12 Questions for a Writer:
Prof. Steven M. Gillon is a Professor of History, History Channel personality and author of important, insightful, yet popularly accessible history. His newest book is Presidents at War. Read it.
1. Who are you, what have you written, and why?
I grew up in a working- class community outside Philadelphia and always dreamed of pitching for the Phillies. But my 78- mph fastball crushed those dreams. In college I had a dynamic history professor who one day convinced me that I would have a better chance of making a living with my untested brain than with my tired right arm. And the rest, as they say, is history. I went to Brown University for graduate school, taught at Yale and Oxford before becoming Dean of the Honors College at the University of Oklahoma. I also served as the scholar-in-residence at The History Channel for more than two decades. I have written over a dozen books on all aspects of modern American political history. I have always been interested in the presidency and recently developed an interest in military history. This book combined both.
2. You note the contribution of many people to this book but ultimately writing a book is a solitary pursuit, perhaps even more in an effort that takes as much research as “Presidents at War.” What is it that compels you to write?
I love telling stories. It’s programmed into my DNA. I enjoy going to presidential libraries in search of documents that no one else has seen and then weaving them into a character-driven narrative that is accessible to the general public. The big challenge for this book was trying to write about seven different presidencies, which meant seven different presidential libraries.
3. Tell us about the process you undertook to write “Presidents at War”.
The process was similar to that of my other books. It begins with intensive research in both primary and secondary sources. That process can take more than a year. Once I feel comfortable with the material I start writing. I enjoy getting up early and spending 3 or 4 hours at the computer before anyone else is awake. I often rewrite chapters up to a dozen times before I submit them to my editor.
4. What did you learn in the process and what surprised you?
It would take a small book to document all of the things that I learned from researching and writing this book. I have studied the presidency for more than four decades but I learned new things about each of the presidents. The president who surprised me the most was Ronald Reagan. Although he never left California during the war, he emerged from the conflict with a fear of nuclear weapons and the prospect of nuclear war. That experience made him receptive to Gorbachev’s overtures in the 1980s and the eventual end of the Cold War.
5. I enjoyed this book as both history and narrative. It is notably well-paced, engaging, and accessible to a broad swath of readers. In an age of decreasing attention spans and decreasing willingness to acknowledge the world’s increasing complexity, how do you conceptualize presenting complex information to a popular audience?
That is a great question and I appreciate your comments about the book. To me it always comes back to storytelling, which means creating multi-dimensional characters that drive the story. I always respect the intelligence of my readers and work hard to be fair-minded in the way I deal with sometimes controversial subjects. Fairness is key. I want people from across the political spectrum to read and enjoy this book. Since many of my friends and family members never attended college I write books for them. Too many academically trained historians like me write for other professors. I want to reach the broadest possible audience.
6. As a veteran of two wars over twenty years, the book’s subtitle, “How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents, from Eisenhower and JFK through Reagan and Bush” absolutely connected. Many of our readers are GWOT veterans who represent ~1% of the nation’s populace over twenty years, unlike the “Greatest Generation,” in which service levels were at 11% of the population over four years. As a historian, do you see any parallels, and if so, what effect will it have?
World War II was unique in many ways: it galvanized the entire country, created a shared national experience, and focused the nation on a common enemy. It also taught an entire generation of leaders the same lesson – appeasement led only to greater sacrifice down the road. Tragically, that world view, while appropriate for Western Europe in the years after the war, led the nation into an unnecessary war in Vietnam. That war produced no clear lessons and we have been struggling since then to form a new consensus about America’s proper role in the world.
7. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
The best way to become an author is to write. Seriously – get words on paper. Don’t worry about grammar or anything else. Even on days when I have writers bloc I force myself to write at least a few lines. Keep pushing the ball forward. Another trick that I use is voice recognition software to talk through what I am trying to say. Most of us are better at describing our ideas than when we are at sitting down in front of a computer and writing them. Talk through the first draft of your project and then start editing it, expanding it, adding new information and new details. It makes a big difference. Another idea is to describe what you want to write to a few close friends and tape the conversation.
8. Most people hate this question as much as I love asking it: what is your favorite book and why?
The book that inspired me to become an historian is Gordon Wood’s The Creation of the American Republic. I remember reading if after college and thought – and still think – it is one of the best history books ever written. Gordon was the reason I went to Brown University. Over time, I gravitated to modern history because I found the material more accessible.
9. My grandfather was a friend to both Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Much of that was political connection (his uncle, my great-great uncle, was a Georgia Senator for thirty-nine years). But I must believe his experience as a combat-wounded Marine in World War Two created a bond that helped bi-partisan get things done during the upheaval of some stunningly contentious decades. We are seeing an uptick in veteran service in the legislature now. Do you think common wartime experiences between 2001-2021 might mean something good for the future of a nation that is as stridently divided as at any point in my lifetime?
Can I assume that the Georgia senator was the legendary Richard Russell? I think the more veterans we have in government, the better. I would like to see a veteran in the White House. They have a bond that they can call on when facing difficult situations and polarizing debates. I understand that veterans in Congress have formed their own caucus and have helped build bridges between the two parties. That is a great start. But I’m not sure it will be enough to stifle the smothering partisanship that has infected our politics.
10. Yes, you can! What do you want people to take away from this book?
I want people to understand a generation of leaders who used their privilege to get closer to combat, not to run away from it. Certainly JFK – for health reasons – and George H.W. Bush – because of his family connections – could have found ways to avoid the draft. But they did the opposite. Kennedy used his family connections to get accepted into the small and highly competitive PT-Boat division of the Navy. George Bush’s father was rich and well-connected and begged his son to go to Yale. Instead, Bush volunteered for the Navy on his 18th birthday. Both men nearly died in conflict. And they were not alone. Richard Nixon had a comfortable and draft-exempt job at the Office of Price Administration but he joined the Navy and then begged and cajoled his way to the Pacific. They truly were the Greatest Generation.
11. What are you working on now?
I’m writing a history of the Clinton Administration. Wrapping up the research phase and moving into interviews.
12. What have I not asked that I should have?
What do you enjoy when not writing? Answer: Long walks on the beach in Miami (where I live) and eating ice cream (but not at the same time.)
You can buy Presidents at War: How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents, from Eisenhower and JFK through Reagan and Bush here. I think you should.