Lilyanne's review
Profiles in Courage (slipcased edition): Decisive Moments in the Lives of Celebrated Americans by John F. Kennedy
So much more than I expected. The introductory chapter is a great essay on representative democracy and should be read even if you have no interest in the rest of the book, which reads like a history of the U.S. Senate. Kennedy illuminates the inherent conflict of being a legislator: on the one hand, you are elected to represent the wishes of your constituents, but on the other, you are elected to lead, even if that requires going against the wishes of your constituents. His thesis is that "courage" is defined by the latter, doing what is doing politically unpopular.
The rest of the book can be hard to stay with, but the history is never dry. He does a good job at picking moments in history that required great courage, such as the nation's founding and the civil war.
Very thought-provoking, and a nice reminder of a time in which we had presidents that were brilliant scholars as well as statesmen.
The rest of the book can be hard to stay with, but the history is never dry. He does a good job at picking moments in history that required great courage, such as the nation's founding and the civil war.
Very thought-provoking, and a nice reminder of a time in which we had presidents that were brilliant scholars as well as statesmen.
