Ragone is a television and radio commentator on current political events and author of several nonacademic history books. His newest is an entry in the populous and popular genre of great presidential decisions. To make Ragone�s list, a decision has to be historically significant and taken solely on the president�s responsibility or, in Ragone�s vernacular, �impactful� and �proactive.� The 15 decisions his criteria yield also share the fact that the president rejected contrary advice, as in, working backward chronologically, Obama�s determination to reform health insurance despite advisors� prediction that it would cost him in the 2010 elections. Obama succeeded, and his advisors were right, which was also the case with Reagan�s �evil empire� speech and Truman�s dismissal of MacArthur. Such defiance of contemporary opinion and conviction of vindication by history animate Ragone�s accounts, which he enlivens with direct quotations from the chief executives in defense of their actions. LBJ, JFK, the two Roosevelts, Lincoln, Jackson, Jefferson, and Washington complete a roster that Ragone�s skill makes inviting to readers who occasionally dip into history. --Gilbert Taylor
Review
"Nick Ragone
brings an historian's research skills and a storyteller's enthusiasm to this fine book on presidential leadership. His look at fifteen key decisions is never less than thought provoking. This is a book that transcends its genre and is appealing to readers interested in history, leadership, and power but also to anyone who wants to have some intriguing stories to tell at their next party." --Paul Sullivan, author of
Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don't.
"This book is going to generate a lot of conversation and debate—that's a given. But more important, it provides new insights into the 'how and why' of these momentous decisions, and it should be considered must-reading for anyone interested in the study of leadership." --Alan Miller, author and CEO of Universal Health Services
"What a delight! I expected to learn a few things about Woodrow Wilson, and I did. What a surprise, however, to gain new respect for George Washington's restraint as he brought the military to bear on his fellow Americans, to newly appreciate Abraham Lincoln's intellect as he sought, and found, a constitutional reason for the Emancipation Proclamation, and to be newly astonished by Ronald Reagan who, as scholar Michael Novak suggested, knew something the rest of us didn't. We think we know these men, but in Nick's book you will learn through compelling, succinct storytelling new lessons in leadership." --Jane Wells, CNBC correspondent
"Ragone deftly mines pivotal moments in American history as he takes us through this clear-eyed and intelligent exploration of presidential deliberation. The result is an engaging look at the workings of the presidency, and, more broadly, the very process of high-stakes decision-making." --Peter S. Goodman, business editor of the Huffington Post, and author of Past Due: The End of Easy Money and the Renewal of the American Economy
