Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin

There's a reason this book is in the top 10 of the current New York Times Bestsellers List.  It deserves to be.  I don't usually put much stock in lists.  I've found that books on lists typically aren't worth my time.  This one, however, is absolutely worth everyone's time.

Ms. Goodwin highlights four presidents, republicans Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt and democrats Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.  The book is divided into three sections.  The first section deals primarily with the people and circumstances that formed each man's character.  The  next section goes over the personal crises that each man dealt with and how they overcame them.  The last section discusses the national crises that shaped each man's presidency. 

I noticed common traits among these four men.  Each was a dedicated student in their own way.  The Roosevelts both came from money so their education was more formal, but Lincoln and Johnson were both men who studied on their own.  All four learned from their failures both personal and political, from their political failures they learned humility and the art of compromise.  All of them were optimistic, empathetic, and had a true interest in the people whom they represented.  Story telling and reading were very important parts of their early years.  So if you're a parent or grandparent, read to your children and tell them family stories!!

Although this is certainly a history book, it doesn't feel dry and stodgy like the books I had to read through my school years.  This was a very enjoyable book.  It made me think about my own interactions with people and whether or not I learn from my failures.   It made me think about how we choose those who represent us in government.  We tend to be members of the personality cult du jour, but perhaps we should be looking for entirely different traits than we do presently when we're preparing to vote. 

And now, I recommend this book to you.  Enjoy!

Until next time...