Book Review: FDR by Jean Edward Smith

Typically, Presidents of the United States have not been wealthy men. Most worked at their respective occupations for many years and were reasonably well-off for their time (e.g., Washington, Jackson, Van Buren, Buchanan, Cleveland). Only Herbert Hoover rose from extremely humble origins (as an orphan in Iowa) to accumulate a fortune.

As described in A Presidents Story Too, Rutherford Hayes was not born to wealth but, thanks to the largesse of his Uncle Rud after Hayes’ father passed away, the nineteenth President was relatively unfettered by financial constraints as he pursued a political career. Both George H.W. and George W. Bush came from a wealthy family but each pursued business careers that added significantly to the family’s affluence before they embarked on their political careers. Donald Trump hailed from wealth and worked to increase that wealth, which to hear him tell it, he has done. But, as with most things involving the 45th and 47th President, who knows?

The remaining Presidents all came to the Presidency as, at best, members of what we would now call the middle class. Modern Presidents typically are quite prosperous in their post-Presidency as their fame allows them to command large fees for books and speeches. Nixon, Clinton and Obama all did well in this regard. Many former Presidents, however, died impecunious.

The outliers among all Presidents are three of the most popular Presidents, both contemporaneously and historically: Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. All three men came from extraordinarily wealthy families. Together, they comprise the “Money Was No Object” category of Presidents. All three worked briefly at jobs before commencing their political careers but, unlike the Bushes for example, their employment mattered little to their families’ continued prosperity.

I have always been a little puzzled by the fascination with these three Presidents. All three certainly shared the common trait of charisma which accounts for a great deal of their appeal. But neither the Roosevelts nor Kennedy had any experience with the challenges that most of the people who voted for them faced in terms of economic survival.

I have had a few readers of A Presidents Story Too comment that they were surprised by my depiction of Theodore Roosevelt and by their suspicion that I was not a fan. Their suspicions are well-founded. While TR admirably overcame considerable health issues in his youth to become a vigorous man, his vigor was routinely in service of furthering his own power or profile or to promote war. When I survey Roosevelt’s life I often think of the British ambassador who said, “You have to remember, the President is a six year old.” This lack of patience and maturity led him to issue Executive Orders in numbers previously not seen on substantive matters that traditionally were reserved for Congress. Prior to TR, by far and away the most significant Executive Order was Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation which was issued in Lincoln’s role as Commander in Chief and at a time of national crisis.  While many admire TR’s assertiveness now, his contemporaries were more than a bit alarmed by his disregard for Constitutional niceties. At a minimum, there is little doubt that he was a pivotal forerunner to the predicament that has grown over the last fifty years where Congress does not lead (as the framers of the Constitution intended it to do) or even attempt to check the President when he usurps Congress’ prerogative.

As time has gone on, even the most zealous John F. Kennedy fans have come to acknowledge that there was trouble in “Camelot” and that Kennedy was flawed in ways that could partially be ascribed to a background devoid of the empathy that financial challenges can teach. Unlike TR, however, I am hesitant to conclude that Kennedy had any lasting impact on the way our government works. My sense is that he was a bright man who was beginning to find his way as President when he was assassinated. His legacy has always been more grounded in romanticism than an influential body of work.

Of the three, Franklin Roosevelt has always been the hardest for me to assess. He was undoubtedly the most sheltered, being an only child whose mother doted on him to an almost disturbing degree. Over the years, I have read biographies of Franklin Roosevelt and generally found them unenlightening. And, I confess that my admiration for Herbert Hoover’s life before he became President has colored my view of FDR as Hoover’s foremost political rival.

Both Roosevelts are fathers of our current political system of campaigning. Before TR, it was generally deemed unseemly to campaign. But TR could not resist the opportunity to speak to thousands of admirers so it became necessary for Presidential candidates to engage in exhausting months on the campaign trail to persuade voters of their worthiness. For his part, Franklin took campaigning to another level (whether it was a level up or down is another issue). Presidential candidates have always been subject to attacks throughout our history but Franklin Roosevelt was one of the first to engage in open criticism (including biting sarcasm) of his opponent in campaign speeches and advertising. And, of course, his first target was Hoover and Hoover’s handling of the Great Depression. As I describe in A Presidents Story Too, Roosevelt’s criticism of Hoover’s programs and proposals and subsequent adoption of many of those same measures has always struck me as more than a little disingenuous.

For several years, every year or two I would run across a comment about the quality of Jean Edward Smith’s biography, FDR, which came out in 2008. I ran across a copy in a store somewhere a few years ago and added it to my stack of books to read. My lack of enthusiasm for the subject (and, to be honest, the length) caused me to defer reading the book more than once when it rose to the top of the stack. Finally, with low expectations, I recently took on FDR.

Smith’s book is simply one of the finest Presidential biographies I have ever read. The pace never bogs down but, equally, never leaves one with the impression that Smith left any stones unturned in his research. He is deft at character development but never at the expense of the events he is describing.  Most importantly, while I still believe that FDR’s Presidency 1) did little to abate the Depression, 2) institutionalized national debt and 3) involved some remarkably Machiavellian behavior that plagues our government to this day, Smith gave me a greater appreciation for why my Yellow Dog Democrat grandfather thought so highly of FDR.

Smith, who passed away in 2019,  was an unabashed Roosevelt admirer. But, other than a few forgivable slips of enthusiasm, he delivers an objective portrayal of his subject. He never elevates FDR to an unassailable level but also makes a convincing case that FDR possessed gifts uniquely suited to his time. It’s all very interesting, but Smith is at his best when relating two pivotal moments in FDR’s life:

     1.        When Roosevelt was paralyzed permanently just as his political ascent was gathering steam; and

     2.        When FDR decided to run for an unprecedented third term as World War II swept the globe.

Prior contracting the disease that would leave him paralyzed from the waist down, FDR’s family fortune put all options on the table. He was tall and handsome and, in his early years, was almost a caricature of the East Coast prep school product. His work campaigning for Woodrow Wilson got him a post in Wilson’s administration as the Assistant Secretary of Navy where, by all accounts, he served competently and much more productively than his cousin TR did when Teddy held the same position during William McKinley’s first term seventeen years earlier. FDR’s political acumen positioned him to be named the Democrats’ Vice Presidential candidate in 1920. While the Democrats were out of favor by then and the ticket bore virtually no chance of success, Franklin Roosevelt became a household name. As he started laying plans to be Governor of New York and, subsequently, to live in the White House, FDR was stricken by polio (or, possibly, guillain-barre syndrome). The illness left him paralyzed and removed him from public view for a few years while he fought tenaciously to regain mobility. He never again walked without ten pound braces and assistance.

Smith makes the case convincingly that, but for FDR’s illness and subsequent struggle, he likely would never have made it to the White House. While FDR had been a rising star, he had plenty of detractors. What many saw in FDR was a Roosevelt attempting to emulate his cousin Theodore. And FDR did little to discredit such a view by displaying his charm and physical vigor for the press at every opportunity, just as TR did so effectively. Beyond TR’s traits that FDR shamelessly copied was the added reality that FDR was a cocky and glib young man.

When FDR returned to public life in a wheelchair, the hubris that would have eventually undermined his political career was largely gone. To be sure, he remained confident in his instincts and, unlike so many struck with misfortune, he was not bereft of resources to ease his challenges. But, as the Great Depression gripped the country, he spoke with confidence about the courage needed to confront the nation’s predicament, first as a candidate for Governor of New York and then as the Democratic nominee for President. He won both elections when voters, desperate for change and answers, rallied around a man that seemed worse off than them, yet exhibited no signs of self-pity.

FDR’s handling of the Great Depression has been debated by historians and economists since the day he took office and, as long as there is a United States, always will be. Smith makes no real effort to resolve that debate but only highlights that it was FDR’s very vulnerability and his talent for speaking plainly that inspired people to trust that he had their best interests at heart. And, unlike the FDR before paralysis struck, he probably did have their best interests at heart.

While I adhere to the view that the New Deal did little to alleviate the Great Depression and changed the national approach to debt and government spending for the worse, Smith illustrates how effective FDR was at calming an anxious populace. Voters were more interested in seeing some change in the country’s short term circumstances irrespective of long term costs than fretting about the necessity of economic discipline. FDR understood this sentiment and embarked on a manic program of government-led initiatives to send the unmistakable message that the government was responding. While Donald Trump’s recent first 100 days will never be mistaken for orderly, reading Smith’s account of the beginning of FDR’s first term makes recent activity seem relatively sedate. To be fair, FDR was acutely aware of the long term cost of his course and tried to rein in his administration’s largesse when he thought it was safe to do so. But “the horse was out of the barn” and he never managed to bring the spending he unleashed under control again.

Nonetheless, as a result of Smith’s narrative, I found myself more sympathetic to FDR’s efforts with respect to the Depression than at any point in my many years of studying the Presidents. And I understood my grandfather’s perspective better as I thought about his stories of trying to find work to support his family during the early 1930s. When I think about him tending sheep in the arid hills of Southern New Mexico knowing that his herd would never show a return, I better understand the appeal of President who was willing to try just about anything.

On the other hand, I have always begrudgingly conceded that it appeared that FDR’s handling of World War II was competent despite my lack of expertise in military history. Smith convinced me that my impression was not only correct but, in the process, persuaded me that I could no longer hold the decision to seek an unprecedented third term against FDR. FDR was indispensable to winning World War II.

FDR was the first President to be nominated for a third consecutive term by his Party. If he had limited himself to two terms like his predecessors, he would have likely gone down in history as a mediocre to good President that buoyed the national psyche for a time, but did little to actually get the Great Depression behind us. Smith makes it clear that FDR was not really toying with seeking a third term until Hitler started wreaking havoc in Europe. With the confidence that Smith describes repeatedly in the book, FDR concluded that the country needed him to lead it through what was to come. And the country agreed.

Unlike his chaotic and often ill-considered approach to the Depression, FDR’s instincts in preparing the country for war without sacrificing American lives any earlier than events required were remarkably astute. His gift for plain talk guided the country to a place of understanding who the good guys and bad guys were until the time came when war was clearly unavoidable. When that time came, there were few who crossed him and he led the war effort for the duration with a deft combination of calm diplomacy and unflagging energy. Unlike every other wartime President we have had, FDR spent little time dwelling on dissent or war fatigue because he did such an effective job of educating the country and then inspiring it to fight.

FDR’s fourth term was probably not necessary since the war was winding down and, as events showed, Harry Truman was able to finish FDR’s work as, most likely, any new President could have done. But FDR died just a few months into his fourth term so the question is moot in any event.

FDR made mistakes as Commander-in-Chief to be sure. As with many things involving FDR, he could be deceptive and maddeningly slow to commit at times. His Executive Order dispatching Japanese Americans to internment camps did nothing to safeguard our security and, instead, was largely condemned as the sort of reckless and peremptory racial judgment that has plagued our country far too many times. But, in terms of navigating the largest global conflict the world has ever seen, it is hard to not admire what FDR accomplished in defeating the Fascists and establishing the United States as the most consequential country on the planet.

As we get older, there is a tendency to read and watch things that burnish the beliefs that we have accumulated over a lifetime of experience and study. I am grateful to Jean Smith for doing what the best historians do, namely, prompting me to reflect on and question my assumptions and conclusions. In the process, he conveyed how a President can successfully perform the task of convincing a country to fight despite its economy being in shambles because, for better or worse, our country is the last defense when evil is in danger of getting the upper hand. Finally, for me personally, Smith managed to achieve something I have long considered impossible: He caused me to adore my grandfather even more.

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.

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