Hannibal and Me: What History's Greatest Military Strategist Can Teach Us About Success and Failure
by Andreas Kluth
mp3 format (10 CDs)
 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1461116279/4353-20

HereΓÇÖs an intriguing premise: show, through the life and career of the Carthaginian military genius Hannibal (and other history-makers), how the line between success and failure can sometimes be blurry, not to mention how success can turn into failure when least expected, and vice versa. Always outnumbered, Hannibal planned meticulously and never lost a war against Rome in 16 years of battle. On the other hand, he never conquered Rome. So was his career triumph or tragedy? How about General MacArthur, whose surprise landing at Inchon, South Korea, led to immediate triumph and, later, embarrassing failure? KluthΓÇÖs main thesis seems to be that triumph and tragedy, success and failure, are merely points on a line, and that we make our way in life by cultivating the ability to turn failure into success and recognizing that success can breed failure, if weΓÇÖre not careful. This isnΓÇÖt the first book to tackle this subject, but its historical perspective, drawing on the life of a warrior who lived more than two millennia ago, gives it fresh appeal. --David Pitt