Recommended reading

I just finished Presidential Courage by Michael Beschloss and really enjoyed it. Mr. Beschloss takes the reader chronologically through nine US presidential administrations and relates how each of the nine presidents faced the quandry of doing what was politically expedient or what each felt was truly right. I learned so much.

A favorite quote from the book by Teddy Roosevelt: "It is a good and necessary thing to be intelligent. It is a better thing to be straight and decent and fearless".

A quote by George Washington just before he passed away: "Don't be afraid."

A lot of the information is taken from diaries and secret recordings made by past presidents. It made me sad to think how our litigious society prevents many leaders from writing in diaries. I don't even like to think about how much our society loses when its leaders don't record their innermost thoughts as they confront difficult issues. I thought about how much I would not have learned if these presidents didn't keep diaries.

Here is a link to Amazon where it is described.

Presidential Courage Link

It is also at the Orem Library, call # 973.099 B4637