The Soul of An American President

Book:  The Soul of An American President: The Untold Story of Dwight D. Eisenhower's Faith

Authors:  Alan Sears and Craig Osten with Ryan Cole

Publisher:  Baker Books

  237  pages, paperback


This book is incredibly well-written.  We learn a great deal of fascinating history throughout the time period of the life of Dwight D. Eisenhower. We also learn about his tremendous faith in God and why he was very private about his religious life.

In the introduction, we find the purpose of this book:

"Was Dwight Eisenhower an imperfect man (like us all) of genuine faith, or was he a skilled politician who used religion, like so many others before him and since, to further his agenda and popularity?" (page 22)

The main reason this question had come up, was because of the uncommon religious affiliation of his mother.  She had converted to a new (and growing) religion while he was still a young boy.  She had very different ideas about religion than those of her son.  This made it difficult for him.

The beginning of the book shows some sweet and tender descriptions of the family's early religious life:

"David and Ida chose the name Dwight for their new boy in honor of the famous Christian evangelist of the era, Dwight L. Moody."

". . The Eisenhower home still centered around the Bible, with prayers in the morning and evening as well as throughout the day."

"Ike had read the entire Bible by the time he was twelve, and then read it again."  (page 35)

We get to read about his marriage and family life as well as the work he did in the military.
There is a beautiful prayer, written by Ike himself, on pages 97 and 98.  The prayer was requested by a major in the U.S. Army for a book of prayers he was compiling for the soldiers.

Throughout the book, the authors do an excellent job in explaining Dwight's faith. A great deal of his life story is covered, with a beautiful theme of his faith in God. It is instructive and inspiring.


 * Disclosure - This book was provided for review purposes. *