Private Lives/Public Consequences
by William H. Chafe
Harvard University Press (November 1, 2005)
ISBN: 067401877X
Rating – 4 stars
I will admit this book left me confused.
It is not that William H. Chafe failed to articulate his
point. Quite the contrary, the history professor and former faculty dean at
Duke University communicates his theme clearly and concisely. His premise –
that childhood events mold and influence the direction, personality and life
choices of our national leaders – is an intriguing thought.
It is, however, not history. Historians – and Dr. Chafe is
a distinguished one – spend their hours probing primary sources for clues of how
social movements swept up individuals and used them in their dialectic march
towards a preordained future. Once done with their research, historians then
hide their conclusions in books and articles distinguished by long couplings of
footnote-festooned, incomprehensible complex-compound sentences.
That is not this book. There are no primary sources; there
are no footnotes. You can read these provocative essays and understand them.
The author admits it is a departure from his academic training and practice.
Based on his reading and observations, Dr. Chafe offers his
thoughts on how the personal lives and political fortunes of Eleanor and
Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy,
Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Hilary and Bill Clinton
intersected to shape the United States.
For the moment, I will discount the fact that the author
was three years old when Franklin Roosevelt died. This book is a fascinating
read. As a professor of modern American history, I have no doubt Dr. Chafee has
read many books on his subjects. His observations deserve a thoughtful
consideration. It is difficult to document the psychological influences on a
life. Nevertheless, Dr. Chafee produces poignant portrayals of vision and
paranoia; moral strengths and weakness; sincerity and artificiality.
I admit my Hegelian biases. They grow stronger as I age.
Yet, I do not find it a stretch to believe the Muse of history recruits
individuals it has equipped with the tools and experiences it required to
continue its movement.
History or not, this book will spark a new appreciation of
the joys and heartaches of our country’s recent past.
Penned by the Pointed Pundit
October 23, 2006
8:55:02 AM
