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Monday, July 18, 2016

It's Monday, What are You Reading? First Entrepreneur


 It's Monday, What are You Reading?
First Entrepreneur: 
How George Washington Built His - and the Nation’s - Prosperity
by Edward G. Lengel



This post is the one-hundred and fourteenth entry for this meme suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books. [Entries 22-25 in the series were posted at  the Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories]


This is the second of the two books on my Wish List that Nancy got me for my birthday, from Amazon…this one in Print Edition. Should be a fun read! ;-)


Book Description from Amazon:

George Washington was not only “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen”—he was also America’s most important entrepreneur.

Editorial Reviews from Amazon:

Praise for First Entrepreneur

"First Entrepreneur is an almost magical book. It deftly tells the little known story of George Washington’s life as a man of business and simultaneously convinces us that his vision of a commercial nation creating a community of interests between all parts of America was (and still is) the key to our survival as a nation. Edward Lengel has added a new dimension to Washington’s greatness."—Thomas Fleming, author of The Great Divide

"Edward Lengel, who knows George Washington inside and out, has authored a thoughtful, carefully researched, and gracefully written account of the founder as a businessman. Mention Washington and the picture that comes to mind is that of a soldier and statesman. But, as Lengel demonstrates, Washington was a bold, risk-taking, innovative, calculating, and, above all, successful investor and entrepreneur. Lengel shows how Washington brought his business and managerial skills to his roles as commander of the Continental Army and the presidency and how they helped him succeed in those capacities. This is an excellent and illuminating book that deserves to be read."—John Ferling, author of Whirlwind: The American Revolution and the War That Won It

"In this original, lucid, and accessible study, Edward Lengel deploys his mastery of George Washington's vast correspondence to reveal a surprising yet highly significant side to his character. He shows how the energy, realism, and willingness to innovate that typified Washington's approach to his own business ventures was transferred, with momentous consequences, when he led America in war and peace. First Entrepreneur provides a fascinating portrait of an inveterate micro-manager whose hands-on experience taught him that commerce was the strongest cement for bonding the newly United States."—Stephen Brumwell, author of George Washington: Gentleman Warrior

Kirkus Reviews, 12/15/15
"[Lengel] organically traces the evolution of Washington's free market thinking through his first and second presidential terms: building a national economy, encouraging domestic manufacturing, establishing a central bank, and developing a sense of unity of purpose. A deeply researched and nicely handled biography."


Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Monday, July 11, 2016

It's Monday, What are You Reading? The First Congress


It's Monday, What are You Reading?
The First Congress: 
How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government 
by Fergus M. Bordewich


This post is the one-hundred and thirteenth entry for this meme suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books. [Entries 22-25 in the series were posted at  the Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories]

This is one of two books on my Wish List that Nancy got me for my birthday, from Amazon…this one in Kindle Edition, which I read on my iPad Mini. Therefore, I read this book in bits and pieces between other reading of news articles from many sources, Facebook, and my two games. I’m only a couple of chapters in but am already seeing that the arguments on the floor of Congress in those first few days of trying to create a government out of the approved Constitution are over many of the same issues and the same approaches now, as then. Oh, my! ;-) I am really not surprised, of course. Different folks see the same issues differently, depending on their individual viewpoints and agendas. That has not changed, and will not change, in a democratic republic - long may it live!!! ;-)


Book Description from Amazon:

The little known story of perhaps the most productive Congress in US history, the First Federal Congress of 1789–1791.

The First Congress was the most important in US history, says prizewinning author and historian Fergus Bordewich, because it established how our government would actually function. Had it failed—as many at the time feared it would—it’s possible that the United States as we know it would not exist today.

The Constitution was a broad set of principles. It was left to the members of the First Congress and President George Washington to create the machinery that would make the government work. Fortunately, James Madison, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and others less well known today, rose to the occasion. During two years of often fierce political struggle, they passed the first ten amendments to the Constitution; they resolved bitter regional rivalries to choose the site of the new national capital; they set in place the procedure for admitting new states to the union; and much more. But the First Congress also confronted some issues that remain to this day: the conflict between states’ rights and the powers of national government; the proper balance between legislative and executive power; the respective roles of the federal and state judiciaries; and funding the central government. Other issues, such as slavery, would fester for decades before being resolved.

The First Congress tells the dramatic story of the two remarkable years when Washington, Madison, and their dedicated colleagues struggled to successfully create our government, an achievement that has lasted to the present day.
Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Monday, July 4, 2016

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Five Presidents


It's Monday, What are You Reading? Five Presidents: 
My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford
by Clint Hill with Lisa McCubbin


This post is the one-hundred and twelveth entry for this meme suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books. [Entries 22-25 in the series were posted at  the Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories]

This fine book was a recent gift from my daughter, Allison. I’m really looking forward to a view of these five presidencies from this perspective.


Book Description from Amazon:

A rare and fascinating portrait of the American presidency from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Kennedy and Me and Five Days in November.

Secret Service agent Clint Hill brings history intimately and vividly to life as he reflects on his seventeen years protecting the most powerful office in the nation. Hill walked alongside Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford, seeing them through a long, tumultuous era—the Cold War; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy; the Vietnam War; Watergate; and the resignations of Spiro Agnew and Richard M. Nixon.

Some of his stunning, never-before-revealed anecdotes include:
-Eisenhower’s reaction at Russian Prime Minister Khrushchev’s refusal to talk following the U-2 incident
-The torture of watching himself in the Zapruder film in a Secret Service training
-Johnson’s virtual imprisonment in the White House during violent anti-Vietnam protests
-His decision to place White House files under protection after a midnight phone call about Watergate
-The challenges of protecting Ford after he pardoned Nixon

With a unique insider’s perspective, Hill sheds new light on the character and personality of these five presidents, revealing their humanity in the face of grave decisions.


Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)