Certain Trumpets: The Nature of Leadership
by Garry Wills
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Book Summary Information
Author: Garry WillsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1995-05-09
ISBN: 0684801388
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
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Book Reviews of Certain Trumpets: The Nature of Leadership
Book Review: my students adored this book
Summary: 5 Stars
I used Garry Wills' book, "Certain Trumpets" for humanities students in a senior seminar. I was urged to use a text that takes more of a "how to" or "elements of leadership" approach by others who teach "Leadership" at the school, but decided, because these were advanced students from diverse educational backgrounds, to use something that did not take a paint-by-numbers approach by spoonfeeding obvious conclusions. (Ironically, one colleague specifically urged me not to use Wills' book -- too messy, too difficult for students to make the leap from the disconnected narratives to the major issues that face leaders).
The decision to use "Certain Trumpets" turned out to be most fortuitous. I was, to be honest, astonished by the enthusiasm with which the class embraced the book and by the depth of thought that it inspired. This class took place concurrent with Barak Obama's first year as president, and the students made parallels between events in the news and the reading with great alacrity and insight. Students who, previous to this, had expressed an aversion to political discussion became obsessed with it. They wrote journal entries in which they compared Harriet Tubman or Napoleon to contemporary leaders. They discovered historical figures on their own, exploring people as far-ranging as Aristotle, Pamela Churchill Harriman, and Catharine the Great -- none of whom is even in the book!
What they seemed to appreciate most about Wills' book is that his observations about the people he includes are not platitudinous,and each chapter provoked further discussion. Students enjoyed learning about important figures whose names were unfamiliar -- Andrew Young and Adlai Stevenson come to mind. They also enjoyed new appraisals of people whose lives they had read about in anticeptic assessments. Each major type of leader is matched in the book with an "anti-type." The class loved this "litany of losers." I knew something valuable was happening when a breathless and spontaneous debate erupted in which students urgently argued whether Obama was most like Lincoln, Roosevelt, or Reagan. Napoleon became a pivotal figure in their discussions -- something I never would have predicted. They adored the notion of internal and external friction and began to apply the idea to all aspects of public and professional life.
Finally, the book is simply a good read. For a lively seminar, the accessibility of its prose helped the class reach complexity of thought. I hope to use the book as a text again.
Summary of Certain Trumpets: The Nature of Leadership
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lincoln at Gettysburg offers a gallery of portraits that examine the interplay among leaders and followers and identify the essential elements of successful leadership. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.Psychology & Counseling Books
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