My American Journey
Written by Joseph E. Persico
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
"A GREAT AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY . . . AN ENDEARING AND WELL-WRITTEN BOOK."
--The New York Times Book Review
Colin Powell is the embodiment of the American dream. He was born in Harlem to immigrant parents from Jamaica. He knew the rough life of the streets. He overcame a barely average start at school. Then he joined the Army. The rest is history--Vietnam, the Pentagon, Panama, Desert Storm--but a history that until now has been known only on the surface. Here, for the first time, Colin Powell himself tells us how it happened, in a memoir distinguished by a heartfelt love of country and family, warm good humor, and a soldier's directness.
My American Journey is the powerful story of a life well lived and well told. It is also a view from the mountaintop of the political landscape of America. At a time when Americans feel disenchanted with their leaders, General Powell's passionate views on family, personal responsibility, and, in his own words, "the greatness of America and the opportunities it offers" inspire hope and present a blueprint for the future. An utterly absorbing account, it is history with a vision.
Related to My American Journey
Related audiobooks
Summary: Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S. C. Gwynne: Key Takeaways, Summary & Analysis Included Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEarning the Rockies: How Geography Shapes America's Role in the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Statesman and the Storyteller: John Hay, Mark Twain, and the Rise of American Imperialism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Not-Quite States of America: Dispatches from the Territories and Other Far-Flung Outposts of the USA Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Old Abe: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Real West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Colin Powell: An American Hero Speaks Out Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerican Heritage History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Treasury of Great American Scandals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fish that Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mark Twain 3 Complete Works: The Letters Of Mark Twain Huckleberry Finn Tom Sawyer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Millionaires' Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys Who Fought the Great War and Invented American Air Power Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Captain: A Personal Memoir of America at War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYankee Doodle Dandies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerica Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMemoranda During the War: from Specimen Days Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack: A Boyhood Year During WWII Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5John P. Slough: The Forgotten Civil War General Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMark Twain: A Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life and Times of Mark Twain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5America: The Last Best Hope (Volume I): From the Age of Discovery to a World at War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A House Reunited: How America Survived the Civil War Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Summary: A Promised Land: Barack Obama Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJohn C. Fremont: The Life and Legacy of the Legendary American Explorer Known as The Pathfinder Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerican Sanctuary: Mutiny, Martyrdom, and National Identity in the Age of Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Military Biographies For You
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/51776 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lives of the Twelve Caesars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Amelia: The True Story of the Earhart Disappearance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Clear Thinking: A Stealth Fighter Pilot's Timeless Rules for Making Tough Decisions Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Seven Pillars of Wisdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary: Can't Hurt Me - Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Shield: The Immigrant Sergeant Who Defended Democracy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5SEAL of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unbroken Bonds of Battle: A Modern Warriors Book of Heroism, Patriotism, and Friendship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Here, Right Matters: An American Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Killing School: Inside the World's Deadliest Sniper Program Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Be Free or Die: The Amazing Story of Robert Smalls' Escape from Slavery to Union Hero Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alexander the Great Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Reaper: Autobiography of One of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Punisher: A SEAL Team THREE Sniper's True Account of the Battle of Ramadi Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for My American Journey
135 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Colin Powell is one of my heroes. I know he has his detractors left and right. Those on the left bristle that he served in the Reagan and both Bush administrations and blame him for the Iraq War. Those on the right that he endorsed Obama. I guess it tips my hat as to which team I root for, but no, I'm not particularly happy about the second, though I don't really blame him for what went pears up on the first. But however I felt about that, what he accomplished, especially given his background is still extraordinary. This particular biography dates from before his period as the (first African American) Secretary of State, some readers may be disappointed it doesn't get into what some might find the most interesting and controversial period of his service. But it does cover his life from his early days to his formative time as an officer during the Vietnam War and his generalship during the Gulf War. The story I remember the best though comes from his teenage years, when he got a summer job mopping floors--and determined to be the best floor mopper he possibly could. Such a little thing--but said to me a lot about his character and the reason for his success.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book is written in very simple prose. But it is a door-stop (612 pages) and covers an enormous amount of US history - from Powell's Bronx boyhood to 1994. Powell offers an interesting insider's view of the Reagan, Bush and Clinton White House.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An excellent memoir.