Some New Reading for Potus Geeks
Mea culpa. I haven't yet been inspired with a theme for this community for the new month of May (and it's already May Day!) Stay tuned, I'll come up with something today. In the meantime, I discovered some new books that have just been released or will soon be out for potus_geeks in 2014. Here's a list of 10 of them for your consideration:
1. John Quincy Adams: American Visionary by Fred Kaplan. Releasing next Tuesday (May 6th), this 672 page tome by the award winning author of Lincoln is described as "an illuminating biography of one of the most overlooked presidents in American history". The author makes the case that "Adams's forward-thinking values, his definition of leadership, and his vision for the nation's future is as much about twenty-first century America as it is about Adams's own time."
2. James Madison: A Life Reconsidered by Lynne Cheney. Also hitting the bookshelves this coming Tuesday (May 6th), the wife of former Vice-President Dick Cheney, in the 576 page volume, "explores the astonishing story of a man of vaunted modesty who audaciously changed the world" and makes the argument that "among the Founding Fathers, Madison was a true genius of the early republic."
3. The Presidents War: Six American Presidents and The Civil War that Divided Them by Chris DeRose. This 392 page book is scheduled for release on June 17th. It looks at five lesser known presidents (Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan) and of perhaps the best known (Abraham Lincoln) and explores the role of each in the civil war.
4. The Mantle of Command: FDR at War 1941-42 by Nigel Hamilton. This 528 page book is due out later this month on May 13th. Written by the author of JFK: Reckless Youth and Bill Clinton: Mastering the Presidency, according the its Amazon summary, "Hamilton takes readers inside FDR’s White House Oval Study-his personal command center-and into the meetings where he battled with Churchill about strategy and tactics and overrode the near mutinies of his own generals and secretary of war. Time and again, FDR was proven right and his allies and generals were wrong."
5. The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan by Rick Pearlstein. Scheduled for release on August 5, 2014, the author of Nixonland explores the transition from these two political giants and theorizes why Nixon failed and Reagan succeeded. The book is 800 pages.
6. An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Two Presidents, Two Parties, and the Battle for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by Todd S. Purdum. This 416 page book was released last month and it tells the story of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and the battle to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
7. The Stranger: Barack Obama in the White House by Chuck Todd. The NBC newsman uses his many insider sources to tell the story of the Obama presidency from the early days of inexperience to a second term victory. The release date of this 400 page book has been postponed several times. It's now scheduled for November 11th of this year.
8. Lincoln and the Power of the Press: The War for Public Opinion by Harold Holzer. In 832 pages, the author explores Lincoln's skillful use of the press to bypass Congress and reach the people in order to get his message out and win popular support. This book is due for release on October 14th.
9. Emperor of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson's Foreign Policy by Francis D. Cogliano. Released last week, the author attempts a defense of Jefferson's foreign policy and argues that his failures were due to circumstances beyond his control. This book is 320 pages.
10. The Nixon Defense: What He Knew and When He Knew It by John Dean. Nixon's former counsel, Watergate convict John Dean uses his personal information as well as released personal papers from the Nixon library to explain Watergate, what Nixon's part in the scandal was, and how it could have been averted. This book will be released on July 29th and is 416 pages.
Though not specifically books about US Presidents, let me add these for consideration of those of you who are Civil War buffs:
1. Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman by Robert L. O'Connell. This book will be released on July 1st and is 432 pages. It presents a very detailed and interesting biography of one of the war's most complicated generals.
2. Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee by Michael Korda. Due out later this month (May 14th) the author of books about Eisenhower and Grant paints an admiring portrait of Lee and attempts to explain why a man who personally opposed slavery and secession left his country's army to lead the Confederate army. This book is 832 pages.
3. Embattled Rebel: Jefferson Davis as Commander in Chief by James McPherson. Anything James McPherson writes about the Civil War is worth reading, so this biography of a man on the wrong side of history by one of the most brilliant Civil War historians should be excellent. It's scheduled for release on October 7th. At 352 pages, McPherson proves that he doesn't need to be verbose to write wonderful history.
There you have it, some new book fare for 2014. Happy reading my fellow geeks!
1. John Quincy Adams: American Visionary by Fred Kaplan. Releasing next Tuesday (May 6th), this 672 page tome by the award winning author of Lincoln is described as "an illuminating biography of one of the most overlooked presidents in American history". The author makes the case that "Adams's forward-thinking values, his definition of leadership, and his vision for the nation's future is as much about twenty-first century America as it is about Adams's own time."
2. James Madison: A Life Reconsidered by Lynne Cheney. Also hitting the bookshelves this coming Tuesday (May 6th), the wife of former Vice-President Dick Cheney, in the 576 page volume, "explores the astonishing story of a man of vaunted modesty who audaciously changed the world" and makes the argument that "among the Founding Fathers, Madison was a true genius of the early republic."
3. The Presidents War: Six American Presidents and The Civil War that Divided Them by Chris DeRose. This 392 page book is scheduled for release on June 17th. It looks at five lesser known presidents (Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan) and of perhaps the best known (Abraham Lincoln) and explores the role of each in the civil war.
4. The Mantle of Command: FDR at War 1941-42 by Nigel Hamilton. This 528 page book is due out later this month on May 13th. Written by the author of JFK: Reckless Youth and Bill Clinton: Mastering the Presidency, according the its Amazon summary, "Hamilton takes readers inside FDR’s White House Oval Study-his personal command center-and into the meetings where he battled with Churchill about strategy and tactics and overrode the near mutinies of his own generals and secretary of war. Time and again, FDR was proven right and his allies and generals were wrong."
5. The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan by Rick Pearlstein. Scheduled for release on August 5, 2014, the author of Nixonland explores the transition from these two political giants and theorizes why Nixon failed and Reagan succeeded. The book is 800 pages.
6. An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Two Presidents, Two Parties, and the Battle for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by Todd S. Purdum. This 416 page book was released last month and it tells the story of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and the battle to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
7. The Stranger: Barack Obama in the White House by Chuck Todd. The NBC newsman uses his many insider sources to tell the story of the Obama presidency from the early days of inexperience to a second term victory. The release date of this 400 page book has been postponed several times. It's now scheduled for November 11th of this year.
8. Lincoln and the Power of the Press: The War for Public Opinion by Harold Holzer. In 832 pages, the author explores Lincoln's skillful use of the press to bypass Congress and reach the people in order to get his message out and win popular support. This book is due for release on October 14th.
9. Emperor of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson's Foreign Policy by Francis D. Cogliano. Released last week, the author attempts a defense of Jefferson's foreign policy and argues that his failures were due to circumstances beyond his control. This book is 320 pages.
10. The Nixon Defense: What He Knew and When He Knew It by John Dean. Nixon's former counsel, Watergate convict John Dean uses his personal information as well as released personal papers from the Nixon library to explain Watergate, what Nixon's part in the scandal was, and how it could have been averted. This book will be released on July 29th and is 416 pages.
Though not specifically books about US Presidents, let me add these for consideration of those of you who are Civil War buffs:
1. Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman by Robert L. O'Connell. This book will be released on July 1st and is 432 pages. It presents a very detailed and interesting biography of one of the war's most complicated generals.
2. Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee by Michael Korda. Due out later this month (May 14th) the author of books about Eisenhower and Grant paints an admiring portrait of Lee and attempts to explain why a man who personally opposed slavery and secession left his country's army to lead the Confederate army. This book is 832 pages.
3. Embattled Rebel: Jefferson Davis as Commander in Chief by James McPherson. Anything James McPherson writes about the Civil War is worth reading, so this biography of a man on the wrong side of history by one of the most brilliant Civil War historians should be excellent. It's scheduled for release on October 7th. At 352 pages, McPherson proves that he doesn't need to be verbose to write wonderful history.
There you have it, some new book fare for 2014. Happy reading my fellow geeks!