Cradles of Power

The Mothers and Fathers of the American Presidents

“Fascinating, erudite, and invaluable history of the folks from whom forty-three of America’s most important people sprung” (Stephen Spignesi, author of In the Crosshairs**).**
 
In this compact and compelling narrative of truly popular history, Harold I. Gullan offers insights into the early influences that helped shape our presidents, shedding light into a much-neglected corner of history.
 
In Cradles of Power, readers will learn the stories of “first parents” from Augustine and Mary Washington to Barack Obama Sr., and Ann Dunham, including:
 

• The heroic Elizabeth Jackson, who literally saved her son’s life
• The beloved senior Theodore Roosevelt, who seemingly founded and funded every worthwhile charity in New York
• The handsome and unpredictable Jack Reagan, whose drunken blackout one winter night became a pivotal moment for the young Ronald
• The pious “Mother” McKinley, who wanted her William to become a Methodist bishop
• The vibrant Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, whose personal tragedies never stopped her from showing unflagging support for her sons’ campaigns, and the domineering Joseph P. Kennedy who himself aspired to be our first Catholic president

 
Gullan’s reader-friendly vignettes are sure to fascinate and entertain, but they will also elucidate the formative forces and motivations in the lives of the most powerful men in the nation.
 
“Sick of politics, you say? That’s fine; Cradles of Power is really more biographical in nature anyway . . . Gullan writes of the influences that shaped our presidents, for better or worse, going back sometimes for generations.” —Rushville Republican