The exhilarating, inspiring story of Len Lomell, an Army Ranger who on D-Day almost single-handedly knocked out the big German guns before they could fire on the American invasion force, and whose later exploits spanned the most dramatic battles of World War II.
Len Lomell was drafted to the United States Army in 1942, became an Army Ranger, and was soon sent to England to prepare for the D-Day invasion. At Point du Hoc, Lomell and his men were given a daunting mission-to scale the steep cliffs and disable the big German guns at the top, guns that could otherwise destroy the rest of the D-Day landing fleet. Despite incredible odds, it was a mission that Lomell completed almost single-handedly.
In this stirring, action-packed book, Gillon details the incredibly heroic actions on D-Day-and throughout World War II-that ultimately won Lomell the Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, and a Bronze Star. Lomell was later praised by Stephen Ambrose as the single most important person in the success of D-Day after General Eisenhower.
With propulsive writing, nuanced research, and multiple personal interviews with Lomell, Gillon brings an unforgettable WWII hero to life, finally giving him the recognition he so richly deserves.
*A New York Times Bestseller*
A major new biography of John F. Kennedy Jr. from a leading historian who was also a close friend, America's Reluctant Prince is a deeply researched, personal, surprising, and revealing portrait of the Kennedy heir the world lost too soon.
Through the lens of their decades-long friendship and including exclusive interviews and details from previously classified documents, noted historian and New York Times bestselling author Steven M. Gillon examines John F. Kennedy Jr.'s life and legacy from before his birth to the day he died. Gillon covers the highs, the lows, and the surprising incidents, viewpoints, and relationships that John never discussed publicly, revealing the full story behind JFK Jr.'s complicated and rich life. In the end, Gillon proves that John's life was far more than another tragedy-rather, it's the true key to understanding both the Kennedy legacy and how America's First Family continues to shape the world we live in today.
The definitive history of the Kerner Commission, whose report on urban unrest reshaped American debates about race and inequalityIn Separate and Unequal, historian Steven M. Gillon offers a revelatory new history of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders--popularly known as the Kerner Commission. Convened by President Lyndon Johnson after riots in Newark and Detroit left dozens dead and thousands injured, the commission issued a report in 1968 that attributed the unrest to "white racism" and called for aggressive new programs to end discrimination and poverty. "Our nation is moving toward two societies," it warned, "one black, and one white--separate and unequal."Johnson refused to accept the Kerner Report, and as his political coalition unraveled, its proposals went nowhere. For the right, the report became a symbol of liberal excess, and for the left, one of opportunities lost. Separate and Unequal is essential for anyone seeking to understand the fraught politics of race in America.
Steve Gillon follows Lee Harvey Oswald for the 48 hours after the Kennedy assassination in search of answers to the question that has been troubling America for the past five decades: Why did he shoot JFK? The Warren Commission speculated that Oswald was simply a deranged sociopath. But recently declassified materials raise new troubling questions. Where was Oswald going when he fled the School Book Depository Building on Friday afternoon? Is it possible that Cuban intelligence officials may have encouraged Oswald to commit the crime and promised to help him escape? This audiobook goes back to the Dallas Municipal Building and recreates the interrogation sessions. What emerges from this expose is refreshingly new, and more complicated, portrait of the man who assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
Franklin D. Roosevelt famously called December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy." History would prove him correct; the events of that day—when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor—ended the Great Depression, changed the course of FDR's presidency, and swept America into World War II.
In Pearl Harbor, acclaimed historian Steven M. Gillon provides a vivid, minute-by-minute account of Roosevelt's skillful leadership in the wake of the most devastating military assault in American history. FDR proved both decisive and deceptive, inspiring the nation while keeping the real facts of the attack a secret from congressional leaders and the public. Pearl Harbor explores the anxious and emotional events surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor, showing how the president and the American public responded in the pivotal twenty-four hours that followed, a period in which America burst from precarious peace into total war.
