Welcome to Issue No. 115. This is a SPECIAL EDITION of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog.
250 Years of USA Books!
On July 4, 2026, the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary. This milestone—officially known as the Semiquincentennial—is being commemorated over several years. Maybe—to do your fair share of celebrating—you should read at least one book about a U.S. president.
I’ll continue to add to this list (and repost reviews that are scheduled to be updated to the new location here for John Pearson’s Buckets Blog). For now…pick one from the list of 19 books below. Note: I couldn’t help myself: four of the books required two reviews!
These books were originally featured in Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews (issue number and date are listed). Books are listed alphabetically by title.
[ ] American Happiness and Discontents: The Unruly Torrent, 2008–2020, by George F. Will (Issue 508, 3/10/2022)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, “19 Hours of Binge Reading (or Listening!).”
[ ] Barack, Inc.: Winning Business Lessons of the Obama Campaign, by Barry Libert and Rick Faulk (Issue 130, 3/10/2009)
• Order from Amazon.
• Watch for my review to be reposted.
[ ] Before and After Jackie Robinson: A Story of the Brooklyn Dodgers Told Through the Lens of Tickets and Passes, by Dan Busby (Issue 527, 9/2/2022)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, "'Ticketologist’ Dan Busby on Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers”
[ ] Behind Closed Doors: In The Room With Reagan & Nixon (Part 1 of 2), by Ken Khachigian (Issue 616, 8/7/2024). See Part 2 of 2 – (Issue 617, 8/21/2024)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my Part 1 review, “Tutorial in Speech Writing.”
• Read my Part 2 review (to be reposted).
[ ] Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead, by Jim Mattis and Bing West (Issue 416, 10/18/2019)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, “Memorial Day Masterpiece.”
[ ] Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President, by Candice Millard (Issue 683, 6/17/2026)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, “Spoiler Alert!”
[ ] Eisenhower 1956: The President's Year of Crisis—Suez and the Brink of War, by David A. Nichols (Issue 221, 6/30/2011)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, “Plans Are Worthless--But Planning Is Everything.”
[ ] Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump (Part 1 of 2), by Tevi Troy (Issue 463, 1/21/2021) - Part 2 of 2: "POTUS Pop Quiz" (Issue 463, 2/10/2021)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my Part 1 review, “The Infighting Scorecard.”
• Read my Part 2 review, “White House/Fight House.”
[ ] The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency (Part 1 of 2), by Chris Whipple (Issue 361, 6/13/2017) - See Part 2 of 2: (Issue 362, 6/21/2017)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my Part 1 review, “Pop Quiz on Chief of Staff Competencies.”
• Read my Part 2 review, “You Can’t Do a Thousand Things.”
[ ] How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower's Biggest Decisions, by Susan Eisenhower (Issue 453, 11/24/2020)
• Order from Amazon.
• Watch for my review (to be reposted).
[ ] In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette, by Hampton Sides (Issue 540, 12/20/2022)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, ““This Is a Glorious Country to Learn Patience In.”
[ ] Leaders: Myth and Reality, by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Jeff Eggers, and Jason Mangone (Issue 410, 8/6/2019)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, “Leaders: Myth and Reality.”
[ ] Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy (Part 1 of 2), by Henry Kissinger (Issue 533, 10/28/2022) - See Part 2 of 2: (Issue 534, 11/2/2022)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my Part 1 review, “Kissinger on Konrad Adenauer, Charles de Gaulle, and Richard Nixon.”
• Read my Part 2 review, ““A Posse of Half-Dedicated Inadequates.”
[ ] One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General, by William P. Barr (Issue 522, 7/9/2022)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, “Bill Barr on Malice or Stupidity!”
[ ] The Power and The Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry, by Tevi Troy (Issue 618, 8/29/2024)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, “Absolutely Fascinating and Funny!”
[ ] The Presidents Club: Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity, by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duff (Issue 252, 7/5/2012)
• Order from Amazon.
• Watch for my review (to be reposted).
[ ] The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington, by Robert D. Novak (Issue 96, 7/14/2008)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, “Don’t Miss the Morsels!”
[ ] The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, by Candice Millard (Issue 683 and PIC 116, 6/17/2026)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, "One Crisis. Then Another Crisis. Then One More…Day After Day!"
[ ] The Time of Our Lives, by Peggy Noonan (Issue 350, 9/11/2016)
• Order from Amazon.
• Read my review, “Poignant Peggy Noonan.”
*NOTE: The authors of Leaders: Myth and Reality also list book recommendations for each of the 13 leaders profiled—a generous bonus.
• The Marble Man: Robert E. Lee
• The Founders: Walt Disney and Coco Chanel
• The Geniuses: Albert Einstein and Leonard Bernstein
• The Zealots: Maximilien Robespierre and Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi
• The Heroes: Zheng He and Harriet Tubman
• The Power Brokers: William Magear “Boss” Tweed and Margaret Thatcher
• The Reformers: Martin Luther and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
So…how will you celebrate the USA’s 250th anniversary? How many books on American history and presidents will you read over the next 12 months?
Note: Visit the Book Bucket for four lists of books I've reviewed since in Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews.
MORE RESOURCES:
• John Pearson’s Buckets Blog
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• John Pearson’s book reviews on Amazon
• Management Buckets website
• Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations Blog
NOTE: This is the NEW location for John Pearson's Pails in Comparison Blog. Slowly (!), the previous 100+ blogs posted (between 2022 and 2025) will gradually populate this blogsite, along with new book reviews each month.
© 2026 John W. Pearson. All rights reserved. New blogs for Pails in Comparison are posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.
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