THE LIVING AND THE DEAD: Robert McNamara and Five Lives of a Lost War

Paul Hendrickson's exploration of the life and legend of former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara is a reminder of what a well-written biography can offer. THE LIVING AND THE DEAD charts the life of a brilliant number-cruncher who made the mistake of trying to manage (as opposed to lead) the American military through the Vietnam War. Unlike many modern biographies, this one explores not only McNamara's life, but the effect his life had on others. To do this, Hendrickson delves into the lives of four men and a woman and uses their perspectives to shed light on McNamara's often dispassionate nature. Despite its length, Barrett Whitener does a strong job of engaging the listener throughout the nearly twenty-hour analysis of a complex and much maligned historical figure. J.B.B. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 00]