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statman's review against another edition
5.0
I've read many of her other books and really like them all so I was excited to read this one. This is really a composite book, that describes the lives of 4 presidents, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Johnson. I love the sequence of talking about the childhood of the 4, then moving on to their individual times of adversity before concluding with examples of their leadership and the lessons to be learned from them.
connieaw's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading about Lincoln, the two Roosevelts, and Johnson. I found it interesting to discover the background of each of them and how much an inner motivation made them successful in reaching the job of President. The book also covers conflict that they had during their time in office and a little about their deaths.
tylercritchfield's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting look into the leadership strategies of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and Lyndon Johnson, especially during perilous times. I appreciated learning about the different presidents more and comparing their approaches to big problems. For instance, does the leader shape the times, or do the times make the leader? How much is adversity necessary to gain leadership skills? The author doesn't necessarily answer these questions explicitly, but the stories of these presidents shed light on some possible answers.
I did feel it was a bit disorganized, as the author flips between the four presidents so often that it was hard for me to remember where each one left off in the story. I think I prefer deep dives on a single figure, such as the author's biography of Lincoln, Team of Rivals. That said, putting their stories together was interesting and gave me much to think about.
I did feel it was a bit disorganized, as the author flips between the four presidents so often that it was hard for me to remember where each one left off in the story. I think I prefer deep dives on a single figure, such as the author's biography of Lincoln, Team of Rivals. That said, putting their stories together was interesting and gave me much to think about.
kclem's review against another edition
4.0
I marked this book to read after hearing about it on election day. It was an entertaining listen as an audiobook. The voice actors do an excellent job. At first I thought learning about four different presidents in a single book would feel rushed, but the level of detail was engaging and gave me just enough detail to determine which historical periods I want to dive deeper into.
sebswann's review against another edition
5.0
If you like stories about famous leaders and lessons on leadership; Goodwin explores the lives and political journeys of four American presidents, their character, their circumstances, and their humanity to understand how they successfully led, acted, and persevered in turbulent, unparalleled times. If you’re looking for historical role models to draw from in this rocky world, this is a must read.
msmithr's review against another edition
5.0
5/5. Listened on Scribd. Absolutely inspiring. I loved the jumping from era to era. All different personalities, but some threads of similarities. Each of these men really sacrificed all
For their country and the very difficult times they served.
For their country and the very difficult times they served.
cawhite's review against another edition
4.0
Good book, very well written. For some reason it was a slow read for me. However, I recommend it for anyone interested in presidential history.