Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Finally finished up this biography on T.E. Lawrence (better known as "Lawrence of Arabia")--it's a long one. Since T.E. Lawrence passed off the scene due to a motorcycle accident--there have been some 100 biographies written about him. I think "Hero" is one of the better ones. It was very interesting to learn the details of his involvement in helping with the "Arab Revolt" that broke the power of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East during WWI; this ended in the capture of Damascus by the western powers and the revolting Arab forces, mainly under the banner of the Hashemite Sheik Faisal (later put on the throne of the Kingdom of Iraq). Also interesting to learn what Lawrence did in the years following his heroics in WWI--since he was only just 30 years old at the end of the war. Reading about his work creating & editing his post-WWI memoir--The Seven Pillars of Wisdom--has prompted me to put it on my reading list (got a great deal on a copy from amazon.com's "New & Used"). That will be another long, long read, maybe for sometime in 2017.


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