Old Soldiers Never Die

The Life of Douglas MacArthur

By: Geoffrey Perret

Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach

Always colorful, always controversial, Douglas MacArthur is one of the dominant characters in American military history. Perret's groundbreaking biography, unmatched in its candor, authority and insight, reveals for the first time a complete and accurate account of MacArthur's tumultuous career.©1996 Geoffrey Perret (P)1998 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Perret convincingly brings alive the leather-jacketed, corn-cob smoking, rumple-hatted MacArthur....A witty, judicious, unstoppable read - guaranteed." ( Booklist)
"[This] work, well-written and provocative, stands as the best single volume on its complex subject.ï¿¿ï¿¿ ( Publishers Weekly)

Most Excellent

By far, The best of all the books on MacArthur…great detail with less assumptions and more conclusions.

What I didn't know

Would you consider the audio edition of Old Soldiers Never Die to be better than the print version?

I don't know, haven't read it. Didn't have to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The title character, Douglas MacArthur. FDR, Dwight Eisenhower,Harry Truman, Marshall, Chester Nimitz. A host of lesser known historic figures. All come alive in this story

Have you listened to any of Jeff Riggenbach’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I sure enjoyed this one. Mr. Riggenbach's tempo and tone were seemingly custom picked for this narrative. Great performance

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no, at 29 + hours it's a bit long for one sitting.

Any additional comments?

One day I was discussing history with a friend and we got on to the topic of MacArthur and soon realized that I knew really nothing about him. I was very fortunate to come across this book. It is very detailed and scrupulously researched. He takes on other biographers and takes no prisoners. For those who like American History, this is a must. Douglas MacArthur was a giant among his contemporaries. He was a major player in both world wars plus the Korean conflict. Geofffery Parret pulls no punches. He show's us the man, halo and horns. I understand he's written about JFK, I'm gonna have a listen to that next.

A comprehensive, engaging biography of MacArthur

Geoffrey Perret skillfully documents one of the most unique leaders in recent history. The author shares the stories of MacArthur's life in a well balanced (unbiased), detailed, and entertaining history of the General. His dedication to historical accuracy is evident when at times he briefly analyzes where other biographers or historians got the details right or wrong, and he provides ample evidence (usually in the form of recently discovered communiques or letters) that support his conclusions. The perfectly cast voicing by the talented Jeff Riggenbach illuminates Perret's vivid imagery of the General's indelible experiences and helps to define the mind's edges of the colorful historical characters that are woven throughout MacArthur's memorable life.

I highly recommend this audio book and thank Audible for making it available (it is becoming difficult to find in print).

A good bibliography that loses in the end.

This is a great biography about MacArthur. It is well researched, and many of the myths about the general, both positive and negative, are addressed and their truthfulness assessed with good argumentation.

Even though I did enjoy Riggenbach's narration, I am not sure if this kind of book works great without visuals. The Pacic War chapters especially necessitate looking at a map to understand what exactly is happening.

My biggest issue with the book is how little it talks about Korea and MacArthur's retirement. 14 years of his life are lumped into the final chapter. The book doesn't spend nearly enough time on MacArthur's role in Korea. The lack of discussion of MacArthur's relief is particularly disappointing considering the research in previous chapters, especially the Bonus Army and Bataan. It simply recites the popular narrative and leaves it there. The congressional hearings about his relief aren't even addressed! It's as if Perret got bored after Wake Island and wrote the last chapter out of obligation.