The Hardest Job in the World

The American Presidency

By: John Dickerson

Narrated by: John Dickerson

Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller • From the veteran political journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent, a deep dive into the history, evolution, and current state of the American presidency - and how we can make the job less impossible and more productive.

“This is a great gift to our sense of theactual presidency, a primer on leadership.” (Ken Burns)

Imagine you have just been elected president. You are now commander-in-chief, chief executive, chief diplomat, chief legislator, chief of party, chief voice of the people, first responder, chief priest, and world leader. You’re expected to fulfill your campaign promises, but you’re also expected to solve the urgent crises of the day. What’s on your to-do list? Where would you even start? What shocks aren’t you thinking about?

The American presidency is in trouble. It has become overburdened, misunderstood, almost impossible to do. “The problems in the job unfolded before Donald Trump was elected, and the challenges of governing today will confront his successors”, writes John Dickerson. After all, the founders never intended for our system of checks and balances to have one superior Chief Magistrate, with Congress demoted to “the little brother who can’t keep up”.

In this eye-opening book, John Dickerson writes about presidents in history such a Washington, Lincoln, FDR, and Eisenhower, and and in contemporary times, from LBJ and Reagan and Bush, Obama, and Trump, to show how a complex job has been done, and why we need to reevaluate how we view the presidency, how we choose our presidents, and what we expect from them once they are in office.

Think of the presidential campaign as a job interview. Are we asking the right questions? Are we looking for good campaigners, or good presidents? Once a candidate gets the job, what can they do to thrive? Drawing on research and interviews with current and former White House staffers, Dickerson defines what the job of president actually entails, identifies the things that only the president can do, and analyzes how presidents in history have managed the burden. What qualities make for a good president? Who did it well? Why did Bill Clinton call the White House “the crown jewel in the American penal system”?

The presidency is a job of surprises with high stakes, requiring vision, management skill, and an even temperament. Ultimately, in order to evaluate candidates properly for the job, we need to adjust our expectations, and be more realistic about the goals, the requirements, and the limitations of the office.

As Dickerson writes, "Americans need their president to succeed, but the presidency is set up for failure. It doesn’t have to be."

©2020 John Dickerson (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Brilliantly chronicles what the American presidency has meant, what it could mean...With wit, sweep, and unfailing generosity, The Hardest Job in the World is a book for our times, informed and delightful and definitely not to be missed.” (Brenda Wineapple, author of The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation)

“Evenhanded and insightful...Drawing on illuminating interviews with former White House officials and presidential historians, Dickerson packs the book with intriguing arcana and colorful quotes....This entertaining history rises above the political fray to cast even the most maligned chief executives in a new light.” (Publishers Weekly)

“This is a wonderful ‘inside’ look at the difficult act of being the president of the United States. It is told with grace and insight by a man who not only knows his subject - he understands it. This is a great gift to our sense of the actual presidency, a primer on leadership, and, of course, of necessity, a reflection on failure.” (Ken Burns, award-winning filmmaker)

Couldn’t wait for this book!

This is the perfect book for John Dickerson to write and to then narrate. The veteran CBS anchor and reporter has always been one of my favorite and trustworthy political commentators, and was pretty much the only reason I arose early on Sunday mornings, to catch him as the anchor of CBS’ Face the Nation.

In this book, Dickerson is unfettered from the balance he brings to his on-camera work; here, he is free to paint the full picture of what it’s like to be the president of the United States, the good, the bad and the covfefe.

Tracking how the presidency has changed over the centuries from a somewhat thankless and confusing leadership role, to the most celebrity laden, famous, sometimes infamous and even danger-filled occupations ever created, is a fun and fascinating track to watch.

What I loved and appreciated most is that although Dickerson could have taken this opportunity to really stick it to those presidents he doesn’t care for, and virtually canonize those he may have found more palatable. Instead he chooses to paint an extraordinarily full portrait. It’s a canvas of the construction and cooperation required by hundreds of support staff and systems to make the modern presidency operate smoothly, along with a fascinating exam of how those systems were developed over the years. The side trips into small details about how hundreds of facets of the office and it’s execution are managed in the White House and elsewhere are amazing, detailed and sometimes delightfully unexpected.

And from an audiobook narration talent perspective, Dickerson voices the book exactly as he presents himself on the air, with the solid authority and enthusiastic confidence of a network news person and the very familiar and oddly comforting news anchor sing-song. Far from distracting, it’s expected and supportive of the narrative.

And at no time do I have to worry about engaging a BS filter to separate Dickerson’s personal feelings from well-researched facts and history. For that, I am incredibly grateful, and it frees me to work less as a listener, and to simply sit back and enjoy the content.

This is an amazing book, written and narrated by (thankfully) one of the most intelligent and generously balanced commentators of our overloaded media-laden era.

John Dickerson is a gem

This book was engaging from start to finish. Very timely and astute observations. Fascinating to hear what he said about Trump before the events of last week. Heard stories and quotes from other presidents that are not standard rehashing of old info. Well researched.

ENLIGHTENING

struggled to finish it but it was very informative. I love John Dickinson awesome dedication.

A must-read to understand the urgency of selecting leaders

I was already a big John Dickerson fan from his podcast “The Political Gabfest” and listening to this book reinforced that he is a) well-informed, b) well-researched and c) non-partisan. If you’re looking for a book that just dumps on the Trump presidency, you won’t find that here. What you will find is well-reasoned arguments why we have set up to fail any person seeking the highest office in the land. And a call to readers to do everything they can to make the person occupying the hardest job in the world work in ours, and the country’s, best interests.

History storytelling at its BEST!

Loved it even more.. the second time around. May have to enjoy it a third time!

Real insight into the Presidency’s various holders.

This is at once both an historical and personal look at the office and incredibly is also humorous.and filled with anecdotal stories, You will certainly gain a new appreciation for what our President deals with from day one and how the office has changed and grown ,

An Excellent Analysis of the U.S Presidency

Want to read an engaging analysis of the U.S. presidency?

The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency, by John Dickerson, will give you just that.

John Dickerson understands White House responsibilities and politics. He is a long-time CBS correspondent who has worn many hats. He was also a political reporter at Time magazine for 12 years, the last four years as its White House correspondent.

This book is not a referendum on any one president. The Hardest Job in the World explains exactly why the U.S. presidency is so difficult. It gives many illustrations that explain the presidencies’ difficulties and how different presidents have responded to extremely difficult situations. It also analyzes what the presidency does well and not so well.

The book also gives a historical perspective on how the presidency has morphed into what it is today and calls on Congress to do the job its members have been elected to do.

It ends with suggestions on how the presidency could be updated to serve in our modern world.

If you want to know more about the presidency and how we the people can make it even better, then listen to this audiobook.

An even-handed take.

Far be it from me to insist on eating your vegetables in order to better yourself. And while there is plenty of opinions to go around, John Dickerson gets sets the tone correct in this book. By illuminating our history and how the presidency has evolved over the span of the lifetime of this great experiment, he gives perspective and a point of view that is lacking in 90% of the general media. I confess that I have enjoyed Dickerson's work for many years, but he really out does himself in the thoughtfulness and laying out the cause and effect of history. And it's interesting at the same time. Reading this book is one way to develop opinions based on facts and history, rather than self-confidence regardless of facts and social well being.

Exceptional Look at the American Presidency

John Dickerson has done it again. He continues to amaze me with his journalistic research on topics of great interest to the citizens of America. His application of historic events to lay the foundation for evaluation of our current situation is exceptional. He reads his own work, so you have the added benefit of his expressions at areas that he feels needs that emphasis. I have been a long time fan of John Dickerson and this work only adds to by deep admiration of him as a journalist. Thanks John for all your professional work.

Captivating Consideration

Incredible book! Loved it! For those who love political history this was a fantastic view into the job and all its occupants. John Dickerson’s narration was fast paced and full of enthusiasm, great for a brisk walk but not as much for winding down before bed as your gears will be turning to consider The Hardest Job in the World.