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A review by amarti
Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin
4.0
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.