The Hardest Job in the World

First off, loooove the front cover, it couldn\’t have been better if it was posed & beamed to JD years later, an iconic choice! John Dickerson takes us through the history and evolution of the Executive Branch from the original blueprint to current day complexities and how it\’s morphed thru the decades. Excellent and thought provoking analysis, kudos to John for all the hard work that went into researching and writing this book. Know the feeling when you\’re into a book and it brings you back into remembering decades growing up, recalling memories of the events of the era, eventually you know you\’re going to finish it, and want more? This is it, so smart and insightful and non-partisan of course, which is very refreshing these days. Highly recommended and a welcome read. Anecdotes from former White House staff and historians shed light on events you knew about but didn\’t know the real backstory on, it\’s a trip. If you love history this is a great addition to your bookshelf. If you\’re a fan of John\’s other superb books, Whistlestop, and On Her Trail, or an aficionado of historical biographies, American History and current events, you will definitely enjoy it. I\’d like to give it seven stars.

Had I read this book before my most recent 2 letters to my Congressional delegation from NC regarding balance of power and working with a brinksman, I could have simply sent a copy of this book and said \”Chapters 10-12. What he said.\” With over 100 page bibliography and about 30 page index, this is a well researched case for what the presidency historically was, is and could possibly be. The writing style is very current and readable, broken up with sub-heads. The author hooks those of us who have had to deliver speeches from under the bus or finished listening to NPR stories in the driveway or thought about writing a job description for Presidents. Teachers can find a wealth of support stories from Washington to Trump. Reading it took my week-end and I don\’t need it back.

I thought this book would be more about the various presidents, what challenges (personal, professional) they faced in office, how they faced their various challenges, possibly how their life prior to the presidency prepared (or not) them for these challenges. However, this book seems very much politically aimed against Trump — really more \”how awful Trump is compared to his predecessors\”. Regardless of what you think about Trump, it\’s not what I expected the book to be… Sadly, I got around to reading it too late for me to get my money back…

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by John Dickerson. I\’ve long had a fascination with the United States Presidency and those that have held the office. I\’ve read biographies of Washington, Jefferson, Grant, GHWB, and others by the likes of Chernow and Meacham. I\’ve read The President\’s Club by Nancy Gibbs. I\’ve enjoyed all to different extents. However, Dickerson\’s framework adds something unique to the library. Here, Dickerson doesn\’t simply tell us about a single person nor does he focus on the relationships between those who have held the office. Rather, Dickerson\’s book is a bit more akin to The Gatekeepers, by Chris Whipple, who detailed what it is like to be Chief of Staff to the President of the United States by weaving a tapestry of anecdotes that illustrated common themes for how a CoS could help a President\’s Administration succeed. Here Dickerson does something similar, but focuses instead on the men (so far) who have been elected to the highest office. Dickerson meanders across eras to show both changes in the demands of the office and how the process for selecting/electing our presidents may not be an effective approach for selecting people with traits necessary to be an effective president. Without being so blunt, after having taught the reader about the demands of the job, Dickerson asks the reader, at least in the case of American citizens, to reflect on how we choose who we vote for in the Presidency. Beyond the main themes, Dickerson largely let\’s previous inhabitants of the Office of the Presidency do the talking. His colorful deployment of quotes and anecdotes made it a fun and engaging read. Finally, I hope the lessons conveyed in this book might help me to be a better manager and leader…and far more humble about the challenges that I face in my own day-to-day work.

This book was published just prior to the beginning of the pandemic. This the analysis is quite up to date. My initial concern was that the overwhelming focus would be primarily on the current administration – for better or worse. However, this does not occur until the very last section. Mr. Dickerson draws upon the experiences of many presidents throughout history as well as the various aspects of the office of the presidency. This is followed by an excellent discussion of how presidential campaigns have evolved – particularly since JFK. The narrative is thought provoking and makes the reader realize not only how truly impossible this job has become for one individual but also the various demanding, shifting roles and crushing expectations. It is not \”beach reading\” but does not read like a political college text either. Well worth the investment of time and money.

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