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Joseph E. Persico
Joseph E. Persico Historian/BiographerHis latest book is Roosevelt's Centurions: FDR and the Commanders He Led to Victory in World War II, published by Random House and on sale as of May 28, 1213.Prior to beginning his career as a historian and biographer, Joseph E. Persico was chief speechwriter... show more

Joseph E. Persico Historian/BiographerHis latest book is Roosevelt's Centurions: FDR and the Commanders He Led to Victory in World War II, published by Random House and on sale as of May 28, 1213.Prior to beginning his career as a historian and biographer, Joseph E. Persico was chief speechwriter for New York governor and later U.S. vice president, Nelson A. Rockefeller. Of Persico's writing career, Eric Sevaried described his Edward R. Murrow: An American Original as "the definitive" biography of the broadcast pioneer. The New York Times said of Persico's The Imperial Rockefeller, "No one has written a book like this about Nelson Rockefeller before." His Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial was described by the broadcast journalist, Howard K. Smith, as "Simply the best account of the trial." This book was adapted by Turner Network Television as a miniseries that won two Emmy awards. Persico was the collaborator on former Secretary of State Colin Powell's autobiography, My American Journey which remained twenty weeks on the New York Times best seller list. His Roosevelt's Secret War: FDR and World War II Espionage also reached the best seller list and was chosen as one of the notable books of the year. His, Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour, on Armistice Day, World War I, has been described by historian, Richard Norton Smith as, "The single finest work I have read on the Great War." The Washington Post's Book World said of his Franklin and Lucy: President Roosevelt, Mrs. Rutherfurd, "Persico . . . understands that Lucy Mercer helped FDR awaken his capacity for love and compassion, and thus helped him become the man to whom the nation will be eternally in debt." His articles have been published in American Heritage Magazine and the Military History Quarterly. He is a frequent reviewer for the New York Times Book Review and the Washington Post Book World and is a commentator on several PBS and History Channel documentaries.Roosevelt's Centurions has been chosen as the main selection by the History Book Club and the Military book Club.For more information go to website josephpersico.com
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Birth date: July 19, 1930
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Lisa (Harmony)
Lisa (Harmony) rated it 11 years ago
Colin 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...
EricCWelch
EricCWelch rated it 13 years ago
I vividly remember reading The Donkeys by Alan Clarke] (the title comes from the phrase, "lions led by donkeys") many years ago that described the total incompetence of the British Expeditionary Force generals in WW I. They were completely unable to adapt to new technologies and insisted on fighting...
The Surly Dragon
The Surly Dragon rated it 13 years ago
I need to keep better track of my Goodreads... This was a very informative and interesting read. I recommend.(I also should work on a better review system, I know :P)
Jammies' books
Jammies' books rated it 14 years ago
Although the author specifies that the fictional elements "make up less than ten percent of the whole book" they are a very distracting ten percent. If I wanted a fictional account to make me feel like a witness to the battle of Gettysburg, I would just re-read The Killer Angels. Since the author'...
EricCWelch
EricCWelch rated it 31 years ago
One of the dilemmas faced by a reader intrigued by the history of conflict is that often the horror experienced by the average soldier gets lost in the strategic grandeur of a movement and its politics. Joseph Persico, a well-known biographer, has provided us with an unusual glimpse of the Gettysbur...
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