The Raising of a President: The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders

The Raising of a President:The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders by Doug Wead looks at the facts, families, and psychological profiles of some of our past presidents. The characteristics, circumstances, and experiences that equipped these men to lead the free world are studied in the context of understanding how it culminated into greatness instead of destruction. The lives of the presidents studied in depth include George Washington, John Adams and John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

Most had powerful fathers - some were abusive, such as Abe Lincoln's father, while others were inspirational. Both John Quincy Adams and George W. Bush followed their father to the White House while George Washington and Teddy and Franklin D. Roosevelt lost their fathers at a young age. Mothers also left distinct marks on the future presidents. While George Washington and FDR both had willful and seemingly emotionally disturbed mothers and JFK had a cold and distant mother, Roosevelt and Bush presidents had strong mothers and Lincoln had a loving stepmother.

In the role of family dynamics, birth order varied and played a lessor role than parental influence. Franklin D. Roosevelt was an only child, John Adams and George H.W. Bush were firstborn while George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were middle children.

While the book was interesting, it gave no conclusive formula, common parenting practices, or even dysfunctional family element that substantially influenced these men and led them to the presidency. The common denominator, with the exception of Lincoln, seemed to be a desire for influence, power, or wealth ingrain in the families themselves. In the end, however, the presidents have been as diverse as the country they served.