I bought the paperback version, the one with the title and the author’s name on the deep blue cover. The font is very small and the printing very light. After a few pages, I almost decided not to continue, if not for the attractive writing style of the author. I am glad I finish the book, but I hope that the 368 pages of texts in small and light print did not do any harm to my eyesight.
The author, a Harvard person, spent her internship at President Lyndon Johnson’s White House. At the end of his Presidency, Johnson asked her to help him with writing his memoir. This was remarkable, as Johnson was of the opinion that “All the historians are Harvard people. It just isn’t fair. Poor old Hoover from West Branch, Iowa, and had no chance with that crowd…..Nor does Lyndon Johnson from Stonewall, Texas.”
The book is an account of how four US Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt (TR), Franklin Roosevelt (FDR), and Lyndon Johnson (LBJ), led the country through the turbulent times of the Emancipation Proclamation, Coal Strike, The New Deal and Civil Rights.
The organization of the book is somewhat unusual. Instead of finishing the story of one President at a time, it is divided into three parts, each about different aspects of the four Presidents. Part I, entitled “Ambition and the Recognition of Leadership”, is concerned with the early lives and experiences. Part II, entitled “Adversity and Growth”, narrates how each President reacted to the major adversity fate befallen on them. Part III is entitled "The Leader and the Times: How they led." Here, the stories of the turbulent times and the leadership skills each displayed in guiding the country through the turbulences are told with great skill.
While the historical events described in Part III are known, in general contours if not in detail, to anyone with some acquaintance of US history, Part I, dealing with the young and formative years of the four Presidents, contains a rich collection of interesting episodes and insights. Both Lincoln and TR loved reading. While Lincoln had to walk miles to borrow a book from the local library, TR’s rich father could get a book to his hands a day after he requested it. TR had very poor health, and his father built a gym in the house for him to exercise to build up his body strength and health. FDR was an avid stamp collector, and LBJ coached the school debate team from no standing to championships. FDR’s mom said she never thought her son can be President. LBJ told his college roommate when he took a job mopping floor in the hallway outside the college president’s office, “The way you get ahead in the world, you get close to those that are the heads of things,” When LBJ was elected to the House of Representatives, he did manage to get close to President FDR.
While each President’s upbringing and growth from adversity are fascinating, the most interesting and colorful personality that emerges from these pages is that of TR. From a sick boy who had difficulty breathing during an asthma attack, he became an assemblyman, cowboy, civil service commissioner, police commissioner, assistant secretary of the navy, governor, vice President, and President. He volunteered to enlist in the Army and fought in the Mexican-American War in 1898. He led the Rough Riders to battle in Cuba, exhibiting great courage and leadership during the Battle of Kettie Hill. Due to Army politics, it was not until 2001 that TR was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery. He was the only one among the four who had combat experience. He coined the phrase “Speak softly and carry a big stick”, which should be good advice for anyone engaged in diplomacy.
In Part III of the book, how each President navigated the turbulent times are narrated in detail: Emancipation Proclamation (Lincoln), the Coal Strike (TR), The New Deal (FDR), and Civil Rights (LBJ). The author skillfully relates the various leadership principles and actions employed to the actual events.
The book concludes with an Epilogue, entitled “On Death and Remembrance”, a moving account of the final days of the four Presidents. Among the memorable tributes were the words reported by the New York Times when FDR died: “in the streets of every American town, strangers stopped to commiserate with one another. Over and over again one heard the same lament: ‘We have lost our friend.’”
In summary, a well written and unusual book linking leadership principles and several turbulent periods of American history.
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Hit the ground running; consolidate control; ask questions of everyone wherever you go; manage by wandering around; determine the basic problems of each organization and hit them head-on; when attacked, counterattack; stick to your guns; spend your political capital to reach your goals; and then when your work is stymied or done, find a way out.Highlighted by 2,857 Kindle readers- Scholars who have studied the development of leaders have situated resilience, the ability to sustain ambition in the face of frustration, at the heart of potential leadership growth.Highlighted by 2,841 Kindle readers
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Case Study on Leadership
The book is written in three parts. Jumping from one president to another and one topic to another topic might makes it hard to follow. Having read the other books by Doris Kearns Goodwin makes this book an easy read for me. For example, Lyndon Johnson was a master mechanic of the legislative process.The book started by describing how leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson developed their leadership skills in Part 1. In part 2, it talks about how these leaders deal with adversity. Part 3 is what I like most. It was labeled as how they led but it is more like how they deal with different social problems.She used Abraham Lincoln as an example of transformational leadership, Theodore Roosevelt for Crisis Leadership, Franklin Roosevelt for Turnaround Leadership and Lyndon Johnson for Visionary Leadership. It is written more like a case study. I like chapter 10 the most as it is about crisis management and it is still very relevant for today's world - labor strike is still happening!Strictly speaking, I would not call it a book on leadership. It is more about getting things done.I have not finished reading the book yet. But good reading so far!If you like this book, you will probably like this book by Professor Nancy Koehn - Forged in Crisis: The Making of Five Courageous Leaders.
Top reviews from other countries
Gustavo Cardona e Almeida
Uma obra prima sobre liderança!
Reviewed in Brazil on October 24, 2022Amazon Customer
Must read for leaders in times of uncertainty
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2024
