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Ronald Reagan today is a conservative icon, celebrated for transforming the American domestic agenda and playing a crucial part in ending communism in the Soviet Union. In his masterful new biography, H. W. Brands argues that Reagan, along with FDR, was the most consequential president of the 20th century. Reagan took office at a time when the public sector, after a half century of New Deal liberalism, was widely perceived as bloated and inefficient, an impediment to personal liberty.
Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were the greatest leaders of "the Greatest Generation." Jon Meacham explores the fascinating relationship between the two men who piloted the free world to victory in World War II. It was a crucial friendship, and a unique one: a president and a prime minister spending enormous amounts of time together and exchanging nearly two thousand messages.
Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, Andrew Jackson was an orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy. Jackson's election in 1828 ushered in a new and lasting era in which the people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics. Democracy made its stand in the Jackson years, and he gave voice to the hopes and the fears of a restless, changing nation facing challenging times at home and threats abroad.
In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion and Franklin and Winston brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era. Philosophers think; politicians maneuver. Jefferson’s genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power.
Richard Nixon opens with young navy lieutenant "Nick" Nixon returning from the Pacific and setting his cap at Congress, an idealistic dreamer seeking to build a better world. Yet amid the turns of that now legendary 1946 campaign, Nixon's finer attributes quickly gave way to unapologetic ruthlessness. It is a stunning overture to John A. Farrell's magisterial portrait of a man who embodied postwar American cynicism.
In American Gospel (literally meaning the "good news about America"), New York Times best-selling author Jon Meacham sets the record straight on the history of religion in American public life. As Meacham shows, faith, meaning a belief in a higher power, and the sense that we are God's chosen, has always been at the heart of our national experience, from Jamestown to the Constitutional Convention to the Civil Rights Movement to September 11th.
Ronald Reagan today is a conservative icon, celebrated for transforming the American domestic agenda and playing a crucial part in ending communism in the Soviet Union. In his masterful new biography, H. W. Brands argues that Reagan, along with FDR, was the most consequential president of the 20th century. Reagan took office at a time when the public sector, after a half century of New Deal liberalism, was widely perceived as bloated and inefficient, an impediment to personal liberty.
Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were the greatest leaders of "the Greatest Generation." Jon Meacham explores the fascinating relationship between the two men who piloted the free world to victory in World War II. It was a crucial friendship, and a unique one: a president and a prime minister spending enormous amounts of time together and exchanging nearly two thousand messages.
Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, Andrew Jackson was an orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy. Jackson's election in 1828 ushered in a new and lasting era in which the people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics. Democracy made its stand in the Jackson years, and he gave voice to the hopes and the fears of a restless, changing nation facing challenging times at home and threats abroad.
In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion and Franklin and Winston brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era. Philosophers think; politicians maneuver. Jefferson’s genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power.
Richard Nixon opens with young navy lieutenant "Nick" Nixon returning from the Pacific and setting his cap at Congress, an idealistic dreamer seeking to build a better world. Yet amid the turns of that now legendary 1946 campaign, Nixon's finer attributes quickly gave way to unapologetic ruthlessness. It is a stunning overture to John A. Farrell's magisterial portrait of a man who embodied postwar American cynicism.
In American Gospel (literally meaning the "good news about America"), New York Times best-selling author Jon Meacham sets the record straight on the history of religion in American public life. As Meacham shows, faith, meaning a belief in a higher power, and the sense that we are God's chosen, has always been at the heart of our national experience, from Jamestown to the Constitutional Convention to the Civil Rights Movement to September 11th.
In Bush, Jean Edward Smith demonstrates that it was not Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, or Condoleezza Rice, but President Bush himself who took personal control of foreign policy. Bush drew on his deep religious conviction that important foreign-policy decisions were simply a matter of good versus evil. Domestically, he overreacted to 9/11 and endangered Americans' civil liberties.
In this balanced, illuminating audiobook, Updegrove tells the story of the Bushes' relationship from the birth of George W. through their postpresidential years and Jeb Bush's failed candidacy. Drawing on exclusive access and interviews with both presidents and the key people in their lives, Updegrove reveals the Bushes' views on the current state of the nation and the GOP and how the party they both led and helped build is undergoing a radical transformation.
Doris Kearns Goodwin's classic life of Lyndon Johnson, who presided over the Great Society, the Vietnam War, and other defining moments in the tumultuous 1960s, is a monument in political biography. From the moment the author, then a young woman from Harvard, first encountered President Johnson at a White House dance in the spring of 1967, she became fascinated by the man - his character, his enormous energy and drive, and his manner of wielding these gifts in an endless pursuit of power.
Prize-winning historian Glen Jeansonne delves into the life of our most misunderstood president, offering up a surprising new portrait of Herbert Hoover - dismissing previous assumptions and revealing a political Progressive in the mold of Theodore Roosevelt and the most resourceful American since Benjamin Franklin.
Ulysses S. Grant's life has typically been misunderstood. All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and an inept businessman or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War. But these stereotypes don't come close to capturing him, as Chernow sows in his masterful biography, the first to provide a complete understanding of the general and president whose fortunes rose and fell with dizzying speed and frequency.
What do Dick Cheney and Rahm Emanuel have in common? Aside from polarizing personalities, both served as chief of staff to the president of the United States - as did Donald Rumsfeld, Leon Panetta, and a relative handful of others. The chiefs of staff, often referred to as "the gatekeepers", wield tremendous power in Washington and beyond; they decide who is allowed to see the president, negotiate with Congress to push POTUS' agenda, and - most crucially - enjoy unparalleled access to the leader of the free world.
Decision Points is the extraordinary memoir of America's 43rd president. Shattering the conventions of political autobiography, George W. Bush offers a strikingly candid journey through the defining decisions of his life.
Author of the best-seller FDR, Jean Edward Smith is a master of the presidential biography. Setting his sights on Dwight D. Eisenhower, Smith delivers a rich account of Eisenhower’s life using previously untapped primary sources. From the military service in WWII that launched his career to the shrewd political decisions that kept America out of wars with the Soviet Union and China, Smith reveals a man who never faltered in his dedication to serving America, whether in times of war or peace.
President Bill Clinton's My Life is the strikingly candid portrait of a global leader who decided early in life to devote his intellectual and political gifts, and his extraordinary capacity for hard work, to serving the public. It shows us the progress of a remarkable American who, through his own enormous energies and efforts, made the unlikely journey from Hope, Arkansas, to the White House - a journey fueled by an impassioned interest in the political process that manifested itself at every stage of his life.
When Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985, the USSR was one of the world's two superpowers. By 1989, his liberal policies of perestroika and glasnost had permanently transformed Soviet Communism and had made enemies of radicals on the right and left. By 1990 he, more than anyone else, had ended the Cold War, and in 1991, after barely escaping from a coup attempt, he unintentionally presided over the collapse of the Soviet Union he had tried to save.
Hailed by critics as an American masterpiece, David McCullough's sweeping biography of Harry S. Truman captured the heart of the nation. The life and times of the 33rd president of the United States, Truman provides a deeply moving look at an extraordinary, singular American.
A major new biography of the Civil War general and American president, by the author of the New York Times bestseller A. Lincoln. The dramatic story of one of America's greatest and most misunderstood military leaders and presidents, this is a major new interpretation of Ulysses S. Grant. Based on seven years of research with primary documents, some of them never tapped before, this is destined to become the Grant biography of our times.
From Pulitzer Prize winner and number-one New York Times best-selling author Jon Meacham comes a sweeping yet intimate biography of George H. W. Bush. Based on rigorous research, hours of private interviews, and extraordinary access to Bush's diaries and to his family, Destiny and Power paints a vivid and affecting portrait of the distinctive American life of a man from the Greatest Generation: his childhood in Connecticut, his heroic service in World War II, his entry into the Texas oil business, and his storied rise in politics from congressman to UN ambassador to head of the CIA to 41st president of the United States.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Destiny and Power?
It was most interesting seeing all the politicians of the time (from Kennedy through Rumsfeld, and Regan) through his perceptions.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No. Too long.
Any additional comments?
I'm not American, and don't have a political leaning toward either party. I thought the book a touching and humanizing read on GHWB and his family. He is an old style gentleman, and this comes through clearly. He had little stomach for the polarized nature of his party and most particularly for the far right. He seemed disappointed in a swing to the far right by Dick Cheney (who had served as GHWB's own secretary of defense - something I had forgotten). He also felt that as VP under GWB, Cheney was given too much power and autonomy. GHWB was loyal, dedicated, and tried to do what was right for his country and president(s), but he certainly made mistakes and missteps and I don't think this was glossed over. He is just a genuinely nice man. It was a very interesting read.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
A courageous and confident man who has willingly opened up his core self to examination in a brave, unvarnished & unique way into the real man, his values, beliefs, and actions.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
George H. W. Bush is one of the few presidents that did not write his autobiography after leaving office. Jon Meacham has produced the “official biography” on H.W. Bush. I have read a number of Meacham’s books including “American Lion” which won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize.
Meacham did extensive research for the book and was allowed access to Bush’s diaries and numerous interviews with family and friends. Needless to say he also had access to the presidential papers and other archive materials.
Bush 41 comes across as an ambitious and emotional man, which is different from the aloof and polished figure we normally see. Meacham also reveals him to be a witty observer of other people’s quirks. Bush 41 was raised in privilege but did service to the country in World War II and as an elected official. The book covers his life from birth to the current date. I found the last quarter of the book the most interesting.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. Meacham comes off neutral and lacking ideological fervor that allows him to paint a picture of Bush that is new. The book does have an affectionate feel for Bush, but Meacham has a judicious balanced approach to the material. The book also provides quite a bit of new information that makes the book well worth the read.
The book is long at 800 pages or 25 hours. Paul Michael does a good job narrating the book.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful
I did not vote for President George Herbert Walker Bush. I did have the pleasure of meeting him years ago. President Bush is as he appears. Kind, caring, sensitive and just plain old nice! He has integrity, honors his word and above all, he is a gentleman.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
Held my attention the whole way through. Gave me a new appreciation for a president i already respected a lot. Came across like a real hagiography though.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Love the character theme the author chose and that he doesn't shy away from strengths and failures
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Who was your favorite character and why?
George H.W. Bush
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The way he describes his post presidential life.
Any additional comments?
President Bush has lived an amazing life spanning World War II, the Gulf War and the fall of communism. Through it all he has been a steady presence when it was needed. There are too few like him.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Would you consider the audio edition of Destiny and Power to be better than the print version?
cannot say
What did you like best about this story?
The reminder of things that have been forgotten
What does Paul Michael bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
an American voice
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
A time when when one could love a Republican president
Any additional comments?
all democrats and many republicans should listen to this book to remind themselves of a time when politics did not descend to comments on an opponents bathroom breaks
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I loved this book and the performance. The one criticism I would level is that the author is a definite Bush apologist. Sometimes that helps you better understand Bush, but sometimes it's a little pandering. Overall it's one of my favorite books I've read this year.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I love all Meachum books. This one covers the life of an incredible individual who is part of an incredible family. Put your politics aside and get ready to learn how fortunate our country was to have him serve. I had reservations about him and the job he did. Those reservations are no more.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Would you listen to Destiny and Power again? Why?
yes Meacham has written a brilliant book that is both highly informative and easy to listen to.
Who was your favorite character and why?
George H.W Bush, he emerges as a far more interesting and complicated man than his public image would suggest.
Have you listened to any of Paul Michael’s other performances? How does this one compare?
The narration is excellent, very impressed with the reading.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Ambition, Power and tragedy
Any additional comments?
This is a book I was really looking forward too and it did not disappoint. Well written and full of wonderful insights. Brilliant