PositiveThe Washington PostHer title echoing the truth of the maxim attributed to the Latin writer Publilius Syrus—\'anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm\'— Goodwin circles back through her understanding of the four presidents in Leadership: In Turbulent Times, trying to extract the basic lessons that enabled each to deal with major crises in their personal lives and in the life of their country. No one is better suited than Goodwin to make the effort, and yet her book makes plain how hard it is to capture the essence of leadership, at least when the question is approached head-on ... The individual stories of each president and his struggles and accomplishments command the reader’s interest. And Goodwin’s selection of leadership lessons from each president makes the book a series of case studies that you can easily see being assigned by leadership teachers. But the distilled nature of Leadership also obscures one of Goodwin’s tremendous strengths—her ability to situate a leader within a set of relationships ... Leadership: In Turbulent Times also reminds us of what American greatness means ... A book like Leadership: In Turbulent Times should help us raise our expectations of our national leaders, our country and ourselves.
