and certainly worth a read.  Horwitz: John Brown

Benedict Arnold was possibly the Continental Army's best general.  If he had 200 more able-bodied men, and if the temperature had been above freezing, Quebec would have fallen to the Americans and Canada might have had an entirely different (and American) history.  Arnold was also instrumental in the defeat of the British at the Battle of Saratoga--possibly the turning point of the Revolutionary War.  How Arnold became the traitor who sought to ensure that Washington was captured by the British is an important story.  Arnold was a bitter glory-seeker, and a lonely widower seduced by the beautiful loyalist Peggy Shippen.  But the way Arnold was treated by the Continental Congress explains much about his defection to the enemy.  A very compelling story of a complex man, a badly mistreated, and much unappreciated general.  Martin: Benedict Arnold

I recommend Champlin's book with mild reservation.  He clearly knows the primary sources and has produced a well-written and researched biography of a man of unspeakable evil.  As one reviewer points out, Champlin's tad sympathetic biography portrays Nero as a sort of Roman Oscar Wilde, a man who lived life on the edge and who's bad deeds were exaggerated by later Christian moralists (the victors write the history, as the saying goes).  Despite Champlin's efforts to downplay Nero's brutality toward Christians, Champlin does succeed in giving us an interesting account of the life and times of Mr. 666 (as I call him).  Even a slightly sympathetic account reveals a very sick and twisted man.  There is a reason why Nero lurks in the background of the Book of Revelation and in Christian eschatology.  Champlin: Nero 

What to Read During the Covid-19 Exile 2020 -- Select Biographies of Great Americans

There are so many outstanding biographies of famous Americans, it is impossible to do anything but recommend a few of my favorites (I'm concentrating on earlier figures in American history).  All of these biographies are well-worth reading.

There are several outstanding biographies of George Washington, who is, in many ways, the greatest of all Americans.  He's a true giant among the founders.  Here are two of my favorite biographies of the General and President.

Chernow: Washington

Ellis: Washington

McCullough's biography of John Adams is a fantastic book.  For far too long, Adams was the overlooked figure among the founding fathers.  McCullough's biography changed that.  This book is the basis for the HBO series, John Adams--which, if you haven't seen it, you should!

McCullough: John Adams

Berg's biography of Woodrow Wilson is well done and an interesting account of the man who, in my opinion, should rank very near the bottom of any list of American presidents.  Wilson's self-righteous progressive government (i.e., government by experts) was bad enough.  But the Treaty of Versailles, of which Wilson was a significant player, guaranteed a second world war.  Despite my dislike for Wilson, this is really a good biography of the man and his times.

Berg: Wilson

There are a number of well-researched biographies of Abraham Lincoln, as well as volumes devoted to aspects of his career, his administration, and his role in the American Civil War.  If you've not read much about Lincoln, this is a good place to start.  If you have read much about Lincoln, do not overlook this one.

Donald: Lincoln

 

This is a profound book.  Guelzo is an accomplished historian, and an award-winning Lincoln biographer.  In this volume Guelzo explores Lincoln's religion--as much as we can know about Lincoln's religion, given Lincoln's reluctance to speak of any personal faith.  Raised a Primitive Baptist (Calvinistic), Lincoln's views of God's providence default to a sort of fatalism without any gospel--a gospel which Lincoln sadly rejected.

Guelzo: Lincoln, Redeemer President

Next Up:  Biographies of the Infamous

What to Read During the Covid-19 Exile of 2020: Biographies of Great Men

The Covid-19 Exile might be a good chance to get in some serious reading.

The four books that follow are recommended biographies of men we all ought to know something about.  There are others I could mention to be sure (Genghis Khan, Stalin, Lenin, and Mao come to mind), but these are books I have read and which I can recommend as both important and interesting.

Winston Churchill was certainly not the greatest man who ever-lived, but he might well be the most interesting.  Churchill's life began in the days of Queen Victoria, and ended during Beatlemania.  Churchill took very seriously the threats posed by Hitler and Stalin, when others missed the obvious.  This is a page-turning biography of a truly fascinating man.

Andrew Roberts -- Churchill

To my mind, Napoleon Bonaparte is not a likeable man in any sense.  But Roberts' very well-written and thoroughly researched biography reminds us that the Corsican general was one of the world's greatest military minds and political organizers.  Napoleon's fingerprints are all over modern Europe.  Many feared he was the Antichrist.  This short man cast a very long shadow.  Roberts is a great biographer and tells Napoleon's story in a compelling way.

Roberts Napoleon

Despite my loathing of Hitler, my recommendation is that every thoughtful and intellectually engaged person ought to read this book.  Kershaw's biography (this is the one volume abridgement of a two-volume set) gives us a definitive look at the man, the culture which produced him, his political skill, and his unchecked treachery.  Kershaw identifies Hitler as an "unperson," and tells the story of how a man, who at other times and places would have been an absolute nobody, came to power in post World War One Germany and launched his own war which killed 70-85 million people.

The best way to prevent this from ever happening again, is to know something about Hitler's brand of fascism (national socialism).  This is the place to begin.

Kershaw: Hitler

If you were to name the five most influential people in world history, surely Alexander's name would be on that list.  By the age of 30 he had created an Empire which extended from Macedonia (Greece) all the way to India.  He never lost a battle and defeated the much larger Persian empire during a ten-year campaign in which his military genius was determinative.  Much about Alexander remains mysterious to us given the lack of written sources (especially his early death from a fever at age 32).  But we do know that the Hellenizing influence he set in motion through conquest, brought massive cultural changes which revolutionized life throughout his vast empire and for centuries to come.  Cartledge tells Alexander's story in a compelling an interesting way. 

Cartledge: Alexander the Great

Next up, biographies of great Americans . . .