Reviews for Thomas Hart Benton

The average rating for Thomas Hart Benton based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-07-04 00:00:00 Aron Das An interesting look at the life of the Senator and former Presidential Candidate and his experiences recovering from the injuries sustained in World War II. It was his combat experience and his recover that mostly drew me to this book, because of my current work adjudicating disability claims for US veterans. Like most Americans, I knew that Dole lost the use of his right arm due to his injuries, but I knew nothing about the circumstances. And I didn't know that he had so little use of his "good" left arm, lost a kidney, and nearly died at least 3 times. I didn't realize he had been paralyzed for a long time or that he had such extensive nerve damage. The examination of that aspect of his life was interesting. I also enjoyed the look at his upbringing and his athletic achievements prior to the war. Given that my political philosophy is quite different, I was glad that most of his story after entering politics was not included. He did explain at least some of the reasons he felt the way he did about government but I think he missed a few basic points. Oh well, I enjoyed the book and was largely able to set aside the politics to get to know the man -- and he seems to have been a pretty good man, on the whole. And I appreciated the strength and determination he brought to dealing with his disability.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-07-25 00:00:00 Alicia Vargas Bob's Story of Grit and Determination An interesting work to say the least. Mr. Dole does an excellent job in describing how his difficult journey of recover started when severely wounded by shrapnel on Hill 193 on April 5, 1945 in Italy. His details of the event aren't sugar coated or dramatized. I felt empathy for him as he lay on the cold hard Italian soil bleeding out (for six hours) waiting on the medics to transport him to an aid station. Why so long? The first two medics dispatched to help the wounded were killed rendering aide to other fallen comrades. Imagine laying on the ground paralyzed not knowing if you were going to live or die. That pretty well sums up the book. It is a story of hope and healing. There are two main themes running through this work: FAMILY and GOD and COUNTRY. He grew up in Russell, Kansas (of which I'm very familiar with since I had a bad accident up there in 1992(?). Bob talks about how humble and helpful the people in this part of the country are, even to strangers. I can attest to the fact; it's true. No matter how difficult he believed his situation was, his faith never wavered when he looked around at the other 11,000 wounded soldiers in Mercy Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan. Very stimulating! I enjoyed his comparisons to the generation of his day and how resilient they were compared to our current generations. Money was always a concern but it didn't drive their lives. It was required to help provide for a family, but it wasn't what they lived for. Love, hope, faith and family were the reasons for living. Tell me that message has been diluted for the following generations. This is very evident when President Clinton appoints him to the chair of the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. Many of his fellow veterans retired from their prominent corporate positions, replaced by younger men and women who didn't see the value in the project. Yes, he was a bit flabbergasted as he recalls why he and his fellow soldiers fought for the freedoms these new corporate magnets shunned. They reply, "It was old history." That statement really hits home! At times I thought I was reading the memoirs of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lucian Truscott. Both of these men grew up in the heartland of America and went on to serve their country during and after WWII. They, like Bob, they didn't grow up with riches. Their riches were: God, family, country and hard work. The only drawback is the editing. I'm very disappointed with Harper Collins. At times I felt they had assigned a minimum number of pages for the book and kept repeating information and used way too many filler words. The most glaring was 'had.' Best I could tell they used it so the copy editing was easier. Very sad. I level no fault on Mr. Dole. Who will enjoy this? Those who truly appreciate the sacrifices this country's "Greatest Generation" performed, so millions of people could enjoy the pursuits of: life, liberty and freedom.