In our own turbulent times, presidential leadership its qualities, requirements, and outcomes has become an important concern. While presidential historian Goodwin (The Bully Pulpit, 2013) does not address the present situation in this beautifully written meditation on the topic, her assessment of four respected presidents' abilities as leaders cannot help but contribute to current debates. Goodwin considers Lincoln, both Roosevelts, and Lyndon Johnson, all subjects of her previous work, in a three-part inquiry that begins with discussion of each president's formative experiences and early public life, moves to a life-altering crisis for each man and its impact on his trajectory, and, finally, focuses on an episode during that man's time in office that illustrates his particular approach to leadership under difficult conditions. Goodwin offers no single template for presidential leadership, concluding that the successes of these men reflected unique convergences of the individual, his context, and the crisis at hand. She does, however, identify common and essential characteristics among her legendary subjects: responsiveness to human needs, willingness to evolve, and a wish to be remembered for their achievements. Pulitzer- and Carnegie Medal-winning historian Goodwin draws on 50 years of scholarship in this strong and resonant addition to the literature of the presidency. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Best-selling Goodwin's numerous in-person and media appearances will fuel steady interest in this expert, extremely relevant study.--Sara Jorgensen Copyright 2018 Booklist

With impeccable timing, the acclaimed historian focuses on the ways four presidents navigated the country through wrenching clashes and crises.Pulitzer Prize winner Goodwin (The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, 2013, etc.) profiles Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson, all of whom she's written about previously. Lincoln's "unmatched work ethic, rhetorical abilities, equable nature, and elevated ambition" steered him to the moment in 1862 when he gathered his Cabinet for the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. That document, writes the author, is "remarkable for its flat precision," revealing Lincoln's wisdom in reining in rhetorical flourishes "to reach across factions" and avoid moral condemnation of slaveholding states. Goodwin admires Theodore Roosevelt for his ability to change himself from a "nervous, unhealthy, fragile child" to a leader who, through the force of his personality and adept use of the press, protected working-class Americans from vast wealth inequality. Franklin Roosevelt's amiable confidence and ability to lead by example pushed the country through the Great Depression, while Johnson's mastery of legislative strategy eventually compelled many national politicians to see that civil rights were long overdue. The most remarkable aspects of this book are the astute psychological portraits of these leaders: comprehensive, human, and engaging, clearly the results of long study. In the final chapters, Goodwin uses short signposts, snippets of advice, to guide readers. For example, in the section about Johnson's seemingly insurmountable passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, she writes, "make a dramatic start" and "establish the most effective order of battle," and then follows that line with several paragraphs about why Johnson fought to pass a tax cut before attempting the more momentous civil rights bill. These demarcations clarify the labyrinthine political and cultural issues the presidents confronted.In intimate, knowing ways, Goodwin crafts history as aspirationor at least inspirationfor readers; let's hope a hefty portion of those readers have titles that begin with Sen. or Rep. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Goodwin (Team of Rivals) further burnishes her credentials as a popular historian with this thoughtful revisiting of the lives of four presidents to whom she has previously dedicated individual books-Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson-with the aim of obtaining answers to eternal questions about leadership, including what life experiences contribute to it and whether "the times make the leader" or vice versa. She toggles back and forth between her subjects in sections that trace their upbringings and ambitions, the adversities that tested them (such as personal tragedies and crippling illness), and their approach to the major challenges that confronted them as presidents. She notes commonalities-each of the four was determined to outwork political opponents-as well as differences, for example contrasting Lincoln's impoverished childhood with the privileged upbringing both Roosevelts had. The meat of the book is four chapters, one for each subject, about important episodes in their presidencies, with headings naming elements of their leadership styles ("Acknowledge when failed policies demand a change in direction"; "Don't hit unless you have to, but when you hit, hit hard"). Goodwin does not shy from criticism, especially of Johnson, whom she worked for in the White House and helped with his memoirs; she writes that he stumbled badly on Vietnam. But overall the tone is inspirational, setting forth examples of how to do leadership right. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

HOW FASCISM WORKS: The Politics of Us and Them, by Jason Stanley. (Random House, $26.) Looking across decades, Stanley argues that Donald Trump resembles other authoritarian nationalists, and places him in global and historical perspective to show patterns that others have missed. LEADERSHIP: In Turbulent Times, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. (Simon & Schuster, $30.) Four exceptional presidents - Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson - give Goodwin the opportunity to offer moral instruction for future leaders. THESE TRUTHS: A History of the United States, by Jill Lepore. (Norton, $39.95.) This sweeping, sobering account of the American past is a story not of relentless progress but of conflict and contradiction, with crosscurrents of reason and faith, black and white, immigrant and native, industry and agriculture rippling through a narrative that is far from completion. PALACES FOR THE PEOPLE: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life, by Eric Klinenberg. (Crown, $28.) Klinenberg, an N.Y.U. sociologist, argues for the importance of social infrastructure - public spaces to bring citizens together, whether a library or a park. THE IMPROBABLE WENDELL WILLKIE: The Businessman Who Saved the Republican Party and His Country, and Conceived a New World Order, by David Levering Lewis. (Liveright, $28.95.) Willkie is hardly remembered today, but Lewis shows us that as a presidential candidate in 1940, he played an outsize role in fighting off isolationism and uniting the country. HEARTLAND: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, by Sarah Smarsh. (Scribner, $26.) Smarsh, who grew up poor in a Kansas farm family with generations of teenage mothers, addresses this memoir to the imaginary daughter who drove her to transcend her circumstances. IMAGINE, by Juan Felipe Herrera. Illustrated by Lauren Castillo. (Candlewick, $16.99; ages 4 to 8.) The former poet laureate relates his inspiring path from rural Mexico to august Washington in spare lines accompanied by Castillo's pitch-perfect illustration. IMAGINE!, written and illustrated by Raúl Colón. (Paula Wiseman/ Simon & Schuster, $17.99; ages 4 to 8.) This follow-up to Colon's "Draw!" continues the gorgeous wordless story of a boy's artistic passion as he crosses the Brooklyn Bridge to get to the Museum of Modern Art, where the paintings come to life to encourage him. DREAMERS, written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales. (Neal Porter/ Holiday House, $16.99; ages 4 to 8.) In lyrical prose and striking art, Morales recounts the difficulty of being a new immigrant and the wondrous welcome of a public library. The full reviews of these and other recent books are on the web: nytimes.com/books

Are great leaders born or made? What qualities make a great leader? Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Goodwin (Team of Rivals) sets out to answer these questions by examining the lives of the four presidents she has studied most thoroughly: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson. This book is divided into three sections: "Ambition and the Recognition of Leadership," "Adversity and Growth," and "The Leader and the Times: How They Led." In each, biographical chapters detail a time when each man's leadership skills and abilities were formed, tested, and at their peak. In the final chapter, Goodwin lists the various traits each president displayed and analyzes these through a case study. Although none of these men displayed the exact same qualities to the same degree, their leadership styles fit the needs of the nation at that particular moment. The author concludes that learned leadership skills in conjunction with the right timing in history led these men to success. VERDICT Goodwin distills years of scholarship into an easily accessible study of leadership qualities that will appeal to anybody interested in American history, U.S. presidents, and leadership studies. [See Prepub Alert, 3/26/18.]-Chad E. Statler, Westlake Porter P.L., Westlake, OH © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.