Life After Power
Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House
Former presidents have an unusual place in American life. King George III believed that George Washington's departure after two terms made him "the greatest character of the age." But Alexander Hamilton worried former presidents might "[wander] among the people like ghosts." They were both right.
Life After Power tells the stories of seven former presidents, from the Founding to today. Each changed history. Each offered lessons about how to decide what to do in the next chapter of life. This book follows the exceptional lives of past presidents including:
-Thomas Jefferson whose time after the White House saw him shaping public debates and founding the University of Virginia, an accomplishment he included on his tombstone, unlike his presidency.
-John Quincy Adams who served in Congress and became a leading abolitionist, passing the torch to Abraham Lincoln.
-Grover Cleveland who was the only president in American history to serve a nonconsecutive term.
-William Howard Taft who became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
-Herbert Hoover who shaped the modern conservative movement, led relief efforts after World War II, reorganized the executive branch, and reconciled John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
-Jimmy Carter who had the longest post-presidency in American history, advancing humanitarian causes, human rights, and peace.
-George W. Bush who made a clean break from politics, bringing back George Washington's precedent, and reminding the public that the institution of presidency is bigger than any person.
Jared Cohen explores the untold stories in the final chapters of these presidents' lives, offering a "unique and fascinating look at how seven individuals made the transition from the most powerful position in the world to consequential and fulfilling lives post-presidency" (Condoleezza Rice, 66th Secretary of State). He tells how they handled very human problems of ego, finances, and questions about their legacy and mortality. He shows how these men made history after they left the White House.
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Creators
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Release date
February 13, 2024 -
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Kindle Book
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- ISBN: 9781982154561
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- ISBN: 9781982154561
- File size: 37642 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Library Journal
September 1, 2023
Ranging from Thomas Jefferson, who included his post-presidency founding of the University of Virginia on his tombstone but not the presidency itself, to Jimmy Carter's humanitarian efforts in the longest post-presidency in U.S. history, Accidental Presidents author Cohen explores Life After Power. Prepub Alert.
Copyright 2023 Library Journal
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly
February 12, 2024
Cohen (Accidental Presidents), a former adviser to secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton, offers an affable exploration of life after the presidency. With a storyteller’s verve, he profiles seven presidents—Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Grover Cleveland, William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush. Opening the narrative in 1825, when an 82-year-old Jefferson’s ambitions for the University of Virginia, which he’d founded, were threatened by a days-long student riot, Cohen explains that in his later years, the former president had come to consider UVA as a crowning achievement, second only to his achievements as a politician. Unlike Jefferson, most of the other presidents Cohen profiles turned to activism or philanthropy as a means of redeeming themselves after lackluster presidencies: Adams’s unsuccessful single term in the White House was followed by a triumphant and effective embrace of abolitionism as a congressman, and Hoover led “international famine relief” after WWII hoping to be remembered as a humanitarian rather than for the Great Depression. Bush stands out for removing himself entirely from public affairs after his disastrous second term ended. Though sometimes contorted by Cohen’s determined nonpartisanship (he even spins Bush’s postpresidency painting career as inspiring: “His work elevates people often overlooked... and... contributes to important conversations”), this survey is redeemed by its unique premise. The result is a fresh and informative take on presidential history. -
Kirkus
Starred review from February 1, 2024
A survey of the rewarding post-term afterlives of seven U.S. presidents. "Between their last day in office and their last day on earth, former presidents have a finite amount of time to make their marks upon the world," writes Cohen, an executive at Goldman Sachs. This follow-up to Accidental Presidents focuses on seven former presidents who made the most of their remaining time. In some cases, their post-term accomplishments far exceeded those made in office, greatly enhancing their legacies. Thomas Jefferson's years of political service, including two presidential terms, were less satisfying to him than his dream of designing and establishing the University of Virginia. John Quincy Adams' second act as a House Representative provided him with a platform to lead the abolitionist movement. Grover Cleveland became the only president who, after leaving office, would later serve another term. Lackluster one-term presidents William Howard Taft and Herbert Hoover had more success later, as well: Taft served as chief justice of the Supreme Court for a decade, and Hoover's post-World War II humanitarian efforts eclipsed his notoriously unpopular presidential term during the early years of the Great Depression. Cohen's recent examples are Jimmy Carter, who "transformed being a former into a platform" in what is the lengthiest post-term period to date, tirelessly attending to altruistic causes throughout the world, and George W. Bush, who chose to remove himself from politics altogether, which increased his approval rating and allowed him to dedicate time to personal pursuits such as painting. The author packs this expansive sweep of presidential history with enough storytelling verve and grounded research to legitimize these presidents' underrepresented post-term stories. Cohen effectively proves that, for these seven men, "life doesn't end with the job that will be the first line of their obituaries." An engaging dip into the history of the presidency.COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Formats
- Kindle Book
- OverDrive Read
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Languages
- English
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