Soldier

Starred review from August 14, 2006
Washington Post
reporter DeYoung covers Powell's entire career in this nuanced, comprehensively researched first complete biography to bring to life the Jamaican immigrants' son who became chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, secretary of state and a widely supported potential candidate for president. DeYoung presents her subject as above all a soldier, with an ethic of honor and service shaped by his career in the U.S. Army, during which he brought a combination of intellectual force and moral courage to his senior military appointments that distinguished him among his contemporaries. DeYoung, who obtained six in-depth interviews with Powell, explains that he wrestled with whether or not he had the duty to run for president in 2000, but ultimately realized he didn't want the presidency from the "depth of stomach or soul." She correspondingly demonstrates that his continuing commitment to public service drove his ascension to secretary of state—a commitment that was strained to the limit during Powell's four years in office. DeYoung paints a favorable but balanced portrait of Powell, and she avoids using him as an instrument for Bush-bashing. Powell emerges from her account as a person who grew to meet his wider responsibilities. Photos not seen by PW
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October 15, 2006
This first major biography of Powell presents the inspiring story of the son of Jamaican immigrants and his rapid rise through the army ranks, vital service as President Reagan's national security advisor, and appointment by President George H.W. Bush as the first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffand the youngest ever. DeYoung (assoc. editor, the "Washington Post"), cowinner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for the "Post"'s coverage of the war on terror, uses six lengthy interviews with Powell, as well as interviews with military officers, government officials, and family members, in her deft portrait of Powell's many accomplishments and more recent conflicts when he served as President George W. Bush's secretary of state. DeYoung is at her best when she describes Powell's clashes with Vice President Richard Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and others who prodded Powell to resign during Bush's first termwhich this dutiful soldier refused to do, instead deciding not to stay on for Bush's second term. The author concludes that Powell was the only senior official of the Bush administration who tried to slow the invasion of Iraq and who would not excuse or condone prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo. Compulsively readable, this book is sure to be in great demand at public libraries; highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 6/1/06.]"Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2006
Despite the slight tarnish to Powell's reputation following revelations that his earnest testimony before the UN in support of the war on Iraq was mostly baseless, he remains one of the most trusted figures in the U.S. " Washington Post "editor DeYoung offers an absorbing look at Powell's long journey from the son of Jamaican immigrants to one of the most powerful and esteemed soldiers and statesmen of our time. DeYoung details Powell's challenges in a 35-year career to overcome racial restrictions and to navigate the cultures of military and civilian life as well as politics. Powell eventually gained a status that often superseded issues of race and made him a frequent object of speculation as vice president and even president. Through a series of powerful positions from national security advisor under Reagan to Secretary of State under the current Bush, Powell was in the midst of controversies from the first Gulf War to the current war in Iraq. Readers will, no doubt, be most interested in the later chapters of the book that detail Powell's mounting reservations about the Bush policy in Iraq and visceral tensions with other powerful--and considerably more hawkish--advisors, including Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, eventually leading to Powell's resignation. A thoroughly engrossing look at a man of uncommon duty and loyalty who has held his tongue at some cost to his reputation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)