by Michael Beschloss.
The author, Presidential historian Michael Beschloss, appears regularly as an invited guest on NBC/MSNBC and other networks to comment on recent news, particularly those associated with the recent decision/action of the current US President. His on-camera comments are usually precise, scholarly, and to the point. In “Presidential Courage”, the author wrote about “Brave Leaders and How They Changed America”, in the period 1789-1989. In these two hundred years, there were 39 US Presidents. However, only the stories of nine of them were chosen. They are: George Washington, John Adams, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan. This leaves the reader to wonder whether there was presidential courage in the others. For each of the nine Presidents, the author chose a decision/action which significantly changed the nation. For some Presidents, there were more than one such actions and it was not easy to decide on one. For example, in the case of President Truman, momentous decisions included the use of atomic bomb on Japan, entering the Korean War, firing General Douglas MacArthur, in addition to recognizing the newly formed State of Israel, which was the one chosen by the author. The background and relevant events surrounding the chosen decisions/actions were described in meticulous detail. In doing so, it also explained why these actions were courageous. Since its focus is specific, it is not a history book in the traditional sense. The reader will not read about major historical events such as the New Deal, attack on Pearl Harbor, setting the goal to land humans on the moon, Bay of Pigs invasion, etc. Nevertheless, this reader has learned a host of interesting items that he did not know before. Some examples: Eddie Jacobson, longtime friend of Harry Truman since 1905, played a significant role in President Truman’s decision to recognize Israel, which was opposed by Secretary of State General George Marshall ; JFK was lukewarm about Civil Rights until 1963; JFK’s assassination helped the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964; Reagan literally believed in Armageddon as described in the Bible. The account of the relationship between Reagan and Gorbachev, evolving from adversaries to friends, is fascinating. Concerning the writing style, there are 38 chapters in the book, most of which are short. The longest chapter is 15 pages and several have only 5 pages. The author is also fond of short paragraphs consisting of one to three sentences. In a typical page, there are nine or ten of such short paragraphs. Occasionally, the subjects of two adjacent short paragraphs seem to be unrelated. This style may be appealing to some but not to all readers. In summary, a valuable source of information and an interesting account on the influential actions of nine US Presidents that have significant impact on America.
General Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans (Source: Wikipedia)
Colonel Roosevelt and his Rough Riders in 1898 (Source: Wikipedia)
President Kennedy signs the Proclamation for Interdiction of the Delivery of Offensive Weapons to Cuba, October 23,1962 (Source: Wikipedia)
Challenging Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, June 12, 1987 (Source: Wikipedia)
Link of review in amazon.com.
placed 2nd among 340 ratings as of 4/4/23
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