How Ike Led

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Susan Eisenhower, St. Martin’s Press, and Thomas Dunne Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

While I do not know a great deal about Dwight ‘Ike’ Eisenhower, I did read a thoroughly captivating biography of the man a few years ago. This book caught my eye for two distinct reasons: I am always drawn to books about political leadership, and the author is Ike’s granddaughter. I wanted to see how Susan Eisenhower would depict her grandfather as a leader and what examples she would use to exemplify this throughout his time in the limelight. Ike was a man of many principles, though he was not without his flaws. The author effectively argues that while Ike had some ‘rough times’ at West Point as a cadet, Ike was always willing and eager to see the best in people and sought to challenges textbook solutions by finding innovative ways that would be inclusive, not simply a ‘command response’. While a long-time military man, Ike respected forthrightness and those who would speak plainly to him, rather than pussyfoot around. The author offers a number of examples from his military days, including D-Day plans. This worked well into his years as president, as Ike was always open to ideas, though he could not stand empty sentiments. The author also presents Ike as blurring the line between political and apolitical, figuring that military life was devoid of partisan politics, so he did not see himself as holding a Democrat or Republican point of view. That being said, when Ike did land on one side of the political fence, he was more a centrist than a die-hard in either political spectrum. This middle of the road point of view allowed Ike to win the favour of many, as the author points out throughout, with some of his fiscal ideas, whereas the hardcore Republicans sought to bemoan his ideas as too soft. This all-encompassing point of view helped him gain the favour of others and get things done, presenting him as a president who acted as a Head of State and not simply Head of Government of of the Republicans, as many others did before him and continued thereafter. Ike was also fond of steering clear of dictating how things needed to be on an international scale when he reached the White House. As the author shows, Ike’s role in the Cold War was not to attack and demean the communist Soviets, but rather to wish the best for the people and hope that they could find a political and social system that would permit them to progress. Ike always sought freedom over oppression, but he was not one to say that he had all the answers, which is quite telling at a time when some took time from their Senate offices to vilify those who did not fall into line with the ‘American way’. This hands-off approach also helped Ike to earn much respect, rather than appear to decide what ought to be and how ‘American greatness’ was the only way to be. Ike took what he thought America needed and tried his best to bring it to pass, but was respectful in his approaches. The Civil Rights movement was but one example of where Ike felt the pressure, both in Congress and from Southern governors, but he would not back down on the idea of integration. Through these and many other examples, the life and times of Dwight Eisenhower came alive with strong examples of the ideals the man held and how he led in some of America’s most troubled times. Ike was a unifier and a man who sought to pull America together, rather than dismantle it and rebuild it in his own image. While backstabbing and Twitter shaming is the way things are done today, making America truly great again would include looking at how a true leader led and the principles he cherished when doing so! Highly recommended to those who love presidential history, as well as the reader who finds enjoyment in quasi-biographical pieces of political and military leaders.

I have never considered myself a Republican supporter when it comes to presidential candidates, but Susan Eisenhower’s analysis of her grandfather’s life and leadership style surely make me think that Ike was a man I could have supported. He sought to get things done, whether he was on the battlefield, serving as a university executive, or serving as the Commander-in-Chief. Ike had a way about him that demanded respect without being belligerent about it and the man was keen to be successful, while still being humble. As Eisenhower puts it repeatedly, Ike wanted the best from everyone and would not accept any less. Strong and well-explained examples fill this book to extol not on the man’s greatness as a leader, but on his fast thinking and attempts to do what was best. Did he have those with whom he did not agree? Surely, like anyone would. Were there times that he knew what he wanted and did not think that other perspectives were the correct solution? Most definitely, but he would approach them from as calm and accepting a place as he could. Susan Eisenhower effectively presents her ideas in clear and concise manner, weaving together detailed histories of events to better educate the reader for better context, both from her own memory and those of countless others. Using scores of historical documents, letters, reports, and likely some interviews, Eisenhower brings her grandfather to life throughout this piece and makes the reader feel as though they might have known him as well. With a number of well-researched chapters, the reader is able to see Ike the man as well as the grandfather who helped shape the life of the author in many ways. There are some in positions of power who say they speak for the people and represent them effectively as the country’s leader. One need only look to some of the core values that emanate from this book and the truth emerges; it’s no comparison whatsoever!

Kudos, Madam Eisenhower, for this eye-opening piece that sold me numerous times on the strength of your grandfather’s leadership style. I cannot wait to find some of your other work to enjoy it as well!

Given the author this is a well balanced examination of Eisenhower's leadership. It has just the right touch of familiarity to add to the believability. While it did not touch on the Kay Smmerby question it was still a well written and personal book.

From the introduction to One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America:

The inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower was much more than a political ceremony. It was, in many ways, a religious consecration.

Though such a characterization might startle us today, the voters who elected Eisenhower twice by overwhelming margins would not have been surprised. In his acceptance speech at the 1952
Republican National Convention, he promised that the coming campaign would be a “great crusade
for freedom.” As he traveled across America that summer, Eisenhower met often with Reverend Billy Graham, his close friend, to receive spiritual guidance and recommendations for passages of Scripture to use in his speeches.


I came away from that book seeing Ike as the first in a line evangelic-controlled conservatives. Now from this biography by a granddaughter I see him as an last in a line of enlightened, wisely moderate Republicans.

From the "Shaping the Middle Way" chapter here:

“The frightened, the defeated, the coward and the knave run to the flanks . . . under the cover of slogans, false formulas and appeals to passion— a welcome sight to an alert enemy,” he said at an American Bar Association Labor Day Address in 1949. “When the center weakens piecemeal, disintegration and annihilation are only steps away, in a battle of arms or of political philosophies. The clear-sighted and the courageous, fortunately, keep fighting in the middle of the war.”


Ike promoting moderation as a political ideology. He was also pro-NATO and anti-isolation. Could he even get the nomination of the GOP today?

I find myself carefully watching modifiers in my language and being suspicious of universal qualifiers. From "Ike’s Rules for Good Governance":

Regarding the president’s manner of speech, Larson recalled: “I quickly learned that [he] would practically never use comparables and was death on superlatives.”


Of course now reading of his direct action on The Little Rock Nine and considering our current Republican administration's reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement makes passages like this seem particularly relevant:

This violence against the black population was “indefensible,” the president later recalled. “and the administration, as well as all other sensible people, was outraged.” 30 Extremist groups promised more violence, and the South was already exacting revenge on innocent blacks by denying them credit, firing them from their jobs, and threatening their families . They promised more bloodshed if the black community “pushed too the whites too far.” 31 Despite this, in Eisenhower’s 1956 State of the Union address, he outlined his administration’s determination to address voting rights. The president was mindful that the 1950 national census had revealed that fewer than one in four African Americans voted.

This book is not intended as a detailed birth to death biography. It is, instead, a volume that provides the reader with insight on how and why he made decisions. Many notable examples of how his leadership style worked are provided from both his military career and his terms as President of the United States.

Dwight Eisenhower was not a man to be swayed by the opinion of others. He was a man of integrity, and someone who fully believed that he was responsible for his own choices. As a general, he looked at the overall picture before giving orders. As President, he was not swayed by party loyalty and would not hesitate to support the Democrats if he believed that their view was the better choice. As a leader, he did not hesitate to accept full responsibility for his actions.

His granddaughter, Susan Eisenhower, does an excellent job of supplying anecdotes as evidence of his leadership style. In addition to the historic perspective, she also notes that she also personally experienced the way his energy filled a room.

I cannot begin to select just a few examples of Ike’s leadership, and highly recommend that anyone interested in him (either as a military leader or as President) pick up this book. Older readers may recall some of the incidents mentioned. Whether you agree or disagree with him, the information shared about how his perspective on each issue may provide some light on why he acted as he did.

My thanks to NetGalley for sending me an invitation to read this fascinating book. No promise of a positive review was requested or given. However, I do believe that readers, especially those with an interest in the military, political events, or history will find this book enlightening.

This book is written by Eisenhower's granddaughter and brings a more intimate view of his decision making than other biographies that I have read. Her writing style is one that flows easily making it an interesting and enjoyable read. Ike's approach to decision making led many to underestimate his capabilities especially while he was president. The bottom line is that his detractors could not shake the faith that the american people had in him as our leader during trying times. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in presidential biographies and Eisenhower in particular.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook  page.

Written by Ike’s granddaughter it has an intimate feel the benefit of Susan Eisenhower’s feeling thoughts about her grandfather.Reading of his life his battles the opinions people had of him,A really interesting book about the man the war hero a look at the real man.Very well written very interesting.#netgalley#st.Martinsbooks,

How Ike Led is a short introduction to several of the difficult decisions Dwight D. Eisenhower made over the course of his military and political life. As the title states, an evaluation of the decisions is not the focus, but a look at the foundational principles of the man that influenced each decision he needed to make. There are few books that micro-focus on President Eisenhower in such a manner, and certainly none by someone as close as his granddaughter, author Susan Eisenhower.

Eisenhower utilizes familial knowledge, interviews with Eisenhower's colleagues, reflection from personal documents, and more to do just what she set out to do with this book. What she accomplishes is a book that looks at integrity, determination, flexibility, and above all personal responsibility that D. Eisenhower used to guide his decisions throughout his career.

Overall, this is a well-written insightful work that looks, however briefly, into the whys of Eisenhower's biggest decisions as well as showing what a successful military and presidential leader should strive to focus on--Personal responsibility with Country over party and authority always. I would recommend this to anyone looking to learn more about history or interested in human nature.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

How Ike Led
What a great book. First of all the author, the granddaughter of Dwight Eisenhower, is an amazing writer. Each word is carefully selected, each paragraph flows one to the next. This book is not just a retelling of facts and figures for her, as so many books end up being, but rather a heartfelt expression of love for her Grandfather.  She is not blind to his faults and makes sure that those are covered as well. 
She points out over and over the two main leadership characteristics that Eisenhower believed in for his leadership style. These were long term thinking and middle way. During his Presidency he worked from the middle knowing that neither the right nor the left would always be correct. He also took the approach that most things could not be changed in 4 or 8 years. The job of a President is to put things in place so that the next administration can build on them. The civil rights issues, the space program, the handling of the Cold War, and McCarthyism were handled with the hope that the next generation of leaders would take it one step forward. That concept certainly proved true as the Kennedy/Johnson administrations continued to advance the civil rights issues as well as our space program. It took many more years before we saw a thawing of the cold war but it finally happened. Sadly, we are still dealing with individuals who attack, criticize, demean and question others patriotism.

I wish the author would have addressed why Nixon was selected as Ike’s running mate, they are so polar opposites that it is hard to imagine that they had anything in common. Also, I now understand the President’s thinking regarding his handling of the McCarthy hearings, it is just so sad that so many lives were ruined as this one man continued his onslaught of American freedoms.  It is unfortunate that something could not have been done earlier. But again Eisenhower was playing the long game and did not want to give him the publicity that he was so craving Ike Led
What a great book. First of all the author, the granddaughter of Dwight Eisenhower, is an amazing writer. Each word is carefully selected, each paragraph flows one to the next. This book is not just a retelling of facts and figures for her, as so many books end up being, but rather a heartfelt expression of love for her Grandfather. She is not blind to his faults and makes sure that those are covered as well.
She points out over and over the two main leadership characteristics that Eisenhower believed in for his leadership style. These were long term thinking and middle way. During his Presidency he worked from the middle knowing that neither the right nor the left would always be correct. He also took the approach that most things could not be changed in 4 or 8 years. The job of a President is to put things in place so that the next administration can build on them. The civil rights issues, the space program, the handling of the Cold War, and McCarthyism were handled with the hope that the next generation of leaders would take it one step forward. That concept certainly proved true as the Kennedy/Johnson administrations continued to advance the civil rights issues as well as our space program. It took many more years before we saw a thawing of the cold war but it finally happened. Sadly, we are still dealing with individuals who attack, criticize, demean and question others patriotism.

I wish the author would have addressed why Nixon was selected as Ike’s running mate, they are so polar opposites that it is hard to imagine that they had anything in common. Also, I now understand the President’s thinking regarding his handling of the McCarthy hearings, it is just so sad that so many lives were ruined as this one man continued his onslaught of American freedoms. It is unfortunate that something could not have been done earlier. But again Eisenhower was playing the long game and did not want to give him the publicity that he was so craving.
This book really should be essential reading for anyone in high school or college. The lessons it points out, the history that it retells and the personal character qualities that it exemplifies all need to be renewed in this Country.
This is a turning point for America and we certainly could use a few more good men like Ike and this book, if read by enough people, would be a good start.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
A fascinating view of Dwight David Eisenhower written by his granddaughter, Susan. Dealing with his decision making process as both a general and as president. There is an intimacy made possible by Susan being family. A very readable reminder of the Eisenhower years.

I received a copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

In her book, How Ike Led, Susan Eisenhower has made her Grandfather likable, admirable and very much a leader. I grew up under President Eisenhower’s Presidency and admired him, even though I was quite young. My parents may have had influence over me, but as I aged, it only confirmed my admiration. Her backstory of Eisenhower’s life, military career and subsequent presidential years gave him a humanity that otherwise would have not been known. I am delighted to have read this book and learned so much about this thoughtful, interesting man.

Some of the decisions that Mr. Eisenhower was forced to make are well explained and gave me the opportunity to understand what he went through making those decisions based on his well embedded core principles. I learned that when angered by deceit Mr. Eisenhower would do everything he could to make the situation right. His character shone through when faced with deception, especially when that deception came from those he trusted.

This book is enriching and fascination. I recommend this book to any and all people interested in history and historical leaders.

After reading this book, I found how great Dwight Eisenhower was. Prior to reading this book, I know little about him and how he was as a leader. Now this book made me interested to know more.

This book is unique since it was written from the point of view of Susan Eisenhower, the granddaughter of Ike (nickname of Dwight).

How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower's Biggest Decision fascinated me from the start. I learned a lot about this great man. It gets four stars from me.

Found the opening chapters hard to follow as I felt that they assumed a degree of knowledge that I didnt have. Once the book settled into a more chronological biography style is was fascinating and very informative. So many intimate family details included I though it was really insightful.
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an hinest review

thoroughly enjoyed this book and appreciated the leadership lessons that Susan Eisenhower shared throughout the chapters. She brought to life a historical figure whom I've only read about in history books. It's full of practical lessons on leadership, on listening, and on decision-making. One of the most important lessons I learned from the book is how President Eisenhower owned the decisions he made --he took full responsibility without caveats. He also ensured his subordinates knew that he owned the decisions and that if they failed, it was on his shoulders, not theirs.

Because she knew him in his personal capacity, we also learn that he was a man of integrity and was the same at home as he was as President. I think readers will enjoy the personal anecdotes she shares! His integrity, is a great example those aspiring to become leaders in their field.

Overall I recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about President Eisenhower, but also for those who plan to lead others. I can think of any greater example of leadership than Ike!

**Posted on Amazon

A fascinating account of how Eisenhower led, from someone who knew him well. It is a story of not just what Ike did, but also why. The book covers not only his presidency (which was of greatest interest to me), but also his military leadership.

The author touches upon what readers and leaders can learn from him today. With Biden's victory in 2020, it's possible that Eisenhower's interest in a "Third Way" - unity, consensus, etc. - might be of interest to American politics watchers. Not only that, but Ike's personal leadership is discussed - that is, not just his decisions, but the way he comported himself, took responsibility for mistakes, and more. (A welcome portrait after Trump's tenure in the White House.)

Recommended.

Very enjoyable read provided y Eisenhower's granddaughter. I especially enjoyed the more personal aspects of this man's life. I learned a lot that I didn't know and reread some things I've read before. The book kept me interested from the first chapter until the end.