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Mark K. Updegrove
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Baptism by Fire: Eight Presidents Who Took Office in Times of Crisis 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by Mark K. Updegrove (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

Americans have long been defined by how they face adversity. This is perhaps nowhere more evident than in how the nation's chief executive has tackled myriad issues upon entering the White House. The ways that U.S. presidents handle the vast responsibilities of the Oval Office determine the fate of the nation---and, in many cases, the fate of the world.

In this fascinating narrative, presidential historian Mark Updegrove looks at eight U.S. presidents who inherited unprecedented crises immediately upon assuming the reigns of power. George Washington led a fragile and fledgling nation while defining the very role of the presidency. When Thomas Jefferson entered the White House, he faced a nation bitterly divided by a two-party schism far more severe than anything encountered today. John Tyler stepped into the office of the presidency during the constitutional crisis left by the first death of a sitting president. Abraham Lincoln inherited a divided nation on the brink of war. Franklin D. Roosevelt sought to quell America's fears during the depths of the Great Depression. His successor, Harry S. Truman, was sworn in as commander in chief at the close of World War II, and John F. Kennedy stepped into the increasingly heated atmosphere of the cold war. In the wake of Watergate, the first unelected president, Gerald R. Ford, aimed to end America's "long national nightmare."

As the forty-fourth president takes office, Updegrove presents a timely look at these chief executives and the challenges they faced. In examining the ways in which presidents have addressed crises, Baptism by Fire illustrates the importance of character in leadership—and in the resilience of America itself.

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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0312388034
  2. Edition
    1st
  3. Publisher
    Thomas Dunne Books
  4. Publication date
    January 6, 2009
  5. Language
    English
  6. File size
    1.2 MB
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The newest presidential history from former Newsweek editor Updegrove (Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House) looks at eight presidents who took office at critical moments in U.S. history and shaped American notions of presidential authority and purview: Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Tyler, Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy and Ford. Updegrove drafts short accounts of each administration, succinctly examining how each helped define and refine the office. By calling upon little known trivia and providing useful context, he weaves an engaging narrative; however, it isn't without its flaws. Updegrove can't seem to resist contrasting the decisions of these time-honored presidents with current President George W. Bush, and his liberal eye glosses over some of the uglier aspects of these Commanders-in-Chiefs-ironically deifying men who, by Updegrove's own account, wanted desperately to be viewed as men, not legends. Ultimately, this is a satisfying read for armchair historians with sympathetic politics, particularly in the attention it calls to aspects of the office (the assumption of power by the vice-president, term limits, etc.) now largely taken for granted.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Journalist Updegrove here focuses on presidents who have entered office during a crisis. He includes acknowledged “greats” Washington, Lincoln, and FDR; several of fluctuating historical reputation, such as Jefferson, Truman, Kennedy, and Ford; and one surprise: John Tyler. Tyler makes Updegrove’s cut for establishing the precedent that the vice-president becomes, rather than acts as, president upon death of an incumbent. Presenting Tyler’s style (courtly), image (challenged legitimacy), and achievements (annexation of Texas), Updegrove puts those three qualities to work in narrating how his presidents met the urgencies of their time. Their rhetoric also strikes Updegrove as a key measure of their effectiveness––if not with their immediate contemporaries, then with posterity. He recounts the setting of their most memorable utterances and the hostile or laudatory reception to their rhetoric. Including biographical sketches, Updegrove circulates American history for those who might not ordinarily read it but who may be motivated to by the inauguration of a new president who, in the author’s opinion, has been bequeathed by his predecessor crises comparable to the ones cited here. --Gilbert Taylor

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003K15PBU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (January 6, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 6, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 305 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0312388039
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

About the author

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Mark K. Updegrove

Mark K. Updegrove

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Mark K. Updegrove is the Director of the LBJ Library & Museum. Called "one of the country's best historians" by CNN, he is also an award-winning author with over two decades of leadership experience within top media organizations.

His first two books, Baptism By Fire: Eight Presidents Who Took Office in Times of Crisis (2009) and Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House (2006) related to the American presidency. His third book, Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency, was published by Crown Publishers in March 2012.

His articles have appeared in American Heritage, The Nation, National Geographic, TIME, and Worth, and he has appeared on ABC News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News, and other national news outlets.

Mark Updegrove is a native of Philadelphia and a graduate of the University of Maryland.

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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • David S Moore
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and surprising
    Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Wonderful and insightful examination of the Presidents. I especially liked the chapters on Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. Although I have studied the presidents for many years, I was very pleased to learn so much more about them in this book. Mark Updegrove has chosen a fascinating lens through which to examine the exemplars of American leadership.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Christopher M.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Fantastic read. Informative and entertaining. Well done!
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  • Rick Mayo
    4.0 out of 5 stars Eight significant turning points in defining presidential power
    Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    The author attempts to highlight 8 seemingly obscure but highly influential conflicts in presidential history.
    His overview of the significant but often overlooked Tyler assumption of the presidency is done in an objective, thorough analysis.
    But in many of his other overviews his left-leaning tilt is more obvious. Even in the analysis of Ford and Nixon’s pardon, he uses it to attack the former president Bush 43. The epilogue is used to promote the “hope and change” promised by the then newly elected Obama (which in retrospect was anything but using Updegrove’s outline in his book).
    The facts are accurate, the importance of each of these 8 is significant, and the emphasis he placed on each is justified because of the impact they had on future presidential power. But the interjection of opinion in insignificant spots throughout I feel was unnecessary.
    Otherwise, it is a good book and worth the time to read and reflect upon the measure of each man in times of decision and determination.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Theresa
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Educational, entertaining, and humorous! Keeps your interest even if President Tyler doesn't make your " top ten list!" History can be entertaining after all!
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  • Patrice Jackson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book with a Timely Message
    Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2009
    Baptism By Fire is a superbly written book about the trials that 8 other presidents faced in our history and how they resolved them. It also contains a very timely message about the character of our leaders in times of crisis. A great read.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Susan Crafford
    5.0 out of 5 stars Baptism By Fire
    Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2009
    Baptism By Fire is history-telling at its very best. This book on U.S presidents who've taken office in times of crisis is filled with anecdotes, quotes and interpretation all presented within Updegrove's breezy and insightful prose. And it is must-reading given today's political and economic climate. A joy to read.
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  • CLE
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and easy read.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2010
    Updegrove adds too much of his own opinion at the end of the book--which is a more liberal view (anti the most recent Bush), which tends to make the reader wonder about the accuracy of the material. However, the author includes his notes so I looked at this as history via a slanted view. Nevertheless, a good, easy and interesting read even if you are not a history buff. A good refresher on eight of our past presidents and provides information on these presidents you probably did not get in high school or even college. Most Americans should know more about our government and past presidents. This is one place to start.
    One person found this helpful
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  • E. Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Timely Assessment
    Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2009
    I thought this was a terrific book-much more interesting than the typical presidential Biography. There are some real common threads here-the most obvious is about character-a timely message given where we are today. Highly recco.
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