2024 the best president in the world review

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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

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Trade Paperbacks; Reprint edition (May 7, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 976 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0812982886
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0812982886
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.55 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 1.55 x 9.21 inches
Reviewer: David H. MacCallum
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: a great general and a superb politician
Review: Dwight David Eisenhower began his storied life in Denison, Texas, in 1890. He was the third son of poor parents; all his brothers, and there were six of them, had successful lives but none had a life like Ike's. His story is one of the greatest in 20th century America and Jean Edward Smith, one of the country's most eminent biographers, tells it in an absorbing, page-turning book. This is the third door-stopper biography of Ike in the last decade and is by far the most complete and most knowledgeable.Ike succeeded through a magic combination of hard work, brains, great charm, perfect work ethic, common sense and luck. He needed all of these to rise from a middling career at West Point to one of only twelve four-star generals in the nation's history. He attained the rank of major in 1921 and then twenty years later was promoted to colonel, in March 1941. From there, Eisenhower's rise was extraordinary. He was made brigadier general in October 1941, major general only four months later, in February 1942, lieutenant general four months after that, in June 1942 and then full general in February 1943. In less than two years, Eisenhower rose from a colonel in the army to Supreme Commander of all Allied forces in the European theater.The war in Europe has been told many times by writers of great skill. Eisenhower in War and Peace keeps the lens directly on Eisenhower. Almost nothing is said about the exhausting war, mostly at sea, in the Pacific. Little is said about the great turning point of World War II, the destruction of the German army in the Eastern theater by the Russians in 1942. Germany still had great resources and amazing military capabilities even after the disastrous Russian campaign and it was against these forces that Eisenhower led the Allied forces to victory in the Western theater. The Allies squeezed the German armies first in North Africa, then Sicily, then up the Italian peninsula, and ultimately in the landing on the Normandy coast in June 1944. Eisenhower faced enormously complicated military issues. Jean Edward Smith does not flinch from the eventual judgment of Eisenhower as a military strategist. Ike had virtually no battlefield experience before he faced the German army in North Africa. Mistakes were made, including his failure to see for himself the character of the German army from the front line of battle. But Ike was a quick learner and he grew steadily as a military strategist.More than anything, Ike dealt with difficult political decisions. He kept firm command of the armies; he argued, successfully, with Churchill; he maneuvered his way through different opinions emanating from Washington, including those of President Roosevelt; he brought General de Gaulle into a position of leadership of the Free French forces; and, of course, he pushed the final button on the evening of June 5, 1941, releasing a million Allied soldiers to invade occupied France.This is a great story, full of big turning points, any one of which could have led Ike and the world in a different direction. It is the essential achievement of Smith's story that we live through these decisions made by one man, frequently alone, occasionally in spite of the condescension of his British allies, always under the utmost pressure.Amazingly, this is only half the Eisenhower story. The second half is equally as important in terms of Ike's service to his country. Eisenhower became the thirty-fourth president of the United States in 1952. His record was nothing short of amazing. He consistently had a massively favorable approval rating from the American public, unequaled by any president since World War II. He ended the war in Korea and, after that, no American died in military combat for the entire length of his eight-year term. He created the nation's Interstate Highway system and built the St. Lawrence Seaway, two enormously important additions to the infrastructure of the continent. His record in civil rights was exemplary. His foreign policies were fair and visionary. His domestic policies were sound and successful -- no deficits, very little inflation, substantial growth in the economy.Jean Edward Smith tells the story of Eisenhower in peacetime with the same focus and skill that he brings to the story of Eisenhower's war record. But, almost inevitably, there is a loss of power and excitement in the story of Ike as president. The nation, after all, has had forty-four presidents but only two or three military heroes on the scale of Ike.Every important aspect of Ike's life is here.This is a great biography of a great man.

Reviewer: Kenneth C. Mahieu
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Like Ike, five stars but with a few flaws
Review: "Eisenhower in War and Peace" (EWP) is excellent and has changed many of the incorrect perceptions I have had about Ike since childhood. I was a third grader when Ike was first elected in 1952. In those days there were very few filmed news reports on television. When Ike did appear in a rare TV speech to the nation, e.g., the "Little Rock school integration" speech, he often read from typed pages on the podium; his delivery was less than fair. My impression at the time was that presidents were dull, old men. And though my childhood was a happy one, my recollections of the 50's were also "dull" and "old" as in old-fashioned. I thought of Ike as a bridge between some rather excellent presidents - FDR, Harry Truman, and JFK. But Smith's excellent book has turned my impressions around 180 degrees. I am delighted to have become more familiar with Ike as a man, his accomplishments, and his character. He rose to the challenges of the day and we were fortunate to have him. Though there were no foreign wars during those eight years, Ike did have to deal with not only some of the most critical racial issues in our history, but also the Suez Canal, the U-2 spy plane downing, Sputnik and the space race, the Cold War, post WWII Germany, the construction of the national highway system and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Ike had his plate full, and had some serious health issues to deal with concurrently.Though the book is listed as having almost 1000 pages, there are many pages of notes, acknowledgements, and an index. The actual text in my edition was about 766 pages and well more than half dealt with his years in the military, particularly the WWII years. Throughout it is clear that author Smith greatly admires Ike but that did not prevent his most critical assessment of Ike throughout both his military and presidential careers. For example, not too long after Ike was promoted to Supreme Allied Commander, several of his generals made clear that Ike's strategic skills in battleground planning left something to be desired. Apparently, his strengths were most obvious in dealing with all the heads of state and others, e.g. Churchill, Stalin, FDR, DeGaulle, ensuring their total support and dealing with their 'suggestions', all critical to a truly allied front. I particularly admired Ike for his leadership, his honesty, his unwillingness to pass the buck, his decisiveness, and his total commitment - and Smith gives countless examples of all of these strengths throughout the book.The book was very readable, the pages seemed to fly by. Even the footnotes were interesting. In the paperback edition which I read, there were many photos, perhaps 1 every 15 pages or so instead of the typical gallery bound together in the middle of a book. Well done ! There are two areas that I wish were different and that diminished the book somewhat for me. I thought too much attention was paid to the Kay Summersby affair.. I was stunned and fascinated by what I read, but there were also times when I felt like I was eavesdropping. Summersby wrote two books about her time with Ike. I highly recommend "Past Forgetting", her second book; it is very charming and I feel it could be read as a companion to Smith's book. By the way, Smith refers to information in Kay's book a number of times.Secondly I wish about 50-100 pages of the WWII pages could have shrunk, as interesting as they were, to allow for more pages on his presidency. Needless to say, I recommend this book highly and without reservation.

Reviewer: Steve Beaman
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great read.
Review: Ike was a man born for greatness and was the leader the United States needed….in war and in peace time.

Reviewer: Jonathan Boisvert
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great condition, arrived quickly

Reviewer: ravi_kc
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: well written and gives the true picture of ike

Reviewer: HBH
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Eisenhower - In War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith is a very good book examining the life of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe and, subsequently, 34th President of the United States. It is an informative, well-written and detailed work which provides an expert insight on a most extraordinary career.Dwight Eisenhower was in many respects an unlikely choice as respectively the head of the invasions of North Africa, Italy and Western Europe. He had not been to France as part of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I, had very little experience in command of troops - having served as a staff officer in both Washington and the Philippines - and was not regarded as especially adept in the field of military strategy in comparison to some of his erstwhile colleagues. He did, however, possess unique abilities which allowed him to oversee the largest amphibious assault in history, whilst holding together a diverse coalition of Allies and dealing with a multitude of difficulties.Although Eisenhower rightly deserves plaudits for his role in winning the Second World War, his political career has often been overlooked or unfairly criticized. In spite of the fact that he was not an ideologue and allowed his Cabinet Secretaries a great deal of autonomy, Eisenhower was not a figurehead President. He supported many aspects of the New Deal Settlement, he kept the United States engaged with the world, took action to enforce Civil Rights legislation, spoke out against the pernicious influence of Joseph McCarthy, balanced the budget and - his probably most tangible achievement - helped to create the Interstate Highway System. Further, as President, Eisenhower - unlike some of the other individuals who have resided in the White House - was willing to work with politicians of all stripes to create a consensus on many of the big issues facing the United States.Overall, an excellent biography.

Reviewer: Ben de Jong
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Dit is het eerste boek dat ik van deze auteur heb gelezen. Mijn aandacht werd op Smith gevestigd door een recensie van zijn onlangs verschenen biografie van George W. Bush in The New York Times, die lovend was. Hij schrijft zeer onderhoudend. Hij baseert zich daarbij grotendeels op eerdere publicaties van andere auteurs, hij is niet iemand die zelf uitvoerig in de archieven is gedoken, maar hij komt lijkt me tot een goede synthese van het vele wat eerder geschreven is. Dat leidt tot een evenwichtig oordeel over Eisenhower als persoon en politicus. Enkele saillante punten:- Eisenhower was niet per se een kundig militair bevelhebber, hij was veel meer een politiek generaal, die als geen ander de kunst verstond als Supreme Allied Commander een coalitie te leiden van hoge militairen als Montgomery en Patton die weliswaar zeer begaafde militaire bevelhebbers waren, maar als personen waren zij ook ongeleide projectielen die meestal zeer moeilijk te hanteren waren. Hij was ook uitstekend geschikt voor het onderhouden van de relatie met het politiek gezag tijdens de oorlog, in de gedaante van krachtige figuren als Roosevelt en Churchill. Vooral laatstgenoemde had de neiging zich vergaand met de oorlogvoering te bemoeien en wilde vaak maar al te graag zijn eigenzinnige plannen doordrukken. De diplomatieke gaven van Eisenhower kwamen daarbij goed van pas.- als president koos Eisenhower vaak voor een niet-militaire optie, waar zijn adviseurs zoals John Foster Dulles of de Joint Chiefs vaak een militaire of op zijn minst een zeer confronterende koers voorstonden. Typerend is dat Eisenhower vrijwel onmiddellijk na zijn aantreden als president aanstuurde op een wapenstilstand in Korea, terwijl iemand als Dulles er eerst nog eens flink op wilde slaan om de communisten toch vooral een lesje te leren.- Als politicus en ook in de persoonlijke omgang was Eisenhower beminnelijk en diplomatiek, terwijl hij tegelijkertijd als het moest op zijn strepen kon staan. Smith laat duidelijk doorschemeren dat Ike weliswaar Republikein was, maar een van het redelijke, niet extreem polariserende soort dat al lang, nog vóór Trump, in de Republikeinse Partij in de VS is uitgestorven.Een zeer geslaagde, evenwichtige biografie kortom, die zeker uitnodigt tot het lezen van meer werk van deze auteur.

Reviewer: Weisz Jean-Pierre
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book is absolutely remarkable. BUT : the quality of the binding is so cheap and poor that you better also buy a tube of glueto mend it as long as you are going through it ! ( that I had to do...)That binding is too light to support the weight of this book printed on such a paper.