John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy

Rating:
Summary: Medicore hero, medicore book
Review: It is an interesting formula for literary success. Take a man whose career was a footnote to momentous events and produce a book which mirrors this relationship. Is the book "balanced" or just muddled? We will never know, because Mr. Thomas could not refrain from bombarding us with his opinions and conjectures at every possible opportunity. Next time, Mr. Thomas stick with the facts.

Rating:
Summary: At Least He Was On Our Side
Review: It is said that if you like sausage, don't watch it being made. By the same logic, if you like John Paul Jones, you will not like seeing him in the making. The "Father of the American Navy" had virtually one victory at sea, never commanded an American ship, never wore an American uniform, and never said, "I have not yet begun to fight." The true hero of Jones' signature single ship engagement, against the British frigate Serapis, was a lowly seaman, William Hamilton. In the turning point of the battle, Hamilton dropped a hand grenade through a half-open hatch on the deck of the Serapis from the Bonhomme Richard's mainsail yard, igniting a chain reaction of explosions below deck. John Paul Jones was mired in the political patronage and backbiting which characterized the age, and had few if any values worth fighting for other than his own legacy. He was an indefatigable self-aggrandizer whose core competence was his willingness to sacrifice the lives of the men under his command. His name wasn't even "Jones;" he appended that common surname in order to facilitate his rehabilitation after killing a sailor This is decidedly not a hagiography; author Evan Thomas presents John Paul Jones as deeply flawed. But thank God he was on our side.

Rating:
Summary: The life of an unsung hero of the Revolutionary War
Review: It would not be easy to write a biography on a man such as this. John Paul Jones did tremendous things for the American cause, and stood by his adopted country's navy even while being repeatedly mistreated and stabbed in the back by the likes of John Hancock, Edward Bancroft, and others. There is no explanation for Jones's loyalty, except to say that he was in it for glory. In fact, this seems to have been the motivation behind most of Jones's exploits. Still, vainglorious as the man was, there is no denying that he made a tremendous contribution to the American Revolution.

Evan Thomas handles his subject well, and seems mostly fair in his treatment of Jones. Still, he cannot help indulging in what is an all-too-common practice in historical biography these days. Thomas does not hesitate to throw his own thoughts in and add a little detail which enriches the narrative but not the history. Describing at times what Jones was feeling, what he wanted to do, how the weather affected him, and other details is stretching it a bit, given there is no way anyone can know these things for sure. Despite this shortcoming, however, this book is an entertaining read, and certainly worth the time to learn of one of the great unsung heroes of the Revolutionary War. It is nothing short of tragic that Jones was driven by an ungrateful America into service with the cruel Catherine the Great. This issue, along with many others, is treated in Thomas's book.

Rating:
Summary: The life of an unsung hero of the Revolutionary War
Review: It would not be easy to write a biography on a man such as this. John Paul Jones did tremendous things for the American cause, and stood by his adopted country's navy even while being repeatedly mistreated and stabbed in the back by the likes of John Hancock, Edward Bancroft, and others. There is no explanation for Jones's loyalty, except to say that he was in it for glory. In fact, this seems to have been the motivation behind most of Jones's exploits. Still, vainglorious as the man was, there is no denying that he made a tremendous contribution to the American Revolution.

Evan Thomas handles his subject well, and seems mostly fair in his treatment of Jones. Still, he cannot help indulging in what is an all-too-common practice in historical biography these days. Thomas does not hesitate to throw his own thoughts in and add a little detail which enriches the narrative but not the history. Describing at times what Jones was feeling, what he wanted to do, how the weather affected him, and other details is stretching it a bit, given there is no way anyone can know these things for sure. Despite this shortcoming, however, this book is an entertaining read, and certainly worth the time to learn of one of the great unsung heroes of the Revolutionary War. It is nothing short of tragic that Jones was driven by an ungrateful America into service with the cruel Catherine the Great. This issue, along with many others, is treated in Thomas's book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Portrait of a Neglected American Hero
Review: John Paul Jones is, sadly, the most neglected historical figure of the American Revolutionary period. Most of this probably has to do with his personality - vain, egotistical,argumentative and difficult to get along with- rather than his superb skills as a sailor and naval commander. This book ought to bring him to the forefront of the pantheon of American heroes , right alongside Washington, Jefferson and Adams. Superbly written and researched, this is an excellent book and a fitting tribute to the founding father of the Armican navy. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: "I have not yet begun to fight"
Review: John Paul Jones was the eminent fighter who never gave in and also fathered the american navy. He went on to an elustrious career in world affiars and helped mold the american bravery in fighting the greatest navy in the world. An amazing American who is often forgotten when we learn our histories of Washington and Jefferson.

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Summary: A Striking Biography of America's First Great Sailor
Review: John Paul was the son of a Scottish gardener, born in 1747. With little fortune, no prospects of getting an education, and facing a rigid hierarchy he could not break, his prospects of doing anything else than his father's career were unlikely. The one limited prospect of advancement was going to sea, which he did at age 13. It was his place to excel; he was careful, deliberate, and punctiliously neat. His flight to success worked; even though he had to change his name while he was on the run for a murder charge, John Paul Jones can be counted as one of the Founding Fathers. In the biography _John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy_ (Simon and Schuster), Evan Thomas has insightfully examined Jones's ambitious climb, and the other side of ambition's coin, his vanity, which halted the climb from going as far as Jones had aimed. In balancing both sides, Thomas has produced a model biography of America's most famous sailor.

John Paul had to work the lowest levels in the Royal Navy, sailing slave ships. In 1774, he killed a mutinous sailor off Tobago, and his career was over. He fled to Virginia as John Paul Jones. His timing was fortunate; by 1775 the Continental Congress had a starting fleet and needed officers; he was commissioned as a first lieutenant. Jones proved to be one of the few in the navy who had a strategic vision, one which was recommended by a novelty transcending the orderly set-piece battles between ships: terrorism. It is perhaps discomforting to think of Jones as a terrorist, but he realized that war could be waged against cities and peoples, not just against professional fighters. The British had counted on the Royal Navy to keep them safe in their homes, and Jones breeched the shield. His daring touched on English anxiety about piracy, and he was often depicted as a pirate. More importantly, the English started wondering if warring to keep their colonies was really worth it. He won special fame for action against the new, copper-clad frigate _Serapis_. He was not, however, justly rewarded by his country. He was denied the rank of admiral because of the machinations of his fellow captains. His suspiciousness and irascibility did not recommend him, even though his courage and seamanship did. He took the only job he could get when the Revolution was over, in the Russian navy, but in 1792, possibly weakened by care and by years of exposure to the elements, he died lonely and forgotten in Paris. He had a small funeral, and then oblivion. Eventually a laundry was built over the graveyard.

Jones was resurrected in 1905; the young President Teddy Roosevelt needed a naval hero, and being a naval historian himself, he knew how the country had slighted its first great sailor. "Every officer in our navy should know by heart the deeds of John Paul Jones," the President orated at the time. Jones was put at final rest in a magnificent marble sarcophagus beneath the transept of the Naval Academy Chapel. It would have been just what he wanted: "My desire for fame is infinite," he admitted. Jones would not be so proud of Evan's fine biography, for it makes plain the egotism; John Adams called him "leprous with vanity." For a Founding Father, he had little to say about the importance of democracy and equality, although he wrote plenty against tyranny. But Evans's biography also makes plain Jones's courage, and explains well the successes that Jones the striver was able to gain. It is a thorough and thoroughly entertaining picture of a fascinating figure.

Rating:
Summary: Good Book, except for Title - Jones Not Father of the Navy
Review: Jones was most decidedly an interesting character whose efforts on behalf of the Revolution were most valuable, but, he is not the Father of the American Navy. Commodore John Barry has held that distinction (as bestowed upon him by his peers) since the early 1800's and it was Barry who was given the 1st Commission of the U.S. Navy by Pres. Washington after the Revolution and with it the job of founding and training the officers of the U.S. Navy. It was Barry who first hoisted the American flag during naval battle and it was Barry who fought the last naval battle of the Revolution. Thomas' decision to give Jones this title is an unfair attempt to shape history to his liking. Because Jones was more colorful and interesting than the very virtuous and religious Barry, Jones gets all the glory by history writers while they ignore the huge contributions of Barry. (is it because Barry was a Catholic at the time when great bigotry was exercised against Catholics?) Through both his accomplishments and his training of the early Navy men, such as Steven Decatur, and through his impeccable moral and unimpeachable moral character, it is John Barry who deserves the title freely given by Evan Thomas to Jones. Jones, just as Thomas potrrays him, was a deeply flawed man, but a great naval hero. He just isn't worthy of the name "Father of the Navy" and neither did he earn it. I urge the author to please take a look at John Barry's contribution to his country and write another book, and this time, to name it accurately.

Rating:
Summary: One Battle Wonder
Review: Mr. Thomas provided great in sight into his subject, John Paul Jones. However, instead of taking over 300 pages he should have submitted it to a weekly journal. Like Washington's revolutionary battlefield experience Mr. Jones, the myth, is greater than reality. It's sad to think the American Navy has given him such a predominant place in its archives. If you are struggling in trying to find a good biography I recommend McCullough's Adams or Truman or Brand's "The First American" on Franklin. Come on Evan pick a better subject for your next book.

Rating:
Summary: Jones the Human
Review: My prior knowledge of patriot John Paul Jones, and as the author makes clear, he was certainly that, had been limited to the kind of "pure hero" impression one might pick up in a junior high or high school history course (in my case that was about 40 years ago). Thomas, on the other hand, writes not only about Jones' patriotism and heroism, but about the warts, too, and paints a compelling picture of a tragic human being who clearly made a significant contribution in America's fight for independence. Beyond that, the book offers useful insights on the American Revolution generally and other important Revolutionary figures. I have not read other Jones biographies, so I cannot offer comparisons. That having been said, I recommend this book highly. It's well-researched and documented, yet a very quick read. It was hard to put down. Thomas' descriptions of sea battles made me feel like I was there.