Jared Cohen is the president of global affairs and cohead of applied innovation at Goldman Sachs, where he joined as a partner and member of the firm’s management committee in 2022. Before joining Goldman Sachs, he was CEO of Jigsaw, which he founded at Alphabet Inc. in 2016. Prior to that, he was Google’s first director of ideas and chief advisor to Google’s chief executive officer and executive chairman Eric Schmidt. From 2006 to 2010, he served as a member of the Secretary of State’s policy planning staff and as a close advisor to both Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. He is a New York Times bestselling author of five books, most recently Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America. He has been named to the Time 100 list, Foreign Policy’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers,” and Fortune’s “40 Under 40.” He lives in New York City with his wife and three daughters.
“What a delightful book and brilliant concept! Jared Cohen treats
us to some of the most colorful and momentous episodes in our
history when we unexpectedly got a new president. He reveals the
historic importance of some lesser-known leaders, such as John
Tyler and Millard Fillmore, and highlights the greatness of Teddy
Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson. Through their
fascinating tales we learn why America is such a resilient nation
and our Constitution a living document—lessons very powerful for
today.”—Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of
Leonardo da Vinci
“Fascinating, compelling and often alarming. With astonishing story
after story, Jared Cohen chronicles the whole pageant of the
unsteady, the unready and the unexpectedly capable. Nearly ten
percent of our presidents succeeded because of the deaths of those
who chose them mostly out of political expediency to be forgotten
number twos. Will we luck out in the future with a surprising Harry
Truman or with a wrecker like Andrew Johnson? In God we trust. But
read Jared Cohen.” —Sidney Blumenthal, author of A Self-Made Man
and Wrestling with His Angels
“Thanks to Jared Cohen. The stories of eight accidental presidents
are now all in one grand place. Cohen deserves a medal for
performing this public service.” —Patricia O’Toole, author of The
Moralist: Woodrow Wilson and the World He Made
“History is the most contingent of enterprises, and little has
proven more contingent than the nature of the American presidency.
In this eloquent and often surprising book, Jared Cohen explores
how fate has shaped the office--and all of us. In an age marked by
widespread concerns about the character of the person who reaches
the pinnacle (by whatever means), Cohen's study is illuminating and
resonant.”"—Jon Meacham, #1 New York Times bestselling author of
The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels
"This is a fascinating prism through which to look at American
history ... It is a well written fast-paced book that is filled
with interesting facts and insights. Anyone who is interested in
American history will delight in it." —Fareed Zakaria, CNN
"A deep dive into the terms of eight former presidents is
chock-full of political hijinks—and déjà vu ... chapters flick
at familiar themes: trust busting, scandal wrangling, and brawls
that read like highbrow TMZ ... The book is also a reminder
that, when it came to succession, America’s founders basically
winged it." —Vanity Fair
“One of the many insights to be found in Accidental Presidents is
that history unfolds in death as well as in life.”—The Wall Street
Journal
"Pleasant reading for politics junkies, especially those keen on
reading the political winds."—Kirkus Reviews
“Illuminating…[a] genuinely interesting history on a topic that has
never been addressed in this depth.”—Booklist
Colorful…clear and engaging…confidently told.”—Publishers
Weekly
“Accidental Presidents is a compelling and comprehensive book
of history that shines a light on unexplored corners of our history
... In his typically engaging and gripping style, Jared Cohen tells
us why it is not easy to amend the Constitution and why it should
be amended. He explores the complexities of the American
Constitution and politics as a gifted story-teller ... It will
resonate for a long time to come among the scholars and students of
American history."—Washington Review of Books
“While much is known about the two successful accidentals,
Roosevelt and Truman, and the partially-successful Lyndon, the
latter Johnson, much of the book’s treasure lies in earlier, lesser
known accidentals.”—New York Journal of Books
"Every single sentence in this books counts."—Fox News
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