PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewVindman’s story really hits its stride with its discussion of the fateful telephone call and its aftermath. Even those who know the details of Trump’s impeachment will find it chilling to hear them related by one of the event’s chief figures. At the same time, they will likely be disheartened to learn of those who failed to stand by Vindman during his ordeal ... Perhaps most moving are the questions Vindman asked himself when he considered leaving what increasingly appeared to be a dead-end career in the Army. How would he provide for his family? What purpose would his life serve? Equally gut-wrenching, but in a different way, are his accounts of the many who made the opposite choice—those whose careerism or narrowly conceived professionalism led them to go along with Trump’s chicanery ... In the end, beyond explaining why he did the right thing, Vindman seems to have another goal in telling his story. He is reminding, or rather cajoling, Americans to remember who they are, or at least who he thinks they are.
Paul Dickson
PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewDickson’s book reveals some little-known history about the Army and American society in the 1930s and early 1940s ... Throughout, the book evokes the ethos of the World War II era, with subtle notes of can-do attitude and pugnacious spirit. It also in some measure reinforces the mythology surrounding World War II’s \'greatest generation.\' Many Americans have come to believe that there was something intrinsically valorous about the generation that fought the Germans and Japanese. Dickson’s narrative does little to disabuse us that these men indeed were better Americans ... Dickson also approaches the story with perhaps an overabundance of faith that it will end well. He details numerous obstacles in building the Army, but at no point does the narrative veer too far from what the reader knows will be a happy ending. The book might have grappled a bit more with the unsolved problems and failures of character that plagued the effort along the way ... Still, reading about the birth of the country’s citizen Army before World War II is a profoundly heartening experience. With all they are facing today, Americans need Dickson’s reminder of this momentous accomplishment.
