Inventing Leadership

Reviews / Votes

'Tom Wren's book is a masterpiece of intellectual history. It explores the philosophical and historical foundations of democracy in a compelling way. Wren is a sparkling and graceful writer. He makes a potentially dry subject come alive with wit and insight. The issues Wren addresses are extremely timely, as the United States endeavors to advance democracy in the Middle East.' -- George Goethals, University of Richmond, US 'In this important analysis of democratic thought and treatise on leadership, historian Tom Wren drills down to the essential intellectual paradox: that "leadership" and "democracy" are inherently hostile concepts. Wren brilliantly strips down our "fictions" concerning these domains in his extensive deconstruction of both classical and modern thought. What emerges is a dialectical awakening and a practical new vision of citizen participation and enlightened leadership.' -- Georgia Sorenson, James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, University of Maryland, College Park and US Army 'An excellent scholarly work that is well written and highly relevant within the context of contemporary politics. Although essential reading for teachers and students of political theory, it will also interest the general reader and armchair politician.' -- First Trust Bank Economic Outlook and Business Review 'Wren is to be commended for attempting to lay bare the underlying assumptions and premises that inform any approach to politics. . . an important contribution to an ongoing conversation about what contemporary leadership should look like. Undergraduates will benefit from his review of important theorists, and practitioners should be challenged by Wren's own theses about leadership. Highly recommended. All readership levels.' -- M.J. Watson, Choice