Confessions of a Presidents Nerd

Since A Presidents Story Too was published earlier this year, I have been asked the same question I was asked after the publication of A Presidents Story five years ago: “What possessed you to write a book about a bunch of unknown Presidents?” The answer harkens back to the simplest of gestures.

When I was seven years old I was spending time with my grandparents in southeast New Mexico as I did every summer of my youth—sometimes for a couple weeks, sometimes for a couple months. It was 1968 and Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey would square off in the presidential election that Fall. Being seven years old, I did not know who Richard Nixon or Hubert Humphrey were. I did have a vague understanding that President Lyndon Johnson had a big job.

My grandmother stopped at the Shell gas station in Carlsbad to fill up. This was in the days before you pumped your own gas. The station attendant “filled ‘er up” and then handed my grandmother a pamphlet about the Presidents and elections. In those days, gas stations and banks and other businesses were always giving away little odds and ends knowing that the world is filled with seven year olds who love getting free stuff. My grandmother passed the pamphlet to me and asked “Do you want that?” I, of course, said “Sure!”

We drove back out to my grandparents’ ranch and I spent the next few days poring over that little pamphlet. By the time my parents retrieved me and I returned to California, I could name all of the Presidents in order in less than a minute (a party trick my wife still makes me perform from time to time) along with knowing where each President was from, their political parties and their Vice Presidents. Since Nixon was Eisenhower’s Vice President and Humphrey was Johnson’s, I was now familiar with the two men who would be vying for the Presidency in the coming months.

Back home, my mother noted my new obsession. She was grocery shopping at Lucky Market shortly after my return and saw another election year promotion in the form of a set of books published by American Heritage. A new volume would come out each week so Mom’s weekly grocery store runs became the focal point of my young existence.

By the time I was eight years old I was devouring everything I could find on the Presidents, from our home encyclopedias to the Book of Knowledge to the biography section of the public library. While my friends played imaginary games with GI Joes, Hot Wheels or their sports heroes, I wrote little stories or drew pictures of U.S. Presidents. I collected miniature statues and other trinkets bearing the images of various Presidents. I am amazed that I never got beat up by my less historically inclined friends.

In fifth grade we studied American History and my teacher, Miss Brown, freely consulted with me on any and all President-related facts and figures. By eighth grade I was the recognized expert on the Presidents among the students and faculty of Hickory Elementary School. I routinely found ways to, uh, avoid being in class in high school so I could sit outside in the Southern California sun and read my latest President biography.  In short, I was (and am) the consummate Presidents nerd.

As a result of my years of independent study, I developed an almost proprietary sense about the lives of these men, particularly the more obscure Presidents. As I was exposed to judgments about modern Presidents and their eventual place in history, I realized that most of those judgments were usually being made without any meaningful working knowledge of most of the Presidents. That was when the idea began to germinate to write about the lesser known Presidents in a style intended to inform and entertain. The advent of personal computers in the 1990s gave me the tool I needed to get started writing.

A Presidents Story and A Presidents Story Too did not result from a conviction that learning arcane details of the men who served as President and then writing about them would do something beyond allowing me to continue to do one of the things that gave me joy as a child. The books are the product of a journey of curiosity and exploration that my grandmother and mother unwittingly laid out for me. To some degree, I know part of my purpose was to honor those who blessed me, along with enjoying recounting what I absorbed in a unique way.

Like all legacies, my grandmother’s and mother’s legacies to me were unplanned and hardly seemed likely to spawn a “legacy” when they started. Similarly, I have no idea what form my legacy to my grandchildren will take. I’ve seen little evidence that there is much margin in trying to craft a legacy after the fact. Indeed, time spent attempting to construct a legacy runs the risk of missing that unplanned, perfectly-timed-random-moment that leads someone else to a career, or a passion, or a disposition to kindness, or even a song or a book. If that happens, it will be more than enough. If not, I will be none the wiser.

Book Review: A. Lincoln by Ronald C. White

Over 15,000 books have been written about Abraham Lincoln. Around ten have been written about Martin Van Buren, give or take five. This disparity is part of the reason I wrote A Presidents Story. I wanted to shine a light on those Presidents that might, at best, have been mentioned in your U.S. History class on that one day devoted to what happened between Washington and the Revolution, on the one hand, and Lincoln and the Civil War, on the other. Through the internet, I have been heartened to discover that there are other Presidential history nerds like myself out there, but our numbers are not legion. We all share a curiosity about those Presidents that received little attention from historians or history teachers.

That said, there is no denying that Lincoln is a fascinating figure who served at a critical juncture in U.S. history. I have collected some Lincoln biographies and have read several books on the Civil War (including Freedom by William Safire which I highly recommend). Anyone else who has the slightest scholarly tendencies has read similar books. In short, I was not looking for another Lincoln biography to read, particularly when my list of biographies of other Presidents remains daunting.

Then I read American Ulysses by Ronald C. White. As I said in my Top Ten List of President Biographies, I loved it. White’s other significant work before his biography of Grant was A. Lincoln. After picking the book up several times, I decided White’s work on Grant earned an expectation that I would at least try reading his work on Lincoln.

A. Lincoln may be better than American Ulysses. I am not sure I learned anything particularly new about Lincoln but White really is a gifted biographer and writer. He has a talent for finding interesting material on his subject and weaving it into a compelling story that proceeds at a comfortable pace and never bogs down in the minutiae of a life. Lincoln’s shortcomings are developed to ground him in humanity but, in the process, the 16th President becomes more heroic rather than less.

I respect Lincoln because of the difficulty of the time in which he served and, I believe, he tried his best to accommodate many competing considerations. But, like all of us, he was not perfect. His suspension of habeas corpus was not his finest hour and there are valid arguments that his approach to the war may have cost many more lives than necessary. Hindsight is 20/20 but, even excluding those animated by racism, it is fair to question whether Lincoln’s tactics consigned us to 100 years of civil rights abuses that were little better than slavery itself or whether the process could only be hastened by the War and the Emancipation Proclamation.

A. Lincoln does not set out to resolve these questions. Instead, White gives us a much fuller understanding of who Lincoln was, how he was influenced and how he went about addressing problems. Much like I tried to do with the lesser known Presidents in A Presidents Story, White gives the Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination their due but the book truly shines when discussing the lesser known moments in Lincoln’s life and career. I finished the book still pondering whether Lincoln made the right calls as President but having a greater appreciation for what it was about his past that caused him to reach the decisions he made.

Ultimately, I concluded that Ronald White has not used his platform in A. Lincoln or American Ulysses to make me more or less of a fan of either of his subjects. He held my interest in order to make me more informed. I can take it from there.

The Ohio Presidents Tour

For a Presidents nerd such as myself, Ohio is Presidents Mecca. Eight Presidents were either born in Ohio or lived there a substantial part of their lives. Between our 17th President Andrew Johnson and our 28th President Woodrow Wilson, every President was either from Ohio or New York. The Presidents with Ohio connections were (by number):

9. William Henry Harrison

18. Ulysses S. Grant

19. Rutherford B. Hayes

20. James A. Garfield

23. Benjamin Harrison

25. William McKinley

27. William Howard Taft

29. Warren G. Harding

I decided to tour as many sites as I could for a week in addition to attending the Dayton Book Expo. I made it to sites for each of these Presidents with the exception of Grant. Here are some pictures:

This is Rutherford B. Hayes’ home in Fremont, Ohio. It was called Spiegel Grove. They did not allow picture taking inside the house which was unfortunate because most of the furnishings are original from when Hayes and his family lived in the house. It started as a 4000 square foot house but eventually was 21,000 square feet. One of my favorite President homes ever.

President Hayes was buried a short walk from the house. Despite winning one of the most controversial elections in our history, he appears to have still enjoyed a reputation for high integrity. After he left office he and his wife continued to serve for many worthy causes. If he had lived a hundred years later he would have been known as a civil rights activist.

This was too good to resist, particularly for an old BP hand. Hayes’ birthplace in Delaware, Ohio hasn’t been given a real prominent display.

James Garfield’s home just outside of Cleveland in Mentor. They only give tours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays so I was only able to walk around the perimeter. Garfield was quite an orator so, even though it was still unseemly for a candidate to openly campaign to be President, Garfield gave a lot of speeches from this front porch in 1880. It was the first of a series of “Front Porch Campaigns” for the next several elections. Wouldn’t it be nice to just go to the candidate’s house and hear him or her speak? Would save a lot of money and a lot of grandstanding I suspect…

This is William McKinley’s tomb in Canton, Ohio. It is apparently the largest monument for any of our Presidents. I was very surprised by this one.

A bit about McKinley. By all accounts, a really decent guy. I visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame while I was in Canton as well. I really like football but did find it a little sad that mine was the only car in the parking lot at the McKinley Memorial but the Hall of Fame parking lot was packed.

McKinley was very devoted to his wife Ida who suffered from epilepsy. Legend has it that when she would have a seizure her husband would calmly throw a ‘kerchief over her head’ until the seizure abated. Sounded a bit cold to me but the contemporary accounts always seem to be touched by the whole display.

Warren G. Harding’s home in Marion, Ohio. It is closed for refurbishing but I braved the rain and cold to get this picture…just for you.

This is the monument to Harding in Marion. Again, I was surprised by the grandeur of this. Ohio makes a fuss over its Presidents.

Harding’s and his wife’s graves. He turned out to be less than savory in many ways so, again, I was surprised.

William Howard Taft’s childhood home in Cincinnati. They don’t have a lot of the original furnishings so I can’t say I recommend it highly. It may also have something to do with the fact that I managed to hit the house at the same time as a busload of senior citizens from upstate New York who were not nearly as curious about Taft as they were about where they were going to stop and eat next.

Taft is a favorite of mine. He was the only man to serve as President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. If that didn’t make his Mama proud, she was a hard woman. I liked this early time lapse sequence of him finding out he had been nominated to run for President.

William Henry Harrison’s tomb at North Bend, Ohio. You will recall that Harrison died after only a month in office. This site is way out of the way but it’s a lovely spot.

I thought the entrance to the tomb was cool.

I find it amazing when one of the 44 people who have held our highest office is tucked away in a tomb that you really have to be looking for to find.

The view from Harrison’s tomb. This is standing in Ohio looking across the river at Kentucky. It reminded me of Alexis de Tocqueville’s vivid description of the stark contrast between free Ohio and slaveholding Kentucky during the 1840s. The passage is quoted in Part IV, Chapter 1 of A Presidents Story. Read it again—I think it’s one of the best arguments ever against slavery.

Finally, I visited Benjamin Harrison’s house in Indianapolis. Even though he was born and raised in Ohio, the 23rd President became a Hoosier. He was the grandson of William Henry Harrison.

Harrison collected canes. Apparently, they were considered quite a fashion accessory in the late 19th century, whether you needed one or not.

A local whittler made Harrison a cane with the face and name of every President that preceded Harrison carved into it. I wanted it.

Harrison’s home is another hidden treasure. The majority of the items in the house belonged to the Harrison family. This is the bed where both he and his first wife Caroline died. The guide said that Caroline died while Harrison was running for reelection in 1892. After she died, he suspended his campaign. Remarkably, his opponent Grover Cleveland suspended his campaign as well to show his respect for the First Lady. One of those “oh for the good old days” moments.

Harrison had an outstanding reputation in Indianapolis that was only tarnished late in life when he remarried. This is his second wife. It’s also his first wife Caroline’s sister’s daughter or, in other words, his niece. That was a bit creepy to me.

My last stop was to visit the cemetery in Indianapolis where President Harrison is buried. His first wife is on one side, his second wife (and niece) is on the other. Might be an awkward afterlife.

My Top Ten President "Biographies"

Since A Presidents Story was published I have been asked by several people to name my favorite President biographies. I usually throw a few titles out but, given how many I have read and how many I have enjoyed, I am usually a little tongue-tied when I try to respond. I decided for this month’s update to settle on my “Top Ten.” I note, however, that if I had to name my top 20, numbers 11 through 20 would not be far behind the list below. I have also included two “bonus picks” that were indispensable to my research for and writing of A Presidents Story.

Inevitably, some people will wonder how I could leave off well known works like, e.g., David McCullough’s John Adams or Truman, Ronald Chernow’s Washington, Carl Sandburg’s books on Lincoln, Edmund Morris’ The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt or Dumas Malone’s series on Jefferson. While these books are all well done (and, in the case of Chernow’s book on Washington, extremely well written), I admit to preferring books about the lesser known Presidents (thus, my focus in A Presidents Story). Additionally, while I truly admire the depth and quality of the research that went into some of these “classics”, even I can find all the detail to be a bit of a grind. 

With that (click on each title to be linked to the Amazon page for that book),

 My Top Ten Biographies

 1.   Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times (2017) by Kenneth Whyte: Those who know me will not be surprised that a Herbert Hoover biography tops my list. I have probably read more biographies on Hoover than any other President. Eugene Lyons was the biographer who first brought Hoover to life for me and educated me on how much my U.S. History classes and the standard treatments of Hoover left out. Mr. Lyons was an unabashed Hoover fan as were many of the other biographers of Hoover (Coolidge’s and FDR’s biographers tend to not be as enamored with Hoover). Whyte’s recent book, however, is one of the most balanced biographies I have ever read. He does not shy away from describing Hoover’s faults and flaws but it is clear that Whyte warmed to his topic as his research progressed. By the end the author did a thorough job of objectively examining his subject and is still left in awe of the 31st President’s accomplishments over an “extraordinary life.” Finally, the quality of Whyte’s writing is such that this was the only time I remember getting choked up while reading a President’s biography.

 2.   Franklin Pierce: New Hampshire’s Favorite Son (2004), Volume 1 and Franklin Pierce: Martyr For the Union (2007), Volume 2 by Peter Wallner: Prior to 2004, it was almost 75 years since the last book on Franklin Pierce. When I saw that a new biography came out on Pierce, I was delighted because, up to that point, I only had a very small reprint of an old campaign biography. That little book allowed me to say I had biographies on all the Presidents but it was not exactly a scholarly work. The pleasant surprise was that Peter Wallner’s two volume biography of Pierce is excellent. It is a balanced treatment that dispels many myths about Pierce. Additionally, Wallner’s writing style is engaging and well-paced. As I allude to in A Presidents Story, Pierce was a bit of a tragic figure of unfulfilled potential. While the comparison is not perfect, the country was optimistic about the young, charismatic Pierce at the time of his election, much like it would be a little over a hundred years later at the election of JFK. Wallner details this phenomenon as well as Pierce’s fall from grace through circumstances largely beyond his control in a very readable but scholarly manner.

 3.   The Presidents Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity (2012) by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy: This is technically not a President’s biography and it probably does not even qualify as a scholarly work. Nonetheless, it is one of my favorites. The authors explore the relationships between the Presidents and their predecessors starting with Truman (and his relationship with Hoover) and running through the first couple years of Barack Obama’s term. It is fascinating to read about the unlikely alliances and surprising tensions between these men. The book brilliantly illustrates why the Presidency is the job that one has to have done to understand. 

 4.   Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President (2011) by Candice Millard: This book about the assassination of 20th President James A. Garfield is written and reads like a novel. But it is well researched and does an excellent job of not only telling a riveting tale but of illuminating Garfield, another man of great charisma whose election in 1880 buoyed a weary nation. Millard is a gifted historical writer who also wrote a gripping account of Theodore Roosevelt’s adventures in the Amazon after his Presidency in her book The River of Doubt.

 5.   American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant (2016) by Ronald C. White: I struggled for, literally, decades to find a good biography on Ulysses S. Grant. The wait turned out to be worth it when I read this recent work by White a couple years ago. White’s writing style is engaging and he has a talent for determining where going into greater detail will not cause him to lose the reader and knowing when to take note and move on. For me, shifting the view I have developed about a President over a lifetime of study is hard but White changed my perspective on Grant significantly. Probably somewhat to White’s dismay, Ron Chernow’s work on Grant came out shortly after American Ulysses and likely cost White some sales. I have not yet read Chernow’s book but I will and I expect it will be very good. But whether Chernow succumbed to the desire to demonstrate the depth of his research or, conversely, instills confidence in the reader that he is relaying the important stuff (as White did) remains to be seen.          

 6.   The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power (1982), Means of Ascent (1990), Master of the Senate (2002), The Passage of Power (2012) by Robert Caro: Yes, this is really four books. Four long books. But Caro is a good writer and diligent researcher to say the least. The wonder of Caro’s work on LBJ is that he is able to organize his long, well-researched work into a compelling story that, at times, is very hard to put down. My childhood memories of Johnson as a slow speaking, somewhat taciturn person could not have been further from the reality of the man Caro describes. My main criticism is that Caro clearly embarked on this project because of his personal zeal for the Civil Rights Act that Johnson helped shepherd to passage. Because of this, at times Caro becomes so absorbed in the minutiae of the passage of the Act that he distracts from his usual well-paced writing. The second volume (Means of Ascent) was probably the weakest entry of the four books but, like the sixth Harry Potter book, was probably necessary to set up what came next. Caro is 83 and supposedly hard at work on the final volume that will cover LBJ’s Presidency and death. 

 7.   His Excellency: George Washington (2004) by Joseph J. Ellis: Joseph Ellis won the Pulitzer Prize for “Founding Brothers” which is his best known work. While I enjoyed “Brothers” and found his book on John Adams (“Passionate Sage”) reasonably interesting, neither of them caused me to want to go out and find more of his books. So I did not have high hopes for this relatively short book on the first President. Perhaps because of my belief that Washington stands head and shoulders above all our other Presidents, I may have been more favorably inclined toward the subject matter. At any rate, Ellis says in the preface that he set out to write an accessible work that would focus tightly on Washington’s character. He frames the task before him perfectly when he says “Benjamin Franklin was wiser than Washington; Alexander Hamilton was more brilliant; John Adams was better read; Thomas Jefferson was more intellectually sophisticated; James Madison was more politically astute. Yet each and all of these prominent figures acknowledged that Washington was their unquestioned superior…Why was that?” He answers the question adroitly and convincingly.

 8.   A Time to Heal: The Autobiography of Gerald R. Ford (1979): I admit to having a soft spot for Gerald Ford. The only President to not go through an election process to become President, I believe he was one of our most Presidential and dignified leaders. In this age of poll-watching and soaring (but largely meaningless) rhetoric, he was a humble man and not a gifted speaker. Unfortunately, these qualities count for little in modern politics and among those who report on current events. For example, despite probably being one of the best athletes to ever occupy the White House, the media and entertainment industry relentlessly portrayed Ford as a bumbling klutz. So, to me, it is important that Ford had a platform to tell his story. Those who feel “well-informed” because they read newspapers and watch TV will learn of a different man than the one portrayed to them. Most poignantly, Ford explains in detail why he pardoned Nixon knowing full well that he was dooming his chance at being elected President in his own right. From his position of leadership, he understood that, as tantalizing as Watergate was to the press and to Washington D.C. as a community, the country needed to get past a “third rate burglary” and focus on bigger issues (e.g., the Cold War, the door to China that Nixon left open and spiraling inflation rates, to name a few). For those bent on punishing Nixon, Ford wisely recognized that, in terms of “paying the price,” few things could exceed the disgrace of resigning the presidency. He weighed the pros and cons and did what he (not the polls or media) felt was best for the country…and inarguably bad for him personally. There are more spellbinding Presidential autobiographies but none as important. 

 9.   Coolidge (2013) by Amity Shlaes: I suspect I would have been a supporter of Calvin Coolidge had I lived when he was President. I think his inaugural address is a classic that should be required reading for all Americans. But, as a public and historical figure, it is pretty hard to argue that Coolidge was anything other than pretty dull. And there are a few short parts of this book that are pretty dull. But the fact that most of it is not struck me as quite an accomplishment. So, while I can probably get by without reading another Coolidge biography for a while, I am looking forward to reading more by Amity Shlaes.

10. Fraud of the Century: Rutherford B. Hayes, Samuel Tilden and the Stolen Election of 1876 (2003) by Roy Morris, Jr.: Like The Presidents Club and Destiny of the Republic, this is not, technically, a biography. But given that most people know little about Rutherford B. Hayes (our 19th President) and this book tells one a lot about Hayes, close enough. This is a very well done book that tells an engrossing tale. But, more than that, it is an important story for modern Americans to know. While I will not contend that our current political climate is healthy, we have lots of examples in our history where citizens could rightfully question whether the republic could survive. The election of 1876 was one of those times. That Hayes could prevail in such an unseemly election yet have few question his personal honesty and integrity speaks volumes about our current inability to not personalize the political…and to not politicize the personal.

Bonus Pick #1: The Health of the Presidents (1960) by Rudolph Marx, M.D.: I probably stumbled across this book on a bargain table somewhere and would be surprised if I paid more than a dollar or two. If so, that was one of the best bucks I ever spent. Dr. Marx did a fascinating job of detailing the various infirmities of our Chief Executives. I referred to this book many times to develop anecdotes for A Presidents Story or to just check to see what the mood of a particular President might have been at the time I was describing him since our mood is so often linked to our current state of health. I met a doctor at a book festival last year who had written a book on the history of medicine. When I started to describe this book to him he interrupted and said “Oh, you mean Dr. Marx’ book.” That gave me some confidence about my source.

Bonus Pick #2: The President’s House Volumes 1 and 2 (1986) by William Seale: Seale’s book, published by the White House Historical Association, is a gold mine of information about the evolution of everything about the White House including its inhabitants, its architecture, its accessibility and so much more. I routinely went here first when I was trying to capture the feel for the White House at any particular time in A Presidents Story. It is also two simply lovely volumes that look nice on any bookshelf.

Finally, if you are interested in really diving into Presidential Biographies in a big way, there is a website developed by a gentleman named Stephen Floyd who set out to read a biography on each President in a three year span. The whole idea appears to have kind of got away from him as he ended up taking six years and read several books on most Presidents. Anyway, he developed a wonderful website entitled My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies where he reviews the books he has read and provides a forum for other enthusiasts. I found the site after a high school history teacher recommended it to me. I have read many of the books Steve Floyd reviews and with minor differences think he does a good job of assessing the different biographies. Take a look and, happy reading!

Brad 

November Update--Book Festivals and More Presidents sites

October took me to book festivals in Williamsburg, Virginia and Fort Worth, Texas. The book festivals are great places not just to showcase A Presidents Story but to meet other authors and the locals who come and book shop. I learn something new about marketing my book and have several great conversations at each event. I’ve added a few pictures below of the events as well as from some of the historical Presidential sites Kay and I visited along the way. All of the President sites I visited were for Presidents that figure prominently in my book, so, if you’ve read the book, here are some shots for the movie!

At the Williamsburg Festival. I was given the table right by the entrance which I thought was great. I learned that you actually want to be somewhere in the middle…

This is John Tyler’s home at Sherwood Forest Plantation. I highly recommend visiting this site near Charles City, Virginia. It is the only President’s home that has remained continuously in the same family right up to the present day.

As described in my book, Sherwood Forest was filled with Tyler’s many children and their numerous pets. So there is a fairly extensive pet cemetery which includes President Tyler’s long time horse.

Berkeley Plantation is also near Charles City, Virginia. It is where William Henry Harrison (9th President) was born. His father Benjamin Harrison was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and one of Virginia’s most prominent citizens. The delightful tour guide said that no less then ten U.S. Presidents were in this house at one time of another.

John Tyler’s gravesite in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

Somewhat to my surprise, James Monroe’s tomb was just a few steps away from Tyler’s in Hollywood Cemetery. Jefferson Davis is also buried in the same cemetery. Not shown here is Elizabeth Monroe’s modest plot at the side of President Monroe’s impressive structure. Not sure how that’s going over in the afterlife.

We moved on to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where Kay got chummy with this fellow.

I don’t know if I just don’t have high testosterone levels or what, but I’ve never been much of a war history buff. I’ve always preferred the personalities and issues of the day than tales of strategy and slaughter. Nonetheless, Gettysburg is impressive and sobering.

Our 15th President, James Buchanan, graces the cover of A Presidents Story. We visited his home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The estate was called Wheatland and it is a very well maintained historical site. The older gentleman who led us on a tour of the home was funny, knowledgeable and, in Kay’s words, “adorable.”

Wheatland is filled with many original items from Buchanan’s life. This is the room where he died.

Buchanan’s grave in Lancaster at Woodward Hill Cemetery. He was not a popular figure by the time he left the Presidency but his gravesite is well manicured befitting a man who held our highest office.

My table at the Fort Worth Book Festival. One of the things I learned early in this process is that chocolate is a fairly sure-fire magnet for getting people to come take a peek at your book.

My Take on Hamilton

After my sister and niece saw the play Hamilton, they gushed with praise. My nephew asked an excellent question: “What happens in that theatre?” 

All I knew about Hamilton was that it was based on Ron Chernow’s book, that most of the cast were black actors and actresses and that the music was rap. A musical based on a Chernow biography with actors that look nothing like the real-life characters they portrayed in a rap musical all sounded like a questionable combination at best. Additionally, several people wondered if I would have problems with its historical accuracy. So, with some reticence, I saw Hamilton in London recently. The answer to my nephew’s question is “I am not entirely sure what happens in that theatre, but it is amazing.”

To deal with the preliminaries, using diverse actors and actresses is not yet another strained effort by the entertainment industry to show how inclusive it is, but instead is part of the essence of the play. Race is one small part of the import of the show. And the rap music (which isn’t usually my thing) goes from odd to enchanting by about the third line. Rap is really used as the bridge between some incredibly original and engrossing songs. Rap tells the story, the songs reveal the characters. 

In terms of history, while I might quibble with a few discrete pieces, Hamilton is a well-informed documentary. I was a little distraught about its treatment of Thomas Jefferson (the actor who played Jefferson was short while Jefferson was quite tall for his day and the actor who played James Madison could have been an NFL linebacker while Madison was all of 5’ 4”). That, however, was not the point. The point was that Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were debating the critical issues of the late 18th century, irrespective of what they looked like. And that debate was not recast to fit our modern notions of acceptability, it was about the issues that they actually debated. For example, monetary policy for the new country is debated (or rapped about) in surprisingly faithful terms. Imagine being entertained by an argument about monetary policy that pays homage to the importance of monetary policy. Yes, I know, hard to imagine.

While it is easy to get multiple messages from Hamilton,I was most taken with the fact that, in the end, the play is 1) a primer on the passage of the United States Constitution and 2) gives George Washington the adoration that is his due. I am often asked who I think our greatest President was and I always respond with “Easy. It’s George Washington. There never would have been a second President if he had not been humble enough to recognize the need to step aside after two terms. He also believed it was vital to hear competing points of view to make sound decisions. So, he put Jefferson and Hamilton in his cabinet and had them fight it out, to their frustration, but to his (and the country’s) benefit.” This is a large part of the genius of Hamilton. There are several scenes where Jefferson and Hamilton debate and maneuver while Washington thoughtfully listens. It may not sound gripping, but, it is. When Washington’s character sings “Teach Them to Say Goodbye,” I wept.

The star of the show, however, is the Constitution. There is little effort made to “dumb it down” or make it something other than what it was and is. At the time of its passage, it was controversial and not particularly popular. But it was the compromise that was needed to bring disparate states together that gave them some hope of survival. The play conveys this but also gives a preview of how the brilliance of the document would come to define us as a nation. In a remarkably subtle fashion, you realize long after you have forgotten that the actors and actresses are mostly people of color and are telling the early history of the United States through rap music that, without the Constitution, those actors and actresses would not be able to tell the story they are telling. 

It is all the fashion today to discount our founders because many of them were slaveholders, an indisputably horrible practice. Nonetheless, it was common throughout the world at that time. But the Constitution that those same founders crafted was also the beginning of the end of slavery and most of those founders (including Hamilton, Jefferson and Madison) knew it. The Civil War was a tragedy of human loss, the causes of which can also be debated. But, among its causes, it resulted from the tension created by a Constitution that ultimately could not coexist with human bondage.

What happens in that theatre is a tribute to what is exceptional about our past with little gloss or distortion, just accessibility. Hamilton is a history lesson about our shared values. No liberals, no conservatives. Just a celebration of why they exist.  

September Update and the 2018 Midwest Presidential historical sites tour

At the Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri. I've always believed that Harry Truman had to be the  most surprised of all our Presidents that he ended up as President.

Abraham Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois. Born in Kentucky but this is where he came of age as a lawyer and politician. Remarkably well maintained with about 60% of the furnishings being originals that belonged to Lincoln and his family.

Lincoln's desk in his house which seemed a bit awkward for a 6' 4" man.

These marbles were dug up in the back yard during the most recent restoration of Lincoln's home. There is little doubt that they belonged to Lincoln's children.

Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield.

Went on to Tampico, Illinois to see Reagan's birthplace. To say that Tampico is out of the way is an understatement. But it was worth the drive as there are some wonderful folks in Tampico who take a lot of pride in their favorite son. He was actually born in an apartment above the bank in the picture.

Reagan was born in this room.

Even though Reagan's family was not well off, the apartment that they rented above the bank was actually pretty nice. There was a small adjacent apartment with a window that opened between the two apartments. The smaller apartment was rented by a woman who would watch Reagan when Reagan's mother had to go out. They would pass the baby back and forth through the window. This was a letter that Reagan sent her on her 93rd birthday just before he took office.

Reagan lived in this house in Tampico for a few years as well. It's privately owned but still seemed odd to see toys and yard equipment laying about.

Finally, I went to one of my favorite places in the world, the Herbert Hoover Museum and Library in West Branch, Iowa. If you get a chance, go visit. Hoover was a fascinating man no matter what your high school history books may have told you and West Branch is a delightful little town.

I had the privilege of doing a book signing event in the lobby of the Hoover Museum and Library. Here I am with Tom Schwartz, Director of the Museum and Library and a very nice fellow. Tom was also instrumental in putting together the Lincoln Museum and Library in Springfield which is a must see as well.

June Update: Book Signings and Reactions...So Far

My undergraduate degree in college was in Business with an emphasis on Marketing. I wish I could say that my degree has been helpful in promoting A Presidents Story but it really hasn’t. My son’s Masters in Marketing, on the other hand, has been very helpful. After a few months at this, I can safely say that Marketing now bears little resemblance to Marketing 35 years ago. 

One thing that has survived over the years is book signing events by authors. The head of History Publishing Company, the publisher of my book, told me that the most fun of the whole process is the book signings. He said it is a thrill to meet new people who share an interest in the topic of your book. While my first book signing at the Crook County Library consisted mainly of local friends and neighbors, my publisher was right. It was a blast. I have scheduled several more signings and am working on others. Keep checking the “Events” tab for updates.

My focus so far has been on local events with some events in the Midwest. This Fall I would like to get to the East Coast and to Southern California. If you know of a possible location for a book signing (or heck, if you own a bookstore!) please let me know.

A few interesting reactions to the book so far:

1.    After reading the book I have had a few people tell me who their favorite President was in the novel. Since one of my goals was to highlight these Presidents, obviously, I was delighted to hear about these readers’ selections. I am equally interested to hear who you liked most (or least).

2.    I have had several people ask “Why is James Buchanan on the cover” of A Presidents Story? The answer is I don’t know. But the publisher sent the proposed cover and it struck me as right. Prior to that, I contemplated a cover with some sort of montage of pictures of all 14 Presidents featured in the novel. When I received the publisher’s proposed cover, however, it occurred to me that Buchanan was an interesting choice and made the book less likely to be viewed purely as a history book. I never discussed it further with the publisher because it made sense to me and, apparently, also made sense to the publisher. I doubt that the cover will ever engender a debate like the meaning of the lyrics of “American Pie” or the symbolism in “Waiting for Godot” but, for my purposes, it added a bit of intrigue to the process!

3.    A couple people caught a few minor typos in the original edition. The publisher has sent in revisions to try and correct those for future versions (so, who knows, if it becomes a bestseller, maybe the typo versions will be more valuable someday!). The only egregious typo, however, occurs late in the book where the results of the election of 1856 are set out. Those results got lost in a formatting vortex so, when you get to that point, here is the table as it should appear:

                           Buchanan            Fremont            Fillmore

Electoral Vote        174                              114                              8

Popular Vote          1,836,072                    1,342,345                    873,053

Thanks again to those of you who have bought the book and once more to those of you who have read it. I will add pictures and stories from the signings as we go the rest of this year. Have a great summer!

Brad

The Presidents blog

Welcome to my blog. Those are four words I am surprised to type. Almost as surprised as I am that I am having a book published. My historical novel, A Presidents Story, will be out in April. The publisher and my son with the Masters Degree in Marketing said authors have websites and, if they’re smart, blogs or newsletters. A blog sounded less intimidating because I don’t have to decide if something is “news” or not.

This will be my main blog. If you click on “Blog" in the upper right corner, you will see that I hope to eventually build blogs on Music and Fly Fishing, the other two things I can never seem to get enough of. For the Presidents Blog, in addition to occasional commentary, I will post (hopefully) interesting anecdotes and book reviews (both of my book and other books on Presidents). If you sign up for the email list, I’ll alert you to new content on the blog from time to time. Don't worry, I’ll be judicious with the number of emails to avoid morphing into spam.

But, back to the book. Why did I write A Presidents Story? Initially, it was because I could. In the mid-90s, PCs came out. I bought a turbo-charged 80-megabyte-of-memory beauty and thought, “Wow, with all this capacity, I could write a book!”

Around the time I bought the computer and started having those thoughts, I read William Safire’s Freedom. It’s a great Civil War novel based on a lot of actual history. It occurred to me that it might be the type vehicle I could use to convey some of the things I’ve learned about the Presidents over a lifetime of study. So, I started doing the research and writing as time allowed over the next five years.

Then, time “did not allow” for close to 15 years. When I retired in 2015 and ran across my old notes, I decided I would finish the book. I did so and sent it out into the world of agents and publishers. The nice folks at History Publishing Company responded and said they would like to publish A Presidents Story.

As I say in the “Author’s Note” to the book, this “is a work of fiction based on many factual events." Over the last 50 years, countless people have told me that whoever was President at that time was “the worst ever” or, occasionally, “the best ever.” I’m often tempted to ask, “How do you think he compares with, say, Zachary Taylor?” I typically don’t because I am usually talking to someone I like and would rather get to see them again than prove a point. That point, however, was part of my motivation in writing the book.

A Presidents Story is about the mostly forgotten Presidents between Washington and Lincoln. Just as most of us can readily think of actions that, for example, LBJ and Nixon and Reagan took that impacted the issues that Bush and Obama confronted, so it was with Lincoln. His predecessors had a profound impact on the issues he confronted. A Presidents Story attempts to illuminate the Presidents before Lincoln in a way that will make it easier or, better yet, harder, for us to say a President is the “best” or “worst.”

The book should be available in hard copy shortly after its April 2018 publication date. In the meantime, it can be pre-ordered as an eBook on Amazon or on Barnes and Noble (and probably other places as well). I hope you enjoy it. If you do, please post a review online. The publisher and my son say that’s important too.

Brad