Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but try the two-volume set
Review: I admit that I have a great admiration of arguably America's best World War II historian, but the condensed version didn't go in depth as much as I would have liked. This version does give a nice overview of Ike's life, but certainly a biased one. Ambrose does not hide the fact that he is the president of the "I Like Ike" fan club, but he still offers a great deal about Eisenhower. However, he misses the mark on a few critical areas that should be considered important in any bio of our 34th president.For instance, there is hardly a mention at all about FDR's death on April 12, 1945. Surely the highest ranking American in the European theater had powerful emotions concerning the passing of his president, but the reader is left wondering. Another area getting short shrift is America's use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I find it hard to believe that Eisenhower would not have a strong opinion or at least strong emotions concerning their use. Again, it barely gets a mention in the book. Even if the two-volume set contains information about the above topics, it should have been included in the condensed volume. My other complaint is that the book is slanted entirely toward the good points about Ike's life and presidency. One exception is coverage of Ike's possible affair with his war-time secretary, which Ambrose covers more than adequately. If you like Ambrose, I would rate this as worth the read. It does offer insight to his war experiences and presidency, but for a fairly objective work, consider other tomes. I'd give it 3 stars, but it's Ambrose, so I suppose that makes me a bit biased as well.
Rating:
Summary: good favorable bio of ike
Review: I very much enjoyed this book. Ambrose went over Ike's life in good detail. I learned alot about the man and also about his military career and his political background.
I was most interested about his presidency and I feel like Ambrose did give me a very good idea of how Ike came to his decisions and also how Ike formed his beliefs.
I do think that this was a very favorable bio of Ike.
Ambrose seemed to not want to really find fault with Ike on any of the issues except for his stance on civil rights.
I also do not agree that Ike is one of the greatest presidents of the 20th century along with Wilson and the two Roosevelts as Ambose said.
I would say that the best presidents of the 20th century were the two Roosevelts, Truman,and Reagan.
I would rank Ike as a good president but not a great president.
Thus I feel this biography of Ike is the best out there and will teach you alot about the man and his policies but that I would not agree with the positive assessment of Ambrose of Ike in many areas.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish it was more specific.
Review: If and when I have more time I would like to read the full two volume version of this book. I was born almost 20 years after WW2 but enjoyed this book very much. I wish it had covered the war years in a more in depth way. I was interested in his personal response to the Holocaust and his feelings about his ancestral homeland's role in the war.These subjects were not addressed at all in the abridged text. The captions for the photo section also refer to subjects not mentioned. The book talks about Ike's charm and personal skill with the British General Staff but gives too few examples of it. If you have the time read the two volume set.
Rating:
Summary: The definitive work on Eisenhower
Review: If you are only going to read one biography about Eisenhower, this one-volume version by Stephen Ambrose is the one to choose. Ambrose exhibits his deep and comprehensive knowledge of his subject and in the process provides the reader with with a real sense of Eisenhower. While Ambrose does highlight Ike's shortcomings where appropriate, there is no doubt that he had a deep admiration for his subject. This admiration leads him to write the book from a certain perspective - not necessarily biased, but certainly favorably disposed. If you are looking for a different take on Ike (albeit narrowly focused on his relationship with Truman) read David McCullough's Truman. Overall, this a solid book from a great author.
Rating:
Summary: Educational
Review: In Ambrose's biography of Eisenhower, the many nuances of the former President are brought to life, initially,with vivid color. However, during the Eisenhower presidency, the events that took place barely include topics that make the best seller list. The author, however, does an excellent job in describing Ike's relationships and meetings with many "volitale" and historical figures. Montgomery whined incessantly when things did not go his way and Patton's outrageous temper and ego were a couple of examples of the "problems" Ike had to deal with while leading the Allied forces in the European Theatre of Operations. Ambrose does a good job letting the reader know of the characteristics that enabled Eisenhower to take care of these situations.
Rating: 
Summary: A True Leader at America's Calling
Review: Stephen Ambrose's portrayal of Eisenhower as both soldier and president is a grand tribute to one of America's greatest war and peacetime leaders. Though Ambrose views Ike in a very positive light he is willing to be critical of his choices not to engage the Civil Rights debates of the 1950s and not take a firm stand in regards to retaining or dumping Nixon as VP in 1956. Eisenhower aimed to please and find compromise. It is striking how his style remained the same throughout the war and into his presidency. Though Ike was often viewed as a compromiser, Ambrose illustrates that Ike kept his options open at all times and thought out each major decision. There has been no recent president more willing to think outside the box then Ike when it came to foreign policy affairs and the drive to limit the nuclear stockpiles of both the US and USSR as the Cold War began. Ambrose again adds to the rich American tradition of the time with this book. It is an easy read and logically put together. I highly recommend this book on Ike, I have a great respect for a leader I knew little about prior to reading this novel. An A+.
Rating:
Summary: What an amazing American!
Review: The beginning is the beginning of any average American biography. Born in the small town of Abilene, Kansas, raised by a warm family, and decides to attend West Point. But Eisenhower missed his chance in World War I, and the junior officer in his mid-30's looked like we would never see combat. He goes to the Philippines with MacArthur, and then joins Marshall in Washington. With the outbreak of World War II, Eisenhower was in Washington, and it seemed as though we would never see combat. But, a capable man with high military intelligence was needed to lead the Allied forces in the North African invasions. The rest is history. From his minor success against Rommel, to D-Day, to NATO Commander, and then President of the United States. Ambrose really outdoes himself with the insight about various political beliefs held by the lovable Ike. From the Eisenhower-Nixon relationship, (which is quite confusing, even after reading this book), to Sen. Joseph McCarthy, to the end of the Korean War, to Khruschev. Despite Eisenhower running as a republican, he was very much an independent, and that is illustrated plainly with the various quotes of "I prefer the middle of the road," and so on. Nixon was picked as his running mate mainly to appease the Old Guard. (It was rumored that Eisenhower's first choice was Thomas E. Dewey, and that made Taft, Knowland, & Company furious.) Eisenhower also wanted to put a cap on the Arms Race, and stop all nuclear testing in the atmosphere. We all know what happened. The Russians shot down the American U-2 spy plane, and merely a week before the peace talks in Paris, Khruschev went insane. The peace talks never amounted to much and Eisenhower's number one goal never came to be. Eisenhower, Despite his rocky relationship with Nixon, supported him undoubtedly in the 1960 election, and again in 1968. Even on his deathbed, Eisenhower managed to give diplomatic advice to Henry Kissinger and President Nixon. What a tough and selfless individual! Ambrose paints an accurate, yet superb picture of the man who was one of the greatest Americans of the 20th Century.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, interesting read, But Very Bias and Forgiving...
Review: The book was good, but Ambrose seems to skip around the timeline within chapters which makes some confusion. He is very bias to the point of humorous in defending faults of the president and military leader. In critical issues of Civil Rights, Vietnam, not supporting the Hungary Revolt, not defending Marshal, being pushed around as Supreme Commander during the WWII, not taking Berlin, and Eisenhower's wife laying in bed most everyday at the white house till past noon, taking on Joe McCarther, Eisenhower's and Ambrose's true colors are shown. The best summary is when Ambrose writes (hopefully he actually didn't lift -- plagiarise --this ) "Eisenhower wasn't a reluctant leader in many political issues, he just wasn't a leader." The book is worth the read besides all this.
Rating:
Summary: Disjointed but Insightful
Review: This book is not as much about Ike as it is about the rise of the American Empire. The first third of the book is a comprehensive summary of American strategy during World War II, but the transition from soldier to President is confusing and disjointed. Ambrose's excellent account of the administration's foreign policy is tarnished by his inability to explain the relationships between the many factions which haunted Ike's domestic decisions. As in his other books, he starts out strong, but loses his way in the middle, only to resurface towards the end with powerful statements and strong conclusions.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Overview of Ike's Life
Review: This book was the first biography I read on Eisenhower, and being an Ambrose fan I knew he worked with Ike on editing his memoirs back in the 60's. What better historian to tell the tale of Ike's life than the one who spent countless hours with the man himself?
The real value of this book is on the study of the man himself, and less about the facts, figures, and personalities Ike experienced in a truly remarkable life. Events and people are examined only in light of Ike's relationship to them. What you end up getting is an understanding of the man, his motives, and what turned out to be an excellent study on leadership.
I am looking forward to reading and exploring more about Ike, and using this book as an excellent introduction to his life and the man himself.
One item of particular concern were the captions in the photo section of the book, many of which are clearly wrong. It was hard to imagine that Ambrose wrote these captions, and if he did not, certainly did not review them before they were published. One photo is of Ike greeting US soldiers in Le Havre, France and it incorrectly states that the date of the photo was February, 1944. If that was true, Ike and all of the soldiers in the picture were POW's because the Allies did not land in France until June, 1944. I suspect that the date should have read 1945.
There are other troubling errors in the photos which can only be described as careless. Don't let it detract from the excellent content of the book, which were written by the historian most recognize as the authority on Ike.
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