Awards

• Short-listed for Army Historical Foundation Book Awards, Finalist 2019 (United States)
• Winner of Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award: War & Military, Gold Medal 2019 (United States)
• Winner of Foreword Review's INDIES Book of the Year Award, War & Military 2019 (United States)

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9780268105099

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Reviews

The book demonstrates that Powell's decades-long development as an exemplary subordinate is crucial to understanding his astonishing rise from a working-class immigrant neighborhood to the highest echelons of military and political power. It's written for a broad audience and will be of special interest to readers of military history and political biography. -University of Kentucky Happenings The consummate general, national security advisor, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of State and Patriot is profiled and on full display in Matthews' work. Well-researched and full of rich detail, the book seems to be a balanced, albeit critical, review of Powell's 40+ years of service. . . . Matthews makes note of Powell's followership as an 'assistant' and 'deputy' in many of his duties throughout his career, contributing to why he was a great leader. Yet ultimately, even the best leaders make mistakes and are fallible, and we can all learn from that. -Brigadier General Chad Manske, Commandant of the National War College A captivating and balanced story of Powell's remarkable career, and of what we can learn from both his good and bad followership. . . . The book is of special interest to readers of military history, political biography, and leadership. -Northern Kentucky Tribune This work . . . covers the lofty career of Powell who eventually became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State. The author highlights both the successes and failures of his subject, revealing a human being navigating the complexities of leadership and power at the highest levels. It showcases the difficulties and consequences of decision making at the strategic level. -Military Heritage Jeffrey Matthews . . . offers a well-constructed, well-written . . . biography of Colin Powell, who was born in 1937 and remained a popular public figure long after his retirement from government in 2005. . . . Powell comes alive in these pages. -Law and Liberty This work should be read by all national security professionals, uniformed service members, or any other governmental agency including the department of state and the intelligence community. -The Strategy Bridge Colin Powell was a good soldier all his life. Trustworthy, loyal, he obeyed orders while exercising a measure of judgment and initiative within the scope of his authority. . . . Powell's judgment and initiative went only so far, Jeffrey Matthews writes in his biography. . . . Matthews examines Powell's formative experience and finds the key to his success as well as his limitations. -Shepherd Express Jeffrey Matthews' Colin Powell: Imperfect Patriot is a thorough biography of Powell. . . . Relying on government documents and first-hand accounts, including a four-hour interview with Powell, Matthews presents a chronological appraisal of Powell's life that is comprehensively researched and readable. -The VVAA Veteran I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jeff Matthews's book. It is extremely thorough, nicely grounded in appropriate research, and is very well written. I can't think of a biographical work that focuses on aspects of leadership and followership in such consistent and illuminating detail. It's a page-turner. -George R. Goethals, E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond Jeffrey Matthews's excellent biography rightly praises Colin Powell's distinguished service over the past half-century, while also delineating how Powell faltered at crucial moments while serving as George W. Bush's secretary of state. This is a comprehensive and compelling analysis. -Walter LaFeber, the Andrew and James Tisch University Professor Emeritus, Cornell University This is no hagiography. Consisting of equal parts admiration and critical scrutiny, it is a tough and insightful portrayal of a commanding personality who was capable of both towering professional achievements and astonishing failures of judgment and ethics. Beyond pure biography, Matthews has produced a fascinating case study of the human elements of public service and leadership. -Malcolm Byrne, deputy director, National Security Archive At its base is a very well-written story about Colin Powell as fallible everyman. It is an almost existential portrait of the human condition. We all make choices every day; some are good, but some are grave errors in judgment that can have disastrous consequences for a family or for a nation. In my opinion, this book is the most important of the publications focusing on this turbulent period of American political and military history. -Howard Ball, author of Bush, the Detainees, and the Constitution This is an important contribution to the academic community's knowledge of political and military decision making. It examines an important figure in American military and political history from an engrossing focus. The followership/leadership relationship to good and flawed decisions in the area of national security is a fairly new methodology in the social sciences and business, and the author employs it masterfully in his analysis of Colin Powell. The book's organization is quite appropriate because only in such a chronological story can the reader see the maturation of Powell's persona from an aimless college freshman to, five decades later, a highly respected though very fallible human being. -Howard Ball, professor emeritus of political science, University of Vermont

This is an important contribution to the academic community's knowledge of political and military decision making. It examines an important figure in American military and political history from an engrossing focus. The followership/leadership relationship to good and flawed decisions in the area of national security is a fairly new methodology in the social sciences and business, and the author employs it masterfully in his analysis of Colin Powell. The book's organization is quite appropriate because only in such a chronological story can the reader see the maturation of Powell's persona from an aimless college freshman to, five decades later, a highly respected though very fallible human being. --Howard Ball, professor emeritus of political science, University of Vermont I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jeff Matthews's book. It is extremely thorough, nicely grounded in appropriate research, and is very well written. I can't think of a biographical work that focuses on aspects of leadership and followership in such consistent and illuminating detail. It's a page-turner. --George R. Goethals, E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jeff Matthews's book. It is extremely thorough, nicely grounded in appropriate research, and is very well written. I can't think of a biographical work that focuses on aspects of leadership and followership in such consistent and illuminating detail. It's a page-turner. --George R. Goethals, E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond This is an important contribution to the academic community's knowledge of political and military decision making. It examines an important figure in American military and political history from an engrossing focus. The followership/leadership relationship to good and flawed decisions in the area of national security is a fairly new methodology in the social sciences and business, and the author employs it masterfully in his analysis of Colin Powell. The book's organization is quite appropriate because only in such a chronological story can the reader see the maturation of Powell's persona from an aimless college freshman to, five decades later, a highly respected though very fallible human being. --Howard Ball, professor emeritus of political science, University of Vermont Jeffrey Matthews's excellent biography rightly praises Colin Powell's distinguished service over the past half-century, while also delineating how Powell faltered at crucial moments while serving as George W. Bush's secretary of state. This is a comprehensive and compelling analysis. --Walter LaFeber, the Andrew and James Tisch University Professor Emeritus, Cornell University This is no hagiography. Consisting of equal parts admiration and critical scrutiny, it is a tough and insightful portrayal of a commanding personality who was capable of both towering professional achievements and astonishing failures of judgment and ethics. Beyond pure biography, Matthews has produced a fascinating case study of the human elements of public service and leadership. --Malcolm Byrne, deputy director, National Security Archive The consummate general, national security advisor, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of State and Patriot is profiled and on full display in Matthews' work. Well-researched and full of rich detail, the book seems to be a balanced, albeit critical, review of Powell's 40+ years of service. . . . Matthews makes note of Powell's followership as an 'assistant' and 'deputy' in many of his duties throughout his career, contributing to why he was a great leader. Yet ultimately, even the best leaders make mistakes and are fallible, and we can all learn from that. --Brigadier General Chad Manske, Commandant of the National War College Colin Powell was a good soldier all his life. Trustworthy, loyal, he obeyed orders while exercising a measure of judgment and initiative within the scope of his authority. . . . Powell's judgment and initiative went only so far, Jeffrey Matthews writes in his biography. . . . Matthews examines Powell's formative experience and finds the key to his success as well as his limitations. --Shepherd Express The book demonstrates that Powell's decades-long development as an exemplary subordinate is crucial to understanding his astonishing rise from a working-class immigrant neighborhood to the highest echelons of military and political power. It's written for a broad audience and will be of special interest to readers of military history and political biography. --University of Kentucky Happenings This work . . . covers the lofty career of Powell who eventually became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State. The author highlights both the successes and failures of his subject, revealing a human being navigating the complexities of leadership and power at the highest levels. It showcases the difficulties and consequences of decision making at the strategic level. --Military Heritage

The consummate general, national security advisor, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of State and Patriot is profiled and on full display in Matthews' work. Well-researched and full of rich detail, the book seems to be a balanced, albeit critical, review of Powell's 40+ years of service. . . . Matthews makes note of Powell's followership as an 'assistant' and 'deputy' in many of his duties throughout his career, contributing to why he was a great leader. Yet ultimately, even the best leaders make mistakes and are fallible, and we can all learn from that. --Brigadier General Chad Manske, Commandant of the National War College Jeffrey Matthews's excellent biography rightly praises Colin Powell's distinguished service over the past half-century, while also delineating how Powell faltered at crucial moments while serving as George W. Bush's secretary of state. This is a comprehensive and compelling analysis. --Walter LaFeber, the Andrew and James Tisch University Professor Emeritus, Cornell University This is no hagiography. Consisting of equal parts admiration and critical scrutiny, it is a tough and insightful portrayal of a commanding personality who was capable of both towering professional achievements and astonishing failures of judgment and ethics. Beyond pure biography, Matthews has produced a fascinating case study of the human elements of public service and leadership. --Malcolm Byrne, deputy director, National Security Archive I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jeff Matthews's book. It is extremely thorough, nicely grounded in appropriate research, and is very well written. I can't think of a biographical work that focuses on aspects of leadership and followership in such consistent and illuminating detail. It's a page-turner. --George R. Goethals, E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond This is an important contribution to the academic community's knowledge of political and military decision making. It examines an important figure in American military and political history from an engrossing focus. The followership/leadership relationship to good and flawed decisions in the area of national security is a fairly new methodology in the social sciences and business, and the author employs it masterfully in his analysis of Colin Powell. The book's organization is quite appropriate because only in such a chronological story can the reader see the maturation of Powell's persona from an aimless college freshman to, five decades later, a highly respected though very fallible human being. --Howard Ball, professor emeritus of political science, University of Vermont This work . . . covers the lofty career of Powell who eventually became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State. The author highlights both the successes and failures of his subject, revealing a human being navigating the complexities of leadership and power at the highest levels. It showcases the difficulties and consequences of decision making at the strategic level. --Military Heritage The book demonstrates that Powell's decades-long development as an exemplary subordinate is crucial to understanding his astonishing rise from a working-class immigrant neighborhood to the highest echelons of military and political power. It's written for a broad audience and will be of special interest to readers of military history and political biography. --University of Kentucky Happenings Colin Powell was a good soldier all his life. Trustworthy, loyal, he obeyed orders while exercising a measure of judgment and initiative within the scope of his authority. . . . Powell's judgment and initiative went only so far, Jeffrey Matthews writes in his biography. . . . Matthews examines Powell's formative experience and finds the key to his success as well as his limitations. --Shepherd Express A captivating and balanced story of Powell's remarkable career, and of what we can learn from both his good and bad followership. . . . The book is of special interest to readers of military history, political biography, and leadership. --Northern Kentucky Tribune

Colin Powell was a good soldier all his life. Trustworthy, loyal, he obeyed orders while exercising a measure of judgment and initiative within the scope of his authority. . . . Powell's judgment and initiative went only so far, Jeffrey Matthews writes in his biography. . . . Matthews examines Powell's formative experience and finds the key to his success as well as his limitations. -- <i>Shepherd Express</i> This is no hagiography. Consisting of equal parts admiration and critical scrutiny, it is a tough and insightful portrayal of a commanding personality who was capable of both towering professional achievements and astonishing failures of judgment and ethics. Beyond pure biography, Matthews has produced a fascinating case study of the human elements of public service and leadership. -- Malcolm Byrne, deputy director, National Security Archive The consummate general, national security advisor, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of State and Patriot is profiled and on full display in Matthews' work. Well-researched and full of rich detail, the book seems to be a balanced, albeit critical, review of Powell's 40+ years of service. . . . Matthews makes note of Powell's followership as an 'assistant' and 'deputy' in many of his duties throughout his career, contributing to why he was a great leader. Yet ultimately, even the best leaders make mistakes and are fallible, and we can all learn from that. -- Brigadier General Chad Manske, Commandant of the National War College I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jeff Matthews's book. It is extremely thorough, nicely grounded in appropriate research, and is very well written. I can't think of a biographical work that focuses on aspects of leadership and followership in such consistent and illuminating detail. It's a page-turner. -- George R. Goethals, E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond Jeffrey Matthews's excellent biography rightly praises Colin Powell's distinguished service over the past half-century, while also delineating how Powell faltered at crucial moments while serving as George W. Bush's secretary of state. This is a comprehensive and compelling analysis. -- Walter LaFeber, the Andrew and James Tisch University Professor Emeritus, Cornell University A captivating and balanced story of Powell's remarkable career, and of what we can learn from both his good and bad followership. . . . The book is of special interest to readers of military history, political biography, and leadership. -- <i>Northern Kentucky Tribune</i> The book demonstrates that Powell's decades-long development as an exemplary subordinate is crucial to understanding his astonishing rise from a working-class immigrant neighborhood to the highest echelons of military and political power. It's written for a broad audience and will be of special interest to readers of military history and political biography. -- <i>University of Kentucky Happenings</i> This work . . . covers the lofty career of Powell who eventually became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State. The author highlights both the successes and failures of his subject, revealing a human being navigating the complexities of leadership and power at the highest levels. It showcases the difficulties and consequences of decision making at the strategic level. -- <i>Military Heritage</i> This is an important contribution to the academic community's knowledge of political and military decision making. It examines an important figure in American military and political history from an engrossing focus. The followership/leadership relationship to good and flawed decisions in the area of national security is a fairly new methodology in the social sciences and business, and the author employs it masterfully in his analysis of Colin Powell. The book's organization is quite appropriate because only in such a chronological story can the reader see the maturation of Powell's persona from an aimless college freshman to, five decades later, a highly respected though very fallible human being. -- Howard Ball, professor emeritus of political science, University of Vermont Jeffrey Matthews . . . offers a well-constructed, well-written . . . biography of Colin Powell, who was born in 1937 and remained a popular public figure long after his retirement from government in 2005. . . . Powell comes alive in these pages. -- <i>Law and Liberty</i>

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jeff Matthews's book. It is extremely thorough, nicely grounded in appropriate research, and is very well written. I can't think of a biographical work that focuses on aspects of leadership and followership in such consistent and illuminating detail. It's a page-turner. --George R. Goethals, E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond This is an important contribution to the academic community's knowledge of political and military decision making. It examines an important figure in American military and political history from an engrossing focus. The followership/leadership relationship to good and flawed decisions in the area of national security is a fairly new methodology in the social sciences and business, and the author employs it masterfully in his analysis of Colin Powell. The book's organization is quite appropriate because only in such a chronological story can the reader see the maturation of Powell's persona from an aimless college freshman to, five decades later, a highly respected though very fallible human being. --Howard Ball, professor emeritus of political science, University of Vermont Jeffrey Matthews's excellent biography rightly praises Colin Powell's distinguished service over the past half-century, while also delineating how Powell faltered at crucial moments while serving as George W. Bush's secretary of state. This is a comprehensive and compelling analysis. --Walter LaFeber, the Andrew and James Tisch University Professor Emeritus, Cornell University This is no hagiography. Consisting of equal parts admiration and critical scrutiny, it is a tough and insightful portrayal of a commanding personality who was capable of both towering professional achievements and astonishing failures of judgment and ethics. Beyond pure biography, Matthews has produced a fascinating case study of the human elements of public service and leadership. --Malcolm Byrne, deputy director, National Security Archive

Author Information

Jeffrey J. Matthews is the George Frederick Jewett Distinguished Professor at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. He teaches American history and leadership and has written or edited three previous books, including Blacksheep Leadership and The Art of Command: Military Leadership from George Washington to Colin Powell.

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