Make Your Mark

Lessons in Character from Seven Presidents

Mark K. Updegrove

• Publisher: Harper
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9780063430167
• eBook ISBN: 9780063430242
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Political Biographies
• Index: Politics & International Relations

The award-wining author of Second Acts and The Last Republicans draws on interviews and conversations with seven presidents to identify the essence of character, leadership and legacy that has defined each of them and the modern American presidency.

Throughout his career as an author, journalist, television commentator, and head of a presidential library and foundation, Mark Updegrove has had the privilege of getting to know seven U.S. Presidents, from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama. In Make Your Mark, he offers incisive, compelling sketches of these modern presidents and the character trait that made each suited to his moment in the Oval Office and underlies his most significant accomplishments.

• Gerald Ford’s instinct to do the right thing in the wake of Watergate;
• Jimmy Carter’s mission to do good in the areas of peace and human rights during his presidency and throughout his post-presidency;
• Ronald Reagan’s optimism, restoring the nation’s confidence and pride after a sustained period of demoralizing national setbacks;
• George H.W. Bush’s humility, helping to ensure a peaceful end to the Cold War that had seethed between the superpowers for over forty years;
• Bill Clinton’s resilience and determination to keep working for the good of the American people in the face of political and personal obstacles;
• George W. Bush’s charge to give back as the deadly AIDS epidemic spread unchecked throughout much of the developing world;
• and Barack Obama’s grace as the first African American to hold the country’s highest office. 

Make Your Mark reveals that there is no one-size-fits-all model for leadership. We all have our own set of strengths and weaknesses. But drawing on these presidential examples, we can ask ourselves how our character reflects our leadership, and be inspired to find the very best in who we are to make own unique marks as leaders. 

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedicaiton
• Contents
• Introduction
• Gerald R. Ford / Doing What’s Right
• Jimmy Carter / Doing Good
• Ronald Reagan / Optimism
• George H. W. Bush / Humility
• Bill Clinton / Resilience
• George W. Bush / Giving Back
• Barack Obama / Grace
• Acknowledgments
• Bibliography
• Notes
• About the Author
• Also by Mark K. Updegrove
• Copyright
• About the Publisher