Old Soldiers Never Die:: The Life and Legend of Douglas MacArthur

by Geoffrey Perret, Geoffrey Perrett, Geoffrey Perret

Book Overview

In the first cradle-to-grave biography of MacArthur in nearly 20 years, Perret reveals new information and offers fresh insights into this landmark figure of American history. From his obsessive... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679428828
• ISBN13: 9780679428824
• Release Date: April 1996
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 663 Pages
• Weight: 2.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.1" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

EXCELLENT STARTING PLACE FOR THE STUDY OF MACARTHUR

As several reviewers pointed out, this book has a few flaws. I do feel some of the criticisms hurled are a bit off the mark. This is a one volume book. There is absolutly no way a completely comprehensive sudy of this man could be accomplished in such a short space. For a one volume work though, it is very, very good. Yes, you can disagree as to the actual greatness of the man, as reflected in the various stages of his life, but the author has at least presented to us a starting point. This work, along with others, gives us a good picture of Macarthur the soldier and the man. Recommend you read this one.

Possibly the best one-volume biography of MacArthur

I am amazed at the vitriolic diatribe by at least two of the reviewers.In response to one review review, I would like to make just a few corrections. First, if you want to read an outstanding and well-researched biography of Douglas MacArthur, do not read Manchester's. I take no umbrage with her criticism that Perret's biography is not the definitative work (the author's goal was to write the best one-volume biography of this enigmatic man). However, I don't know who C. Clayton Douglas is or what four-volume biography of MacArthur he wrote. I do consider D. CLAYTON JAMES' three-volume biography to be the definitive study on the general to date. In the interest of full disclosure, I have met the author and like him. He is a very charming individual, careful historian, and good author. I liked the book, not because I felt it is the best biography of MacArthur but because of the way he tells the story. Consider this example. D. Clayton James, in volume 2 of The Years of MacArthur, relates the story of what happened when land-based airpower finally arrived in Leyte in October 1944. "Monsoon rains and frequent Japanese air attacks during the week following the capture of Tacloban airfield made it difficult for the engineers to lay the 2500 feet of steel matting for a runway for the waiting Fifth Air Force fighters on Morotai. . . . When the first two squadrons of P-38's landed at the field on October 27, MacArthur and Kenney were waiting to greet the pilots as they stepped down from their fighters." (P. 568) Now compare James's passage to Perret's: "Two days later MacArthur was having lunch when he heard a familiar sound, the engines of P-38s being throttled back. Kenney had ordered half the 49th Fighter Group to fly up from Morotai. . . . MacArthur called for his car and headed for the airfield to greet the thirty-four fighter pilots. He shook hands with the first three as they descended from their planes onto the half-finished strip. One of them was the AAF's top scoring ace, Major Richard Bong, with twenty-eight victories to his credit. 'You know how glad I am to see you,' he told them, beaming. He turned to the journalists who were clustering around. "'The Fifth Air Force has never failed me.'" (P. 429) Same episode described two entirely different ways. Is this the best MacArthur biography ever written? No but the first thing I always try to remember when reviewing a book is that it is hard work to write one. The second thing I always try to remember is to segregate my books between the purely academic (i.e. published by a university press) and the popular (i.e. published by a company that at the bottom line is interested in the bottom line). Geoffrey Perret fits the latter category. Challenged to research and write a book every three years, he does a remarkable job of bringing to the general public well-written and entertaining books on historical topics and figures. And, while Old Soldiers Never Die has flaws Perret succeeds in present

Old heroes never die

If you want to read good history (not great) you need to pick this book up. I think you will absolutely find the book to be a good book, but I found the last chapter to be great. I love when the author chronicles the general giving his last speech at West Point. Talk about a dying man's last play on the stage! The way that the author details this speech leaves one with an exceptional feeling. MacArthur was a man dedicated to his principles and to the army. Still, I like the way he finishes that speech and turns to his wife to blow her a kiss. He could be an officer and a gentlemen even with all of his flaws. Stanley Weintraub's book, "MacArthur's War" is also a good piece of writing. I would recommend both of these books if you want to get a balanced picture of the man and his life. I think Peret is successful (as Weintraub is) in showing the contrasts and character flaws of this great man. Also, for other information on the general, check out the MacArthur center website.

Excellent...the definitive bio of "Big Mac"!!!

General MacArthur is one of those truly fascinating historical figures, one that truly deserves study by even the casual military history student. He has been labeled an "egomaniac", a "primadonna", a "genius", etc., etc. This book attempts to blend all those summations into one biography, and does so flawlessly.Mr. Perret's work is by far better than the other noted MacArthur biography, "American Caesar". Mr. Perret is a great deal more balanced and thoughtful in his treatment. His work is also a good deal more enjoyable to read.The one thing that I think is noteworthy about this book as a whole is that while it does a marvelous job of chronicling MacArthur's life, it is done without casting judgment one way or the other. I noted above that MacArthur draws a wide range of emotions - from egomaniac to genius. Mr. Perret manages to corral all those different facets of MacArthur's personality and present them in such a way that the reader is allowed to see all sides equally and make his own conclusions. That, I believe, is what separates Mr. Perret's work from "American Caesar". "American Caesar" was largely biased towards MacArthur's primadonna persona, and as such, that bio fell on its face. While Mr. Perret expertly and rightfully spends much of his work covering MacArthur's fight for the Phillipines - a place that occupied all his thoughts during WWII - he is remiss in not adequately covering Korea, specifically, the landing at Inchon. That is Mr. Perret's one shortcoming in this book. The Inchon landing was perhaps one of the greatest master strokes of modern warfare, and definitely of MacArthur's waning days in the Army, yet it is passed over without a lot of detail. I think Mr. Perret failed to detail it as it should have. I would have focused on MacArthur's strenuous campaigning to land at Inchon, which was fraught with hazards and potential catastrophe. MacArthur was the only one who could have suggested Inchon, yet was the only one who could have carried it out, much less thought it would have succeeded. Instead, in this bio, Mr. Perret basically glosses it over, much to my disappointment.All in all though, I did enjoy this work very much. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read about this amazing and tragic historical giant. It is definitely the better of the MacArthur biographies.

This is a thoughtful, balanced life of General MacArthur.

Having admired General MacArthur when I was a boy and kept a scrapbook of clippings on his doings during the Korean War, having read "American Ceasar" by William Manchester, and having been more recently disenchanted with MacArthur from other readings, I found Perret's book wonderful. On the surface, it explains certain things that have remained a mystery to me, e.g., why MacArthur left his airforce on the ground after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It turns out he had ordered the planes redeployed and the orders were not carried out for reasons that Perret explains. At a deeper level, it provides a satisfying picture of MacArthur that avoids the Scylla of criticism and the Charybdis of adulation. Perret comes across as balanced, objective, and factual. And, the reader is left with the feeling that the facts have been presented and he can decide for himself. Finally, Perret seems comfortable exploring the darker aspects of MacArthur's personality. For example, in describing MacArthur's treatment of General Robert Eichelberger, Perret writes "... for MacArthur broke into brave, genial Bob Eichelberger's soul and found the cracks."