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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
This book was very insightful and interesting. Lots of good information on these presidents without any extreme biases.
Goodwin never mentions the current administration. Yet the comparisons and differences are always there and always striking.
Goodwin covers the lives and leadership techniques of four American Presidents: Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and LBJ. Three are legitimately great, and one (LBJ) did great things, but ultimately left an uneven legacy.
We are familiar with the broad strokes of each of these men’s lives, but put beside one another, the similarities are new and revealing. For example: the early struggles of each man contributed greatly to their successes. The depression of Lincoln, the death of TR’s first wife, FDR’s polio, and LBJ’s heart attack all helped ground them and provided each with the humility and humanity to lead effectively later.
The book is organized oddly, with traditional alternating narratives early in the book, then case studies of key leadership moments later in the book. The different styles don’t always work, and some of the case studies drag.
While fond of all four men, Goodwin had a personal relationship with LBJ. She worked in his White House as a young intern and helped write his memoirs in his retirement. She has a fondness for the man and his complexity that is evident throughout. The LBJ chapters are captivating, even electric at times. LBJ’s early days as a debate teacher, his campaigns, his efforts to pass the Civil Rights bills are great reads, and even inspirational. These successes are more fascinating, and more human, when paired against the fatal flows of his Vietnam policy.
Goodwin ends with a chapter recapping the death of each man. She ends with this quote about Lincoln: “..the leader’s strength ultimately depends on the strength of his bond with the people.” Each man, to different degrees, maintained that connection to the people. That connection, and humanity, were vital to their success, and is glaringly absent with today’s presidential leadership.
Goodwin covers the lives and leadership techniques of four American Presidents: Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and LBJ. Three are legitimately great, and one (LBJ) did great things, but ultimately left an uneven legacy.
We are familiar with the broad strokes of each of these men’s lives, but put beside one another, the similarities are new and revealing. For example: the early struggles of each man contributed greatly to their successes. The depression of Lincoln, the death of TR’s first wife, FDR’s polio, and LBJ’s heart attack all helped ground them and provided each with the humility and humanity to lead effectively later.
The book is organized oddly, with traditional alternating narratives early in the book, then case studies of key leadership moments later in the book. The different styles don’t always work, and some of the case studies drag.
While fond of all four men, Goodwin had a personal relationship with LBJ. She worked in his White House as a young intern and helped write his memoirs in his retirement. She has a fondness for the man and his complexity that is evident throughout. The LBJ chapters are captivating, even electric at times. LBJ’s early days as a debate teacher, his campaigns, his efforts to pass the Civil Rights bills are great reads, and even inspirational. These successes are more fascinating, and more human, when paired against the fatal flows of his Vietnam policy.
Goodwin ends with a chapter recapping the death of each man. She ends with this quote about Lincoln: “..the leader’s strength ultimately depends on the strength of his bond with the people.” Each man, to different degrees, maintained that connection to the people. That connection, and humanity, were vital to their success, and is glaringly absent with today’s presidential leadership.
A book comparing and contrasting the difficulties, failures, and triumphs of four key United States POTUS'.
While it sells itself as a deep look into their leadership styles, this reads more like a comparative set of biographies. In each section the reader sees each POTUS' beginnings, turning points, time in office, and finally their deaths.
This book is perfect if you want short biographies that focus on getting the best of hardships and making impactful decisions. Total, it is just under 400 pages which is perfect for those who want more than a synopsis but less than brick. Trust Goodwin to create a novel that is accessible yet enlightening.
Personal:
I loved this book for Goodwin's adept intertwining of all of their lives. I already unearthed my family's copy of "Team of Rivals" and am hoping to read as much Goodwin as I can get my hands on. Perhaps the most shocking personal revelation came when she even managed to convince me that Teddy Roosevelt may have been a decent human (?). Wild, I know.
While it sells itself as a deep look into their leadership styles, this reads more like a comparative set of biographies. In each section the reader sees each POTUS' beginnings, turning points, time in office, and finally their deaths.
This book is perfect if you want short biographies that focus on getting the best of hardships and making impactful decisions. Total, it is just under 400 pages which is perfect for those who want more than a synopsis but less than brick. Trust Goodwin to create a novel that is accessible yet enlightening.
Personal:
I loved this book for Goodwin's adept intertwining of all of their lives. I already unearthed my family's copy of "Team of Rivals" and am hoping to read as much Goodwin as I can get my hands on. Perhaps the most shocking personal revelation came when she even managed to convince me that Teddy Roosevelt may have been a decent human (?). Wild, I know.
Doris Kearns Goodwin tells of the evolution of the leadership skills of four presidents on their journey to the presidency and during a critical moment of their time in office.
Abraham Lincoln walked into the White House with the nation torn apart. He had to figure out how to win the war and, ultimately, end slavery.
Theodore Roosevelt’s turbulent event was social and crisis of the birth of the industrial revolution, coming to ahead with the coal strike of 1902.
Franklin Roosevelt, like Lincoln, took over the presidency at a time of nation crisis. The economy was in dire straits, and he take control to pull the nation out of the Great Depression. He then had to lead the nation through war.
Lyndon Johnson became president after the assassination of John Kennedy. He took the opportunity to continue the work Kennedy had started and passed a number of laws to transform the domestic agenda within the nation. His most powerful accomplishment was the passing of the Civil Rights Bill at a time when the population was polarized by the discrimination and bigotry within the southern states.
Abraham Lincoln walked into the White House with the nation torn apart. He had to figure out how to win the war and, ultimately, end slavery.
Theodore Roosevelt’s turbulent event was social and crisis of the birth of the industrial revolution, coming to ahead with the coal strike of 1902.
Franklin Roosevelt, like Lincoln, took over the presidency at a time of nation crisis. The economy was in dire straits, and he take control to pull the nation out of the Great Depression. He then had to lead the nation through war.
Lyndon Johnson became president after the assassination of John Kennedy. He took the opportunity to continue the work Kennedy had started and passed a number of laws to transform the domestic agenda within the nation. His most powerful accomplishment was the passing of the Civil Rights Bill at a time when the population was polarized by the discrimination and bigotry within the southern states.
Wow.
This was a page turning read about how four presidents dealt with various topics such as ambition and opposition. It is divided by topic, and then treats the presidents in turn. The result is a chronological look at each president, highlighting their leadership qualities through each phase. I loved the way it is organized, bullet pointing the takeaways.
I closed the book feeling uplifted and inspired, wanting to immediately reread it and mark it all up to study in depth. (Alas, it was a library book.) We have much to learn from these incredible men.
This was a page turning read about how four presidents dealt with various topics such as ambition and opposition. It is divided by topic, and then treats the presidents in turn. The result is a chronological look at each president, highlighting their leadership qualities through each phase. I loved the way it is organized, bullet pointing the takeaways.
I closed the book feeling uplifted and inspired, wanting to immediately reread it and mark it all up to study in depth. (Alas, it was a library book.) We have much to learn from these incredible men.
Incredibly researched and written. Doris Kearns Goodwin has written a gem about leadership based on four US presidents who served during difficult times.
Read for a book club, this work marks my first true venture into American presidential history. And what a choice it was. Well structured, easily read and engagingly presented, this book is a study of four presidents , the circumstances and challenges that forged great leaders out of them. In high detail, one receives insight into the history and mentality of days gone past, each vivid and informative. The bibliography in the back lists about every book written on the four presidents and the historical events surrounding them, offering near infinite ways to deepen your knowledge if so desired. Truly a great work to start off and gain basic knowledge as well as valuable insight into different kinds of leadership as well as adversities faced in which to prove oneself.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
If you have read any of Doris Kearns Goodwin's previous work, you know you are in for a thoughtful analysis. This book is no different. It charts four different presidents (Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and LBJ) through three different periods in their lives.
For the most part the writeup is good, but the structure of the book can get disorienting. The book covers Lincoln, T Roosevelt, FDR, LBJ in that order, first starting with an in-depth intro, then the period of despair (turbulent times), and finally the period of triumph. Unfortunately, because the way the book is structured, you can't follow one president from beginning to end. Just when one is deeply moved by one president, that flow is disrupted and you start anew with a different president. Better would it have been for the author to follow one president from beginning to end.
That aside, the book is superbly written, and especially benefited from the author's own personal time with one of the presidents, LBJ. Recommend picking it up if you're interested in leadership, presidents, or history.
For the most part the writeup is good, but the structure of the book can get disorienting. The book covers Lincoln, T Roosevelt, FDR, LBJ in that order, first starting with an in-depth intro, then the period of despair (turbulent times), and finally the period of triumph. Unfortunately, because the way the book is structured, you can't follow one president from beginning to end. Just when one is deeply moved by one president, that flow is disrupted and you start anew with a different president. Better would it have been for the author to follow one president from beginning to end.
That aside, the book is superbly written, and especially benefited from the author's own personal time with one of the presidents, LBJ. Recommend picking it up if you're interested in leadership, presidents, or history.