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The showman: Inside the invasion that shook the world and made a leader of volodymyr zelensky
Par Simon Shuster. 2024
Acclaimed journalist Simon Shuster gives us the first inside account of the Russian invasion of Ukraine from the perspective of…
President Volodymyr Zelensky and his team, who granted him unprecedented access. Time correspondent Simon Shuster chronicles the life and wartime leadership of Volodymyr Zelensky from the dressing rooms of his variety show in Ukraine to the muddy trenches of his war with Russia. Based on four years of reporting; extensive travels with President Zelensky to the front; and dozens of interviews with him, his wife, his friends and enemies, his advisers, ministers and military commanders, The Showman tells an intimate and eye-opening story of the President's evolution from a slapstick actor to a symbol of resilience, revealing how he managed to rally the world's democracies behind his cause. The book's early chapters offer the first detailed account of Zelensky's life in a nuclear bunker in the opening weeks of the invasion and the circumstances of his wife's escape to safety with their children. Later, as the Russians retreat from Kyiv, we see Zelensky and his team emerge from the bunker and lead Ukraine in a series of crucial victories. The result is a riveting, up-close picture of the invasion as experienced by its number one target and improbable hero. Clear-eyed about the President's early failures as a peacemaker and his willingness to silence political dissent, the book offers a complex picture of a man struggling to break what he sees as a historical cycle of oppression that began generations before he was born. Even as the war drags on, Zelensky lays out his vision for its future course and, through his actions, demonstrates his strategy for countering the Russians and keeping the West on his side. The Showman, as a work of eyewitness journalism, provides an essential perspective on the war defining our age. As a study in leadership and human resolve, its appeal is timeless and universal. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobookOutspoken: My Fight for Freedom and Human Rights in Afghanistan
Par Sima Samar. 2024
The impassioned memoir of Afghanistan's Sima Samar: medical doctor, public official, founder of schools and hospitals, thorn in the side…
of the Taliban, nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, and lifelong advocate for girls and women."I have three strikes against me. I’m a woman, I speak out for women, and I’m Hazara, the most persecuted ethnic group in Afghanistan."Dr. Sima Samar has been fighting for equality and justice for most of her life. Born into a polygamous family, she learned early that girls had inferior status, and she had to agree to an arranged marriage if she wanted to go to university. By the time she was in medical school, she had a son, Ali, and had become a revolutionary. After her husband was disappeared by the pro-Russian regime, she escaped. With her son and medical degree, she took off into the rural areas—by horseback, by donkey, even on foot—to treat people who had never had medical help before.Sima Samar's wide-ranging experiences both in her home country and on the world stage have given her inside access to the dishonesty, the collusion, the corruption, the self-serving leaders, and the hijacking of religion. And as a former Vice President, she knows all the players in this chess game called Afghanistan. With stories that are at times poignant, at times terrifying, inspiring as well as disheartening, Sima provides an unparalleled view of Afghanistan’s past and its present. Despite being in grave personal danger for many years, she has worked tirelessly for the dream she is convinced is an achievable one: justice and full human rights for all the citizens of her country.John Turner: An Intimate Biography of Canada's 17th Prime Minister
Par Steve Paikin. 2022
In this masterful and engaging biography, acclaimed journalist Steve Paikin brings to life John Turner (1929-2020), one of the most…
glamorous and successful politicians in Canadian history. Born in England, raised in BC, Turner was a champion sprinter and a Rhodes scholar who captured the national imagination as escort for Princess Margaret on her 1959 Canadian tour. Elected to Parliament in 1962, he served in Prime Minister Lester Pearson's cabinet and as Pierre Trudeau's attorney general, minister of justice, and finance minister. In 1984, he won a hotly-contested Liberal leadership contest and served a brief four months as Canada's seventeenth prime minister before falling to Brian Mulroney in a Progressive Conservative landslide. In this surprisingly candid and personal book, Paikin draws on unprecedented access to Turner's personal and public papers to show how he struggled to meet the towering expectations that came with his abundant gifts, and keep his faith in Canadian democracy despite the challenges of his own careerThe Duel: Diefenbaker, Pearson and the Making of Modern Canada
Par John Ibbitson. 2023
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLEROne of Canada’s foremost authors and journalists, offers a gripping account of the contest between John Diefenbaker and…
Lester Pearson, two prime ministers who fought each other relentlessly, but who between them created today’s Canada. John Diefenbaker has been unfairly treated by history. Although he wrestled with personal demons, his governments launched major reforms in public health care, law reform and immigration. On his watch, First Nations on reserve obtained the right to vote and the federal government began to open up the North. He established Canada as a leader in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, and took the first steps in making Canada a leader in the fight against nuclear proliferation. And Diefenbaker’s Bill of Rights laid the groundwork for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He set in motion many of the achievements credited to his successor, Lester B. Pearson.Pearson, in turn, gave coherence to Diefenbaker’s piecemeal reforms. He also pushed Parliament to adopt a new, and now much-loved, Canadian flag against Diefenbaker’s fierce opposition. Pearson understood that if Canada were to be taken seriously as a nation, it must develop a stronger sense of self. Pearson was superbly prepared for the role of prime minister: decades of experience at External Affairs, respected by leaders from Washington to Delhi to Beijing, the only Canadian to win the Nobel Prize for Peace. Diefenbaker was the better politician, though. If Pearson walked with ease in the halls of power, Diefenbaker connected with the farmers and small-town merchants and others left outside the inner circles. Diefenbaker was one of the great orators of Canadian political life; Pearson spoke with a slight lisp. Diefenbaker was the first to get his name in the papers, as a crusading attorney: Diefenbaker for the Defence, champion of the little man. But he struggled as a politician, losing five elections before making it into the House of Commons, and becoming as estranged from the party elites as he was from the Liberals, until his ascension to the Progressive Conservative leadership in 1956 through a freakish political accident. As a young university professor, Pearson caught the attention of the powerful men who were shaping Canada’s first true department of foreign affairs, rising to prominence as the helpful fixer, the man both sides trusted, the embodiment of a new country that had earned its place through war in the counsels of the great powers: ambassador, undersecretary, minister, peacemaker. Everyone knew he was destined to be prime minister. But in 1957, destiny took a detour.Then they faced each other, Diefenbaker v Pearson, across the House of Commons, leaders of their parties, each determined to wrest and hold power, in a decade-long contest that would shake and shape the country. Here is a tale of two men, children of Victoria, who led Canada into the atomic age: each the product of his past, each more like the other than either would ever admit, fighting each other relentlessly while together forging the Canada we live in today. To understand our times, we must first understand theirs.Standing His Ground: The Inside Story of Ron Desantis's Rise and Battle for Freedom
Par Richard Corcoran. 2023
Contrary to what the mainstream media has claimed, Florida under Ron DeSantis has become the home for freedom and individual…
liberty.At the onset of the pandemic, political leaders throughout the country were forced to quickly make significant decisions about how they would govern under extraordinary circumstances. A number of these decisions simply required instinct—they just had to come from the gut. There was little, if any, precedent to examine, and hardly any time for the usual gambits to test potential solutions. One person became a household name and a national hero for having made what proved to be the best decisions over and over: Ron DeSantis, the 46th governor of Florida. However, not surprisingly, his success also begot wrath. A patriot to millions of everyday Americans is often a &“tyrant&” to progressive elites. Other than perhaps former President Donald Trump, DeSantis was and remains the most vilified elected official in media, politics, entertainment, academia, and now the corporate world. Conservatives know full well this means he hit the bullseye. Now that more than two years have passed, the American people are able to clearly see whose decisions struck the proper balance between liberty and safety. There&’s no denying that DeSantis&’s influence soared as the world watched him successfully steer his state step by step through one of the greatest periods of turmoil and uncertainty in modern history. While many other states floundered, Florida didn&’t just survive—it flourished.The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir
Par John Bolton. 2020
As President Trump&’s National Security Advisor, John Bolton spent many of his 453 days in the room where it happened,…
and the facts speak for themselves. The result is a White House memoir that is the most comprehensive and substantial account of the Trump Administration, and one of the few to date by a top-level official. With almost daily access to the President, John Bolton has produced a precise rendering of his days in and around the Oval Office. What Bolton saw astonished him: a President for whom getting reelected was the only thing that mattered, even if it meant endangering or weakening the nation. &“I am hard-pressed to identify any significant Trump decision during my tenure that wasn&’t driven by reelection calculations,&” he writes. In fact, he argues that the House committed impeachment malpractice by keeping its prosecution focused narrowly on Ukraine when Trump&’s Ukraine-like transgressions existed across the full range of his foreign policy—and Bolton documents exactly what those were, and attempts by him and others in the Administration to raise alarms about them. He shows a President addicted to chaos, who embraced our enemies and spurned our friends, and was deeply suspicious of his own government. In Bolton&’s telling, all this helped put Trump on the bizarre road to impeachment. &“The differences between this presidency and previous ones I had served were stunning,&” writes Bolton, who worked for Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43. He discovered a President who thought foreign policy is like closing a real estate deal—about personal relationships, made-for-TV showmanship, and advancing his own interests. As a result, the US lost an opportunity to confront its deepening threats, and in cases like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea ended up in a more vulnerable place. Bolton&’s account starts with his long march to the West Wing as Trump and others woo him for the National Security job. The minute he lands, he has to deal with Syria&’s chemical attack on the city of Douma, and the crises after that never stop. As he writes in the opening pages, &“If you don&’t like turmoil, uncertainty, and risk—all the while being constantly overwhelmed with information, decisions to be made, and sheer amount of work—and enlivened by international and domestic personality and ego conflicts beyond description, try something else.&” The turmoil, conflicts, and egos are all there—from the upheaval in Venezuela, to the erratic and manipulative moves of North Korea&’s Kim Jong Un, to the showdowns at the G7 summits, the calculated warmongering by Iran, the crazy plan to bring the Taliban to Camp David, and the placating of an authoritarian China that ultimately exposed the world to its lethal lies. But this seasoned public servant also has a great eye for the Washington inside game, and his story is full of wit and wry humor about how he saw it played.Daughter of Destiny: An Autobiography
Par Benazir Bhutto. 1953
Daughter of Destiny, the autobiography of Benazir Bhutto, is a historical document of uncommon passion and courage, the dramatic story…
of a brilliant, beautiful woman whose life was, up to her tragic assassination in 2007, inexorably tied to her nation's tumultuous history. Bhutto writes of growing up in a family of legendary wealth and near-mythic status, a family whose rich heritage survives in tales still passed from generation to generation. She describes her journey from this protected world onto the volatile stage of international politics through her education at Radcliffe and Oxford, the sudden coup that plunged her family into a prolonged nightmare of threats and torture, her father's assassination by General Zia ul-Haq in 1979, and her grueling experience as a political prisoner in solitary confinement. With candor and courage, Benazir Bhutto recounts her triumphant political rise from her return to Pakistan from exile in 1986 through the extraordinary events of 1988: the mysterious death of Zia; her party's long struggle to ensure free elections; and finally, the stunning mandate that propelled her overnight into the ranks of the world's most powerful, influential leaders.Hitler at Home
Par Despina Stratigakos. 2015
A look at Adolf Hitler&’s residences and their role in constructing and promoting the dictator&’s private persona both within Germany…
and abroad. Adolf Hitler&’s makeover from rabble-rouser to statesman coincided with a series of dramatic home renovations he undertook during the mid-1930s. This provocative book exposes the dictator&’s preoccupation with his private persona, which was shaped by the aesthetic and ideological management of his domestic architecture. Hitler&’s bachelor life stirred rumors, and the Nazi regime relied on the dictator&’s three dwellings—the Old Chancellery in Berlin, his apartment in Munich, and the Berghof, his mountain home on the Obersalzberg—to foster the myth of the Führer as a morally upstanding and refined man. Author Despina Stratigakos also reveals the previously untold story of Hitler&’s interior designer, Gerdy Troost, through newly discovered archival sources. At the height of the Third Reich, media outlets around the world showcased Hitler&’s homes to audiences eager for behind-the-scenes stories. After the war, fascination with Hitler&’s domestic life continued as soldiers and journalists searched his dwellings for insights into his psychology. The book&’s rich illustrations, many previously unpublished, offer readers a rare glimpse into the decisions involved in the making of Hitler&’s homes and into the sheer power of the propaganda that influenced how the world saw him.&“Inarguably the powder-keg title of the year.&”—Mitchell Owen, Architectural Digest&“A fascinating read, which reminds us that in Nazi Germany the architectural and the political can never be disentangled. Like his own confected image, Hitler&’s buildings cannot be divorced from their odious political hinterland.&”—Roger Moorhouse, TimesDK Life Stories: Nelson Mandela (DK Life Stories)
Par Stephen Krensky. 2019
In this kids biography, discover the inspiring story of Nelson Mandela, who became the first black president of South Africa…
after spending 27 years in prison.In 1964, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to a lifetime in jail. His crime? Attempting to overthrow a government that openly discriminated against its black citizens. After spending 27 years behind bars, Mandela was released, allowing him to continue his struggle for equality in South Africa--and to become the country's first black president. In this biography book for kids ages 8-11, learn all about Mandela's incredible life, his fight against apartheid, and how he helped bring peace to his nation.This new biography series from DK goes beyond the basic facts to tell the true life stories of history's most interesting people. Full-color photographs and hand-drawn illustrations complement thoughtfully written, age-appropriate text to create an engaging book children will enjoy reading. Definition boxes, information sidebars, maps, inspiring quotes, and other nonfiction text features add depth, and a handy reference section at the back makes this the one biography series every teacher and librarian will want to collect. Each book also includes an author's introduction letter, a glossary, and an index.Explore the lives of America's 45 presidents, as well as notable first ladies, famous speeches, and major constitutional events, with…
this visual reference guide to the leaders of the United States.From George Washington to Donald Trump, The Presidents Visual Encyclopedia presents a unique insight into life in the White House. More than 150 easy-to-read entries cover the presidents, first ladies, the Louisiana Purchase, the Gettysburg Address, and more, and over 200 fascinating photographs add to kids' knowledge of these leaders and the key moments that defined their time in office.Created in association with the Smithsonian Institution, The Presidents Visual Encyclopedia is the perfect one-stop reference guide, teaching kids all they need to know about the history of the United States and the remarkable impact our country has had on the rest of the world.Eyewitness Presidents (DK Eyewitness)
Par Dk. 2021
An informative and visual guide to America's highest office, this DK Eyewitness book explores the history of the White House…
and the presidents who have served in it.Written in association with the Smithsonian Institution, this beautiful visual reference book provides mini-biographies and trivia for budding historians, along with hundreds of photos that illustrate the lives of Presidents that shaped American history.Students and teachers alike will find intriguing facts in this comprehensive history book. Each president's feature starts with their early lives and takes the reader through their political careers. Discover how they came into office and what happened after they won their presidential elections. Be an eyewitness to the history of the inhabitants of the White House through full-color photographs of famous paintings, campaign memorabilia, handwritten letters, and even historical artifacts belonging to each President.As the first person to be called the President of the United States, George Washington helped unite the colonies and win independence from King George of Great Britain. Learn about his revolutionary leadership and the forging of the Constitution. Discover how Abraham Lincoln saved the Union from the American Civil War, and how Thomas Jefferson doubled the size of the nation with the Louisiana Purchase.The book includes a section of presidential speeches such as John F. Kennedy&’s inaugural address and Ronald Reagan's Evil Empire speech. Read about other 20th century presidents such George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and the first Black president Barack Obama. This new edition introduces America&’s newest Commander-in-chief Joe Biden.The History of the US Presidents From George Washington to Joe BidenDK Eyewitness Books: Presidents uses a unique integrated format with text and pictures to give insight into the lives of the men that have held the highest position in the USA. Eyewitness educational books are a favorite for school-aged students, parents, and teachers alike.Inside this fascinating visual reference book: • Includes a feature on every American President in history - right up to Joe Biden • Presidential facts and trivia in bite-sized information that is easy to follow for younger readers • Hundreds of photos of famous artworks, historical artifacts, and handwritten letters • Includes a section on some of history's famous American political speeches More from DK Books:For more interesting facts about American Presidents look for DK Books The Presidents Visual Encyclopedia. If you enjoy DK Eyewitness Books: Presidents there are over 170 Eyewitness titles to choose from, covering a large variety of topics. For more history reference books DK Eyewitness: Victorians, DK Eyewitness: Aztec, and DK Eyewitness: World War I - just a few of the titles available.DK Life Stories: Alexander Hamilton (DK Life Stories)
Par James Buckley. 2019
In this kids' biography, discover the amazing life story of Alexander Hamilton, Founding Father of the United States whose work…
as an American statesman and strong personality made him an icon of history and popular culture.Alexander Hamilton is known not only for his political brilliance, but also for his strong principles and astonishing achievements. In this biography for kids 8-12, read about how, from humble beginnings as an orphan, Hamilton defied all the odds and made a lasting name for himself in many arenas, including politics, finance, and the military. DK Life Stories go beyond the basic facts to tell the true life stories of history's most interesting people. Full-color photographs and hand-drawn illustrations complement thoughtfully written, age-appropriate text to create an engaging book children will enjoy reading. Definition boxes, information sidebars, fun facts, maps, inspiring quotes, and other nonfiction text features add depth, and a handy reference section at the back makes this series perfect for school reports and projects. Each book also includes an author's introduction letter, a glossary, and an index.DK Life Stories Barack Obama: Amazing People Who Have Shaped Our World (DK Life Stories)
Par Stephen Krensky. 2022
Discover the incredible life story of Barack Obama, who became the first African American president of the USA.This popular biography…
series from DK goes beyond the basic facts, to share with children the true life stories of history&’s most interesting and inspiring people. Young readers can enjoy learning all about Barack Obama, famous for his meteoric rise to the presidency of the most powerful country in the world – the USA. Follow the story of how Obama realized his dreams – a story of success, resilience, and perseverance, to become one of the most admired leaders the world has ever seen. Discover Barack&’s fight against racial and social injustices, hardships and setbacks in his early career, and his personal happiness when marrying Michelle. Colorful photographs and beautiful hand-drawn illustrations go alongside exciting text to create an engaging book that children will immerse themselves in. Learn about Barack Obama in this biography for children ages 8+, featuring:- Obama&’s tale chapter by chapter, unveiling not just the facts, but also what he was thinking and feeling in his own words- 12 narrative chapters, plus full-page quotes and photo galleries scattered throughout the book, keeping reluctant readers engaged- Full-color photographs and hand-drawn illustrations, along with maps, quotes, and a reference section, a timeline of Barack&’s life, a quiz, and a glossary of key terms- An educational biography that&’s part of the collectible Life Stories series- Part of the fascinating Life Stories biography collection, this series is about amazing people who have shaped our world, that children aged 8 and upwards will enjoy collecting.Children can learn all about Barack Obama&’s remarkable journey, from his unsettled early childhood, through to his struggle to find a meaningful first job as a young man in this gripping true life story to inspire young readers.From George Washington to George W. In the course of the 2008 presidential campaigns, Americans became involved in the political…
process at a level rarely seen in modern history. But even before the historic race, George W. Bush's tenure had left many Americans wondering how we got to where we are today. The Complete Idiot's Guide® to the American Presidency takes readers from the first president to the one who just stepped down-exploring the legacies of the greatest leaders and the black marks against others, and showing the ways in which they left their stamp on both the nation and the presidency itself.• Written by the author of the highly successful The Complete Idiot's Guide® to American History, Fifth Edition• Appendices that list the presidents and their vice presidents, the presidential elections, and further readingStalin: New Biography of a Dictator (The yale-hoover Series On Authoritarian Regimes Ser.)
Par Oleg V. Khlevniuk. 2015
An engrossing biography of the notorious Russian dictator by an author whose knowledge of Soviet-era archives far surpasses all others.Josef…
Stalin exercised supreme power in the Soviet Union from 1929 until his death in 1953. During that quarter-century, by Oleg Khlevniuk&’s estimate, he caused the imprisonment and execution of no fewer than a million Soviet citizens per year. Millions more were victims of famine directly resulting from Stalin&’s policies. What drove him toward such ruthlessness? This essential biography offers an unprecedented, fine-grained portrait of Stalin the man and dictator. Without mythologizing Stalin as either benevolent or an evil genius, Khlevniuk resolves numerous controversies about specific events in the dictator&’s life while assembling many hundreds of previously unknown letters, memos, reports, and diaries into a comprehensive, compelling narrative of a life that altered the course of world history. In brief, revealing prologues to each chapter, Khlevniuk takes his reader into Stalin&’s favorite dacha, where the innermost circle of Soviet leadership gathered as their vozhd lay dying. Chronological chapters then illuminate major themes: Stalin&’s childhood, his involvement in the Revolution and the early Bolshevik government under Lenin, his assumption of undivided power and mandate for industrialization and collectivization, the Terror, World War II, and the postwar period. At the book&’s conclusion, the author presents a cogent warning against nostalgia for the Stalinist era. &“This brilliant, authoritative, opinionated biography ranks as the best on Stalin in any language.&”—Martin McCauley East-West Review&“A historiographical and literary masterpiece.&”—Mark Edele, Australian Book Review&“A very digestible biography, yet one packed with revelations.&”—Paul E. Richardson, Russian Life MagazineChurchill's American Network: Winston Churchill and the Forging of the Special Relationship
Par Cita Stelzer. 2024
A revelatory portrait showing how the famed British statesman created a network of American colleagues and friends who helped push…
our foreign policy in Britain&’s favor during World War IIWinston Churchill was the consummate networker. Using newly discovered documents and archives, Churchill&’s American Network reveals how the famed British politician found a network of American men and women who would push American foreign policy in Britain&’s direction during World War II—while at the same time producing lucrative speaking fees to support his lavish lifestyle. Stelzer has gathered contemporary local newspaper reports of Churchill&’s lecture tours in many American cities, as well as interactions with leaders of local American communities—what he said in public, what he said at private meetings, how he comported himself. Readers observe Churchill as he is escorted by an armed Scotland Yard detective, aided by local police when Indian nationalists threaten to assassinate him, while he travels in deluxe private rail cars provided by wealthy members of his network; and as he recovers from a near-death automobile crash—with the help of liquor prescribed by a friendly doctor with no use for Prohibition. The links in Churchill&’s network include some of fascinating American figures: the millionaire financier Bernard Baruch; the railroad magnate, Averell Harriman, who became an FDR-Churchill go-between; media moguls William Randolph Hearst (and wife and mistress); Robert R. McCormick—who attacked Churchill&’s policies but enjoyed his company—and Charles Luce, who made him TIME&’s Man of the Year and later Man of the Century; and bit players such as Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin, and David Niven. It is no accident that Churchill was able to put these links together into an important network that served to his, and Britain&’s, advantage. He worked at it relentlessly, remaining in close contact with his American friends by letter, signed copies of his many books, and by attending to their needs when they were in Britain. Many of these colleagues were invited to dinners at Chartwell and, later, Downing Street. Perhaps most importantly, Churchill&’s network of American allies had Franklin Roosevelt&’s ear while the president was deciding how to overcome opposition in congress to helping Britain take on the threat from Germany.The Lenin Scenario
Par Tariq Ali. 2024
The revolutionary world leader&’s extraordinary life, published for the centenary of Lenin&’s deathCommissioned by Oliver Stone in 2015 to commemorate…
the Russian Revolution, Tariq Ali&’s captivating screenplay of the life and times of Vladimir Lenin puts flesh on the bones of the historical record and gets its pulse racing. From the author of The Dilemmas of Lenin, the drama captures the enigma of its central character. Ali shows Lenin in his rush from Switzerland to Petrograd by train to grasp his moment in history and the force of his personality on the tumult he found there. He made a revolution and remade a nation. Interwoven with the politics is an exploration of Lenin&’s personal life, especially his love for Inessa Armand.In the introduction, Ali argues that, despite the difficulties, a serious cinematic assessment of Lenin is still needed. Unfortunately, two very different attempts to film one failed. This first draft provides the basis for something on a grander scale at some stage in the future.Praise for The Dilemmas of Lenin &‘Aims to rescue Lenin from both liberal caricature and Soviet hag- iography by recovering the realism and dynamism of his political thought&’ David Sessions, Nation&‘An incredibly powerful, panoramic, and insightful study of the central revolutionary figure of the twentieth century&’ Paul LeBlanc, author of Lenin and the Revolutionary PartyAre You Prepared for the Storm of Love Making?: Letters of Love and Lust from the White House
Par Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler. 2024
A delightful collection of love letters by American presidents to their wives—and lovers—revealing an intimate and deeply personal side of…
our leaders.Our presidents loom so large in history that we often forget they are human. Are You Prepared for the Storm of Love Making? is a collection of handwritten love letters that offers a surprising and intimate portrait of the men who occupied the White House. From George Washington to Barack Obama, these are not the presidents we see in history books. Instead, when they courted the women they wanted to marry, or seduced women outside of their marriage, they often showed a side the public did not see—playful, passionate, tender, consumed by desire. Some of the letters are incredibly romantic—and surprisingly so. It took Richard Nixon years to convince Pat Ryan to marry him: &“Someday let me see you again? In September? Maybe?&” Others will make you blush. Staid-looking Woodrow Wilson, about to return home from a trip, warned his wife of ten years: &“Do you think you can stand the unnumerable kisses and the passionate embraces you will receive? Are you prepared for the storm of lovemaking with which you will be assailed?&” In letters to one of his mistresses, Warren G. Harding referred to his penis as &“Jerry&”—letters which would later be used to blackmail him. All the letters show the writer at his most vulnerable. We see letters of sorrow written about the death of a child or during a time of separation while the president was away on the battlefield. This beautiful book is a captivating collection of love stories revealing a human side of the men we still honor today.Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment
Par Allen C. Guelzo. 2024
An intimate study of Abraham Lincoln&’s powerful vision of democracy, which guided him through the Civil War and is still…
relevant today—by a best-selling historian and three-time winner of the Lincoln Prize"It is altogether fitting and proper that, with this meditation on democracy and its most subtle defender, Allen Guelzo again demonstrates that he is today&’s most profound interpreter of this nation&’s history and significance." —George F. WillAbraham Lincoln grappled with the greatest crisis of democracy that has ever confronted the United States. While many books have been written about his temperament, judgment, and steady hand in guiding the country through the Civil War, we know less about Lincoln&’s penetrating ideas and beliefs about democracy, which were every bit as important as his character in sustaining him through the crisis.Allen C. Guelzo, one of America&’s foremost experts on Lincoln, captures the president&’s firmly held belief that democracy was the greatest political achievement in human history. He shows how Lincoln&’s deep commitment to the balance between majority and minority rule enabled him to stand firm against secession while also committing the Union to reconciliation rather than recrimination in the aftermath of war. In bringing his subject to life as a rigorous and visionary thinker, Guelzo assesses Lincoln&’s actions on civil liberties and his views on race, and explains why his vision for the role of government would have made him a pivotal president even if there had been no Civil War. Our Ancient Faith gives us a deeper understanding of this endlessly fascinating man and shows how his ideas are still sharp and relevant more than 150 years later.Lincoln's Legacy: Ethics and Politics
Par William Miller, Mark E. Neely Jr., Phillip S. Paludan, Mark Summers. 2007
The four new essays in Lincoln's Legacy describe major ethical problems that the sixteenth president navigated what can be learned…
from how he did so. The distinguished and award-winning Lincoln scholars William Miller, Mark E. Neely Jr., Phillip Shaw Paludan, and Mark Summers describe Lincoln’s attitudes and actions during encounters with questions of politics, law, constitutionalism, patronage, and democracy. The remarkably focused essays include an assessment of Lincoln's virtues in the presidency, the first study on Lincoln and patronage in more than a decade, a challenge to the cliché of Lincoln the democrat, and a study of habeas corpus, Lincoln, and state courts. On the eve of the bicentennial celebration of Lincoln’s birth, Lincoln’s Legacy highlights his enduring importance in contemporary conversations about law, politics, and democracy.