Why read The Heart of Power?

Book cover of The Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office

Book description

Even the most powerful men in the world are human - they get sick, take dubious drugs, drink too much, contemplate suicide, fret about ailing parents, and bury people they love. Young Richard Nixon watched two brothers die of tuberculosis, even while doctors monitored a suspicious shadow on his own…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Heart of Power as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Joseph P. Newhouse

Author

In individual chapters, this book describes every American President’s approach to health policy from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush (it omits Gerald Ford).

It describes their personal and familial interactions with health and medical care as well as their foibles and habits. It is a fascinating read, especially for those of an age who personally lived through some of these Presidents.

From Joseph's list on the economics and history of American health insurance.