Most Popular Books by Douglas Brinkley

"These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. Theseare the men who took the cliffs. These are thechampions who helped free a continent. Theseare the heroes who helped end a war."—Ronald Reagan, June 6, 1984,Normandy, France Acclaimed historian and author of the "New York Times" bestselling Tour of Duty Douglas Brinkley tells the riveting account of the brave U.S. Army Rangers who stormed the coast of Normandy on D-Day and the President, forty years later, who paid them homage. The importance of Pointe du Hoc to Allied planners like General Dwight Eisenhower cannot be overstated. The heavy U.S. and British warships poised in the English Channel had eighteen targets on their bombardment list for D-Day morning. The 100-foot promontory known as Pointe du Hoc -- where six big German guns were ensconced -- was number one. General Omar Bradley, in fact, called knocking out the Nazi defenses at the Pointe the toughest of any task assigned on June 6, 1944. Under the bulldoggish command of Colonel James E. Rudder of Texas, who is profiled here, these elite forces "Rudder''s Rangers" -- took control of the fortified cliff. The liberation of Europe was under way. Based upon recently released documents from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the Eisenhower Center, Texas A & M University, and the U.S. Army Military History Institute, The Boys of Pointe du Hoc is the first in-depth, anecdotal remembrance of these fearless Army Rangers. With brilliant deftness, Brinkley moves between two events four decades apart to tell the dual story of the making of Reagan''s two uplifting 1984 speeches, considered by many to be among the best orations the Great Communicator ever gave, and the actual heroic event, which was indelibly captured as well in the opening scenes of Steven Spielberg''s "Saving Private Ryan".Just as compellingly, Brinkley tells the story of how Lisa Zanatta Henn, the daughter of a D-Day veteran, forged a special friendship with President Reagan that changed public perceptions of World War II veterans forever. Two White House speechwriters -- Peggy Noonan and Tony Dolan -- emerge in the narrative as the master scribes whose ethereal prose helped Reagan become the spokesperson for the entire World War II generation.

Incorporating the most recent scholarship, this eighth revised edition of "Rise to Globalism" now in paperback offers a concise and informative overview of the evolution of American foreign policy from 1938 to the present. Ambrose also wrote bestsellers "Undaunted Courage" and "D-Day".

Published in commemoration of the centennial of President John F. Kennedy’s birth, here is the definitive compendium of JFK’s most important and brilliant speeches, accompanied by commentary and reflections by leading American and international figures—including Senator Elizabeth Warren, David McCullough, Kofi Annan, and the Dalai Lama—and edited by JFK’s nephew Stephen Kennedy Smith and renowned historian Douglas Brinkley. Combined with over seven hundred documentary photos, it tells the story, in words and pictures, of JFK’s life and presidency, and depicts his compelling vision for America. JFK brings together in one volume John F. Kennedy’s greatest speeches alongside essays by America’s top historians, analysis from leading political thinkers, and personal insights from preeminent writers and artists. Here is JFK at his best—thought-provoking, inspiring, eloquent, and wise—on a number of wide-ranging topics, including civil rights, the race to the moon, the environment, immigration, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and much more. JFK demonstrates the deep relevance of his words today and his lasting power and influence as an outstanding American leader and orator. Elegantly designed and enriched by more than 500 photographs and facsimiles of Kennedy’s marginalia on drafts of speeches, his notes from important meetings, letters, and other fascinating documents, JFK is a major contribution to American history. The august list of contributors includes Secretary John Kerry, Ambassador Samantha Power, Congressman John Lewis, Senator John McCain, Senator Elizabeth Warren, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Robert Redford, Conan O’Brien, Dave Eggers, Gloria Steinem, Don DeLillo, David McCullough, George Packer, Colum McCann, Michael Beschloss, Robert Dallek, David Kennedy, Ted Widmer, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Drew Faust, Tariq Ramadan, Pastor Rick Warren, Jonathan Alter, E. J. Dionne, Ron Suskind, Paul Krugman, Kofi Annan, Governor Jerry Brown, Paul Theroux, Jorge Domínguez, and many others.

前美國總統甘迺迪逝世六十週年紀念 甘迺迪家族親自彙編&中文版序 主題別國際名家撰文＋年表＋生涯精彩演講＋珍貴照片 甘迺迪的遠見帶給21世紀的啟示：全球動盪、危險的年代，如何捍衛民主、如何堅持信念、如何在戰爭邊緣維護和平、如何保護人權和環境、如何務實地邁向美好的未來 人的信念有多強大，人就有多強大。在人類命運的問題上，沒有什麼是人力所不能及的。──約翰．甘迺迪 現在，號角再次響起，在召喚我們──不是要我們拿起武器，儘管我們需要武器；不是要我們戰鬥，儘管我們嚴陣以待──而是召喚我們承擔重任，在漫漫長夜中繼續奮鬥，年復一年，「在希望中歡欣鼓舞，在磨難中保持耐心」──對抗人類共同的敵人：暴政、貧困、疾病和戰爭本身。──約翰．甘迺迪，總統就職演講，華盛頓哥倫比亞特區，一九六一年一月二十日 本書由甘迺迪的外甥史蒂芬．甘迺迪．史密斯和歷史學家道格拉斯．布林克利共同編輯，精選前美國總統約翰．甘迺迪三十一篇最偉大的演講；集結數十位美國及國際菁英的評論和反思；並加入六百張珍貴的紀實照片和歷史文件。以文字和圖像講述甘迺迪傳奇一生，描繪了他所期待的美國願景，可視為甘迺迪紀念出版中最完整全面之作。 好評推薦 達賴喇嘛專文推薦 前美國總統卡特 前捷克總統哈維爾 前美國國務卿季辛吉 諾貝爾經濟學獎得主克魯曼 知名主持人歐布萊恩 知名演員勞勃．瑞福 等數十位世界頂尖精英專文評論 希望重讀甘迺迪的話語會讓我們所有的人重新受到鼓舞。──吉米．卡特（Jimmy Carter），美國第三十九任總統 甘迺迪在參選總統時所保有的坦率和奉獻精神，不僅激勵了美國，也為全世界帶來希望。 ──第十四世達賴喇嘛 我永遠不會忘記甘迺迪當選總統時，那種令人精神振奮的感覺。──瓦茨拉夫．哈維爾（Václav Havel），捷克共和國首任總統 正是甘迺迪發出的聲音，將一個美國一直想要實現的願景，交付給了我這一代人。──亨利．季辛吉（Henry Kissinger） ，前美國國務卿 甘迺迪和他的顧問在當時就搞明白了的財政問題，我們過了半個多世紀的經驗才證實。──保羅．克魯曼（Paul Krugman）， 諾貝爾經濟學獎得主 甘迺迪的風趣不是練出來的，而是從骨子裡散發出的幽默。──康納．歐布萊恩（Conan O’Brien），美國知名主持人、喜劇演員 甘迺迪熱情地擁抱藝術，擁抱思想的多樣性。──勞勃．瑞福（Robert Redford），美國知名演員、導演 甘迺迪總統是一位理想主義者，他相信和平，並為和平奮鬥。但他也是一位現實主義者，認為沒有堅強的軍事防禦就無法確保和平，相信「所有國家的自由與平等」都值得吾人支持。 如果甘迺迪總統今天在這裡，他可能會提醒我們：「在漫長的世界歷史中，只有幾代人有這樣的機會，在最危險時刻挺身捍衛自由。」──史蒂芬．甘迺迪．史密斯

Assuming its rightful place of honor on the National Mall between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial is an eloquent and moving tribute to “The Greatest Generation.” Sixteen million Americans served in the armed forces—more than 400,000 gave their lives—and millions supported the war effort from home, all in the name of protecting that which we, as Americans, hold most dear: freedom. The World War II Memorial, published in conjunction with the dedication of this long-overdue memorial, commemorates the everyday Americans who in countless ways rose up to defeat one of history''s gravest threats to freedom. Veterans—including George H.W. Bush, Sen. Daniel Inouye, former senators Bob Dole and George McGovern, Yogi Berra, and many, many others—contribute their own personal stories while leading historians look at the military campaigns of the war. The memorial''s architect and its sculptor provide insights into how it symbolizes the fortitude and perseverance of a generation, and the exclusive photographs present the memorial through all stages of construction. Fittingly, this historic tribute falls in the 60th anniversary year of D-Day, a time when our nation once again reflects on its greatest sacrifice and greatest victory in the name of freedom.

On 1 December 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, a quiet and dignified 42-year-old black seamstress refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. Her arrest led to a 381-day boycott of the city''s bus system, led by Martin Luther King, which is now considered the beginning of the American civil rights movement. Rosa Parks'' personality and character were an important part of the bus boycott''s success. Graceful, reserved and a devout churchgoer, she was also a civil rights activist alongside her daytime job as a seamstress, and she believed in the use of righteous force when necessary. The boycott was an epic event. 50,000 blacks (three-quarters of the city''s population) somehow found some other way to get to and from work, week after week. In 1957 she and her husband moved north to Detroit, where she continued to work for civil rights, taking part in most of the great marches of the 1960s, although she found the male chauvinism of these events increasingly unacceptable. She was a great admirer of Martin Luther King, and he of her, and his assassination in 1968 was a bitter blow. After King''s death, the movement began to lose its way and Rosa Parks believed that anger and violence were replacing non-violent social protest. In later years she seemed almost a forgotten figure, but in the 1990s this appeared to be changing. In 1999 Time magazine hailed here as one of the hundred most significant individuals of the century, and there were plaudits from the Pope, Nelson Mandela and others. This book about the life and times of a remarkable and inspiring woman is also a brilliant re-creation of mid-century American life.