A Rage for Glory

The true life and times of Commodore Stephen Decatur are ably narrated by John McDonough in a tapestry as exciting as a historical novel. McDonough's rich, growling voice is well matched to the rough-and-tumble of the age, the early 1800s, and the new nation of the United States. Commodore Decatur learned his sea skills from his sea captain father and eventually surpassed him in rank and glory. He humiliated the Barbary pirates to lasting acclaim and under-went a bruising confrontation with the Royal Navy in the War of 1812. Ultimately, the barbaric custom of dueling ended his career and his life. Both writing and narration here are first-class. D.R.W. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine