THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY

A young readers’ version of Goodwin’s Leadership (2018), adapted by Shamir, that also incorporates material from no fewer than six of Goodwin’s previous works.

This volume looks at the lives of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson and tries to explain how they grew up to become president. Each subject has one chapter devoted to his childhood, one to his presidency, and four to the time in between. Goodwin shows the traits each shared—primarily, persistence and a remarkable ability to communicate their ideas to their fellow humans—and the obstacles—poverty, illness, death of loved ones—that each overcame. Along the way, sidebars offer additional information on topics such as the political parties in Lincoln’s day, the definition of a filibuster, and the contributions of gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. While never muckraking, Goodwin nevertheless carefully explains each man’s limitations, noting Lincoln’s desire to send newly emancipated Black Americans overseas and Roosevelt’s internment of Japanese Americans and failure to allow Jewish refugees to enter the U.S. This is a composed, readable, and detailed account that offers some insight into the qualities leaders are born with and the qualities they develop through sheer hard work. Final art not seen.

A solid exploration of the path from childhood to presidency.