Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989

Michael Beschloss examines key, historic moments in the lives of George Washington, John Adams, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, TR Roosevelt, FD Roosevelt, H. Truman, JFK, and Ronald Reagan when these men made courageous decisions, in spite of the political or personal risks, that were in the best interest of our country and world. These historic accounts reveal the strong character, and the human side, of these men in the face of the challenges presidents face. Interestingly, the challenges that these men faced, both in the domestic and foreign arenas (including polarized congresses and electorates), seem quite relevant. This book is a must read for politicians, as well as others who are interested in learning about how presidential decisions have influenced the course of American history. My only complaint is that this recording is abridged.

The writing is choppy. The reading uninspired.

Liked both print and audio of book.

Learning that elected officials can make hard decisions even when it's not politically wise.

His tone was easy to follow and he unfolded each story well.

Teddy Roosevelt's presidency was very interesting since he was a Republican with Democratic principles.

Since I was scheduled to lead a bookclub meeting on this book, I read the book first and then listened to the book. The actions taken by the presidents cited in the book provided great bookclub discussion. We also reviewed what other bold moves these same presidents made that were not included in the book and what other presidents during the same 200 years did that were not included. There were several general themes in the examples given in the book with the most obvious being that politics have not changed since Washington's time. Another theme that evolved was that many of the presidents did not necessarily initially support the actions they took but eventually saw that the country would benefit from the unpopular decision.

It was aggravating, to listen to. I have the book by him as well and wanted to follow along, that was impossible! He skips paragraphs and leaves tons out of the reading. Do not recommend!!!