Presidential Courage is a brilliantly readable and inspiring saga about crucial times in American history when a courageous President dramatically changed our future. Like Beschloss’s previous book, The Conquerors, it was a New York Times bestseller for months.

With surprising new sources and a dazzling command of history and human character, Beschloss brings to life those flawed, complex men-and their wives, families, friends and foes. Never have we had a more intimate, behind-the-scenes view of Presidents coping with the supreme dilemmas of their lives. For Americans who must choose Presidents and assess them once they are elected, Presidential Courage sets a lasting standard by showing us the best in Presidential leadership.

Publishers Weekly

Don’t be afraid!” was George Washington’s near-to-last utterance, to the worried doctor at his bedside. The essential founding father’s counsel is understood by well-known historian Beschloss (The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler’s Germany) to set an example for future presidents. Beschloss outlines how several occupants of the Oval Office including Jackson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, FDR, Truman, Kennedy and Reagan combined courage with wisdom to change the future of the country, notwithstanding the slings and arrows they earned. Despite its unpopularity at the time, for instance, Reagan’s “strong beliefs combined with his optimism” led him to pursue the policy to abolish nuclear weapons, which helped bring down the Soviet empire peacefully. None of the author’s heroes were saints, but rather flawed men sustained by friends, families, conviction and religious faith. With contenders for 2008 already lining up, this well-timed book might, the author hopes, persuade some to take the kinds of “wise political risks that Presidents once did.”Perhaps. But knowledgeable readers should look elsewhere for genuine historical insight. The author’s broad brushstrokes necessarily restrict him to painting nuanced individuals and complex times in only basic primary colors, and there is little that has not been said before in some cases, many times. (May)

Publish Date : 2008