presidents
I admit it. I'm a trivia nut. Any type of trivia interests me, but especially presidential trivia so this book was right up my alley. This book is a compendium of facts that you may not already know and many never use but are interesting anyway. Need to know which president had the biggest feet? Which President served in both WWI and WWII? The book is divided up into 11 chapters that highlight such diverse things as Shame, Assasination, Quotes...and on down the line.
Many of the tidbits are accompanied by photos from the Smithsonian collection.
An interesting book, well presented.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
He was a weak, asthmatic child who became an athletic outdoorsman. A child of privilege who battled inner city corruption as a New York police commissioner. A fast-rising politician who gave it up to become a cowboy in the west. An acclaimed scholar who achieved fame as a war hero. A conservationist who slaughtered big game. He seemed to do everything and be everywhere, and still managed to become America’s youngest president. Roosevelt’s life provides the raw material for a great book and that’s just what author Edmund Morris provides. Upon publication, this book was acclaimed an instant classic, and remains a riveting account of a fascinating life.
American Caesars: Lives of the Presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush
This “warts and all” detailed look at the lives of the American presidents from FDR through the George W. Bush is readable, fascinating, and full of the historical setting of each era. The mini-biographies are organized by The Road to the White House, Presidential Years, and Private Life. The book helps us realize that these men were indeed human with faults of their own.
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Benjamin Franklin was the first famous American. Long before he helped to draft the Declaration of Independence or became America’s most important diplomat, Franklin had achieved worldwide distinction for his experiments in electricity, his inventions (the Franklin stove, bifocals, the lightning rod), his business success, his civic improvements, and his witty essays and aphorisms. Less well known is Franklin’s somewhat messy personal life. For example, he fathered an illegitimate son, who fathered an illegitimate son, who fathered an illegitimate son. Franklin’s son was also the royal governor of New Jersey just as the elder Franklin was calling for America to toss out the King. It was a family break that never healed. In this book, Walter Isaacson offers a Franklin of great cleverness and charm, but also one with great disappointments and human frailties.
Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800
Remember the election of 2000, when the Bush-Gore battle went unresolved for a full month after the voting? That race had nothing on the campaign of 1800, which ended in an actual tie. In that year, the incumbent president, John Adams, was running against his own vice president, Thomas Jefferson. Once friends who had worked together to draft the Declaration of Independence, the two men had come to detest each other. It was one of the dirtiest campaigns ever, with Adams accused of trying to set up a monarchy in collusion with the British, while Jefferson was charged with being an atheist and spy for the French. Adding to the drama, Jefferson’s running mate, Aaron Burr, was working with the opposition to supplant Jefferson at the top of the ticket. It’s a fascinating story, well told in Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800.
The Other Teddy Roosevelts
This is a collection of alternative history short stories. In one of the stories, Theodore Roosevelt is sent to England by President Grover Cleveland to assist investigators in the hunt for Jack the Ripper. The actual 'vampire' story in this collection is called, The Roosevelt Dispatches. Roosevelt is in Cuba leading his Rough Riders on a campaign. They encounter a creature that is impervious to bullets and it ingests the blood of its prey.
An Hour Before Daylight
I have a deep respect for Jimmy Carter and this book cemented that for me. It was so interesting to learn about Carter's childhood and young adulthood. He came from poverty and was raised by parents who respected their black neighbors and laborers. I listened to the audio performed by one of my favorite readers, Tom Stechschulte. The stories were funny, poignant, and lesson bearing. I was pleased to find that Carter is a terrific writer. Can't wait to read more by him.
Recent Books R US and Reading Challenge comments are listed below.