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randywgravitz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.25
mcqconor's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
DKG is great and I need to read more of her stuff
erincataldi's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book that made me slow down and savor what I was reading, which is a change of pace from the fluff that I've read most of this year. Leadership in Turbulent times is a historical fiction/leadership book that recounts how four different presidents handled adversity and hardship. Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson became presidents at trying times. The Great Depression, The Civil War, Civil Rights, and the industrial revolution. Doris Kearns Goodwin does a remarkable job relating the character and leadership styles of each president from childhood through early politics and all the way through the White House. None of these men were saints and most suffered many setbacks and failures, but learning how they overcame those as well as their successes is what makes this book great. Utterly fascinating and compelling. Leadership has many styles and reading the profiles on these four leaders is a feast for the heart and mind.
stevem0214's review against another edition
5.0
As always with Doris Kearns Goodwin, she makes me want to read more history. Great format to discuss Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson. I'm pretty much on top of Lincoln and both Roosevelt's, but I'm lacking in my knowledge of LBJ...more's the pity since he was president in my lifetime (albeit in my very young youth)! Great book for anyone looking for a little knowledge of some great leaders...and enough to whet your appetite for more history!
papidoc's review against another edition
5.0
As usual, DKG knocks it out of the ballpark! This is one I have recommended to my leadership students, and will continue to do so. An examination and exploration of the leadership strengths and weaknesses of four prominent U.S. presidents, as they have encountered challenges and obstacles.
anitaashland's review against another edition
5.0
This is a wonderful book. In an engaging and accessible way you learn about the childhoods, early careers, periods of crisis and depression, and crowning leadership achievements of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. I wish all history books were this engaging.
bupdaddy's review against another edition
3.0
Goodwin seems married to a premise that is unnecessary and I think, largely untrue, that there's some important common thread running from Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt to Franklin Roosevelt to Lyndon Johnson, and that we can learn a lot about leadership by observing the commonalities among them. Coincidentally, these are the four presidents she knows the most about, having studied the first three throughout her career, and worked in the fourth's White House.
What are the odds?
I suspect Goodwin herself knows the raison d'etre of her book is pretty flawed, because she spends time, particularly early in the book, defending it from imagined detractors. She defends, for instance, equating Teddy Roosevelt's death of his first wife (at age twenty-two) and mother (age forty-eight) within twenty-four hours of each other, with LBJ's loss in his first senate election. She defends it because she knows there are people out here in real life who'll call shenanigans on that load, and she knowsthat, even as she's writing the book, because some part of her must recognize it. Lincoln's 'turbulent time?' A little dust-up called the Civil War, or what was then called the War for the Preservation of the Union. Teddy Roosevelt's? Coal miner's strike.
It's four administrations Goodwin knows well in search of a significant underlying paradigm that doesn't exist.
Nevertheless, each part of the book is interesting enough - even if it is sort of Goodwin's greatest hits repackaged, so I rate it three stars if you want to give it a go.
And I need to call out Teddy Roosevelt, because that trust-buster threw me a t-shirt at yesterday's Nats game. Thanks, TR!
What are the odds?
I suspect Goodwin herself knows the raison d'etre of her book is pretty flawed, because she spends time, particularly early in the book, defending it from imagined detractors. She defends, for instance, equating Teddy Roosevelt's death of his first wife (at age twenty-two) and mother (age forty-eight) within twenty-four hours of each other, with LBJ's loss in his first senate election. She defends it because she knows there are people out here in real life who'll call shenanigans on that load, and she knows
It's four administrations Goodwin knows well in search of a significant underlying paradigm that doesn't exist.
Nevertheless, each part of the book is interesting enough - even if it is sort of Goodwin's greatest hits repackaged, so I rate it three stars if you want to give it a go.
And I need to call out Teddy Roosevelt, because that trust-buster threw me a t-shirt at yesterday's Nats game. Thanks, TR!
embchess's review against another edition
4.0
Four great leaders bright to life (again) by a great writer. My concern was that this would be a rehash of her earlier work but Goodwin does a really nice job of telling the leadership story here. As we look towards the post-COVID crisis world, one hopes the next presidents has learned these lessons.
terrycurtis14's review against another edition
5.0
Very inspirational - especially FDR. Lincoln of course is superb but the author had already covered this in her Team of Rivals.
DKG would be a special person to meet.
DKG would be a special person to meet.