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A review by dale_kooyenga
Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin
2.0
This book has little additional insight to the presidents featured (Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Lyndon Johnson and A. Lincoln). It felt to me like the publisher wanted her to punch out another book so she just condensed the content in her previous works about these presidents into a cliff note size version, slapped "Leadership" on the cover, and the marketing machine couple with a well known author did the rest.
I think her personal relationship with Lyndon Johnson detracts from the many attributes that make him a poor leader in my book. He treated his wife like absolute crap, multiple affairs, insults in front of guest, verbal abuse...... Civil Rights legislation also would have occurred decades before his time as President if he did not ally with Sen. Richard Russell in blocking passage in the US Senate. However, Goodwin doesn't touch these on these attributes which are a big part of Lyndon Johnson's character and therefore his leadership attributes. She does cover his train wreck as a Commander & Chief during Vietnam.
If you really want to understand these men I would recommend the following works to give you a better understanding of their entire stories and the context of their time:
Carl Sandburg's Lincoln biography.
Edmund Morris TR books (Don't read his Reagan book, it's horrible)
Robert Caro's 4 part series on LBJ
FDR - No recommendation
I think her personal relationship with Lyndon Johnson detracts from the many attributes that make him a poor leader in my book. He treated his wife like absolute crap, multiple affairs, insults in front of guest, verbal abuse...... Civil Rights legislation also would have occurred decades before his time as President if he did not ally with Sen. Richard Russell in blocking passage in the US Senate. However, Goodwin doesn't touch these on these attributes which are a big part of Lyndon Johnson's character and therefore his leadership attributes. She does cover his train wreck as a Commander & Chief during Vietnam.
If you really want to understand these men I would recommend the following works to give you a better understanding of their entire stories and the context of their time:
Carl Sandburg's Lincoln biography.
Edmund Morris TR books (Don't read his Reagan book, it's horrible)
Robert Caro's 4 part series on LBJ
FDR - No recommendation