Eisenhower in War and Peace - Jean Edward Smith

Eisenhower in War and Peace

By Jean Edward Smith

  • Release Date: 2012-02-21
  • Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 259 Ratings

Description

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
The Christian Science Monitor • St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Magisterial.”—The New York Times

 
In this extraordinary volume, Jean Edward Smith presents a portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower that is as full, rich, and revealing as anything ever written about America’s thirty-fourth president. Here is Eisenhower the young dreamer, charting a course from Abilene, Kansas, to West Point and beyond. Drawing on a wealth of untapped primary sources, Smith provides new insight into Ike’s maddening apprenticeship under Douglas MacArthur. Then the whole panorama of World War II unfolds, with Eisenhower’s superlative generalship forging the Allied path to victory. Smith also gives us an intriguing examination of Ike’s finances, details his wartime affair with Kay Summersby, and reveals the inside story of the 1952 Republican convention that catapulted him to the White House.
 
Smith’s chronicle of Eisenhower’s presidential years is as compelling as it is comprehensive. Derided by his detractors as a somnambulant caretaker, Eisenhower emerges in Smith’s perceptive retelling as both a canny politician and a skillful, decisive leader. He managed not only to keep the peace, but also to enhance America’s prestige in the Middle East and throughout the world.
 
Unmatched in insight, Eisenhower in War and Peace at last gives us an Eisenhower for our time—and for the ages.
 
NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Praise for Eisenhower in War and Peace
 
“[A] fine new biography . . . [Eisenhower’s] White House years need a more thorough exploration than many previous biographers have given them. Smith, whose long, distinguished career includes superb one-volume biographies of Grant and Franklin Roosevelt, provides just that.”—The Washington Post
 
“Highly readable . . . [Smith] shows us that [Eisenhower’s] ascent to the highest levels of the military establishment had much more to do with his easy mastery of politics than with any great strategic or tactical achievements.”—The Wall Street Journal
 
“Always engrossing . . . Smith portrays a genuinely admirable Eisenhower: smart, congenial, unpretentious, and no ideologue. Despite competing biographies from Ambrose, Perret, and D’Este, this is the best.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
“No one has written so heroic a biography [on Eisenhower] as this year’s Eisenhower in War and Peace [by] Jean Edward Smith.”—The National Interest
 
“Dwight Eisenhower, who was more cunning than he allowed his adversaries to know, understood the advantage of being underestimated. Jean Edward Smith demonstrates precisely how successful this stratagem was. Smith, America’s greatest living biographer, shows why, now more than ever, Americans should like Ike.”—George F. Will

Reviews

  • My Take

    5
    By Coach 911
    Easy and informative read for an amateur history buff.
  • Presidential Leadership

    5
    By Wes Samuel
    In some aspects I wonder if the way we view our leaders from the past is based on their shadow rather than the person. Eisenhower in War and Peace was a remarkably written book that showcases one of my favorite presidents and was a book worth reading for anyone interested in the biography of an uncommon man who was relatable to the common man.
  • Wonderful

    5
    By LTH1967
    This book was fantastic and truly showed what a legend and American hero General Eisenhower was. We could use someone like him in office once again.
  • Eisenhower in War and Peace

    5
    By Irishwv
    Great read and truly insightful. This book walks you through Ike's life from extremely humble beginnings to his retirement years in Gettysburg. We all know a lot happened in between. Ike had key people that helped him along the way. They all seemed to help Ike because they believed in him and what he stood for in all situations.
  • AWESOME!

    5
    By kkf1003
    Great book!!

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