When it comes to presidential biographies, Pulitzer Prize winner Goodwin is a renowned leader. After penning individual biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson, Goodwin delivers here a succinct summary of the backgrounds, ambition, challenges, and resilience of each of these four presidents. Four intimate stories emerge to demonstrate strong leadership at turbulent crossroads in American history. The stories are intertwined in sections covering the upbringing and youth of these men, their successes and failures in life and politics, and the impact their vision had on the development of the nation. While acknowledging weaknesses and character flaws in each of them, Goodwin presents the quartet as admirably generous and civic minded. Following the model of Lincoln, each of the others assumed strength from the tough choices and resolve of previous presidents. Four robust voices narrate, as Beau Bridges, David Morse, Jay O. Sanders, and Richard Thomas bring the stories to life. Goodwin demonstrates her commitment by reading the introduction and the epilog. VERDICT An excellent choice for learning more about these presidents and their times. ["Goodwin distills years of scholarship into an easily accessible study of leadership qualities that will appeal to anyone interested in American history, U.S. presidents, and leadership": LJ 9/1/18 review of the S. & S. hc.]—Ann Weber, Bellarmine Coll. Prep., San José, CA