Dan
“The price of greatness is responsibility” I got introduced to Andrew Roberts Visa Vi his biography on Napoleon. I think that Roberts has an incredible way of simultaneously drawing upon characteristics of figures that influence generations while portraying them in such a human way that it makes me feel like I know them.
There is no better title than “Walking with Destiny” for Churchill. At the age of 16, he said “I have dreams about the future. The world is mine for the taking. If only I am to be given the opportunity.” Destiny suits Churchill so well as he was at the crossroads of both incredible luck and drive. At a young age, he rewrote famous parliamentary speeches so that he would deliver them. These traits foreshadow what would become one of the greatest individualists of all time.
The book spends lots of time - 25 hours - before it covers Churchill becoming PM. At times it felt quite stale and drew out aspects of Churchill's life and at times felt slightly rushed. But it definitely grasps Churchills style incredibly well. I say he is one of the greatest individualists of all time because his conviction in his own beliefs costed him his career and many opportunities. Yet his foresight into the rise of Nazism and Hitler's looming threat to Europe was course right and his rejection of appeasement to pursue war highlights his almost romantic leadership rather than the cold, calculating rationalist leaders are often depicted as.
I think the book does a good job of covering both the good and bad with Churchill. How his unwavering self-belief leads him to defend Jewish people, workers' rights and Hitler yet also failed him in regard to things like women's sufferage, India and the gold standard. It is clear Roberts Is a fan of Churchill but I think he did a good job overall at giving critics a voice.
“One reaching open seas, we forget how we clung to the pilot during the storm”
Book would go to 5 stars if it was longer and had more nuance. Touches the surface of some good ideas doe
This book is incredible - will be coming back to this book a lot. Can't reccomend enough
I had known little about Lincoln before reading this book, but Goodwins analysis of both him and his ‘team of rivals' has left such a profound impression upon me that I would now personally consider Licoln one of the greatest men to ever exist.
This man in Ted Lasso is in the flesh saving the great experiment of a people's democratic government. Pure class, no judgment, magnanimity against those who despised him, absolute forgiveness. Even going so far as to not only constantly take responsibility for the mistakes of a man in his cabinet who usurped him at every position for his own ambition, but to nominate his as chief justice to the supreme court after being betrayed by him due to his qualifications in spite of their personal relationship.
If everyone could be 10% more like lincoln the world would be a much better place
Andrew Roberts coverage of napoleon life may be some of the greatest biographical work I have ever read. Napoleons genius is clear not only as a military commander but as a political leader. As an incredible meticulous person who understood the needs of his people. This book reads like a Shakespearean tragedy whilst sharply analytical.
This was the second Goodwin book I had read and whilst I did not enjoy The Bully Pulpit as much as I did her book on Abraham Lincoln ‘Team of Rivals', this book was still an incredible insight into American history and power.
Much like Goodwin's assessment of Lincoln cabinet members revealed greater Lincoln's genius more than a biography could, an assessment of the journalistic golden age gave incredible insight into Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. I think this choice is so crucial because of what I have learned about Roosevelt's style. The best example of this was his dealings with the coal strikes.
As the disruption to the economy initially led to public favor to the mine operators, Teddy could not decisively act to empower the strikers as he would not have popular support. Thus, he waited several months to begin meditation. After the transcript of mediation revealed the greed of the mine operators shifted sentiment towards the striker's favour, Teddy (knowing the operators would never broker a deal with him as mediator), allowed JP Morgan to finalize the terms. Thus, his ‘walk softly with a big stick' was an incredible method of striking hard at opportune times. He was a rough rider, a fighter.
Taft on the other hand had been displayed as having a less revolutionary style. He certainly bolstered one of the most incredible resumes in history, acting as both governor-general of Cuba and the Phillipines, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and President. Much better suited to being a justice, he acted in a way through which he assumed that if he did good work for the people, credit would follow. Unfortunately, as many great presidents would know, in public office this is rarely the case.
Yet both of these men's lives and impacts would have fallen short of an audiobook justifying 38 hours of listening had it not been for the Mcluer magazine. I had known little of the golden age of investigative journalism outside of Ida Tarbell expose's on Rockefeller.
The way Goodwin accounts the 1912 presidential election was mostly well written. Extracts of speeches, newspapers, and dairy entries paint a compelling narrative that is unfortunately repetitive at points.
He wouldn't be so polarising if he wasn't so interesting. I wasn't such a fan of musk going into this book but I found a new respect for his mission and accomplishments despite his many personal shortcomings
An incredible book. Issacson does a brilliant job at analysing Kissinger style through an intricate web of his accomplishments and failures. Can't recommend enough