Bill Yenne

The remarkable career of Henry H. Arnold, a pilot who rose to be the first 5-star general of the U.S. Air Force and who was responsible in large part for building the Air Force from a minor adjunct of the U.S. Army into the overwhelming military aviation force in the world, is an interesting read as laid out here by Bill Yenne. In particular, the leadership Arnold exhibited during the Second World War is fascinating to read about. The book, as biography, does not soar very high, and is probably of interest mainly to those with a fascination with military or aviation history. Yenne likes to use the first, middle, and last names of various figures repetitiously throughout the book, which became a distracting authorial tic after a while. His approach to history is thorough, but the book was a bit of a letdown after some of the magnificent biographies I've read lately. It's probably the best book on Arnold, but that's faint praise. Very readable, but not very affecting.… (más)