The Raising of a President : The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders

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Summary: The Raising of a President : The Mothers and Fathers of Our
Review: What an interesting and different view of our Presidents. Much new information. Lincoln's story is eternaly captivating. The whole book is quite a lesson for parents. I can idenitify with some of the parents. Parents don't always know their children. We just think we know them. Excellent book!

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Summary: The Raising of a President -- Doug Wead
Review: As a history buff political scientist, Doug Wead's treatment of the childhood and family affect on our presidents demonstrate excellent research, lots of new perspectives, and very interesting reading for nearly everyone. The stories and trends he identifies are unique to this book. Definitely a "five star" in my book!

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Summary: Needed an audio tape of this massive information!!!
Review: I love the book! Plese record it too!

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Summary: Overcoming all odds to greatness.
Review: If there is one thing Doug Wead's book teaches, it is that one can achieve greatness despite idiot parents. Of course, many presidents also had intelligent, loving parents focused on the highest ideals, such as John and John Quincy Adams and William Howard Taft. Wead always makes American history alive. I came away with an understanding, an empathy and compassion for our presidents.

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Summary: They're just families too!
Review: If you are drawn to American history, you'll enjoy this book a lot. To read of these Presidential families by an author who has researched so thoroughly and crafted his discovered truths about these lives so important in our history is griping. You'll feel you've gotten to know them.

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Summary: Parenting Presidents
Review: It is apparent that Doug Wead has intensely researched this great American story of how presidents are reared. I expect this book will become required reading in college level courses in American History. Intellectually stimulating. A must read for anyone interested in the psychological makeup of our leaders.

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Summary: Subtle Nuances
Review: One of histoy's pulls is that we can learn from the lessons of the past. I don't know if there is much more valuable a lesson for a parent then those that relate to our effects on our kids futures. I particularly enjoyed the subtle insights Doug Wead seems able to pull from the nuances and patterns that emerge from the study of our Presidents, such as Doug's ability to recognize the significance of how it was from the shadows of a sibling's parental spot light that leadership emerged or the multi-generation effect both for good and loss of the heritage we instill in our kids exampled in the destined nobility impact on the Washington family.

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Summary: New Slant. Excellent!
Review: The stories of these presidents totally changes when you put yourself in their parents shoes. It is just a remarkable perspective. What is especially poignant is that almost all of the parents die in ignorance of the greatness in their own home. They never know who they were raising and what they would end up doing. That is a bit bittersweet. I like the take on Sara Roosevelt. I have read things that make her look like a witch and the author does indeed have all the warts, including some I was not aware of, like not letting Franklin have a bath without her til he was nine years old. Ugh. But he showed her greatness too, in a way that I never understood before. I agree that Lincoln is just haunting and the account of the Bushes is probably the most insightful to date. A bit daring.


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Summary: Lessons For Parenting
Review: The thing I like about this book is that there is so much to offer for parenting. I love the analogy of the child in the shadows -- it seems to be remarkably true in many, many families -- not just presidential. George Washington became president, not Lawrence. Jack Kennedy became president, not Joe, Jr. -- George W. Bush, not Jeb, (the one the family expected to become a national political figure). It's all very interesting.


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Summary: Massive History
Review: This is a massive enterprise. I mean the author's first book in this series covered two hundred years of American history and all the children of the presidents, now he is taking on the parents. I like the trends that emerge and the careful referencing. Lincoln's story made me cry. Clinton's made me angry