Holy Smokes! You're writing a biography!
If that's your purpose, fine...but otherwise you've got to learn to show and not tell. Don't tell us what Jackson's childhood was like, write a vignette from it. Don't lecture us about Jackson's lectures...put us in the mind of a VMI cadet who's sitting through one. Don't talk to us about how Jackson was teased...show us a scene in which it happens.
Please.
Actually, that is not in the book. It is just an example of how I write descriptive narrative to show as an example so others could comment on it.
As for your other comments... I absolutely agree.