First published 2012
Jean Edward Smith delivers a comprehensive portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower that spans his entire life and career. Smith draws on previously untapped primary sources to illuminate Eisenhower's journey from his Kansas origins through West Point and his challenging years under Douglas MacArthur in Washington and the Philippines. The biography chronicles Eisenhower's masterful leadership during World War II, including his strategic victories in North Africa and Italy that led to the successful Normandy invasion. Smith examines personal details including Eisenhower's finances and his wartime relationship with Kay Summersby, plus the political maneuvering at the 1952 Republican convention that secured his presidential nomination. The presidential years receive thorough treatment, showing how Eisenhower ended the Korean War, avoided conflicts with the Soviet Union and China, managed international crises from Berlin to Suez, and maintained peace while enhancing American global standing. Domestically, he balanced budgets, built the interstate highway system, and expanded social security. Smith presents Eisenhower as a shrewd politician and decisive leader rather than the passive caretaker his critics portrayed.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: political-drama
Setting: Kansas, West Point, Washington, Philippines, North Africa, Italy, Normandy
Period: World War II, 1952 Republican Convention, Korean War
976 pages · Hardcover · Random House