Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 320 pages
• Published by: Harper November 27, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0061143162
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0061143168
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Weighs: 1.2 pounds

From AudioFile
This latest title from Paul Johnson, the conservative British journalist and historian, is a series of essays about heroic figures through the ages. Listeners would quibble with the choices in any audiobook of this type, but JohnsonÕs idea of a hero reeks of his blue blood: His men are largely warriors and statesmen (including, appallingly, the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet) while his female examples include hostesses and sex symbols. The writing is at times unbearably pompous--he never misses an opportunity to drop names. Narrator James Adams has a formal-sounding British accent that sounds appropriate to the material, and his delivery actually manages to warm up the chilly text heÕs working with. That in itself is heroic. D.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Description

A galaxy of legendary figures from the annals of Western history comes to life in this stirring sequel to Intellectuals and Creators.

In this enlightening, entertaining work, Paul Johnson continues his engaging history series, approaching the subject of heroism with stirring examples of men and women from every age, walk of life and corner of the world who have inspired and transformed not only their own cultures but the whole world as well.

Heroes includes

Samson, Judith and Deborah
Alexander and julius Caesar
Henry V and Joan of Arc
Thomas More, lady Jane Grey, Mary Queen of Scots
Elizabeth I and Walter Ralegh
George Washington, the Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson
Emily Dickinson
Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee
Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle
Mae West and Marilyn Monroe
Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle (Audio CD) We all love heroes, brave ones, achievers we can admire, try to emulate, and set forth as examples. To a greater or lesser degree, the lives of many of these men and women are known to us yet there is always something to learn as we revisit their accomplishments and the challenges they faced. Noted British historian Paul M. Johnson is a prolific author having written some forty books ranging from Modern Times to The Quest for God. He has lectured throughout the world and often contributes to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal among numerous other magazines and periodicals. His choice of subjects for Heroes is eclectic and, to some, may be surprising. Lord Nelson is almost to be expected but Marilyn Monroe? She is noted along with another blonde bombshell in Chapter 12, Heroes Behind the Greasepaint. You see, Johnson's heroes, whether they be Samson, Caesar or Margaret Thatcher, are very human thus flawed. They are not presented to us on pedestals, not as stone figures but as flesh and blood beings, subject to all the temptations and constraints that mortality entails. The author begins his stories of heroes with God's Heroes - Deborah, Judith, Samson, and David, noting that "No people were more in need of heroes than the Hebrews." Next we meet The Earthshakers - Alexander the Great and Caesar, and from there his subjects are presented in chronological order, closing with the present day. Thus, we are privy not only to entertaining and enlightening visits with those who made a difference but to mini history lessons as well. Radio host, author, and managing editor of London's Sunday Times, James Adams, has narrated a number of books for Blackstone Audio. He's the perfect voice for the work of British historian Johnson as the slightest bit of a British accent can be detected in Adams's clear, crisp diction. Enjoyable listening! - Gail Cooke Comment | | (Report this)