Review of “Washington” by Douglas Southall Freeman (Harwell abridgment)
Richard Harwell’s abridgment of Douglas Southall Freeman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 7-volume series on George Washington was published in 1968, fifteen years …
Tag Archives: US Presidents
Review of “President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler” by Christopher Leahy
Christopher J. Leahy’s “President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler” was published earlier this year. It is the …
Celebrating 2,750 Days with the Presidents
About 7½ years ago I decided to read as many of the best presidential biographies as I could and to …
Review of “Grant” by Ron Chernow
Ron Chernow’s “Grant” was published in 2017 to almost immediate acclaim and was named a Top 10 Book of the …
Review of “James Monroe: A Life” by Tim McGrath
Released on May 5, “James Monroe: A Life” by Tim McGrath is the first comprehensive exploration of Monroe’s life in …
Review of “Herbert Hoover in the White House” by Charles Rappleye
“Herbert Hoover in the White House: The Ordeal of the Presidency” by Charles Rappleye was published in 2016, just a …
Review of “Man of Destiny: FDR and the Making of the American Century” by Alonzo Hamby
Alonza Hamby’s “Man of Destiny: FDR and the Making of the American Century” was published in 2015 and is one …
Review of “Thomas Jefferson: A Life” by Willard Sterne Randall
Willard Sterne Randall’s “Thomas Jefferson: A Life” was published in 1993. Randall spent the first seventeen years of his professional …
Review of “James Madison: A Life Reconsidered” by Lynne Cheney
Lynne Cheney’s “James Madison: A Life Reconsidered” was published in 2014, about a year after I read four biographies of …
Review of “John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit” by James Traub
James Traub’s “John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit” was published in 2016, about three years after I read four other biographies …
Review of “American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant” by Ronald C. White
Ronald White’s “American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant” was published in 2016, two years after I spent eight …
The Best Biographies of Barack Obama
Barack Obama undoubtedly possesses one of the most complicated – and fascinating – backgrounds of any former president of the …
Review of “Barack Obama: The Story” by David Maraniss
David Maraniss’s “Barack Obama: The Story” was published in 2012. Maraniss is a journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize for …
Review of “Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama” by David Garrow
David Garrow’s “Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama” was published in 2017 and named a “Best Book of 2017” …
Review of “The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama” by David Remnick
David Remnick’s “The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama” was published in 2010 and covers the 44th president’s …
My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies 