Writing History: A Review of Author in Chief by Craig Fehrman

Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote by Craig Fehrman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It has become a self-perpetuating tradition of Washington politics for politicians seeking office or leaving office to write a book about themselves, their experiences, and their values. A lot of this has been garbage and some has been good, but very few have been exceptional. This is perhaps most visible in that most perennial and expected of political books, the presidential campaign book or autobiography. But no book is ever written in a complete vacuum and the presidential book is no exception. In this wonderful book, Mr. Fehrman not only gives us the inside details of how and why president wrote their books, it also shows how presidents were affected by the literature they read and how they in turn affected American literature with their books. Thus, it is not just a history of presidential books, it is a great thumbnail sketch of American literature and publishing.

Starting with Thomas Jefferson’s Notes from the State of Virginia, Mr. Fehrman takes us through the development of other presidents’ books, from John Adams’ unpublished legacy book to Lincoln’s collection of debate speeches, to Calvin Coolidge’s incredibly personal autobiography.  He even extends his survey to the modern era and ending with Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father, though Donald Trump does get a brief mention.  It is incredible to see the different approaches each president took to writing their books.  It’s also interesting to see how as both the presidency and American publishing grew, so too did a president’s need for assistance in writing their books.  By the modern era, few presidents were writing their books themselves, if at all, and ghostwriting has become almost a necessity.  There are some exceptions such as Reagan’s Where’s the Rest of Me? And Obama’s Dreams, but most presidential books are no longer written solely by presidents.  It is a fascinating look at how presidential writing and books have dramatically changed since the founding.

What is also great about this book is how Mr. Fehrman paints a picture for us by also explaining the state of American literature and publishing throughout our history.  American literature and publishing did not exist at the time Jefferson and Adams were writing their books and Americans who could read were dependent on cheap knockoffs from Britain.  Having more than a family Bible in a house was expensive and difficult to come by for many Americans in the early years of the nation too.  Thus, not only did the state of literature and publishing affect how our presidents wrote and published, but also how presidents’ books affected American literature and publishing.  For example, Jefferson’s Notes had to be published in France first, but it also helped put America on the political and literary map.  It also had both positive and negative effects on Jefferson’s future political ambitions as both sides used quotes from the book to either support or oppose Jefferson’s candidacy in 1796 and 1800.  And, of course, Grant’s Memoirs not only set the gold standard for presidential memoirs, but also set the stage for the blockbuster books of future presidents.

Not only does Mr. Fehrman offer a great and even intimate history of presidential books, he also offers some literary criticism of those books as well.  This is perhaps the weakest part of the book, especially as he gets closer to the present.  As political books becomes more ubiquitous, it seems as though Mr. Fehrman gets more and more critical.  By the epilogue, Mr. Fehrman is calling most of the political books out there garbage and offering advice for how presidents could write better books that appeal to both history and to average readers.  Now, to be fair to Mr. Fehrman, not every politician’s book is great and some are even downright terrible (do I really have to read Josh Bolton’s terribly titled The Room Where It Happened to know that it is not a great book?), but I couldn’t help but wonder who is at fault for this.  Are politicians at fault, or is it the complicated demands of the job we are asking them to do today, or could it just be American literature has become so mass produced and mass marketed that publishing houses will print anything and average readers will pick up anything and neither will are able to separate the wheat from the chaff?  Mr. Fehrman seems to think that it is politicians’ faults, but I think the real answer is a bit more complicated than that.

Despite Mr. Fehrman’s criticisms of modern political books, it does not take away from the overall joy of this work.  Every page is engaging and fascinating, offering a little something for everyone.  I highly recommend this to anyone interested in presidential history or the history of American literature and publishing.

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The American Sphinx Speaks: A Review of Thomas Jefferson's Writings from the Library of America

Writings: Autobiography / Notes on the State of Virginia / Public and Private Papers / Addresses / Letters by Thomas Jefferson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia, is one of the more elusive Founding Father’s to pin down. Like Benjamin Franklin, he was a polymath with a deep interest in the many scientific undertakings of his age and was a consummate, though reluctant (at least according to himself), politician. At times he could be seemingly all over the place. What this book of Jefferson’s public papers and letters does is let readers peer more deeply into his mind and soul than the many biographies written of him since his death, but at the cost of creating one extremely long volume.

This book is divided into several parts including: an autobiography he wrote for his children and grandchildren; his “Summary View of the Rights of British America”, which was a prototype of the Declaration of Independence; his famous “Notes on the State of Virginia”; his public papers, letters, addresses and replies; and finally the private letters he wrote throughout his life.  By examining all of these together, one can really get the sense of Jefferson was as a person and where he stood on the key issues of the day.  Though some historians have painted Jefferson as a bit of a political opportunist and an enigma, by allowing Jefferson’s writings to speak for themselves one can see that he was a man of principle and resolve with a keen interest in advancing the sciences.  Not everything Jefferson wrote down or said will jive well with a modern audience, particularly his views on African-Americans and African colonization.  Still, for better or worse, much of America’s identity as a democratic nation comes from Jefferson’s writings and politics.

Though this volume does a great job of letting Jefferson speak for himself, it is WAY too long.  At 1600 pages, this is one of the longest books in the Library of America’s collection and is equal in size to a standard copy of the Bible.  Though I had planned on finishing this in a month, it took me over six weeks to read this book from cover to cover.  There is an opportunity though for Library of America to rectify this by splitting Jefferson’s writings into two volumes, as they have done with other presidents such as John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Theodore Roosevelt.  About half of the book is made up of Jefferson’s autobiography and public addresses and papers.  The other half are Jefferson’s private letters.  Library of America could split this into two volumes between his public and private papers and may even make more room for more of Jefferson’s private letters, which were some of the most interesting and accessible reads.  As it stands right now though, this volume is better used as a reference for lay readers rather than something to be read from cover to cover.

Like other Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson left behind a legacy of liberty, but also of contradictions.  As America continues to strive to live up to its founding ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, looking back on how the founding generation both succeeded and failed at the same endeavor will be immensely educational and hopeful.  Though some may struggle to make it through this volume, there is real value in reading and understanding the thoughts and actions of Thomas Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers.  I recommend this book to people interested in learning about Jefferson first hand and are willing to devote time and effort to do so.

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February 2021 24in48 Readathon Live Blog

 

A Photo of Jefferson and my tea taken from my Instagram.

February 6, 2021, 1:08 a.m.

I didn't intend to truly start this readathon until the morning, but because it officially started at 12:01 a.m. EST (9:01 a.m. PST), and because I got to my reading late earlier today, I unintentionally kicked my readathon off at the same time as everyone else.  I started off by reading the first two chapters of Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin out of my Library of America edition of his early novels (see below for some links) and then read 100 pages of Jefferson while enjoying some nice Sleepytime Extra tea.  It took a little longer for me to finish all this reading than I expected, though not as long as I feared.  If I keep this pace up, I do believe I can finish Jefferson, Giovanni's Room, and The Light of the Jedi this weekend.  But will I be able to finish Felix Ever After or Children of Virtue an Vengeance (let alone start it) this weekend?  Doubt is creeping into my head.  Hopefully I can, but I am going to get some rest now and truly dive into this in the morning.

February 5, 2021: The Day Before!

It's been a few months since I have done an honest to goodness readathon and if I am ever hopeful of whittling down my TBR, then readathons are my only hope.  Fortunately, the wonder folks at the 24in48 Readathon have been working hard at organizing a great readathon and I am so happy to be joining them.

What is a readathon you ask?  A readathon is where you try read for as long as you can in a certain time frame without stopping, sort of like running a marathon (read + marathon= readathon).  One online place that is famous for organizing this is Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon.  They famously choose 24 hour period to just read non-stop during that period (their next one is on April 24).  There is also a bunch of social media done on Facebook, Instagram, Twitterm, etc. that folks can participate in as they are reading.  

The 24in48 readathon is similar in that you try to read for 24 hours straight, but they break it up over two days.  That means you can tackle your 24 hours of reading in any combination you like.  Read all day Saturday or all day Sunday?  Go for it!  12 hours on Saturday and 12 hours on Sunday?  Absolutely!  8 on Saturday, 16 on Sunday?  That works too!  Any combination of 24 hours of reading you can think of works for this particular readathon.

One thing they are doing differently this year is that they have chosen two group reads for folks to participate in, one fiction and one non-fiction.  Their non-fiction read is Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, a YA Romance starring a trans male as the protagonist.  The non-fiction read is White Negroes by Lauren Michele Jackson about cultural appropriation.  I personally plan on reading Felix Ever After myself, but no one is obligated to read these books if they want to read something else.

On top of Felix Ever After, I have a few books I either want to finish or make progress on.  First, I want to finish reading the Library of America collection Thomas Jefferson's writings that I have been working on since January 1.  This has been an interesting read, but at 1600 pages it is huge!  I had planned on finishing by the end of January, but life interceded.  I also plan on making progress on Library of America's collection of James Baldwin's early novels.  I just finished re-reading Go Tell It On the Mountain last night and I hope to have Giovanni's Room finished by the end of this readathon.

Next, I am going to finish reading Star Wars: The High Republic: The Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule.  My reading obsession originated with my love of Star Wars novels (the pre-Disney original Expanded Universe novels that is) back in high school and college, but I haven't really read many Star Wars novels since then.  However, this High Republic series sounds incredibly exciting.  I've been enjoying this book very much and I plan on finishing it this weekend.

Lastly, I plan on at least starting Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi.  This is the second book in her Legacy of Orïsha series, the first one being Children of Blood and Bone.  I read that when it first came out and I loved it!  I'm looking forward to diving back into this amazing YA fantasy world.

Of course, this is just the plan.  I have no idea if I will be able to actually do any of this.  Fortunately, like pervious readathons, I plan on live blogging this one.  Just come back to this page throughout the day tomorrow, February 6, and Sunday, February 7.  I'll be regularly adding updates to this page about my progress.  And while you're at it, be sure to check out any one of these great books or authors I have mentioned.  And if you want to join the 24in48 Readathon, head over to their website and fill out their online form.  Happy reading everyone!

Moral Clarity in Disturbing Times: A Review of Reclaiming Jesus

Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus by Jim Wallis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The election of Donald Trump in 2016, the White Supremacist march in Charlottesville, VA, in 2017, the separation of immigrant families at the U.S. southern border, and many other events have been a terrible wake up call to the moral decay that has infected the highest levels of our government. Though popular imaginations of Christianity in America have Christians being some of the strongest supporters of Pres. Trump, what the media too often fails to notice is the large numbers of faithful Christians throughout the country who are just as appalled by recent events as other Americans are, but perhaps more so as it seems to cut to the very heart of everything the gospel of Jesus Christ is suppose to oppose. Jim Wallis is one such prominent Christian thinker and activist who has been calling on Christians in America not, as he puts it, to go left or right, but to go deeper into faith. In this incredibly timely book, Rev. Wallis examines the core questions at the heart of the Gospel message and applies the answers to our current political time.

Inspired by the Reclaiming Jesus Movement that was kicked off in 2018, Rev. Wallis takes a deep dive into the Gospel and our current political environment (I highly recommend you visit the website as well as watch their video statement for more information). In a time where lies, corruption, and authoritarian actions at the highest levels of our government seem to define our daily headlines, Rev. Wallis gives the morally clearest statement of how Christians should respond to the times from anyone inside our outside the faith I have ever read. And the fact that this book is centered on the strong moral principles taught in the Bible, as exemplified in Matthew 5 & 25, of loving your neighbor as yourself is deeply stirring. As I wrapped up reading this book over the course of the Lenten season (and using a Lenten study guide to do so), I have been deeply stirred to "be transformed by the renewing of my mind" (Romans 12:2). The lessons I have learned from this book as well as the many other resources Sojourners has provided will be sitting with me for a long time.

This book will not appeal to everyone, unfortunately. For those who are already "ride or die" for Pres. Trump will be turned off by Rev. Wallis's unrelenting criticism of him and his administrations. There were one or two places where I thought that even Rev. Wallis was starting to lose sight of his topic, but his long criticisms always have the point of contrasting what is happening in our country and government to what the Gospel calls Christians to be and how to act at all times. I also fear that the closeness of some Christian denominations to right and far right politics will turn off others from reading a book on social justice in our present times with Jesus at its center. On top of that, depending on how the 2020 presidential election shakes out what the future of America holds post-Trump, this book and its social critiques may have a limited shelf life.

That said, this is a deeply moving call to action and social justice to Christians in America and around the world. Whether you are Christian or not, American or not, pro-Trump or not, I wish everyone would read this book and "go deeper" into the Gospels. The country is in need of strong moral clarity and Rev. Wallis provides it in this book.

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Moving On: A Review of Lincoln in the Bardo

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

One of the great tragedies to happen in the midst of the tragedy that was the U.S. Civil War was the death of Pres. Abraham Lincoln's young son Willie in early 1862. Distraught, Pres. Lincoln visits the grave of his son several times in the dead of night not long after the body is interred. Using this, George Saunders spins a ghost story about love and loss and how hard it is for both the living and the dead to move on.

Before you dive into this novel, it is important to note that Mr. Saunders does not follow the typical grammar conventions. For nearly every line of dialogue, rather than the typical "[dialogue]," said Mr. Smith you would find in a typical novel, Mr. Saunders uses citation, almost like what you would see at the end of a block quote in a non-fiction work of history or an academic paper. I found this to be both helpful and confusing. It was helpful because Mr. Saunders uses a large number of characters to narrate throughout, so the citation at the end of each bit of dialogue helped me to keep track of who was speaking at any given time. Mr. Saunders also does quote several memoirs and history books about Lincoln during this time, so the citations helped ground this work of historical fiction in some reality. However, because Mr. Saunders could move rapidly between different characters, this method of narrating could get confusing at times, especially when the action begins to really pick up at the climax.

I used the phrase "ghost story" at the top because the main cast of characters is entirely dead, though many of them either don't know it or refuse to believe it for reasons you have to read the book to understand. The way that the dead interact with the living, or attempt to, is fascinating, though it is unclear how much influence the netherworld has on the living in this book. If anything, the living seems to have a far greater influence on the dead in Saunders' telling. And yet, both sides are trying to figure out how to move on, or whether or not they want to. It's an interesting mediation on loss and grief.

There is much to like and even love in this book. The picture of Lincoln as a man is one of the best I have read outside of my typical history books. For fans of literary fiction, historical fiction, and Abraham Lincoln, I would recommend this read be put on your list. 

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Bully for America! A Review of The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin

The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of the most persistent and pressing problems in recent U.S. history has been the ever widening gap between the rich and poor, the growing power of large corporations at the expense of workers, and the government's inability (or unwillingness) to address the problem seriously. Populist candidates on both the political right and left have gained a great deal of traction by criticizing our current state of affairs. As we face another election where the fate of Progressive politics for the next generation will be on the line, it is good to turn back the clock to a period in U.S. history and see how extraordinary leaders in politics and the press arose to meet a similar challenge. Fortunately, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin does all that in this excellent examination of the lives of Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the muckraking journalists of McClure's that did so much to bolster the Progressive cause of the early 20th century.

Ms. Goodwin starts with the lives of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, two men of drastically different temperaments, and how their strong friendship supported each other for much of their careers. As a longtime fan of Theodore Roosevelt, Doris Kearns Goodwin travels some rather well-trodden ground for me. With the exception of Theodore Roosevelt's second wife and longtime friend, Edith Carrow, Ms. Goodwin does not reveal much about TR that you couldn't have already found in other biographies. But when she turns to examining Taft's life, that is where this book really starts to pick up. Sadly, history has not been kind to Taft. Too often he has been overshadowed by his famous presidential predecessor, TR. But Ms. Goodwin does a tremendous job of revealing the true Taft to readers who may not be as familiar with him. The contrasting images of TR and Taft reveal that while TR was more combative, passionate, and stubborn, Taft was far more fair-minded, affable, and efficient even when he procrastinated. Indeed, Taft shines as the far more likable of the two presidents in this book. Ms. Goodwin's charting of their relationship's rise and fall is at the very heart of this book and that eventual fall is just as heartbreaking as you would expect.

While the two presidents make up the bulk of this book, another key element is the Progressive "muckraking" journalists that gathered around S.S. McClure's magazine, McClure's. The famous journalists Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, William Allen White, and Ray Stannard Baker all played a critical role in exposing the corruption of the different business trusts and political machines that had been choking the civic life out of the nation at that time. Indeed, Ms. Goodwin makes an effective case that, without McClure's and the top-notch investigative journalism it pioneered, TR would not have been nearly as successful as he became. Indeed, she strongly hints that, without McClure's, TR would not have had enough popular support to win the Republican nomination and then the presidency in his own right in 1904.

With these three moving parts, it would be a difficult juggling act for anyone. And, unfortunately, it appears at times to be too much for Ms. Goodwin too. Several times it felt as though these three storylines were disconnected from each other. This is especially true just before the beginning of McClure's golden age in the mid-1900s to the end of that time when S.S. McClure's manic mood swings and extra marital affairs would destroy the partnerships that made McClure and his journalists so successful. On top of that, the heart of this book is TR and Taft's friendship, but Ms. Goodwin rarely gives us any insight into how their relationship became so close despite the fact that these were two men of such vastly different talents and temperaments, though not entirely of politics (which might be a surprise to some). Not until the end does Ms. Goodwin really give us an image of TR and Taft as friends rather than really good office partners. But, when all three of these things do come together right around the middle of the book, when you see the muckrakers digging up and exposing corruption, TR providing the moral clarity and political leadership, and Taft faithfully executing TR's vision, the narrative is dynamite. It makes one nostalgic for a time when journalists were respected and their exposures of corruption were not only more frequent, but could make serious waves in politics.

The 700+ narrative pages may be daunting at first glance. But, for those who are interested in the combination of investigative journalism and Progressive politics, who are looking for solutions to our present predicaments by studying our past, this is a book well worth your time and effort. I highly recommend this book to fans of Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive era or who desire motivation for our current political times.

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Fear of the "Other": A Review of They Called Us Enemy

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941 shook many Americans to their core. Never before had the country been attacked in such a devastating way and people were afraid. Out of that fear was borne one of the countries darkest mistakes, the internment of thousands of people Japanese descent, most of them American citizens. While the U.S. government has apologized and paid reparations to internees, it is too easy to forget how fear can drive a country to do terrible things to its own citizens. This graphic novel co-written by George Takei, the famous actor and activist, about his own experience in an American internment camp is a necessary read.

Set mostly in the 1940s, but also flashing forward into Mr. Takei's life, this book will feel very familiar to anyone who has read the March graphic novels. The artwork is smoothly drawn compared to some of the harsher lines of March, but like March the artwork is entirely black and white. At times, the black and white is a good thing, but I would've preferred this book with more color in a lot of different places. Still, for both young and old readers, the art does not get in the way of telling the story, so the smooth drawings and colors make this work.

While most of the story rightfully focuses on Mr. Takei's time in the camps with his family, as I mentioned before, it does flash forward to the present and other moments in Mr. Takei's life and career. Most of the time, this works very well, but every now and then there was a one-panel flash forward that broke the narrative and felt out of place. Most of the time, though, the flash forwards work quite effectively in showing Mr. Takei reflecting in the present what happened to him and his family in the past and how it impacted his whole life's trajectory.

As the country currently goes through a period of fear of the other, graphic novels like this one are incredibly important in warning us about not making the making the same mistakes again. Fear should not override our desire to love our neighbor and protect their rights and liberties. I highly recommend this book to fans of March, graphic novels, and Mr. Takei's life and work.

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"Don't You Forget About Me": A Review of The Korean War: A History

The Korean War: A History by Bruce Cumings

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Korean War is often, and rightfully, called "the forgotten war." Bracketed by World War II and the Vietnam War in American history, few Americans know anything about this war in which 3 million Koreans several thousand Americans died. Often what they do know is pretty basic: the North invaded the South, America and its UN allies intervened and pushed the North Koreans back across the 38th parallel all the way to the Yalu River, until communist China intervened and pushed the war back into a stalemate along the 38th parallel. However, in this revisionist work, Bruce Cumings puts more flesh and bones on this otherwise bare bones tale and emphasizes both its importance in American history why it has never really ended, and how it was just as dirty as the war dirty war in Indochina that would succeed it.

For those of you looking for a straight historical narrative of the Korean War, this book probably won't tickle that itch. The first chapter gives the standard story of the war, with a few relatively unknown details thrown in to flesh things out a little, but then hops around different topics for the rest of this book. This allows Mr. Cumings to talk about the darker side of this war that rarely makes it into America's headlines: how the roots of the war go back to, and are much more deeply intertwined with, the Japanese occupation of Korea, not the immediate Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States; how the South Korean regime of dictator Syngman Rhee was just as brutal, and possibly more so, than communist North Korea; how American forces too often stood by as South Korean forces massacred real and suspected communists; and just how the American air war was to the North Korean people and economy. It is a sobering look at a part of our history that is too easily swept under the rug simply because South Korea eventually developed into a vibrant democracy, because we didn't lose the Korean War (though we didn't necessarily win it either), and because the Vietnam War looms so much larger in the American psyche than the Korean War does. Mr. Cumings makes a passionate and nuanced plea for remembering and understanding this war.

And yet, I can't help but feel that, like the war it brings to light, will do nothing more than to create a stalemate in the American reader's mind. While many of the facts and figures Mr. Cumings brings to light may be revelatory, even damning, to many Americans, because this book forgoes a chronological structure, it fails to successfully mesh the unknown dark side of the war with what Americans already do know about the war. A more straightforward analysis of the war, similar to other standard military histories out there, with all of the revelations Mr. Cumings brings to light, would've had a much greater impact. Instead, like many other revisionist histories, this book lists off a litany of wrongs that Americans should feel bad about, forcing the reader to either assume a knee-jerk defensive position or not. For a book that begs for understanding and nuance regarding the war, the baseball bat approach this book takes does not lend itself to such an understanding of the ar.

Despite that, this book is an important work about a forgotten war. While it may be nothing more than a supplemental read to other histories of the war, such as The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War by David Halberstam, it is a necessary supplemental read that all American history buffs should read.

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Review: How Democracies Die

How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Liberal democracy is far more fragile than most Americans think. It is more likely to deteriorate into dictatorship than stay strong. This is a fact that political scientists have been researching for some time now, but with the election of Donald Trump in 2016, books about this topic with a popular audience in mind have been written, bringing that research to a wider audience. This book is one of most clearly written and readable about how democracies can fall.

Using recent historic examples and easy to understand language, charts, and evidence, Levitsky and Ziblatt show how the soft guardrails of democracy, or democratic norms as they are more commonly known, can be eroded over time and how authoritarian figures can rise to completely subvert the system. But what may be most shocking to Americans is how the authors trace America's own erosion of democratic norms since the late 1970s. As has been said by commentators since 2016, Donald Trump is not the cause of the mess we're in, he is just the result of recent decades of norm destruction by both Republicans and Democrats (though, the authors argue, mostly Republicans). They also show how political leaders can make serious mistakes in evaluating potential authoritarian figures or even ally with them for short-term partisan gain, thus damaging the democratic system in general. For a general audience, it may be shocking just how easy it is for democratic governments to fall.

The main reason for this book to exist is because of Donal Trump's 2016 election. Levitsky and Ziblatt show, convincingly in my opinion, how Pres. Trump matches the profile for a potential authoritarian figure and how his unprecedented administration fits the model of authoritarianism in the making. This makes this book an important read for the present moment, but I suspect that their assault on Pres. Trump means that rank and file Republicans, the ones who need this message the most, will be less likely to read it. It also means that, should the country make it out of this long national nightmare, that this book may not have as much staying power in the minds of the public as it should. Democracy is a fragile system and Americans need to constantly remember just how fragile it is. We need books like this, but I fear that, because it is a book very much of its time and place, it will not stick around in the public mind should Pres. Trump be unelected or removed from office.

Despite its potential lack of staying power, this book is an incredibly important read for our current political times. It also includes some important suggestions throughout about how to keep democracy safe that all Americans, Republicans and Democrats, should take to heart. I highly recommend this to anyone who is worried about the state of politics in America today.

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Architect of Victory: A Review of War and Peace: FDR's Final Odyssey: D-Day to Yalta, 1943–1945

War and Peace: FDR's Final Odyssey: D-Day to Yalta, 1943–1945 by Nigel Hamilton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

FDR's true role as Commander in Chief and leader of the Allies during World War II has been shrouded for many Americans. The personal memoirs of Winston Churchill and questions of FDR's health and performance at Yalta have obscured just how vital he was to the overall outcome of the war and the shape of the postwar. Mr. Hamilton has done a great job of fleshing out FDR's World War II leadership and he concludes his three-volume biography/history superbly in this final volume.

In the previous two volumes, Hamilton's FDR comes off as a brilliant strategist and wrangler of disparate personalities. FDR asserted his authority over strategy with his military chiefs in the first volume and held Churchill's feet to the flame when it came to committing to the cross-channel invasion of France in the second volume, despite Churchill's penchant for diversionary, and disastrous, operations in the Mediterranean. This third volume shows FDR at his best once again at the Tehran conference, holding Churchill accountable and even dealing well with Marshall Stalin in their first face-to-face meetings. The cross-channel invasion gets set in stone and Churchill's desires for further Mediterranean operations are halted. This leads to the D-Day invasions and the ultimate demise of the Third Reich.

However, Hamilton is not completely blinded by FDR's brilliance. As FDR's physical health and mental acuity begin to decline in the weeks and months following the Tehran conference, Hamilton gives the most detailed descriptions of what was going on that you are likely to find. FDR was very sick and could have easily died in early 1944 were it not for the brave intervention of a junior naval officer at the Bethesda Naval Hospital and the renewed relationship between FDR and his former flame, Lucy Rutherford. Had FDR died in 1944, history and the outcome of World War II could have been very different.

In spite of the President's declining health, Hamilton makes clear that, on the most important issues, FDR was as engaged as ever. This comes through at the Yalta conference, a rather divisive moment in U.S. foreign relations history. Hamilton shows that on the key issues, such as the creation of the United Nations and securing Russian entry in the war against Japan after the fall of Germany, FDR was completely focused and in charge. However, FDR focusing his energies on these important strategic goals meant he was not as attentive to the details, which is where Yalta gets controversial. By the end of the book, Hamilton's FDR is the most exhausted person you have ever met, but he has achieved his most important goals as Commander in Chief and they cannot be undone by his death.

I love how the book was organized. Though the font is rather small, Mr. Hamilton's chapters are very short, no more than 10-pages, but usually around 5 pages. And there are a lot of chapters, 91 to be precise, so organizing one's reading of this rather dense book should be not be a problem. Furthermore, Mr. Hamilton's writing style is just as enjoyable as ever. He deftly uses repeated phrases and rhetorical questions throughout to ram home important points in the story. Thus, even if you are skimming parts of this book, you should be able to pick up on the key thoughts by taking note of those repeated phrases and rhetorical questions. I will say that, unlike the previous two volumes, Mr. Hamilton does seem to skim over far more than he did before. For example, when writing about post-Tehran FDR in early 1944, Mr. Hamilton focuses exclusively on the President's health, which is important to his overall story. However, there is a chunk of about a month and a half, roughly January and February 1944, where Hamilton says nothing about any of FDR's major decisions during that time. Mr. Hamilton also does this when he skims over the details of the 1944 presidential election as well. Admittedly, these details may not have been important to the overall story Mr. Hamilton was trying to tell, but it is noticeable nonetheless.

In short though, Mr. Hamilton makes an excellent case for considering FDR to be one of America's most successful wartime and diplomatic leaders on a par with Lincoln's leadership during the Civil War. Like Lincoln, FDR was able to focus the nation's wartime and diplomatic leaders on the most essential goals of the war, while rallying the nation to a vision for the nation that stretched beyond the war itself. In Lincoln's case, it was emancipation; in FDR's case, it was the creation of a proactive America in world affairs and the creation of a stable and successful international organization to maintain the peace, the United Nations. Hamilton does a tremendous job of putting FDR in his rightful place as one of our greatest presidents and I would highly recommend this volume, and this entire series, to anyone who is interested in learning more about FDR and his leadership in World War II.

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"A Just and Lasting Peace... With All Nations:" A Review of Lincoln in the World

Lincoln in the World: The Making of a Statesman and the Dawn of American Power by Kevin Peraino
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The U.S. Civil War is one of the epochal moments in history. The momentousness of the Civil War is clear domestically as it ended slavery and united the country more tightly than ever before. And yet, while its domestic importance is clear, few Americans also realize just how important the Civil War was in world history as the binding of the Union and the destruction of slavery would help pave the way towards America's rise to predominant power in the 20th century. There have been recent books, such as The Cause of All Nations: An International History of the American Civil War by Don H. Doyle, that have tried to fill in this gap, but what also can get lost in this story is the role that President Abraham Lincoln played in guiding foreign policy during the period. Like FDR's role as Commander in Chief of World War II, too many historians have downplayed his role as Chief Diplomat and instead focused on his military leadership. This biography does an amazing job of filling in this gap while also being one of the most easily accessible Lincoln biographies currently available.

This book tracks Lincoln's career from little-known congressman to President of the United States by pitting Lincoln against five historical figures and the major foreign policy issues that divided them. It starts with an examination of Lincoln's nuanced opposition to the Mexican-American War against his Illinois law partner's support, William Herndon; the first struggles over foreign policy leadership between Lincoln and his new Secretary of State, William Seward; his struggle to avoid war with Great Britain and its prime minister, Lord Palmerston; the struggle over public opinion between Lincoln and Karl Marx; and the U.S.'s response to the invasion of Mexico by France's emperor, Napoleon III. Each one of these chapters provides a great vignette of Lincoln and his opponent and what exactly their thinking was on the key foreign policy issues of the Civil War. They are endlessly fascinating and Mr. Peraino does an excellent job of revealing Lincoln's role in everything. Though Lincoln may not appear to do much at times, Mr. Peraino points out that doing nothing, or strategic patience as it might be called, can be crucial in foreign affairs and is key to Lincoln's leadership in this arena. Lincoln, and his opposites, knew their objectives, but Lincoln appears to have had the clearest mind on how to achieve those objectives.

I will say that the Lincoln/Marx chapter is a little bit of a stretch. While Lincoln squared off with all of the other figures almost directly, Marx and Lincoln seem to be linked only indirectly, at best. However, Mr. Peraino's insight in this chapter is to show just how deftly Lincoln swayed international public opinion over the question of emancipation, something Marx wished he could do with his call to proletariat revolution, but never succeeded at doing in his lifetime. It may be the weakest of links, but Mr. Peraino makes it work.

Perhaps the most insightful chapter is the last where Mr. Peraino briefly (compared to the previous chapters at least) follows the diplomatic career of his personal secretary, John Hay, that would lead him to become Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. By doing so, Mr. Peraino shows just how critical Lincoln's foreign policy legacy was in shaping the United States and its role in the world for the next half century. It made me wish for a recent biography of John Hay to pick up and read. I shall have to look into that...

At a little over 300 pages in narrative length and with simple language and anecdotes, this is also one of the most accessible biographies of Lincoln available. While painting a great picture of Lincoln as a statesman, Mr. Peraino also provides good sketches of Lincoln the man as well. For anyone who has wanted to pick up a Lincoln biography, like Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln or Lincoln by David Herbert Donald, but have been too daunted by their length and detail, this is a good book to break yourself in. I still feel that there is much more to say about Lincoln the statesman, but this book is an excellent jumping off point. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Lincoln, the U.S. Civil War, and America's rise to power.

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