Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: A commendable biography, Cray provides a teasing yet comprehensive, manageable introduction to this mountainous but almost forgotten figure. "Teasing" is an appropriate description; the work draws Marshall out of the shadows but does not subject him to the glare of over-exposure.
I finished the work with two distinct feelings. First, there was the painful realization that FDR's fear Marshall would be "all but forgetten" by history largely came to pass. This book marks a significant step toward resurrection.
Second, Cray's portrait compelled me to ask why no current leaders come close to eclipsing or even matching Marshall's stature and integrity. This book challenges us to demand a higher standard.
Combining well-paced story-telling with polished diction and frank balance, Cray's achievement merits a prominent, treasured place every military and 20th century history bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: A Genuine American Hero
Review: As I finished reading Mr. Crays critically detailed book of General Marshall, I could not help feel sad by the lack of recognition he received. As a truely great man he did not have to prove to anyone who was in charge. Even at the Pearl Harbor hearings the people observing stood up when he entered and left the room out of shear respect. As Winston Churchill stated about General Marshall when WWII was over " Thank You". Americans will probably never really know what a great leader, soldier, statesman, and example he truely was during such a dark time in our history. Mr. Cray does a great job in paying tribute to the man.
Rating:
Summary: THE GREATEST AMERICAN NO ONE KNOWS
Review: General George Marshall deserves to be as well know as Patton or Ike. He more than anyone else is responsible for America's victory in WWII. He could have been Surpreme Commander of all forces in Europe but out of duty and honor he stayed in Washington where he was needed. No person wielded more power during the war years except perhaps FDR. He was responsible for promoting such men as Ike, Patton, and Bradley. Who knows how history might have changed if he had sought the fame and glory that Ike received as Surpreme Commander. In this book Ed Cray follows Marshall from his childhood through his WWI and WWII service, including his later positions as Secretary of Defense and Secertary of State. I don't know of any other man who did as much in his life as Marshall. Best of all, he did it all with complete honesty and integrity. He had the absolute trust of all mjor players in WWII including FDR, Churchill, and Stalin. This book derserves to be on the shelf of all WWII buffs as well as anyone who wants to know what true leadership is about.
Rating:
Summary: THE GREATEST AMERICAN NO ONE KNOWS
Review: General George Marshall deserves to be as well know as Patton or Ike. He more than anyone else is responsible for America's victory in WWII. He could have been Surpreme Commander of all forces in Europe but out of duty and honor he stayed in Washington where he was needed. No person wielded more power during the war years except perhaps FDR. He was responsible for promoting such men as Ike, Patton, and Bradley. Who knows how history might have changed if he had sought the fame and glory that Ike received as Surpreme Commander. In this book Ed Cray follows Marshall from his childhood through his WWI and WWII service, including his later positions as Secretary of Defense and Secertary of State. I don't know of any other man who did as much in his life as Marshall. Best of all, he did it all with complete honesty and integrity. He had the absolute trust of all mjor players in WWII including FDR, Churchill, and Stalin. This book derserves to be on the shelf of all WWII buffs as well as anyone who wants to know what true leadership is about.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the time -- also available on cassette tape
Review: I am rating this book even before I have finished it. It is long, but it is full of great details. I am enjoying the cassette version that I checked out of the public library. I also am using it as a reference for the 3 biographical books of George C. Marshall that I am writing for the 9-12 age group.The first one,Growing Up,BGeorge!George C. Marshall's early years(1880-1901)was published in Nov'97 and is selling fairly well.The second, George C. Marshall,Reporting for Duty will be out in the fall of '99. I will need Ed Cray's wonderful resource on the general's life right on through the third book, I'm sure. For complete and detailed descriptions of characters,settings, activities and problems in George Marshall's life, this is a MUST book to read. If I change my mind by the end of the book, I'll change this review. So far, so good.
Rating:
Summary: Meet the man who shaped 20th century history
Review: I like bographies and found this book wonderful. He was known as the "Great One" by so many people it is worth while reading for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Meet the man who shaped 20th century history
Review: I like bographies and found this book wonderful. He was known as the "Great One" by so many people it is worth while reading for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars for the 5 Star General
Review: I loved this book. I was sad when it was over. Not only does it give a wonderful biography of a great man, but a walk through world history during the first half of this century. Enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars for the 5 Star General
Review: I loved this book. I was sad when it was over. Not only does it give a wonderful biography of a great man, but a walk through world history during the first half of this century. Enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: A fine example of how biography can inform and inspire
Review: I purchased this book following a visit to the Marshall Museum at VMI. I opened it this past autumn and began to read. As some other reviewers have indicated, 700+ pages is a daunting read. I am very glad that I sat down to read it. I didn't know very much about Marshall prior to my visit to VMI. I knew about the European Recovery Program that bore his name; I knew about his remaking of the Infantry School, and his elimination of the seniority system in promotions. That's about it.This book is far more than a biography; it's an excellent study of the make-over of the US Army's personnel and educational system, under Marshall's guidance at the Infantry School. It's a study of the interplay between Churchill and Roosevelt. It's a study in the subbordination of the military to civil rule in America. It's a fine summary of "how we lost China," as if anything could have saved the Nationalists from their own venality and ineptitude. It's a study in how a man of personal fortitude, rectitude, and character made such a contribution in service to his nation. We are blessed to have such figures on occasion in American life. Marshall goes into my personal list of heroes in American public-life alongside George Washington, George Mason, and Robert E. Lee. This book is excellent in every way. The prose is well-written, and the compelling narrative keeps things moving along at a brisk pace.
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