Reviews for Letter to a New President: Commonsense Lessons for Our Next Leader

The average rating for Letter to a New President: Commonsense Lessons for Our Next Leader based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-05-15 00:00:00 Jeremiah Johnson Letter to a New President by Senator Robert Byrd was a gift given to me by a former student I worked with at WT, Kyle. Kyle's hero was Senator Byrd and in respect to him I moved this book to the top of my list of books to read. I recently completed the book and was surprised by several things. First, I expected this book to be mostly about the Senator, which it was not. I also did not expect for this book to very good, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I found this book to be extremely interesting and insightful. It was both practical and philosophical. It was a very useful set of ideas to reflect upon (also the specific topic of the final chapter of the book). I was surprised by the specificity, as well as, the intensity of Senator Byrd's criticism of President George W. Bush, as well as, his strong praise for President Harry Truman. "Recall the wisdom of Tolstoy, who said, 'Love that in you which is in all of us and you will come one step closer to loving God.' A President no only must have a spine like steel and a mind that is always reaching for new insight and new wisdom; he or she must above all have a faith that is unerring, unfailing, and unbreakable, because that faith will be tested every day in the White House." (3-4) Senator Byrd writes this book for the eventual President to follow George W. Bush (the book was written before the 2008 elections were completed) to the next President, but the lessons of this text can serve anyone who aspires to become a better leader. It is extremely important that each generation of Americans learn from our forefathers and take their teachings and lessons to heart. I greatly enjoyed the lessons of this book and I am equally grateful for the long service that the great Senator Robert Byrd gave to this nation. Thank you Kyle for introducing me to this great text!

Review # 2 was written on 2008-10-27 00:00:00 Jared Guss I enjoyed this book more for the Senator's long life experience and wisdom gained through reading good books than his political views. Not that the political slant wasn't interesting also, just that I was impressed with how well-read the Senator is and how he applies the lessons he's learned in his life to his service to our country.