J's Pages

by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann

I picked this one up from the Biography section of Half Price Books, but I don't think I would have put it in that category. If I were in a snarky mood and wanted to give this book a one sentence description, I would say it's a 270 page critique of Bill Clinton's autobiography My Life. 

Dick Morris served as Bill Clinton's political consultant for about 20 years. In Because He Could, he offers his take on Bill Clinton's life during the years of his association, occasionally tying things back to Clinton's childhood and young adulthood. He paints Clinton as a talented man with great empathy, someone who could relate well to people and respond to their needs, but one who also failed to grasp the longer view and see the consequences of his actions. Mr. Morris also presents Clinton as a president between wars--the Cold War and the War on Terror. He credits Clinton with solving a number of domestic problems, but wonders if he dropped the ball on preparing for or avoiding the international issues that came to the fore in the early 21st Century. 

All in all it was a somewhat interesting book, but as it had more politics than history in it, it didn't really fit my agenda.

For me, it was only waiting room material.
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by Jon Meacham

George Herbert Walker Bush was the last American president from the "Greatest Generation" and, according to Jon Meacham, the "last gentleman." Mr. Meacham presents a portrait of George Bush as a man born to wealth and privilege, and raised to compete, succeed, but also to serve his community--be that be his immediate neighbors or the entire world. 

Mr. Meacham starts by presenting Bush's ancestors, showcasing how they were driven to work hard and win the things they wanted. George faithfully followed his family's values, earning respect and admiration from the people around him. When America entered the Second World War, Bush enlisted and served. Afterwards, he chose not to seek an easy road, working for relatives and relying on family wealth and connections, but rather opted to seek his own fortunes in the oil industry and later in politics. (Granted, the Bush family fortune and connections did make that a lot easier than it would have been for someone coming from a background of poverty.) Even when things didn't go the way as planned--such as the 1980 Republican presidential nomination--Bush adapted and endeavored to succeed in the opportunities that followed. 

Mr. Meacham argues that during his presidency, Bush was misrepresented. He recounts his reserved personality and patient actions were contrasted to the more flamboyant presidency of Ronald Reagan, and that Bush was portrayed as being a weaker leader. Mr. Meacham then goes on to show how Bush endeavored to reach his goals and conduct his presidency in the way that he intended, rather than bowing to other pressures. That part rang true, as I remember agreeing with the media narrative during those years that Mr. Bush was rather ineffective, but how I grew to respect him more as I compared him to subsequent presidents. (and subsequent Bushes) 

All in all, I found Destiny and Power to be a good and enjoyable account of George Bush and 20th Century American history. Check it out. 

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by Bob Spitz

I wasn't looking forward to reading this. As I've been reading through presidential biographies, I knew I would eventually get to Ronald Reagan, the man holding the office when I reached adulthood and started thinking (and voting) for myself. Suffice it to say, I wasn't a fan of the man. I wondered if the story of his life would reveal that he was worse than I thought or--even more frightening--that he was better. 

All in all, however, the man portrayed in Mr. Spitz's biography jibe with my recollections. Ronald Reagan is not presented as a great man. Oh, he was charming, athletic, and had a good memory. But he also was a mediocre student and an actor of limited talent. Where he excelled was in dreaming big and convincing others to go along with him. He truly earned the title of "Great Communicator". His administrations as governor and president are portrayed as collaborations of competent men and women following his general direction. 

Unlike other biographies I've read, Reagan is not overly political. It focuses more on Reagan himself and his personal life than the political details of his administrations. I suppose that works better here than, say, a biography of Lyndon Johnson or FDR. And in the end, I'm glad I checked it out.

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by Jonathan Alter

Jimmy Carter is a man I did not respect when he was president. Of course, I was in high school at the time and was foolishly following the fashion of disrespecting authority. After his presidency and my adolescence, the more I heard about the man, the more I grew to like and respect him. But overall, I really didn't know all that much about him. So I was looking forward to getting to his biography and filling in the gaps in my knowledge. 

Mr. Alter tells the tale of a hard working perfectionist. The appeal of that protagonist--at least for me--varied as Carter's life unfolded. As a kid growing up as a working class farmer, and as a young man attending the Naval Academy and serving in the Navy after World War II, Carter was likable. When he returned to civilian life to run the family business, his appeal dimmed. A big reason for that was his inaction while the Civil Rights movement came to his backyard. His early political career was likewise tarnished, up until the point he was elected governor and surprised everyone by announcing that "the time for racial discrimination is over." (Mr. Alter puts forth the theory that Carter's later work for human rights stem is fueled by his regret for not doing more for civil rights back in the day.) 

As president, Jimmy Carter is portrayed as a political outsider who is bit too idealistic and ends up failing to make the compromises necessary to better achieve his goals. Of course, some things that plagued his administration, such as the economy or the Iran Hostage Crisis, were not of his making, and would have caused grief for any president. On the positive side, Mr. Alter makes case after case of things that Carter did accomplish which lacked immediate impact, but set the stage for later benefits. Sometimes his logic is a bit of a stretch, but that's bound to happen when folks are trying to interpret history. 

All in all, the portrait of Jimmy Carter in His Very Best is one of an exemplary man who could be a quite annoying at times. 

Check it out.
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by James Cannon

This one is a very positive biography, written by a former member of the Ford administration. The common perception of Gerald Ford is that he was one of the more mediocre politicians--he's probably more known for tripping down the stairs than for he succesful career in the House of Representatives. But while Mr. Cannon does not ignore Ford's flaws and mistakes, he paints a picture of an honest, hard working, and highly capable man.

While the book covers Ford's life before and after his presidency, it does so relatively quickly. The focus is on Gerald Ford as president. It tells of an era of political life of the United States when many politicians, including Ford, put the well being of the country before their own agendas. (And before you bring up the pardon of Richard Nixon, the book covers Ford's rationale for that in depth.)

Check it out! 
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by John A. Farrell

Richard Nixon is the first president I remember from my childhood. Not well, mind you. I knew his name and, later, that he was involved in the Watergate scandal and resigned before he could be impeached. That was enough to establish him in my childish mind as a bad president.

This book didn't change my mind, even though my concept of a "bad president" has grown to be slightly more nuanced. Mr. Farrell presents a man who was willing to play dirty and sacrifice others to accomplish his goals. But also a man who wanted to do good for the American people and was willing to work hard for it. The tragedy is that Nixon's personal ambitions and prejudices would win out over his ideals. The story of Nixon's life, as presented here, is one that is very political. Once past World War II, the tale gives a inside picture of the political world, first in California and then in Washington D.C. Like many of the presidential biographies I've read recently, this book has been showing me how the world I grew up in--the world I assumed back then "just was"--came to be. Check it out. 

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by Randall B. Woods

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. --Ecclesiastes 1:9 

While reading through this biography of Lyndon Baines Johnson, I felt very much like I've been living in a rerun. Or maybe "remake" might be e better metaphor. I mean, we still have a foreign boogey-man (-men?), but these days some Americans fear Muslim terrorists rather than Communist agitators. But rioting and protests over racism are, sadly, back in the news. 

I think this initial thought about the book goes to illustrate that Professor Woods did a good job of conveying the zeitgeist of the eras in which Johnson lived and worked. In LBJ, Johnson is portrayed as a forceful, egotistical man, but one with a definite sense of duty to his country and a compassion for all of his citizens. It covers his life from his family history in Texas, through his childhood and initial career as a teacher, to his final calling as a politician. The reader travels along that career as a secretary for Congressman Richard Kleberg, a state Director for the National Youth Administration under the New Deal, through his influential role as a senator, and to his somewhat marginalized role as Vice President. The death of John Kennedy thrust Johnson into the presidency, and the book details how he faced the challenges of carrying on the legacies of Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt in the Great Society programs, as well as the challenges of the quagmire that was the Vietnam War. Professor Woods is a good storyteller and gave me a definite appreciation of Johnson. (I may have to put this book on my shelf.) It also brought my own life into focus as I read how the president of my early childhood and his contemporaries in government shaped the society which I grew up thinking was "normal". 

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by Chris Matthews

In my reading of Presidential biographies, I tend to gravitate towards the larger tomes. I want to get a broad picture of the zeitgeist of the day, and I figure that in a smaller biography, those details would be the first to be edited out. This time, however, I broke pattern and went with a book that was barely over 400 pages. Mr. Matthews didn't fail me. He paints a full picture of John Kennedy and the times he lived in. Based mostly on interviews with Kennedy's friends and co-workers, Mr. Matthews tells the story of the rich boy who struggled with ill health and grew up in the shadow of his older brother. Service in World War II helped shape him, and after the war he turned his attention to politics, creating his own style of campaigning. As I read the book, I got a better understanding of Kennedy's charisma and appeal. Growing up in the wake of the Kennedy assassination, I sometimes wondered if his legacy in our culture was simply the response to his untimely death. This book shows that John Kennedy did indeed help shape American culture, even as he wrestled with the events of the day.

I think I'll even keep this one on my shelf.
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by Michael Korda

So next up on my Presidential Biography Reading Project was Dwight Eisenhower. I narrowed it down to two books available from the library: this one, which is more of a biography of General Eisenhower, and another, which focused more on his presidency. It caused me to stop and remember why I had embarked on this project--to get a better understanding of the sweep of United States history. While politics play a big role in that, I am just as interested in the events and life experiences that formed the leaders of our country. So I opted for Ike, the book that had more coverage of Eisenhower's life before World War II and his presidency.

The book was quite enjoyable to read. The narrative flowed smoothly. Like Harry Truman, Eisenhower grew up in a working class family. Tight finances and a desire for more education led him to the United States Military Academy. His success there led him to a variety of postings in training and administration. He found it frustrating, but those experiences equipped him to become the supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe, where, in Mr. Korda's opinion, Eisenhower did a superb job of leading combat operations as well. (I learned that there is plenty of controversy over how well General Eisenhower did his job. Mr. Korda acknowledges that but then makes the case in Eisenhower's defense.)(I also learned that the first enemy American troops engaged in North Africa were the French! So much I need to learn...) After 352 pages of Eisenhower's war time exploits, Mr. Korda breezes through Eisenhower's campaign and eight years in the White House in a mere 83 pages. At that point, I was beginning to wonder if I should have borrowed both of the books I looked at. But brief as that section was, I did feel I got a sufficient overview of the decade. All in all, the book was well worth checking out.

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by David McCullough

This one's a huge book, clocking in at 977 pages. (not counting pictures and the bibliography) My review won't be anywhere near as long. When I first started on my presidential biography reading project, I was inclined to put the first two on my shelf. Then I started getting more jaded about my readings, not to mention running out of shelf space, and became less interested in building my own history collection. If my desires ever do turn back in that direction, this is one of the first books I'll try to obtain for my collection.

Mr. McCullough has done a wonderful job of presenting Harry S. Truman and the eras in which he lived. He starts the tale 40 years before Harry Truman was even born, touching on the white settlement of the area and how the two branches of Truman's family made their way to western Missouri. After Truman's birth, he continues to tell how Harry and his family are moved and shaped by the events around them. But by the time Truman reaches middle age, things begin to change--Harry Truman begins to start shaping the things around him. It's an interesting story of a man rising to a series of challenges and climbing to greatness. The biography is unabashedly positive towards its subject. As with the biography I read about Woodrow Wilson, I was prepared to not like Harry Truman. But Mr. McCullough got me viewing things through Truman's point of view and leaving me with a healthy respect of the man.

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by H.W. Brands

The only reason I hesitate to say this is the best presidential biography I've read is because it's been so long since I've read some of the others and I don't trust my memory. Professor Brands has written a highly enjoyable book. He starts out recounting the events of Roosevelt's morning on December 7th 1941, intercut with vignettes from Pearl Harbor and the surrounding seas. In the process he mentions some of the things Roosevelt had done, giving a picture of what his presidency had accomplished and where it stood with the American people. The prologue ends with the opening words of Roosevelt's address to Congress on December 8th. Not that I needed it, but it made quite an appetizer for the full biography.

I ended up going through the book at a pretty good pace. Professor Brands painted an informative and engaging picture of Franklin Roosevelt and the events of his life. Of course, both Roosevelt and the current events of his life make fascinating subject matter. While the overall tone is positive, Brands doesn't hesitate to point out the points where Roosevelt erred or was less than honorable. I often ask myself, as I read through these presidential bios, if I would vote for the man I'm reading about. I can see myself having many reservations with Franklin Roosevelt. He was very much a politician, never hesitating to employ some spin or play to his audience. But his presidency had so much influence on the America I grew up in--what I think of as "normal"--I can't help but see myself casting my vote for him despite any reservations. In fact, I'd even be tempted to award the man, at least as presented in this biography, the title of America's greatest president to date. He had the character to lead the country through two of the biggest crises in our history and, for good or ill, accomplished an incredible amount during his long administration.

I may have to get a copy for my shelf.
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by Glen Jeansonne

Growing up, I was fed the popular view of Herbert Hoover--he was a meek little man who had the misfortune to be president when the stock market crashed and was unable to do anything to fix it. Glen Jeansonne, however, would have you believe that Herbert Hoover was a great man. He made a believer out of me.

While Hoover certainly didn't end the Great Depression, he did fill his long life with other great accomplishments. Professor Jeansonne traces his life from his birth in Iowa, through his education at Stanford University, a successful career as a mining engineer and as a leader of relief efforts during World War I. It was Hoover's great success in these areas that led his fellow Republicans to select him first as Secretary of Commerce and then President. Hoover responded to the financial crisis of the 30s like he did to the food crises of World War II--encouraging a decentralized response with a lot of involvement with local governments and communities. According to Professor Jeansonne, Hoover did accomplish a lot to lessen the crisis. However, the problem was too big to solve in a single, four year term and there were all too many people willing to put the blame on the President. Hoover lost his bid for re-election and spent almost the next twenty years being the Democrats' poster child for bad government. However, he rose up to the challenge and through his writing and community involvement, continued to serve and influence society for another 30 years.

Herbert Hoover: A Life was an easy, enjoyable read. I might have preferred it if Professor Jeansonne had wrote a bit more about the events of the time that played into Herbert Hoover's life, but I suppose there are longer biographies out there that might fill that bill. (He does indeed include a thorough essay on the sources he used to write the book.) His bias toward Hoover is fairly obvious, but to be expected. It'll be interesting to pick up a biography of FDR and see what that author has to say about Hoover. All in all, it's a book well worth reading.

Check it out!
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by Amity Shlaes

In my last review of a presidential biography, I asked, "Where have all the meaty biographies gone?" I was quite surprised to find one waiting for me when I tackled the next president on my list. Ms. Shlaes has written a nice 456 pager, covering the life of Calvin Coolidge. Since it fit in with my purpose for reading such biographies, I have to say she did a great job. She recounts Coolidge's life, showing where he and his family fit in American history and how events of the day affected his life. There's an economic flavor to the book, especially as President Coolidge attains office and has to deal with the unprecedented debt left by World War I. Economics are one of those topics that threaten to cause my eyes to glaze over, but even I found it a bit interesting, knowing that the economy of the 1920s was heading towards Black Tuesday on October 24, 1929. Surprisingly enough, Coolidge was expecting that, though I don't think he envisioned the Depression that followed. Anyway, this sympathetic biography is well worth checking out. I'm not sure I would ever have voted for Coolidge, I did come away with a respect for him.

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by John W. Dean

I don't have much to say about this biography, one of The American Presidents series. Harding has long been a contender for the title of Worst American President. The Teapot Dome scandal which surfaced after his death, the suppression of his personal papers, as well as a tell-all book accusing him of fathering a child with a mistress contributed to an image of Harding as a charismatic puppet, controlled by political cronies. Mr. Dean, after actually studying Harding's writings and career, begs to differ. He presents Harding as an intelligent, competent executive who, while not perfect, certainly managed to honestly carry out the duties of the President of the United States. Despite my common complaint that the book is too short, (where have all the meaty biographies gone?) I enjoyed reading it.

Check it out
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by A. Scott Berg

I picked up this book with prejudice. You see, in my younger years, all I knew about Woodrow Wilson that he was president during World War I and had been credited with some progressive reforms. Then I read Lies My Teacher Told Me, which has a nice little section on Woodrow Wilson. After that, I knew that Wilson was a racist @#$!% president during World War I and had been credited with some progressive reforms. So I wasn't all that excited when I got to this biography in my reading list.

But words have the power to change minds. Mr. Berg didn't deny, or seek to excuse Wilson's racist views, nor did he dwell on them. He simply accepted Wilson and his society as they were and told the tale of his life. The portrait he painted was one of a great man. Not a saint, but rather as a man who attempted and accomplished a lot in his lifetime. The book does an excellent job of recounting Wilson's life and the world around him. I could easily relate to and empathize with Thomas Woodrow Wilson from childhood through his career in academia, his political years, his role on the world stage, and finally to his final years as "a broken piece of machinery". I'd still like to travel back 100 years and present Wilson with an Obama bumper sticker, but I think that after reading Wilson, I'd also have to thank him for those reforms he accomplished and his advocacy for peace.

Really, check it out. This has to be one of the best biographies I've read.
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by Judith Icke Anderson

I was a bit disappointed with this biography. I've been reading biographies of all the presidents as an indirect but interesting way to learn about U.S. history. That's something that Professor Anderson doesn't cover overmuch. Instead she adds some psychology, attempting to shed some light on why a well liked and competent man could let himself be pressured into accepting the presidency and then do such a lousy job of it.

Taft's great ambition was to be a justice of the Supreme Court. He eventually made it, but only after years of being swept into politics, serving as Governor of the Philippines, Secretary of War and, of course, President of the United States. Why? Professor Anderson opines that it was his desire to please first his wife, Nellie, and later, Theodore Roosevelt, that led him to set aside his own ambitions and seek political office. Once in the White House, however, he started to follow his own path and ended up irritating all sorts of people.

The book's coverage of the years outside of Taft's presidential administration are somewhat sparse. I never got a good feeling of the times like I did with other biographies. The psychological angle was different, though I tended to be skeptical of psychological theories from 1981. Another interesting angle was the relative amount of space she devoted to Nellie Taft. I haven't seen so much text devoted to the first lady since I read a biography of The Madisons, over a decade ago. But when it comes to William Howard Taft, the coverage was definitely warranted. In the end, An Intimate History wasn't a horrible read, even though it didn't fit my own agenda.

Presidential waiting room material
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by Kathleen Dalton

Ms. Dalton starts out her biography of Theodore Roosevelt by pointing out his legacy as a caricature--all spectacles, mustache and teeth. She then goes on to present him as a real human being with a significant legacy in American history, but he comes across as no less a character. As she tells the tale, Theodore Roosevelt was a force of nature. He was raised in wealth and imbued with a sense of duty and an obsession to be strong and manly. Roosevelt's father set the tone for his life. Coming from wealthy stock, the elder Roosevelt devoted much free time to philanthropy and social reform. When he died in Theodore's 20th year, he left a high standard for his eldest son to achieve. But the younger Roosevelt managed to go far beyond his father's contributions.

The political climate, in Roosevelt's younger days, saw the rise of civil reform. The liberal Republican party tended to advocate for such, at least in Democratic strongholds, while also becoming the party of finance and business. Roosevelt tried to straddle the middle, having friends and advisors on both ends of the party. He was a great politician when it came to relating to the common people, but his tendency to speak his heart kept getting him in trouble. After his presidency he grew more and more liberal. In one sense he was powerless, yet he was also a man who could not be ignored.

All in all, Ms. Dalton has crafted a wonderful book. She really painted a picture of Theodore Roosevelt and the time in which he lived. I've often said that of the American presidents, John Quincy Adams was the man I admire most. But I may have to re-evaluate that in light of this biography. There were plenty of things about Theodore Roosevelt I find repulsive, but I can't help but admire his character, faith and willingness to stand up for his ideals and the needs of others.

Do check it out.
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by H. Wayne Morgan

I found this 1963 biography of William McKinley to be somewhat tedious at the outset. Professor Morgan covered all of the major details of McKinley's early life, military service and political career, but I found it rather dull. It's not until the late 1880s that McKinley's story caught my interest. Perhaps it's because the issues of McKinley's congressional career--the tariff and the currency--are not issues I care much about. Or perhaps it's because Professor Morgan only had 530 pages and wanted to focus on the presidential years. If so, I can't blame him. The political scene of the 1890s, as presented in the book, reminded me of that of the 1850s as presented in the Buchanan biography I read. There was a generational change as the United States became an industrial and global power. McKinley seemed to handle the transition better than Buchanan did, but he certainly felt some growing pains while doing so.

Check it out.
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by Doris Kearns Goodwin

It's for books like this that I started reading presidential biographies. I had already read a Lincoln biography along the road, and had no intention of revisiting his life. However, this book was lauded over at the LibraryThing US Presidents Challenge group and when I saw a copy for two bucks, I couldn't resist. I finally read it in an attempt to make some room on my shelf -- that didn't work out so well.

In one sense, Team of Rivals is four biographies in one. In addition to documenting Lincoln's life, Ms. Goodwin also weaves in the biographies of three other candidates for the 1860 Republican nomination--William Seward, Salmon Chase and Edward Bates. She does an excellent job of making a story of their lives, showing how they were molded by their upbringings and the society around them. More than any other biography I've read, she brings out the personal side of these men, showing how they were able to work together to truly make history during their country's worst crisis. Of course, if you don't care for Mr. Lincoln, you may not be able to finish this book. Ol' Father Abraham comes across as a virtual demigod, just like they told us at school. Ms. Goodwin has no problem extolling his virtues and defending the good intentions in his errors. But the tale was so compelling that I found I had no problem reading it at all.
  
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by Charles W. Calhoun

The Seattle Public Library only had this brief biography of our 23rd president, a book from The American Presidents series. As much as I would have preferred a longer, more in-depth book, I have to say that Professor Calhoun did a pretty good job. While Benjamin Harrison will never stand out as one of America's great presidents--indeed, the book states that Harrison's election (and subsequent defeat in 1892) owed as much to the political zeitgeist as to his abilities as a president and politician--he's portrayed as a shining example of a president who can work with Congress to accomplish a lot. (Well, that's assuming that the Congress is controlled by your own party....)  

Check it out.
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