I am busy doing research for another book but that doesn’t mean I am not still reading new Presidential Biographies. I have read a couple of good ones recently. “Wilson” by A. Scott Berg came out in 2013. Berg’s book takes a thorough look at Woodrow Wilson and, because it is even-handed, has all the marks of real history. Wilson was not the typical career politician who slogged his way through multiple offices to become President. He was an academic for the vast majority of his career. This makes for an interesting contrast with how other Presidents approached the office. I have read about Wilson’s battle for the League of Nations enough times that that portion of the book dragged a bit for me but, otherwise, I found “Wilson” to be well worth the effort.
“Richard Nixon: The Life” by John A. Farrell came out in 2017 and is an excellent treatment of Nixon. The only biography I had read on Nixon prior to this was Nixon’s autobiography which was a little sad for all of its defensiveness. Farrell provides a balanced look at Nixon, truly fleshing out the man’s talents and exposing his deep flaws. In the process, he provides a road map of how a bipartisan impeachment comes about and why Nixon knew that he would not survive a trial in the Senate, prompting his resignation. “Richard Nixon: The Life” is that rare biography that informs but manages to double as high drama. I really liked this one.