One of history’s greatest strengths, when compared to other social sciences, is how easily it can written into compelling narratives. While sociology and political science can be both fascinating and very informative, history lends itself to a narrative structure far more easily. I have recently finished Doris Kearns-Goodwin’s Leadership in Turbulent Times, and it brings me no pleasure to say that the books struggles to weave a compelling narrative, despite the strength of its material.
For my work I helped put on a large conference in DC, and Kearns-Goodwin was one of the speakers this year. I was lucky enough to get a copy of the book signed, and eagerly began reading after returning home. The book is split between telling the rise and leadership style of 4 American presidents, two of which happened to be my personal favorites (Lincoln and FDR). However, within the first section I found myself struggling to want to continue with the book. While I did finish it, and quite enjoyed some parts of the book, I would not describe it as pleasurable reading.
First, the book’s most glaring issue is the structure. Instead of being split into 4 parts, each on an individual president, the book is split into 3 sections, each with 4 sub-sections, and a conclusion. The first section details the young lives of each of the presidents, the second deals with their own ‘crucible’ moments and struggles, and the third is on their presidency. While this format does a good job at highlighting similarities in the lives of these leaders, it does not do a very good job of keeping the reader interested.
The dramatic time jumps between each sub-section are rather jarring, and remembering the biographic details can be difficult when moving between each figure so rapidly. In one case, I had thoroughly enjoyed the section on FDR’s young life, but it was immediately followed by the section on LBJ’s time in the house, a period in which FDR is a major character. Jumping forward by over a decade in this manner was jarring, particularly since in the next section on FDR we are forced to backtrack to the beginning of his presidency.
I did however, deeply enjoy the parts about Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency, and was saddened when I finished that section. I’ll likely be reading a full biography of TR in the near future, and I do hope they handle the Spanish-American War better the Kearns-Goodwin did. That section stuck out like a sore thumb for telling a rather run-of-the-mill description of the events, without much of the analysis and critical re-examination I expect from Kearns-Goodwin.
All in all, the book was interesting but frustrating. If it were structured differently I would probably have enjoyed it more. Perhaps cramming 4 biographies into a single book requires some jarring pace-changes, and I would have been more satisfied with traditional long form biographies of each president. I did read David Herbert Donald’s Lincoln biography this spring, the same book that Doris Kearns-Goodwin relies on for much of the Lincoln section. Should you find yourself hungering for something long on Lincoln I would highly recommend that book. As for the sections on Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt, I felt that the comparisons that Kearns-Goodwin makes were done more tactfully and in a more entertaining manner in Ken Burns: The Roosevelts. I cannot recommend Leadership in Turbulent Times, but I have read A Team of Rivals, another one of Kearns-Goodwin’s books, and while I disagree with its conclusions I do highly recommend it for anyone looking for a shorter book about the Lincoln administration.