This is Graham's account of his relationships with numerous presidents through the years, beginning with Truman and extending onto G. W. Bush. Certainly, no other spiritual leader had so much interaction with the presidents or such unbridled access to the White House.I am an avid reader, but admit to taking roughly 4 months to finish this book. Graham's memories and stories were interesting, but were delivered in a documentary fashion that simply did not engage me. In that regard, the book failed to live up to my expectations. Personal religious/political opinions aside, however, Graham is one of the most well known and respected spiritual leaders in this country, if not the world, and I felt Gibbs and Duffy seriously failed to do him justice.
Graham himself admits there were times (particularly in his youth) when he sadly blurred or crossed the lines between spiritual leader and political activist, and this book delves into the dynamics of one role upon the other. He makes no secret that he has moderate to conservative leanings and did not agree with each man who held office, but conveys his unshakable belief that, whether or not we agree with our president, he is still the leader of our free world and, by virtue of that reason alone, worthy of our prayers and spiritual support. I'm betting that's a level of spiritual maturity that few of us ever achieve.
Verdict: Interesting content; weak delivery. I'm glad I finished the book, but admit that I struggled to do so.
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