Exploring the essence of character and leadership, this book features insights from interviews with seven U.S. Presidents, including Gerald Ford and Barack Obama. Each president is associated with a defining trait that shaped their legacy, such as Ford's healing after Watergate and Obama's commitment to equality. The author emphasizes that effective leadership is not uniform; instead, it is about recognizing individual strengths and crafting one's own impactful narrative. This work encourages readers to reflect on their unique contributions and aspirations as leaders.
"Acclaimed presidential historian Mark K. Updegrove, head of the LBJ Foundation, offers an illuminating account of John F. Kennedy's brief but transformative tenure in the White House"-- Provided by publisher
Examines the post-White House lives and activities of American presidents since Harry Truman, arguing that the financial provisions made for ex-presidents, beginning with Truman, has enabled them to continue public service, and looking at the relationships that have developed among some of the men who were at one time political rivals.
Focusing on the lessons and legacy of America's most divisive war, this companion volume features insights from notable figures, including former US Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and John Kerry. It delves into the complexities of the conflict and its enduring impact on American society, providing a multifaceted perspective on the historical and political ramifications stemming from the war. The work is anchored in discussions from a 2016 summit at the LBJ Presidential Library, enriching the narrative with expert viewpoints.
A groundbreaking look at the lives of George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, the most consequential father-son pair in American history, often in their own words. In this endearing, illuminating work, presidential historian Mark K. Updegrove tracks the two Bush presidents from their formative years through their post-presidencies and the failed presidential candidacy of Jeb Bush, derailing the Bush presidential dynasty. Drawing extensively on exclusive access and interviews with both Bush presidents, Updegrove reveals for the first time their influences and perspectives on each other’s presidencies; their views on family, public service, and America’s role in the world; and their unvarnished thoughts on Donald Trump, and the radical transformation of the Republican Party he now leads. In 2016 George W. Bush lamented privately that he might be “the last Republican president.” Donald Trump’s election marked the end not only to the Bushes’ hold on the White House, but of a rejection of the Republican principles of civility and international engagement and leadership that the Bushes have long championed. The Last Republicans offers revealing and often moving portraits of the forty-first and forty-third presidents, as well as an elegy for the Republican “establishment,” which once stood for putting the interests of the nation over those of any single man.
