Biography

Bookmarks, July-August, 2009

Milwaukee Jrnl Sentinel ***

"Martin's broad scope reflects the degree to which Garcia Marquez, born poor in a sleepy Colombian town, became a globe-trotting celebrity after publishing One Hundred Years of Solitude in 1967 at age 40. But as is true with most rags-to-riches stories, the best part comes during the climb to the top; Martin is far more impressive in untangling the first 40 years of his subject's life than he is in handling anything since." MIKE FISCHER

CRITICAL SUMMARY

Critics agreed that Gerald Martin excels at everything a literary biographer needs to do. He searches for the origins of the author's style without becoming overly erudite or psychological, and offers "consistently first-rate readings" of his works (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Martin also places the great Latin American novelist in the context of world literature. But while some reviewers felt that if "Martin has left any stone unturned it's hard to imagine what that might be" (Christian Science Monitor), others were dissatisfied by Martin's failure to interrogate his subject's relationship with the former Cuban president Fidel Castro, which prompted a few to wonder what else the author left out. A bit of pop psychologizing regarding Latin America troubled some critics as well. However, this book may be as close to the great author as we're likely to get.

****

Joker One

A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood

By Donovan Campbell

A Princeton graduate turned Marine lieutenant describes his harrowing seven-month stint as leader of the platoon Joker One in Ramadi, Iraq.

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THE TOPIC: In 2001, when Princeton senior Donovan Campbell contemplated his career options, he found the thought of working for corporate America unsatisfying and decided to join the Marines. This first-person memoir relates his second tour of duty, beginning in March 2004, when the platoon he commanded, Joker One, was assigned to the city of Ramadi, in central Iraq. Campbell and his 40 men were charged with rooting out insurgents and winning over the hostile Ramadi citizens, yet the platoon was ill-prepared for both tasks, lacking equipment and training. Campbell focuses on the platoon's daily patrols and its fraught interactions with the Ramadi people, including its house-to-house battle against an elusive enemy.

Random House. 313 pages. $26. ISBN: 1400067731

Cleveland Plain-Dealer ****

"Campbell's disciplined storytelling focuses on what it felt like to shoulder the responsibility for his men. We see him struggle toward real leadership." KAREN SANDSTROM

Dallas Morning News ****

"The story of Joker One is war at its most intimate level. This unblinking, almost claustrophobic account follows one unit of men caught up in something incomprehensibly larger." MICHAEL E. YOUNG

Entertainment Weekly ****

"By the time the platoon finally returns home, exhausted, scarred, and with fewer men than they set out with, Campbell>s admiration for his men has become contagious. It's only then that you realize that Joker One isn't as much a story of war as it is a story of love." CHRIS NASHAWATY

Milwaukee Jrnl Sentinel ****