One of the really great things about being a librarian is talking to people about what they’re reading. One day a woman asked at the reference desk for books about the 12th, 13th and 14th presidents of the United States
One of the really great things about being a librarian is talking to people about what they’re reading.
One day a woman asked at the reference desk for books about the 12th, 13th and 14th presidents of the United States (Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, and Franklin Pierce). Her husband had started reading a biography about each U.S. president in the order in which they had served. He was finding the exercise fun and helpful in understanding the history of the nation from this unique point of view.
We may not all have the time or inclination to do the same but a biography of any U.S. president is sure to enlighten and increase understanding about the presidency of our nation.
Book Buzz this week highlights a few new presidential reads listed in the order in which the president served.
Happy reading!
Presidents #1, #2, #3
Inventing a Nation:
Washington, Adams, Jefferson
By Gore Vidal
973.4092 Vi
Our nation, at its birth, is often seen as a polished finished product, but in this book Vidal illustrates a messy, tenuous, experiment consistently teetering on the brink.
He describes shaky alliances, rivalries, egos, personal ambitions and political realities faced by the men who became the first three American presidents.
Also look for An Imperfect God: George Washington, his Slaves and the Creation of America by Henry Weincek, John Adams by David McCullough, and Jefferson’s Secrets: Death and Desire at Monticello by Andrew Burstein.
President #7
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
By Jon Meacham
973.56092 Jackson Me
The bestselling author and Newsweek editor brings a writer’s flair to his lively take on the seventh president, the hero of New Orleans. The author chronicles Jackson’s unwavering approval of slavery and his removal of Native Americans from the land despite the objections of the Supreme Court while speaking the words of democracy and supporting federal laws unpopular in his native south.
See also Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by another well-seasoned presidential biographer, H.W. Brands.
President #11
A Country of Vast
Designs: James K. Polk
The Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent
By Robert W. Merry
973.61092
Merry, editor-in-chief of Congressional Quarterly offers a perceptive portrait and analysis of the controversial presidency of James K. Polk, depicting an unabashed expansionist, whose political career was devoted to extending American power across the continent, and embracing a sweeping vision of national destiny. Polk structured a war with Mexico and enlarged the U.S. by over a third in a single term of office.
You may also be interested in Franklin Pierce: A Biography by Michael F. Holt. Unlike the accomplishments of Polk’s term, the Pierce presidency is generally perceived to have been inept. He saw abolitionism as a threat to the Union and his sympathy for Southern views helped lead the nation to civil war. Holt delivers an opinionated account of the 14th president who served in turbulent times and did not improve matters.
President #16
A. Lincoln: A Biography
By Ronald C. White, Jr.
973.7092 Lincoln Wh
In this excellent biography, veteran historian White emphasizes that Lincoln was our most likable major president, lacking Washington’s aloofness and the deviousness of FDR and Jefferson. The author makes good use of Lincoln’s private papers and those of his contemporaries to paint a vivid picture of Lincoln’s thoughts as he matured and then guided the nation through the four worst years of its existence.
Also look for Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by noted historian Dorris Kearns Goodwin.
President #26
Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt
By Aida D. Donald
973.91109 Roosevelt Do
In this brisk biography, perhaps more a masterful essay on idealism and power, Donald ascribes Roosevelt’s popularity to his combination of charisma and substance with themes such as honesty in government and opportunity for all. The author covers Roosevelt’s pioneering conservancy efforts, and she suggests that one of his most important acts was to appoint Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. to the Supreme Court. Donald also touches on Roosevelt’s grief when his first wife died, and his passionate love for his second wife.
For another good biography try Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris or follow up on Roosevelt’s post presidency Amazon adventure with Candice Millard’s engaging River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey.
President #28
Woodrow Wilson: A Biography
By John Milton Cooper, Jr.
973.91309 Wilson Co
Critics give this biography very high praise. Cooper provides an authoritative and eloquent study of the controversial and monumental leader, an extraordinary but deeply flawed president who began his career as a dynamic far-seeing reformer and ended it short-sighted and delusional.
Wilson’s idealism and executive skill captured the public imagination and fueled progressive domestic reform yet his passions held the pitfalls and blindness that would lead to tragedy.
A very different man, the 31st president, Herbert Hoover, was a consummate businessman whose political ineptitude also led to tragedy.
Check out Herbert Hoover by William E. Leuchtenburg.
President #32
Nothing to Fear: FDR’s Inner Circle and the Hundred Days that Created Modern America
By Adam Cohen
973.91709 Co
Cohen’s narrative of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s famous first Hundred Days as president zeroes in on the five Roosevelt aides, with diverse political views, whom he sees as having been the most influential in developing FDR’s wave of extraordinary actions.
The vital foundation for FDR’s New Deal was crafted through a process of rigorous argument within the president’s innermost circle rather than ideological consensus.
Cohen’s book provides a new level of insight into Roosevelt’s sweeping expansion of the federal government’s role in our national life.
See also Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by H. W. Brands or FDR by Jean Edward Smith.
President #37
Richard M. Nixon: A Life in Full
By Conrad Black
973.92409 Nixon Bl
The thousand and fifty pages of this biography written by a fallen media baron about a fallen president, chronicles the power and disgrace experienced by Richard Nixon.
It is a vibrant narrative of personal and political accomplishment that, though great and heroically achieved, was often marred by self-inflicted wounds springing from personal paranoia.
Black shows how Nixon’s duality followed him into his post-presidential years. Attempting a redemption or reconsideration of his subject, the author will come off to many as his apologist.
Living Presidents
Decision Points
By George W. Bush
973.93109 Bush Bu
In this candid account, George W. Bush describes the critical decisions that shaped his presidency and personal life. He stands by his decisions here, suggesting it was just the aftermath that sometimes became muddled.
Bush’s voice is evident on every page. Cocky, defiant, and, at times, emotional, the book includes some fascinating reveals as well, including his affection for Ted Kennedy, his sometimes-complicated relationship with Dick Cheney, and his read-between-the-lines digs at Colin Powell.
Smartly divided into themes rather than telling the story chronologically, the book offers readers a genuine look at his thought processes as he made huge decisions that will affect the nation and the world for decades.
For more by living presidents try Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama, My Life by Bill Clinton, All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writing by George H.W. Bush, An American Life by Ronald Reagan, or Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President by Jimmy Carter.
• Carolyn Larson, head librarian at Lihu‘e Public Library, brings you the buzz on new, popular and good books available at your neighborhood library. Book annotations are culled from online publishers’ descriptions and published reviews.
