Roger D. Stone

THE LIVES OF DILLON RIPLEY by Roger D. Stone tells the story of a natural scientist, wartime spy, and Smithsonian leader.

Although the biography provides an overview of his Ripley’s life, it lacks the multi-dimensional qualities of many of the newer works of nonfiction narrative. In other words, it presents a glowing examination of a man who seems focused on this work by detailing activities and work events. While many aspects of the story are fascinating, more specific anecdotes and engaging examples would have made the biography more interesting. The book provides the facts, but lacks the personal connections to people and the broader context that could bring his world to life for readers. The book would have benefitted from a more complete bibliography and more detailed notes.

ARC courtesy of LibraryThing and the publisher.… (meer)

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

This book was a quick read about an interesting, well-lived life. Though the book gave a quick overview of Dillon Ripley's childhood (especially about childhood travel and adventures), it focused primarily on Ripley's professional life, which was interesting and accomplished. The author of this book was obviously an admirer, and critics' views were dealt with in a short chapter near the end of the book. Nevertheless, the information on WWII was fascinating, as was information about the administration (and creation of parts of) the Smithsonian.

This book felt to me like a series of articles about various aspects of Ripley's professional life, and I missed the connections between work and family life that would be part of most biographies. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it, as it showed the many ways one person could influence so many major institutions.… (meer)