Eisenhower
By Geoffrey Perret
Random House, $35
ISBN 0375500464

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Dwight David Eisenhower is a biographer's dream -- and nightmare. Few men in history have had so much of their lives as part of the public record; from the time he first accepted his appointment at West Point until his final moments at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., his every move was noted.

But who was Dwight David Eisenhower? As a child of the '60s, I knew him only as a bald-headed former president, and later on, as a World War II general in a high school history text. If you're not a student of history, you probably don't know much more than that.

Yet, as Perret shows us, Eisenhower's was a life well led; more than almost anyone else of his generation, Ike realized his fullest potential from humble beginnings, and he took himself far beyond his own personal limitations. He was a leader of great armies, but not a tactical genius himself. He was a genius at logistics and at motivating people to do the things they did best. The juggling act that he performed during WWII between the egos of Patton, Montgomery, and Bradley is astonishing.

With its wealth of detail, Eisenhower almost inevitably invites conflicts of interpretation. For example, Ike's father was a dark, obsessive man whose behavior obviously affected his son. Perret tells us over and over of Eisenhower's emotional distance from those that loved him, but he never directly makes the connection between this and how the father treated the son.

As president, Eisenhower accomplished a lot (critics notwithstanding); he created the interstate highway system, appointed the Warren Court, and presided over a great economy, but he certainly had his failings as well -- taking a hands-off approach during the McCarthy/Red-hunting periods of the decade, and letting the defense and intelligence agencies run wild during his watch. Perret perhaps goes a little too easy on Eisenhower, but to his credit, he still presents the facts for the reader to judge, so it can't be said that he's painted his flattering portrait by way of omission.

Eisenhower is an engaging, well-written biography of a fascinating, complex man. You might not agree with all of its conclusions, but the journey is well worth your time.