Robert
E. Lee: A Penguin Life (Penguin Lives)
by Roy Blount, Jr
Book Description: An offbeat Southern commentator takes a fresh look
at the great Confederate hope, Civil War hero and nationally controversial
figure
Iconic Virginian, brilliant general, and complex human being --- that
last aspect of Robert E. Lee has daunted biographers and been disregarded
by partisans. Now Roy Blount Jr. combines acute character insight with
lively storytelling and full-hearted Southern directness to craft this
unique portrait.
Fascinated by what made Lee such a charismatic, though reluctant, leader,
Blount delves into the influences of Lee's illustrious but scandal-clouded
ancestry, his hero-turned-scapegrace father, and his beloved, beautiful,
husband-forsaken mother. In 1861 Lee was Lincoln's first choice to lead
the Union troops, but his Virginia roots drew him, instead, to Confederate
command. Blount vividly conveys Lee's audacity and uncanny successes in
battle, and also his humility, his quirky humor (certain jokes in particular),
his faults as a communicator, and his sorrowful sense of responsibility
for his outnumbered, half-starved army. Robert E. Lee, the first brief
biography of this American legend, will appeal to history and military
buffs, students of Southern culture, and every reader curious about the
makeup of a man born to be a myth.
Hardcover from Viking Press
Book Published: 08 May, 2003 |
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