Presidential Leadership in Times of War: Author talk with Paul Sparrow

J. Erik Jonsson Central Library

As we approach the 2024 election, presidential leadership and all it entails is on the minds of most Americans. There's simply no better time to hear from presidential experts Paul Sparrow and Dr. Pearl Ponce as they discuss presidential leadership during times of war, helping attendees understand how the past still resonates today. You simply won't want to miss this bipartisan author talk! 

This conversation will have an emphasis on President Franklin Roosevelt during WWII and President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. Copies of Sparrow’s “Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR's War of Words with Charles Lindbergh and the Battle to Save Democracy” will be available for purchase through Interabang Books and can be signed by the author after the program.

About the Speakers

Paul Sparrow is a writer, historical consultant and former Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. His book "Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR's War of Words with Charles Lindbergh and the Battle to Save Democracy" has received rave reviews: “Highly recommended” Douglas Brinkley. “A riveting debut history” Publishers Weekly. “Wonderfully written” Kirkus Reviews. Before moving to the FDR Library he was the Deputy Director of the Newseum in Washington. Sparrow began his career at KPIX, the CBS affiliate in San Francisco, and became an Emmy-Award winning television producer working with Discovery, TLC, Fox and PBS. 

Dr. Pearl Ponce is the Director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library. She earned a master of arts and doctorate in history from Harvard University, a master of arts in history and certificate in contemporary history from Ohio University, and a bachelor of arts in international relations from Pomona College. As a professor at Ithaca College, she served as chair of the history department for six years. Dr. Ponce is a political and diplomatic historian with a specialty in the Civil War era, having taught a wide range of courses in United States history, such as the American Civil War and Reconstruction, The House Divided: The United States in the Long 19th Century, 1800-1914, and the History of United States Foreign Relations. She is the author of "To Govern the Devil in Hell: The Political Crisis in Territorial Kansas” and the editor of “Kansas's War: The Civil War in Documents.”