JOSIAH BUNTING III is an author, educator, and military historian. A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and former Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford, he served as a major in the United States Army and later as the superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute. His previous books include The Lionheads (one of Time’s ten best novels of 1973) and Ulysses S. Grant (published as part of Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.'s American Presidents series). In recognition of his many accomplishments and lifelong devotion to higher education, Bunting was appointed to the National Council of the National Endowment for the Humanities by President George W. Bush. He lives with his wife in Newport, Rhode Island.
"Superb . . . [A] singular achievement." —Air Mail (Editor's
Pick)
"[An] engaging and admiring biography . . . Paints a revealing
picture of the quiet man who grew into a titanic military leader."
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor
"An excellent book for junior officers in today’s Army who may not
appreciate the importance of staff time or feel discouraged about
their career prospects due to not receiving certain assignments or
jobs." —Association of the United States Army, Lt. Col. Joe
Byerly
“If I were to coach an executive about assuming a very senior
leadership role, I would recommend they read The Making of a Leader
. . . Bunting, who has emphasized literature and humanities as a
university educator, brings Marshall's development to life with
expert storytelling and exquisite prose. Bunting's vocabulary is as
wide-ranging as Marshall's own hunger for learning. The leadership
lessons imparted will enable anyone seeking to ‘lead big’ to learn
to ‘lead small’—taking care of those who depend upon you for
direction, counsel and compassion.” —John Baldoni, Forbes
'Wrapped in the life and times of George C. Marshall, this book is
a well-written introduction to the art of leadership that senior
leaders can recommend to rising junior officers. It may stimulate
further reading and study on the pathfinders of our profession."
—Wylie W. Johnson, US Army War College Press
“The Making of a Leader is a real contribution to understanding a
great American and the American Century.” — Larry Thornberry,
The American Spectator
“Today’s politicians could learn a lot from the selfless career of
Gen. George C. Marshall . . . Forrest Pogue authored a masterful,
comprehensive biography of this great leader. Josiah Bunting has
done a fine job of supplementing and enriching that mammoth work.”
— Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune
“Mr. Bunting conveys a keen sense of balance and perception.
Keeping a focus on the big inflection points of Marshall’s life,
the author does not turn every incident into a saintly miracle or
salutary story. Offering context and interconnection, mixing warts
and paeans, he ably narrates the grit and dedication that went into
making an American leader.” —Jonathan W. Jordan, The Wall Street
Journal
“Illuminating . . . A superb account of the early life of an
unsullied American hero . . . [Bunting] doesn’t aim to add another
standard biography but rather to examine Marshall’s formative
years, [and he] makes it clear that Marshall was a significant
figure long before he became nationally known.” —Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)
"No one could be better qualified to write this superb evocation of
General George Marshall's early life than Si Bunting. A US Army
major himself, Si was superintendent of Marshall's alma mater the
Virginia Military Institute, and has immersed himself in all the
archival sources for this jewel of a book. Deeply researched,
beautifully written, and profoundly wise on many aspects of life
both military and non-military, this book will become an instant
classic about how to see a great man's career through the prism of
his early life." —Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with
Destiny
"Architect of Allied victory in World War II, namesake of the plan
that rebuilt Europe—the deeds of George C. Marshall have been
memorialized in excellent monographs, including those by Mark
Stoler and David Roll. In The Making of a Leader, Josiah Bunting
focuses closely on the experiences that made Marshall ready for the
Herculean tasks he would later confront. From his Pennsylvania
boyhood through the crucible of VMI to the singular challenges of
World War I, Bunting provides invaluable, often vivid evidence of a
young man slowly, sometimes painfully finding his skill as a
logistician, organizational genius, and shrewd political thinker.
The author has filled a niche long needed for a thorough,
thoughtful examination of the roots of Marshall's success. All of
us in the field owe him a debt of thanks." —Paul A. Levengood,
president of the George C. Marshall Foundation
"George C. Marshall is rightly celebrated for his remarkable
military accomplishments and famous plan. The Making of a Leader
expertly reveals the path of formation by which Marshall “learnt
how to learn" and enabled this winner of the Nobel Peace Prize to
develop the knowledge, habits of character and leadership abilities
that were at the heart of his extraordinary success." —Dr Edward
Brooks, Executive Director of the Oxford Character Project,
University of Oxford
"George Marshall’s commanding presence in World War II was due not
just to his singular genius or his distinguished military record,
but rather to his unique morality and his innate ability to lead
men to do the impossible. Josiah Bunting's new biography of
Marshall’s formative years weaves together his childhood, his
schooling, his marriages, and his early Army career to explain why
and how Marshall became the towering presence of World War II and
the postwar Marshall Plan. A beautifully written and analytical
biography by a distinguished biographer, soldier and scholar."
—Victor Davis Hanson, author of The Second World Wars
“A lucid and penetrating analysis of General George Marshall’s
character development.” —John B. Hattendorf, Editor-in-Chief,
Marlborough: Soldier and Diplomat
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