Profiles in Folly: History's Worst Decisions and Why They Went Wrong
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- Synopsis
- [From the dust jacket: "We love to be inspired by true stories of men and women who rose to the historic occasion and made bold--though sometimes difficult and painful--decisions, acts of courage that history has judged to be high points of leadership and wisdom. That, indeed, was the great appeal of historian Alan Axelrod's previous book, Profiles in Audacity. Although we may be a bit more reluctant to admit it, we also love to hear about the decisions that--whether through character flaws or sheer bad luck--led to misfortune, disaster, or worse. In brief, fascinating, and instructive vignettes, Axelrod pinpoints more than thirty such instances of human folly. Some are dumb choices made by bone-headed people, some are evil edicts made by ruthless people, but most are gaffes by good, smart, and savvy people that nevertheless went miserably, abominably, and often irreversibly wrong. The unfortunate blunders range from as far back as the days of the Trojans and the wooden horse to the ongoing disaster of Hurricane Katrina. They occurred in spheres as diverse as politics, the military, business, and invention. Some of these cautionary tales lead us to wonder "what were they thinking?" (Ford Motor Company and the Edsel and Coca-Cola's introduction of the "New Coke") while others leave us deeply shaken (the overconfidence behind the Titanic tragedy and the bureaucratic complacency that led to the Space Shuttle disasters of 1986 and 2003). All of the fateful choices examined in Profiles in Folly--including George Armstrong Custer abandoning his own battle plan at the Little Bighorn and Thomas Edison's stand on the wrong side of technological development with his campaign against the efficiencies of alternating current--are rich with the obstinacy, willful ignorance, and plain stupidity invaluable as lessons we can all apply not only to our own lives, but also to selecting and judging those whom we choose to be our leaders. Profiles in Folly is rich with exquisite twists ranging from acerbic to horrific, and a valuable reminder of what fools we mortals can indeed be."
- Copyright:
- 2008
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Excellent
- Book Size:
- 358 Pages
- ISBN-13:
- 9781402747687
- Publisher:
- Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
- Date of Addition:
- 02/24/11
- Copyrighted By:
- Alan Axelrod
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- History, Nonfiction
- Submitted By:
- Evan Reese
- Proofread By:
- Lissi
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.