"Kindness, empathy, humor, humility, passion and ambition all marked him [Lincoln] from the start. But he grew, and continued to grow, into a leader who became so powerfully fused with the problems tearing his country apart that his desire coalesced into a single indomitable force. That force has not only enriched subsequent leaders but has provided our people with a moral compass to guide us. Such leadership offers us humanity, purpose, and wisdom, not in turbulent times alone, but also in our everyday lives."

     -Doris Kearns Goodwin on the leadership of Abraham Lincoln

I read Team of Rivals by this author several years ago and enjoyed it. I don't read a steady diet of nonfiction, but I do love American history. The subtitle of that book is "The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln," my favorite president.

I saw the author in a TV interview with Rachel Maddow where this, her latest book, was mentioned. Goodwin writes about each of 4 presidents who served ably during turbulent times, including Lincoln and also Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.

The book was dense with information but fascinating---almost a page-turner in many places. The format is brilliant. Goodwin takes each of the four presidents chronologically, describing their youth, early influences and obstacles, and their developing ambition and leadership skills. Then one by one, she places them in a position early in their presidencies where they face circumstances perilous to America's economic and/or political future. 

It was no surprise that Lincoln's biggest trial was the Civil War and preservation of the Union. One outstanding accomplishment of Theodore Roosevelt was the Coal Strike of 1902 which was news to me but SO interesting. One had to guess that FDR's claim to fame was either the Great Depression or WWII. Goodwin covers both with an emphasis on the Hundred Days, starting with saving the banks and then passing an amazing amount of legislation to help the American people who were struggling financially. Lyndon Johnson was the biggest surprise to me. I remembered him in his fall from favor over the Vietnam War, but Goodwin showcases his earliest time as president after Kennedy's assassination when he capitalized on the nation's sadness to get Congress moving on legislation that Kennedy had wanted, particularly the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Like FDR, he got many important bills through in a short amount of time.

Goodwin's last section, the Epilogue called Of Death and Remembrance, she begins with Johnson with whom she worked post-presidency and ended with Lincoln who seemed to set the standard of leadership for the other three. (See quote above) I learned so much about these four men and how they positively affected, in some cases even saved our country! I rate the book a 5.