Mornings on Horseback
David McCullough
Simon & Schuster
1981
445
Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. Hailed as a masterpiece by Newsday, it also won the Los Angeles TimesBook Prize for Biography. Now with a new introduction by the author,Mornings on Horseback is reprinted as a Simon & Schuster Classic Edition.
Mornings on Horseback is about the world of the young Theodore Roosevelt. It is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously handicapped by recurrent and nearly fatal attacks of asthma, and his struggle to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very uncommon household (and rarefied social world) in which he was raised.
This book describes Roosevelt’s youth and how TR’s father pushed him and all of his siblings from an early age both by his constant positive encouragement and by his own tireless examples. The level of attention the Roosevelts gave to excelling them selves and their society is really evident in this book. The Roosevelt’s were extremely wealthy and their wealth was put to good use exposing their children to as much culture and as many experiences as their money would allow. Through this, The strong family ties come through in the time and attention that his father gives to his children.
Woodrow Wilson
Louis Auchincloss
Penguin Lives
March 2000
144
One of our most esteemed writers and critics paints a deeply insightful portrait of the greatest political mastermind of a century
Our twenty-eighth president was, says Louis Auchincloss, "the greatest idealist who ever occupied the White House." And who better than Auchincloss, with his penchant for quirky personalities and fascination with fin-de-sicle society, to explore this complex persona?
Woodrow Wilson sheds new light on Wilson's upbringing and career, from the grim determination that enabled him to overcome dyslexia to the skillful dance of isolationism and intervention in World War I to the intransigence that--despite his most cherished vision--caused the Senate's rejection of the League of Nations. Here, from the dynamic figure whose ringing speeches hypnotized vast crowds to the gentle voice reading poetry aloud and the comic star of family skits and charades to the rising academic and president of Princeton who made the giant leap into politics are all the triumphs and final tragic irony of this flawed apostle of world peace.
Auchincloss brings too much of his own political opinions and recent events. Other than that, it was informative and brought up new information about Wilson that I hadn’t realized before such as his temper and the multiple strokes he had before the major one that took him out of action in the White House.
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
Jon Meacham
Random House
January 2008
483
Andrew Jackson, his intimate circle of friends, and his tumultuous times are at the heart of this remarkable book about the man who rose from nothing to create the modern presidency. Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, Andrew Jackson was an orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy.
I knew very little about Andrew Jackson going into this book, and it moved him up in my list of great American Presidents a great deal and explains why he was important enough to be on the $20 bill. He was truly a president that changed how the presidency was perceived only 40 some years after it’s inception. He established the executive branch as a strong authority and one to be contended with by Congress. He had a lot of tragedy in his life, and could be a very cold and demanding person at times, but he did seem to have the average American at heart in what he did. I felt very sorry for his adopted nephew Andrew Donaldson and his family, and their story really highlighted the fact that Washington politics have been silly and petty for the entire life of our nation.
Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power
Robert Dallek
Harper Collins
January 2007
752
With his JFK biography, "An Unfinished Life," Dallek cemented a reputation as one of the great historians of our time. Now he offers a portrait of a pair of leaders whose partnership dominated the world stage, changing the course of history. Decades after working side-by-side in the White House, Richard Nixon & Henry Kissinger remain two of the most compelling, contradictory & powerful men in America in the 20th century. While their personalities could hardly have been more different, they were magnetically drawn together. Both were ambitious, self-made men, driven by their own inner demons, often ruthless in pursuit of their goals. At the height of power, their rivalry & collaboration led to policies defining the Nixon presidency. Utilizing recently declassified archives, Dallek uncovers details about Nixon & Kissinger's personal relationship & how they struggled to outdo each other in foreign affairs. He also analyzes their dealings with power brokers at home & abroad--including Vietnam, the opening to China, detente with the USSR, the Yom Kippur War, Allende's overthrow & growing tensions between India & Pakistan--while recognizing how both men plotted to distract the public from scandal. He details Nixon's erratic behavior during Watergate & how Kissinger helped use nat'l security to prevent impeachment.
The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope
Jonathan Alter
Simon & Schuster
April 2006
414
This is the story of a political miracle -- the perfect match of man and moment. Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in March of 1933 as America touched bottom. Banks were closing everywhere. Millions of people lost everything. The Great Depression had caused a national breakdown. With the craft of a master storyteller, Jonathan Alter brings us closer than ever before to the Roosevelt magic. Facing the gravest crisis since the Civil War, FDR used his cagey political instincts and ebullient temperament in the storied first Hundred Days of his presidency to pull off an astonishing conjuring act that lifted the country and saved both democracy and capitalism.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Simon & Schuster
2005
944
The life and times of Abraham Lincoln have been analyzed and dissected in countless books. Do we need another Lincoln biography? In Team of Rivals, esteemed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin proves that we do. Though she can't help but cover some familiar territory, her perspective is focused enough to offer fresh insights into Lincoln's leadership style and his deep understanding of human behavior and motivation. Goodwin makes the case for Lincoln's political genius by examining his relationships with three men he selected for his cabinet, all of whom were opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860: William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates. These men, all accomplished, nationally known, and presidential, originally disdained Lincoln for his backwoods upbringing and lack of experience, and were shocked and humiliated at losing to this relatively obscure Illinois lawyer. Yet Lincoln not only convinced them to join his administration--Seward as secretary of state, Chase as secretary of the treasury, and Bates as attorney general--he ultimately gained their admiration and respect as well. How he soothed egos, turned rivals into allies, and dealt with many challenges to his leadership, all for the sake of the greater good, is largely what Goodwin's fine book is about. Had he not possessed the wisdom and confidence to select and work with the best people, she argues, he could not have led the nation through one of its darkest periods.
Eisenhower: A Biography
John Wukovits
Palgrave Macmillan
October 2006
224
In the third installment of the Great Generals series, WWII expert John Wukovits explores Dwight D. Eisenhower's contributions to American warfare. American general and 34th president of the United States, Eisenhower led the assault on the French coast at Normandy and held together the Allied units through the European campaign that followed. The book reveals Eisenhower's advocacy in the pre-war years of the tank, his friendships with George Patton and Fox Conner, his service in the Philippines with Douglas MacArthur, and his culminating role as supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe. Wukovits skillfully demonstrates how Eisenhower's evolution as a commander, his military doctrine, and his diplomatic skills are of extreme importance in understanding modern warfare.
James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights
Richard Labunski
Oxford University Press
May 2006
336
Today we hold the Constitution in such high regard that we can hardly imagine how hotly contested was its adoption. In fact, many of the thirteen states saw fierce debate over the document, and ratification was by no means certain. Virginia, the largest and most influential state, approved the Constitution by the barest of margins, and only after an epic political battle between James Madison and Patrick Henry. Now Richard Labunski offers a dramatic account of a time when the entire American experiment hung in the balance, only to be saved by the most unlikely of heroes--the diminutive and exceedingly shy Madison. Here is a vividly written account of not one but several major political struggles which changed the course of American history. Labunski takes us inside the sweltering converted theater in Richmond, where for three grueling weeks, the soft-spoken Madison and the charismatic Patrick Henry fought over whether Virginia should ratify the Constitution. The stakes were enormous. If Virginia voted no, George Washington could not become president, New York might follow suit and reject the Constitution, and the young nation would be thrust into political chaos.
This review is based on the audio version of the book. To be totally honest, I only made it through the first 3 disks. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this book was not well written. The point was abundantly clear that there was much confusion after the initial constitutional convention about whether the Constitution should be ratified. The book goes on to talk about this for at least 3 hours. And brings up the same points over and over again. I had to check to see if I had messed up and was listening to the same disk again. Yes Madison was instrumental in creating the Constitution, he was even very important in getting it passed in Virginia, but it did get by, let’s move on.
There were some interesting points in the first 3 disks. I hadn’t realized how large and powerful Virginia was in the early United States, geographically it extended into present day Ohio, not to mention the number of prominent politicians that called Virginia home. Another tidbit was that the main point of contention with the Constitution was that it lacked the points that eventually became the Bill of Rights. The Anti-Federalists where afraid that without those rights the federal government would impinge personal liberties. Madison and others made the somewhat logical argument that since all personal liberties could not possibly be enumerated, some would be left off the list, and thereby possibly be considered unprotected.
Basically, after hearing the same arguments over and over in the first 3 disks, I jumped ahead to a random spot in the 7th disk. The arguments that I heard there were almost identical to that in the 3rd. No thank you. I stopped listening. I have other things I’d rather do that waste my time on a bad book.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
The American Presidents
Roy Jenkins, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
Macmillan Audio
November 2003
192
A protean figure and a man of massive achievement, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the only man to be elected to the presidency more than twice. In a ranking of chief executives, no more than three of his predecessors could truly be placed in contention with his standing, and of his successors, there are so far none.
Mornings on Horseback
