My American Journey
Written by Joseph E. Persico
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
"A GREAT AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY . . . AN ENDEARING AND WELL-WRITTEN BOOK."
--The New York Times Book Review
Colin Powell is the embodiment of the American dream. He was born in Harlem to immigrant parents from Jamaica. He knew the rough life of the streets. He overcame a barely average start at school. Then he joined the Army. The rest is history--Vietnam, the Pentagon, Panama, Desert Storm--but a history that until now has been known only on the surface. Here, for the first time, Colin Powell himself tells us how it happened, in a memoir distinguished by a heartfelt love of country and family, warm good humor, and a soldier's directness.
My American Journey is the powerful story of a life well lived and well told. It is also a view from the mountaintop of the political landscape of America. At a time when Americans feel disenchanted with their leaders, General Powell's passionate views on family, personal responsibility, and, in his own words, "the greatness of America and the opportunities it offers" inspire hope and present a blueprint for the future. An utterly absorbing account, it is history with a vision.
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Reviews for My American Journey
135 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Colin Powell is one of my heroes. I know he has his detractors left and right. Those on the left bristle that he served in the Reagan and both Bush administrations and blame him for the Iraq War. Those on the right that he endorsed Obama. I guess it tips my hat as to which team I root for, but no, I'm not particularly happy about the second, though I don't really blame him for what went pears up on the first. But however I felt about that, what he accomplished, especially given his background is still extraordinary. This particular biography dates from before his period as the (first African American) Secretary of State, some readers may be disappointed it doesn't get into what some might find the most interesting and controversial period of his service. But it does cover his life from his early days to his formative time as an officer during the Vietnam War and his generalship during the Gulf War. The story I remember the best though comes from his teenage years, when he got a summer job mopping floors--and determined to be the best floor mopper he possibly could. Such a little thing--but said to me a lot about his character and the reason for his success.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book is written in very simple prose. But it is a door-stop (612 pages) and covers an enormous amount of US history - from Powell's Bronx boyhood to 1994. Powell offers an interesting insider's view of the Reagan, Bush and Clinton White House.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An excellent memoir.