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The Raising of a President

The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders

By: Doug Wead

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Paperback | 3 January 2006 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
578 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 3.56

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Our greatest presidents have entered the Oval Office armed with overwhelming ambition, intellect, and ideals. But were these characteristics evident in youth? What are the family circumstances that have created our presidents? How did their upbringing shape their future -- and ours?

In The Raising of a President, bestselling author Doug Wead goes where no presidential biographer has gone before: straight to the childhood homes of America's greatest leaders. Wead analyzes the types of families in which they were reared, and offers fascinating psychological profiles based on his findings. Using presidential letters and personal correspondence -- as well as notes from his own private conversations with six presidential families -- Wead brilliantly portrays the early lives, loves, and political awakenings of George Washington; John Adams and the rest of America's first dynasty; Lincoln, who never betrayed his humble roots; Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, each raised in prominent political households; and the once and future commanders in chief Bush.

More than just political biography, The Raising of a President sheds new light on America(1)s presidents, who were not only born but made.

Industry Reviews

"Epic! A remarkable perspective....One sees the American presidents through a more intimate lens." -- Peter Schweizer, coauthor of The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History Regional & National History History of the Americas Sociology & Anthropology Sociology Sociology & Family & Relationships Biographies & True Stories Biographies Historical, Political and Military Biographies

Founding fathers and mothers
How the presidents' parents shaped their sons and influenced the nation	p. 3
A magnificent obsession : George Washington's parents	p. 22
John Adams and the first American dynasty	p. 40
Sacrificed on the American altar	p. 56
A private grief	p. 78
The enigmatic rise of Abraham Lincoln
Forgged in a crucible : Abraham Lincoln and his father	p. 95
Nancy Hanks : a mother of mystery	p. 108
A wonderful stepmother : lessons in love	p. 124
The Roosevelts : America's greatest family
James Roosevelt : an American aristocrat	p. 137
Sara Roosevelt : a formidable presence	p. 156
FDR's break with mother	p. 178
The Kennedys : ambition unleashed
The ruthless ascent of Joseph P. Kennedy	p. 197
Survivor : the mother of John F. Kennedy	p. 219
The rise of Camelot	p. 230
Shattered dreams	p. 243
The Bushes : the quiet dynasty
About his father's business : Prescott Bush	p. 259
George and Barbara Bush : raising a president	p. 278
George W. Bush : the warrior president	p. 295
Epilogue : a president in the family : how it happens	p. 313
A chronological list of the presidents' parents	p. 321
The presidents' ancestry and background	p. 421
Professions of the presidents' parents	p. 423
Presidents' birth order	p. 425
Ages of presidents at the death of their parents	p. 427
Deaths of children and siblings of presidents	p. 430
Death of parents before and after presidents	p. 435
Parents who lived to see the inaugurations of their sons	p. 437
Fathers of presidents who remarried	p. 440
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

The Raising of a President

The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

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