PRESIDENTS AND WORLD LEADERS

Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times by Kenneth Whyte. A president elected in a landslide and then resoundingly defeated four years later. Arguably the father of both New Deal liberalism and modern conservatism, Herbert Hoover lived one of the most extraordinary American lives of the twentieth century. Yet however astonishing, his accomplishments are often eclipsed by the perception that Hoover was inept and heartless in the face of the Great Depression.

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson. How Winston Churchill taught the British people “the art of being fearless.” Drawing on diaries, original archival documents, and once-secret intelligence reports—some released only recently—Larson provides a new lens on London’s darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and the advisers in Churchill’s “Secret Circle,” to whom he turns in the hardest moments. The Splendid and the Vile takes readers back to a time of true leadership, when, in the face of unrelenting horror, Churchill’s eloquence, courage, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together.

American Ulysses – A Life of Ulysses S. Grant by Ronald C. White. One of those rare books that successfully recast our impression of an iconic historical figure. Shows Grant to be a generous, curious, introspective man and leader—a willing delegator with a natural gift for managing the rampaging egos of his fellow officers.

Destiny Republic – A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candace Millard. James A. Garfield was one of the most extraordinary men ever elected president. But four months after his inauguration, he was the victim of an assassination attempt. The drama that happened subsequently is a powerful story of a nation in turmoil.

Wilson by A. Scott Berg. An intimate portrait of one of the most influential figures of the 20^th century. This book looks at the whole of Woodrow Wilson’s life, accomplishments, and failings.

The Bully Pulpit – Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin. A dynamic history of the first decade of the Progressive era told through the intense friendship, and ultimate rivalry, of our earliest 20^th century Presidents.

Franklin and Winston – An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship by Jon Meacham. The most complete portrait ever drawn of the complex emotional connection between two of history’s towering leaders: F.D.R. and Winston Churchill.

The Last Republicans – Inside the Extraordinary Relationship Between George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush by Mark K. Updegrove. A groundbreaking look at perhaps the most consequential father-son pair in American history.

Mr. Putin – Operative in the Kremlin by Fiona Hill. From the KGB to the Kremlin, a multi-dimensional portrait of the man at war with the West.

GEOPOLITICS & WORLD AFFAIRS

The Guns of August – The Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman. In this landmark, Pulitzer Prize-winning account, renowned historian Barbara W. Tuchman re-creates the first month of World War I: thirty days in the summer of 1914 that determined the course of the conflict, the century, and ultimately our present world.

Sea Power – The History and Geopolitics of the World’s Oceans by Admiral James Stavridis. A remarkable voyage through all the world’s most important bodies of water, providing the story of naval power as a driver of human history.

Thank You for Being Late – An Optimists Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas L. Friedman. The author exposes the tectonic movements that are reshaping the world today and explains how to get the most out of them and cushion their worst impacts.

The Soul of America – The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham. Our current climate of partisan fury is not new. The author shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the “better angels of our nature” has repeatedly won the day.

RELIGION

The Vatican Pimpernel – The World War II Exploits of the Monsignor Who Saved Over 6,500 Lives by Brian Fleming. During the German occupation of Rome from 1942-1944, Irish Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty ran an escape organization for Allied POWs and civilians.

The Pope and Mussolini – The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe by David I. Kertzer tells the story of two men who came to power in 1922 and changed the course of 20^th-century history.

To Change the Church – Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism by Ross Douthat. A balanced look at the debates Francis has opened within the Catholic Church and the struggle for the future of Catholicism.

BUSINESS

Talent is a Team Sport – Find, attract, and keep the talent you need to be future-ready by Denise Graziano. An insightful blueprint to understand how companies differentiate and gain a competitive advantage in their market by leveraging the power of positive employee and customer experiences.

Be Chief – It’s A Choice Not A Title by Rick Miller. “A must-read for anyone looking for an impactful briefing on a lifetime of leadership lessons.” – Marshall Goldsmith.

The Leader’s Bookshelf by Adm. James Stavridis, USN (Ret.) and R. Manning Ancell. The authors surveyed more than two hundred active and retired four-star military officers about their reading habits and favorite books. The Leader’s Bookshelf synthesizes their responses and summarizes the key leadership lessons.

The Future Leader – 9 Skills And Mindsets To Succeed In The Decade by Jacob Morgan. The author interviewed over 140 of the world’s CEO’s to compile this range of insights and advice leaders can use now to prepare for the coming decade and beyond.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!  by Dr. Seuss. The Library of Congress summarizes this book as “Advice in rhyme for proceeding in life; weathering fear, loneliness, and confusion; and being in charge of your actions.” Inspired good fun.

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. Drawing on groundbreaking brain and behavioral research, Goleman illustrates a different way of being smart, including self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy.

High Potentials’ Boot Camp by Chuck Berke Ph.D. An actional, insightful guide to supercharging your leadership and personal skills and ultimately your career.

Quiet Leadership – Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work by David Rock. Improving the performance of your employees involves one of the hardest challenges – changing the way they think. The author offers his thoughts on making permanent workforce improvements to productivity, morale, and job satisfaction.

SPORTS

If you’re not a golfer, you’ll be disappointed. This is all about golf. Author and journalist George Plimpton had what he called “the small ball theory.” Plimpton believed” “the smaller the ball, the more formidable the literature.” He wrote that “there are superb books about golf, very good books about baseball, not many good books about football or soccer, very few good books about basketball and no good books at all about beach balls.”

The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever by Mark Frost. Recounts a match conjured up when a wealthy businessman, Eddie Lowery (better known for having caddied for Francis Ouimet in the 2010 U.S. Open), who was willing to wager that two amateurs who worked for him, Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward, could beat any two players in the world. Another wealthy man stepped up with Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and the match took place at the Cypress Point Club.

The Making of the Masters: Clifford Roberts, Augusta National, and Golf’s Most Prestigious Tournament by David Owen. Hard to beat this one by David Owen, a New Yorker writer and a Golf Digest contributor, who was given access to Augusta National’s archives, a treasure trove unavailable to anyone else.

A Life Well Played by Arnold Palmer. A series of stories, told in three parts — Golf, Life and Business — with a fourth, The Final Lesson, explaining how he prefers his legacy to be, that of “a caretaker of the game, just the way my father was before me.”

Need more, go to this link:

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-50-golf-books-every-golfer-should-read

HISTORICAL FICTION

Two great books. I welcome new suggestions.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war.

Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. An epic tale of one young man’s courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours.

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