Patton

Blood, Guts, and Prayer

De: Michael Keane

Narrado por: Grover Gardner

Duración: 6 h y 49 m

Resumen del Editor

"There is no question of personal courage in this war," Colonel Patton’s commanding officer told him on the eve of battle in 1918. "It is a business proposition where every man must be in his place and performing his part."

No one in the history of warfare was less likely to follow that advice than George S. Patton, Jr. His place was in front of his men, and he paid the price, when he lay bleeding to death in a bomb crater in France.

Patton’s survival that day at the end of World War I was nothing short of miraculous. It confirmed the powerful sense of destiny that guided him through three decades of war and made him a military legend - "Old Blood and Guts", an impossible mixture of irascibility and courage, profanity and profound religious faith, tactical impulsiveness and strategic genius.

Blood and guts were indeed a large part of what made Patton Patton. Descended from an illustrious line of warriors, he was acutely conscious of the martial heritage in his blood. He met every challenge of his life with determination and guts. He demanded the same from his men, and he usually got it.

But as Michael Keane shows in this masterly portrait, the foundation of Patton’s character was his vivid awareness of the presence and providence of God. Patton’s Christian faith was idiosyncratic, even unorthodox, but his habit of prayer was as simple, trusting, and constant as a monk’s.

A singular combination of virtues and flaws, Patton has been venerated and despised but rarely understood. In Patton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer, Michael Keane penetrates the fog of legend and reveals as compelling a human character as any in American history.

©2013 Michael Keane (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Good if this is the only book you read on Patton

This book is divided by themes and jumps all over the place.

Sometimes difficult to know when jumping from one story to another in a completely different situation.

Some unusual incidents not found in other books.

Could have skipped this book as Zi have read several other boos on Patton.

A different view of Patton

Michael Keane did a great deal of research and the book is well written. I have read many books on and by Patton but Keane presents a different view of Patton. There is very little about the battles he fought, the book is more about Patton the man. The first part of the book is about the history of the Patton family and their roles in the revolutionary war, French Indian War, Civil war and California independence from Mexico. It also covers Patton's WWI experience and wounding. The book spends a lot time on Patton as a student, a young man, his pursuit of Beatrice and their marriage. It also cover a great deal on his family life with wife and children. The last half of the book covers Patton religious life. Keane briefly reviews a few key issues during WWII such as his slapping a shell shock soldier and battles with Bradley and Eisenhower over Patton's mistakes with the press. Keane also includes some of Patton's poems. Patton wrote two books of poems beside the book "A soldier's Life". Patton was an extraordinary man, very complex and flamboyant but one of this country's greatest generals, Keane's book helps one understand a bit more about the man.

Disappointing

I have always been intrigued by Patton. He was such a confluence of different philosophies mixed with strong passions. He seemed to never be lacking for an answer, but on occasion could clearly be very wrong in his judgments and conclusions. He was respected but not liked by his peers, and respected and feared by his enemies on the battlefield. His faults were ignored or forgiven so that the value might be gained from his strengths. Despite my interest in the subject at hand, I was disappointed in this biography. It was not organized chronologically or around periods in Patton’s life or around the different aspects of his life, all of which would have made more sense to me. Instead it was organized around aspects of his character, Blood, Guts and Prayer, which I thought was a stretch to begin with and resulted in a very confusing presentation of the major events in Patton’s life. While I realize the author was attempting a unique presentation of the material, I thought it an unsuccessful experiment. #Biography #Boring #StructureProblems #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes