Review: The Last Leadholders: Quest for Fulfillment by Richard Deatherage

Author Richard Deatherage unravels his fascinating life and universally relatable struggles in The Last Leadholders: Quest for Fulfillment, an honest, timely, and thought-provoking memoir.

After a lifetime of adapting to change and finding ways to persevere, the author faced one of his biggest challenges in 2008 – finding a way forward in a career that was rapidly entering the 21st century, potentially leaving him behind. Like Proust’s madeleine, this watershed moment kicks off a stream of far-flung recollections, retold in both stark and vivid detail, resulting in a powerful and deeply personal chronicle of a life. From hilarious anecdotes to heartfelt glimpses of painful memories, Deatherage seems to hold nothing back about his life, leaving everything of value on the page.

Beginning with his earliest memories of cold wind and drifting snow on a South Dakota Air Force base, Deatherage carries readers through his transient childhood, militarily-minded family issues, race relations during his late 60s stint in Mississippi, Indiana woods adventures, his father’s departure for Vietnam, his business ambitions in California, the uncertain teenage years and run-ins with the law – and a sheriff’s car – his unexpected fascination with architecture, and his inspirational blossoming into a consummate creative in his field.

The focus on the impact of family is perhaps the most inspiring element of this narrative. Though this sentiment appears early in the memoir, it sets the tone for everything else he shares: “Freedom is one of the greatest fortunes your parents can ever give to you.” However, family isn’t the only powerful theme the author explores from his decades of life. Patriotism, social justice, art as a tool, and the defense of the oppressed are also dissected through anecdotal recollections, from his first-grade grief at the toll of Vietnam to the unwavering and righteous strength of his father, who witnessed gruesome horrors abroad.

Regarding more recent decades, the author reflects on his established ideas of value, worth, and purpose, musing on life’s unexpected trials and near-impossible decisions. Many readers will remember their own struggles with financial crises of the past and relate to the desperate lengths that people go to keep their lives afloat. Deatherage’s brutal honesty about his stumbles and dark moments along the journey makes the majority of this story hum with authenticity and vulnerability. He is also playful in his curation of memories, celebrating the natural world, friendship, loyalty, and love as often and easily as he dwells on life’s many challenges, though much of the narrative does focus on heavy themes.

From a technical standpoint, the writing is cleanly edited, but somewhat unpolished. There is some redundancy in ideas or revelations, and some chapters end on sudden notes, as though some tales were left unfinished – the core message is there, but seems more of an outline of a larger story. There is also a good amount of idiomatic language and clichéd forms of expression.

That said, these obvious imperfections ring with truth, both for the author’s personal experience and the sage lessons on life he has gathered – insights that are at once personal and wholly recognizable.