Has America, in its quest for goodness, sacrificed its sense of greatness? In this sharp-witted, historically informed book, veteran political observer Alan Wolfe argues that most Americans show greater concern with saving the country's soul than with making the nation great. Wolfe castigates both conservatives and liberals for opting for small-mindedness over greatness. Liberals, who at their best insisted on policies of national solidarity, have convinced themselves that small is beautiful, prefer multiculturalism to one nation, and are mistrustful of executive political power. Conservatives, who once embraced strong, active central government and an ideal of national citizenship, now support huge tax cuts that undermine America's future ability to undertake any ambitious, long-term project at home or abroad. No great society, in Wolfe's view, has ever been built on the cheap. Wolfe notes that neither the conservatives' call for small-scale faith-based initiatives nor the recent embrace on the left of a grassroots "civil society" can provide health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans or ensure national security in an age of terrorism. To find better solutions, Wolfe looks back at specific moments in our national experience, when, in the face of sharp resistance, aspirations for the idea of national greatness shaped American history. He demonstrates how a bold and ambitious political agenda, championed at various times by Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall, Abraham Lincoln, and the two Roosevelts, steered the country toward periods of national strength and unity. Steeped in a colorful, panoramic reading of history, Return to Greatness offers a fresh take on American national identity and purpose. A call to action for a renewed embrace of the ideal of an activist federal government and bold policy agendas, it is sure to become a centerpiece of national debate.

"Von Drehle has chosen a critical year ('the most eventful year in American history' and the year Lincoln rose to greatness), done his homework, and written a spirited account."N"Publishers Weekly."

A fictionalized account of the Ford Motor Company's turn-around and the future of American prosperity.

A former chairman of America's most successful steel company challenges myths about the decline of the nation's industry to trace the endurance of manufacturing throughout the recession and identify the vulnerabilities of green jobs and outsourcing.

This path-breaking work offers the first comprehensive examination of the important personalities and events that have influenced the course of history. It discusses whether people who go down in history are different from the rest of us and whether specific personality traits predispose certain people to become world leaders, movie stars, scientific geniuses, and athletes. It sheds light on the depth of potential in everyone, yielding important clues as to how we can take advantage of our own individual personality traits. Probing the lives of a range of important figures, the book explores the full range of phenomena associated with greatness, scrutinizing the significance of everything from genetic inheritance, intuition, aesthetic appreciation, and birth order, to formal education, sexual orientation, aging, IQ, and alcohol and drug abuse. This book will be of interest to anyone interested in the people and events that have helped shape the world, including mental health professionals and scholars studying psychological topics in the larger context of science, art, politics, and history. The book also serves as an engaging text for undergraduate psychology courses.

Tired of playing small with your life? Feel like you were meant to be so much more? Ready to become spectacularly successful, breathtakingly effective and wildly fulfilled as you work and live at a level called extraordinary? Passionate, inspiring, provocative and full of big ideas that will get you to your ideal life faster than you’ve ever imagined, The Greatness Guide and The Greatness Guide, Book 2 are those rare books that truly have the power to release your potential and awaken your best self. The Greatness Guide, Book 2 offers more of Robin’s inspiring anecdotes, tips and big ideas. Discover ideas to generate wealth and energy, tool kits for practical work-life balance, time-management techniques that really work, practical strategies to turn setbacks into opportunities and so much more. The Greatness Guide, Book 2 will uplift, energize and move you to action. Robin Sharma is known around the world as the man behind The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari phenomenon, the #1 bestselling series of inspirational books spun around the modern fable of a jet-setting lawyer who gives it all up to search for his best life. Leaders, top entrepreneurs and renowned organizations in over 40 countries have turned to Robin for his deeply insightful yet exquisitely practical advice on getting to greatness. Both The Greatness Guide and The Greatness Guide, Book 2 offer an insider’s look at the tools, tactics and techniques that have transformed so many of Robin’s clients.

This book is based on my 30+ years of elite athlete/corporate executive coaching. It speaks about the psychology of performance.