Macarthur Book Review

Generally when you hear of Douglas Macarthur you think of the great WW2 general. I am intrigued by the WW2 era and by the Great Generation, overall. I am fortunate to have a grandfather-in-law that is a veteran of WW2 that survived malaria, small pox, a boat accident, and a plane crash. He initially started telling me about Macarthur while watching the news together. There is a rather large, well-traveled overpass in the San Francisco bay area that is named after Macarthur. I felt that this book would be a great opportunity to make even further conversation with my grandfather-in-law, but also to learn more about Macarthur.

I was fascinated to know that Macarthur's father was also a great military hero. He was awarded the medal of honor, an accomplishment that would be followed by Macarthur in later years. They are the only father-so duo to have earned such a prestigious honor. I felt that the book allowed the reader to view Macarthur in a new light. He was rather flamboyant, smoking out of cigarette holder and wearing kimonos. He was a great lover of Filipino culture and served closely in the Phillipines for several years. The author really brought these years to life in his descriptions of the feelings of Macarthur during the various time periods.

I felt that Macarthur was a great way for a normal reader who is interested in WW2 to learn more about Macarthur without dedicating a huge amount of time and effort. Some books centering about pivotal American military figures seem as though they require some in depth knowledge about the figure in order to best understand the book. Yockelson presented the material in a fashion that was simple and easy to understand. This book might not be for everyone- I feel you have to have somewhat of an interest in WW2 or Macarthur to make the read worthwhile, but I felt that it was a great way to learn more about a very important part of American military history.

I was given this book by Booksneeze.com through the publisher, Thomas Nelson, in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review and everything presented above is my own opinion.