Greatness in Miniature

Paul Johnson’s new book covers Ike in less than 150 pages; it’s that rare thing, a fine biography that can be read in a single sitting.

None of the many books on Ike introduce him to the reader with such admirable brevity: One recent biography weighs in at nearly 1,000 pages. Most of the writers inspect every nook and cranny of his life in exhausting detail, but, unlike Johnson, they often miss the essence of who he was. British journalist Jeremy Clarkson’s quip, originally about lawyers, applies here as well: “[They] are also annoying, never using one word when several thousand will do. And then several thousand more, until the reader has completely lost the point and sometimes the will to live.”