Sacred Honor: A Biography of Colin Powell

by David Roth

A biography of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff discusses the Persian Gulf war, his role in Somali relief efforts, his childhood, his formative influences, and what the future holds for him. 100,000 first printing. $60,000 ad/promo.

Genres: Biography, War, Military Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Caridad Lorenzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like the writing style. The paragraphs were too long which made following the point difficult.
I would have liked to see more personal stories.
The ending seemed rushed and vague.
However, the book did portray to key príncipes and beliefs of this great military leader.

[Terry Misfeldt · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Roth shares an insider's view of the professional military career of one of America's most dedicated and selfless leaders, General Colin Powell. Although somewhat disjointed, the biography tells a compelling story of the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, his love for restoring Volvo automobiles and his dedication to family.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been on my shelf waiting to be read for some time. There was a time prior to September 11, 2001, when it was widely assumed that Colin Powell would be the nation's first African American president. Since he left his post as Secretary of State under George W. Bush, he has been largely out of the public eye, and his speech to the U.N. in that job, asserting the presence of WMD in Iraq and justifying the U.S. invasion is generally accepted as having doomed him politically. I was curious about who he was and how he went from being probably the most trusted man in America to a forgotten face.

Powell truly was the quintessential good soldier. He had a knack for knowing his position and his duty and for feeling bound to fulfill his mission to the utmost. I found it interesting that the author drew a strong distinction between Powell's Jamaican roots and more traditional African-American culture -- I think that is a point that is often completely overlooked by white America (guilty!). The author also was rather strong in asserting that no one knew for sure Powell's political affiliation (even his son said he didn't know) -- revealed since then to be "liberal Republican" -- but I found that the author's political bias crept in to the book.

In the end, I concluded that Powell was used by Dick "Darth Vader" Cheney, whom he had served with when Cheney was Secretary of Defense, in advancing the war on Iraq on scurrilous gossip at best, because of Powell's strong sense of personal integrity and commitment to what he saw as his primary mission of serving the interests of President Bush. With a soldier's mentality, he believed that the President would not act contrary to the best interests of the US, although he was a firm believer in having a clear vision of what war would accomplish (which was seriously lacking in Iraq) and in having sufficient strength to be strategically effective (again, lacking in the long run). I think the years spent serving George H.W. Bush and the friendship that developed between the two men also worked against Powell, because W. was nowhere near as good a leader as his father. Further, Powell was always willing to put his perceived duty ahead of his image, so even when he knew (as other research suggests) at the last minute that the basis for his statements to the U.N. was shaky/fabricated, he did his duty rather than asserting his personal integrity and honor by resigning instead of spouting Bush/Cheney propaganda.

[Stephen Dutton · Rating 1 out of 5]

"I put it down - too dullsville. I did like reading about his upbringing and his early carreer movements. However the narative became overly dull even when reading about the Gulf War period. Too many other things to read than to slog through this."

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 200 pages are 5 star straight biographical, the last 50 are pathetic denials of allogations on books and magazine articals I have never read, and false predictions about the future which is now the past. Colin Powell can stand on his life as it happened Mr. Roth well?

[Letitia · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I greatly respect the man, this biography was very much lacking. One of the more boring non-fiction pieces I've read.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome leader