America's Wars and Military Excursions

In an earnest attempt to compensate for ""the failure of our educational system to teach our youth the story of our own country,'' journalist and historian Hoyt chronicles the military aspects of that story simply and directly. His opinions are blunt: on relations between Washington and Havana, he remarks, ``We should have bought all Castro's sugar and made him thoroughly dependent on us.'' Hoyt is sharply critical of U.S. military and political failures in connection wth most of our ``excursions,'' particularly those south of the border; his comments on the origins of antiU.S. feeling in Latin America are especially relevant. In conclusion, he argues that the nonprofessional volunteer army is incompetent and that the U.S. military needs to regain its sense of pride. Pugnaciously controversial, this latest (and most ambitious) work from an increasingly respected historian should be widely read. Major ad/promo; Military Book Club selection. (August 2)