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American history, biographies, book reviews, Herbert Hoover, Kenneth Whyte, presidential biographies, Presidents
Published in 2017, Kenneth Whyte’s “Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times” is the most recent biography of the 31st president. Whyte is a Canadian journalist who has served as editor of Saturday Night magazine, the National Post newspaper and Maclean’s. He is also the author of “The Uncrowned King: The Sensational Rise of William Randolph Hearst” which was published in 2008.
With 614 pages covering his subject’s entire life, Whyte’s well-researched biography is easily the longest of the half-dozen books I’ve read on Herbert Hoover. And while it does not offer the most detailed exploration of his presidency (that honor goes to Charles Rappleye’s 2016 “Herbert Hoover in the White House” which I read earlier this year) it does provide the most thorough comprehensive review of his nine decades.
The most interesting aspects of Hoover’s life – and the most compelling sections of this book – are Hoover’s pre- and post-presidencies. All together, the non-presidential years of Hoover’s life account for about four-fifths of this biography. Almost no reader will fail to be impressed by Whyte’s description of Hoover’s austere start, his capacity to identify and capitalize on business opportunities, or his tireless pursuit of success.
The narrative is rarely flashy or animated, but is consistently attentive to Whyte’s view of Hoover as a better, and more prescient, politician than history recalls. And while the book is almost unfailingly sympathetic toward its subject (and frequently dismissive of his political rivals), Whyte does not ignore Hoover’s wide assortment of obvious (often interpersonal) flaws.
Other key strengths of the book include a keen comparison of Hoover to Woodrow Wilson, good introductions to important political characters (Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge as two examples) and interesting commentary relating to Hoover’s anticipation of a financial crisis early in his presidency.
But while much of Herbert Hoover’s life is intrinsically captivating, the author’s writing style does not match the opportunity. Whyte is not a particularly colorful or vibrant writer and, much like Hoover himself, his narrative can lack vivacity and texture. While it is consistently clear and comprehensible it tends to exhibit a dry, clinical quality.
In addition, the discussion of Hoover’s presidency often feels one-sided. Whyte works diligently to redeem his subject; one manifestation of these efforts is a tendency to unfairly diminish the actions (and intellect) of some of Hoover’s contemporaries. FDR and Harry Truman are the two most notable examples of this rush-to-caricature.
Finally, while this biography expertly dissects the curious contradictions embedded within Hoover’s persona, the author misses an opportunity to more fully explore his subject’s suitability for the presidency and discuss the evolution of his legacy in the five decades since his death.
Overall, Kenneth Whyte’s biography of Herbert Hoover offers a sober, insightful and extremely readable review of one of the 20th century’s least popular presidents. Readers new to Hoover will not find a better thorough introduction to his life; others will appreciate its incremental insights and fresh perspectives. All-in-all, Whyte has written the best biography of Herbert Hoover I’ve yet read.
Overall Rating: 4¼ stars
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Agreed. This was not my introduction to Hoover, but it was my first biography of him. It seems like Hoover was excellent at everything he did except the presidency. I enjoyed the beginning most when he was globe trotting to China and Australia. Great review!
” It seems like Hoover was excellent at everything he did except the presidency”…..sounds like William Howard Taft. Both lacked good POLITICAL instincts and judgement at crucial times.
Been waiting for this review for a while. I actually thought it would be a tad lower while reading through the review itself, but was pleased with its final rating. I agree it’s the best single volume Hoover bio out there. One thing I was wondering that you didn’t touch on in your review was how you felt about Whyte’s ability to flesh out Lou Hoover and Hoover’s family. I thought Whyte was better able to bring Lou to life than other single volume biographies, and he did a good job (at least better than others) to give you a feel for how Hoover the man thought and worked.
I’ve also found virtually every major work about Hoover for the last couple decades has been extremely sympathetic to him and his presidency, particularly Jeansonne’s single volume bio. His stock has definitely been rising as people better appreciate his humanitarian work, but it’s led a lot to re-evaluate his presidency with great passion as well.
I also still can’t say enough about the 6 volume series on Hoover’s life. It’s amazing because to most people, they’d be floored at the very thought of SIX whole volumes about such a “failed” president as Herbert Hoover…and yet all 6 volumes flow by briskly and with great narrative flow. They’re not up to Caro’s abilities, but they’re definitely more engaging than you’d think. The volume on Hoover’s presidency is the most convincing assessment of his presidency I’ve read that justifies its being re-evaluated. Of course, it is also naturally more inclined to promote a positive re-evaluation, but given its singular focus it does offer more analysis of competing viewpoints and provides extensive primary source evidence, its greatest strength. It quotes extensively from contemporary news reports, letters, private writings, etc. to really bring the Hoover presidency alive in a way no other has been able to.
I can’t point to anything specific (or thoughtful) that would explain my failure to rave over Whyte’s handling of Lou’s family. You’re right, of course, that I learned more about her (and her family) here than in any other biography I’ve read.
I’ve resisted the temptation to tackle any series in the last 18 months although they’ve tempted me: Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, this one on Hoover (though I have yet to collect every volume), the Lewis/Catton series on Grant and – gasp – even the Sidney Blumenthal series on Lincoln.
But I’m glad to see your glowing view of the Hoover series. I’ve long thought his life was uncommonly interesting (certainly the case if you overlook his presidency, and probably even if you don’t) so I’m glad to see that the investment of time in this hefty series should pay off(!)
Series are a huge investment of time, so I understand your hesitation. What Hoover volumes are you still in need of? I purchased my set as they were published with my educator’s discount but occasionally pick-up duplicate used copies when I find them for the right price so I can donate them to other teachers or libraries. The volume on the 1920s is generally very expensive for some reason (“Imperfect Visionary”). It’s a testament to the breadth and intensity of his humanitarian works that of the 6 volumes that cover his 90 year life, two of them are fully devoted to a mere 5 year period dealing with his humanitarian relief in WWI (“The Humanitarian: 1914-1917” and “Master of Emergencies: 1917-1918”). His life really is fascinating, and his post-presidency is fascinating. His personal writings about world affairs and World War II were amazingly prescient and can be read in his magnum opus “Freedom Betrayed.”
As for Blumenthal’s Lincoln series, I’m not sure I’m on board yet. Given Blumenthal’s reputation for being partisan and overly biased in his journalism, I have little hope of an objective contemporary analysis of Lincoln but feel it would more likely be a “modern” biography of Lincoln emphasizing and connecting Lincoln more to political currents and themes that connect more with the present day. I’d feel the same way if Newt Gingrich wrote a Lincoln biography. In the first volume, one friend said Lincoln disappears altogether for large sections, and an entire chapter is even devoted to the activities of the Mormon Church in the 1840s in Nauvoo, Illinois even though Lincoln had no dealings with or interactions with the Church or its leaders, begging the question how it’s relevant at all to Lincoln’s life. If you ever do tackle it, which wouldn’t be for years anyway as the final volumes aren’t out, I’d be interested in your analysis of its objectivity.
Many thanks for not just this recommendation but for all your blogs on the presidential books. I recently decided to start collecting and reading biographies on all the U.S. presidents, but now that I have found your website, maybe I’ll just read the best blog reviews instead… 🙂 But seriously, your blogs of the bios are VERY helpful and I read them attentively. I plan to buy this bio of Hoover.