skitch41's review
3.0
(Full Disclosure: I received an advance uncorrected copy of this book for free through Goodreads' First Reads program. The views expressed are my own and do not reflect that of the author, the publisher, or Goodreads).
Recently it seems we've been looking back at the middle of the twentieth century with an increasing sense of nostalgia, due in no small part in recently celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. And one of the beneficiaries of that nostalgia has been the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower with the recent publication of such books as [b:Eisenhower in War and Peace|11958983|Eisenhower in War and Peace|Jean Edward Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333579846s/11958983.jpg|16921250] [bc:Eisenhower in War and Peace|11958983|Eisenhower in War and Peace|Jean Edward Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333579846s/11958983.jpg|16921250] and [b:Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World|13528315|Ike's Bluff President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World|Evan Thomas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340297391s/13528315.jpg|19082191][bc:Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World|13528315|Ike's Bluff President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World|Evan Thomas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340297391s/13528315.jpg|19082191]. Paul Johnson, who has written short biographies on a diverse cast from Churchill to Socrates, adds to this with a short biographical sketch of Ike and his life from Kansas to West Point to commanding the Allied effort in Europe to becoming President. It is a good book and a great introduction to Ike's life, but the brevity of this book leaves a lot to be desired. Now length is not necessarily a virtue in biographies, but it feels like a lot of questions were left hanging rather than explored in depth. Eisenhower's relationship with Kay Summersby during the war is only touched upon and dismissed without too much thought and Eisenhower's presidency is claimed to be one of the best in our history ("The best decade in American History" is the title of the concluding chapter), but the controversies that marred his presidency, particularly in the realm of foreign policy and covert operations, are barely touched upon. Even the Interstate Highway Act, perhaps Eisenhower's greatest legacy as president, is only given a single line. In conclusion, this is a good introductory biography and will be useful to younger students or those who are not serious history/biography readers. But the lack of any in-depth exploration of Eisenhower's character or presidency will leave the more curious or serious-minded history/biography reader much to be desired.
Recently it seems we've been looking back at the middle of the twentieth century with an increasing sense of nostalgia, due in no small part in recently celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. And one of the beneficiaries of that nostalgia has been the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower with the recent publication of such books as [b:Eisenhower in War and Peace|11958983|Eisenhower in War and Peace|Jean Edward Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333579846s/11958983.jpg|16921250] [bc:Eisenhower in War and Peace|11958983|Eisenhower in War and Peace|Jean Edward Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333579846s/11958983.jpg|16921250] and [b:Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World|13528315|Ike's Bluff President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World|Evan Thomas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340297391s/13528315.jpg|19082191][bc:Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World|13528315|Ike's Bluff President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World|Evan Thomas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340297391s/13528315.jpg|19082191]. Paul Johnson, who has written short biographies on a diverse cast from Churchill to Socrates, adds to this with a short biographical sketch of Ike and his life from Kansas to West Point to commanding the Allied effort in Europe to becoming President. It is a good book and a great introduction to Ike's life, but the brevity of this book leaves a lot to be desired. Now length is not necessarily a virtue in biographies, but it feels like a lot of questions were left hanging rather than explored in depth. Eisenhower's relationship with Kay Summersby during the war is only touched upon and dismissed without too much thought and Eisenhower's presidency is claimed to be one of the best in our history ("The best decade in American History" is the title of the concluding chapter), but the controversies that marred his presidency, particularly in the realm of foreign policy and covert operations, are barely touched upon. Even the Interstate Highway Act, perhaps Eisenhower's greatest legacy as president, is only given a single line. In conclusion, this is a good introductory biography and will be useful to younger students or those who are not serious history/biography readers. But the lack of any in-depth exploration of Eisenhower's character or presidency will leave the more curious or serious-minded history/biography reader much to be desired.
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