Books: A fresh read on 200 years of presidential decisions

Newsweek once called Michael Beschloss the nation’s leading presidential historian. His eight bestsellers include “The Inside Story of the End of the Cold War,” “The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler’s Germany” and “Taking Charge: The Johnson White House Tapes, 1960-1963.”

His latest book focuses on what makes a great president. Blending meticulous research, surprising new material that has never been used before and richly drawn storytelling, “Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989” is a highly readable book.

Although it is not intended to include all of our greatest presidents, it seeks to show several that took incredible risks over some of the most important issues in our history — issues such as the tensions between government and big business, human rights, and war and peace.

Beschloss showcases nine leaders over two centuries of American history: George Washington, John Adams, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. With each, he explores both their leadership and impact on our national history.

As Harry Truman once said, the ultimate test of any presidential decision is “not whether it’s popular at the time, but whether it’s right. … If it’s right, make it and let the popular part take care of itself.” More or less, that’s what each of the nine men did who are featured in this book.

What makes Beschloss’ approach so intriguing is that he has taken a subject that has been well tread by other historians, but made it surprisingly fresh and accessible. “Presidential Courage” is highly recommended.