First Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (and Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents

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John Kennedy and David Ormsby-Gore: They met as young men in pre-war London and began a conversation over the meaning of leadership. A generation later the Cuban Missile Crisis would put their ideas to test as Ormsby-Gore became the president’s unofficial, but most valued foreign policy advisor. This book emphasizes the influences that good friends have on each other. Solomon speaks of iron sharpening iron, and this book shows the iron that sharpened the iron of several Presidents. Who our friends are determine who we are. Another saying is that who we are in 10 years are determined by the books we read and the friends we make. The book is very antagonistic toward Col. House. I find this odd as I find him a much bigger picture thinker than Wilson and really the author of Wilson's success and accomplishments. Claims that the split between Wilson and House was the worst since Hamilton and Burr, but really, Hamilton and Burr were never friends.

Franklin Pierce's reputation may have been shaped by Nathaniel Hawthorne (who wrote his official campaign biography), but these two pro-slavery New Englanders, while "friends" in the way people who don't really understand true friendship might define two men who get along with one another, I wouldn't say Hawthorne shaped Pierce in any way. (Pierce shaped Hawthorne a bit, in keeping him financially afloat at a few essential periods.) In the bestselling tradition of The Presidents Club and Presidential Courage , White House history as told through the stories of the best friends and closest confidants of American presidents.That’s not to say that the stories told aren’t interesting, they certainly are. I especially found the relationship between John F. Kennedy and David Ormsby-Gore interesting in that I have read more than 50 books on the Kennedys and the only time I’ve previously seen Ormsby-Gore mentioned was in books about Kennedy’s sister, Kathleen. How could so many other historians have missed, according to Ginsburg, such an important relationship? From my previous reading, I was always under the impression that Lem Billings, his childhood friend, was closest to him. Or maybe the “Irish Mafia” of Dave Powers and Kenny O’Donnell, who advised the president for twenty years. But the author argues that JFK actually had many intimates, but it was Ormsby-Gore that he really could unwind with, could discuss foreign policy, and it helped that Ormsby-Gore was appointed Great Britain’s ambassador to the United States while Kennedy was in office. Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed: They shared a bed for four years during which Speed saved his friend from a crippling depression. Two decades later the friends worked together to save the Union. Disclosure: Although this is the kind of book I'd have been likely to read anyway, I learned of it and sought it out at the suggestion of my mother, who is friends with the author's mother. I have never met the author, and have only met his mother once. I do not believe my take on the book is colored by this tenuous link.

For all other inspections (childminders, nannies and childcare on non-domestic premises and childcare on domestic premises that does not operate regularly), we give no more than five days’ notice. President John F. Kennedy relied on the British ambassador David Ormsby-Gore during the Cuban Missile Crisis. President Bill Clinton’s friend Vernon Jordan helped save his marriage after the Lewinsky scandal. President Thomas Jefferson and President James Madison were intellectual powerhouses with a common heritage and political vision. Dee Brestin in The Friendships of Women described the difference in friendships of women and of men. Men do things with their friends. Women build intimacy with close friends. All of the Presidential friends detailed in this book show that the people are capable of building intimacy--so much so that others wondered if the relationships were tainted. One of the highlights of our nursery is our enchanting outdoor facilities, featuring two secure play areas. We encourage seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces, enabling our little ones to freely explore and engage in play. As a fortunate member of the Wootey family, we have the privilege of accessing the school grounds, allowing our children to observe and be inspired by the "bigger" children at play. Our assessment and monitoring, in partnership with parents and other professionals, enables us to identify childrens individual needs and progress. Offers Tax Free ChildcareWith that out of the way, I can say that this is a fine book as long as you don't expect too much depth or breadth beyond chatty history. This book feels more (and is more) like popular long-rad journalism than history. There's a bibliography at the end of the book, but there are no citations, and the interior references to primary sources is anemic, at best.

We do not inspect any provider on the Childcare Register until it has been registered for at least 3 months unless we receive information about possible non-compliance. We have a programme in place which combines body movement with mindful awareness for improved physical health and mental balance. This book is gossipy but not salacious, newsy but not at all academically rigorous. It's the kind of book people chosen by those who want to know about interesting personal history but don't want to read actual, academically-vetted, history books. If that's your cup of tea, this book is well-written and easy to follow.

We offer a learning environment in which we provide a range of differentiated activities to meet individual needs to support all children to reach their fullpotential. Sometimes they save your life or help you become your best self. They can be a sounding board and tell you the truth when others can’t. Or, they can indulge or even share your darker side, your weaknesses, your vices. I was surprised to learn that Truman had a best friend. I don’t know a lot about the man, but what little I’ve read he didn’t appear to be very likable. a First Friend is essential to presidential success,” Ginsberg asserts; “What unites the nine stories is the presence in each of a deep, abiding affection between two individuals.” Nathaniel Hawthorne actually said he loved his college buddy, the Southern, slave-owner Franklin Pierce and supported his political career even when Hawthorne’s Transcendentalist (and abolitionist) neighbors were appalled. The book begins with Thomas Jefferson's friendship with James Madison. Perhaps I was disappointed because I have read so many books about the Founding Fathers, so I was expecting something I didn't already know. With the exception of Jefferson serving (and failing) Madison as a wingman when a (very) adult Madison sought a romance with a 16-year-old girl, and Madison pushing Jefferson to take some trips to get out of his own head, this seems very much the story of two colleagues. Famous ones, but not the kind of relationship where you have serious heart-to-heart talks. Further, they don't seem to have shaped each other's presidencies, policies, or anything else beyond listening to the other's opinion and mostly going their own way.

We've crafted exciting spaces for toddlers aged 2-3 years, fostering curiosity and exploration through structured play and routine. These and other friendships—including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, Franklin Pierce and Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Bill Clinton and Vernon Jordan—populate this fresh and provocative exploration of a series of seminal presidential friendships.

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I’m not sure if what these two men had was truly a friendship, since it basically only encompassed the years Wilson was in the White House. For House, the friendship seemed more as a stepping stone to power. Wilson, on the other hand, was too cold, rigid, and unforgiving to do the work a friendship often entails. People say that our experiences shape the type of person we end up being - our character, our morals, our inner strength, etc. However, just as important, are the people we choose to surround ourselves with. Not those relationships cemented by blood, but those we choose willingly - spouses and close friends. As the author noted, Nathaniel Hawthorn is the only First Friend to be better known that the man he befriended. Which is probably for the best, since Pierce was a terrible president, his actions moving the country closer to war. His friendship with Hawthorne was interesting, though ultimately, tragic.