Charles de Gaulle

By: Don Cook

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

This magnificent volume by veteran European correspondent Don Cook is the first major biography of de Gaulle written by an American from an American perspective. Rich with new anecdotal material, it offers fresh evaluations and sheds new light on Europe's most controversial and enigmatic general, politician, and statesman.

Arrogant, haughty, single-minded in war, politics, and his personal life, Charles de Gaulle ranks in many ways as the most powerful personality of an epoch blessed (and cursed) with powerful men. Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, Truman, Kennedy, and Khrushchev: all locked horns with de Gaulle, and all eventually bowed to his wishes.

This exciting biography takes full measure of the man and full measure of his times, when great soldiers and statesmen fought center stage and the fate of the world hung in the balance.

©1983 Don Cook (P)1997 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"No one has done a better job in painting the real de Gaulle...an outstanding biography." ( New York Times)
"De Gaulle's career may have been an ordeal for his contemporaries, but in Cook's hands it has become a delight for readers." ( Time)

Excellent Book!

De Gaulle is such a unique character in history ranking among the greatest in leaders of all time. The circumstances that led him to go from a battle field colonel in a doomed army to arriving in London as an unknown representative of the Free French, sentenced to death in absentia by the Vichy government, to finally leading France back to its place in the world is a path that very few people in history could have walked and succeeded.

The read is excellent.

PRETY GOOD.

De Gaulle is probably fairly depicted in this long work - at least he is as believable and as flawed as he must have been in real life.

Excellent

This is a well-written, well-read book. I was sorry to have it end. I knew very little about Charles de Gaulle before listening to this book, but now feel I know him intimately. He was a very contrarian, difficult person, but always had the interests of France at heart, as he saw those interests. In this day of nationalism in the US and around the world, we only need to look back to de Gaulle to see a nationalist with vision.

A Refreshing Straightforward Biography…

…Free from opinion, revisionism or agenda so characteristic of today’s historians. (With the publication date of 1983, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised). The writing is engaging….not the elegant prose of some historians, but certainly pleasing and easy to follow. Although DeGaul is neutrally presented, Cooks biography is not a dry rendition of “just the facts”. Instead, his detailed research and even delivery brings to life a man who is nationalism, intransigence and determination make him an equal to those unusually powerful personalities of the 20th century.

A great book about a complex person

Well written and thoroughly researched, is this book about Charles de Gaulle. I like books that create emotions and this book really makes me loathe Charles de Gaulle. Having listened to it with great interest, I know understand why de Gaulle upset som many people in his life. He was completely obnoxious. Here we have real events, where most occurred in my parents' and my own life time. Thus I have the benefit of having actually heard of - or in some cases actually experienced - the events pictured in this book. As far as I understand the author tells the story from de Gaulle's viewpoint, but also from the viewpoints of the people with whom he interacted. This book I could listen to again (and that is a good grade).