1 comments about Meeting Mr. Lincoln: Firsthand Recollections of Abraham Lincoln by People, Great and Small, Who Met the President.

1. Ms. Radford has allowed us the opportunity to peak in on intimate meetings of individuals with President Lincoln. From statesmen to soldiers, widows to young boys, Americans who had the opportunity to speak firsthand with Abraham Lincoln while he served as President share a common experience. Each felt as if he had the president's undivided attention and utmost respect. If you're looking for a hero, America still has one in Honest Abe. This book is a treat for history buffs.

5 comments about President Grant Reconsidered.

1. It really is about time for a thoughtful, well-researched book on President Grant. Too many historians don't do the work required to present truth, hence this book is a real contribution. Now, someone needs to call up the White House and have the "official" biography changed. The current one is pathetic. Thank you, thank you, thank you.



2. This is probably the bravest Grant book ever written. Even those biographers favorable to him have a tendency, like so many sheep, to parrot the same old lines about him as the bumbling, inept politician who presided over one of the most corrupt administrations is American history. It does not seem to bother these historians that they are, for the most part, simply repeating partisan attacks that had been made against him by his political enemies for their own questionable (to say the least) reasons.

   Frank Scaturro is the first writer I have ever seen to use a fresh approach to the Grant presidency, pointing out not only that the much touted scandals of his term in office were frequently based on weak or exaggerated evidence, but that Grant himself was a strong, enlightened leader who accomplished more than most want to admit. It seems that the victor of Vicksburg and Appomattox was not all that different from the man who occupied the White House, after all.

   This book is highly recommended for anyone who wants to hear "the other side of the story" of Grant's oft-belittled political career.




3. During the 50 years following the Civil War, the presidency of U. S. Grant was completely distored in an attempt to diminish the accomplishments of the Grant era (Civil Rights) and to take away some of the luster from the man who saved the Union.

   The Democratic party- particullary of the South- stiffled the great civil rights efforts of the Republicans during reconstruction. As time passed, and voting rights and other legislative initatives of the Granta administration were dismembered by the Southern Demacrats, they constantly sought to sully the memory of Grant. One of the keys to that effort was portraying the Grant administration in a bad light in terms of corruption. This was done by distortion history, and the outright falsification of the facts involved in the Grant administration. To a large extent these distortions have not been challanged.

   Grant Reconsidered presents the historical record in a straight fowrward manner: The Grant presidency offered tremendous acomplishments- and really offered a bridge from a slave nation to a nation where all men have the same rights. An outstanding book!!




4. Readers looking for a history of Grant's presidency will be sorely disappointed. The author assumes that the reader has at least a passing familiarity with previous biographies of Grant and of such events as Reconstruction, the Crédit Mobilier scandal, the Whiskey Ring and the Treaty of Washington. Nevertheless, "President Grant Reconsidered" is an important book that should help reshape debate about these events and rehabilitate the reputation of perhaps the most underrated President in American history.



5. Readers looking for a history of Grant's presidency will be sorely disappointed. The author assumes that the reader has at least a passing familiarity with previous biographies of Grant and of such events as Reconstruction, the Crédit Mobilier scandal, the Whiskey Ring and the Treaty of Washington. Nevertheless, "President Grant Reconsidered" is an important book that should help reshape debate about these events and rehabilitate the reputation of perhaps the most underrated President in American history.

1 comments about Lou Henry Hoover: Activist First Lady (Modern First Ladies).

1. Since her husband is now permanently associated with the Great Depression, and subsequently banished to history's 'bad presidents' list, Nancy Beck Young's book accomplishes a formidable task: encouraging readers to find something positive about the Hoovers, especially Lou Henry.
   
   Flouting her generation's ideas about what a woman (especially a 'public' woman) loved or did, Lou Henry Hoover was involved with the outdoors, particularly the Girl Scouts. Although this participation does not seem very revolutionary today, it was remarkable for a woman who had grown up when women running around in the outdoors actually was considered a very scandalous activity.
   
   Although she did not have her own radio show or chair a presidential task force, Lou Henry Hoover was a revolutionary force in her own right.
   
   Mrs. Hoover similarly became engaged with private-sector relief efforts which attempted to end the Great Depression, but these proved much less successful than her other projects. Like her husband, Mrs. Hoover could not realize that the private sector lacked the resources to salvage a decimated economy, the same government which printed the nation's money supply would have to step in.
   
   Clearly empathetic towards her subject, Young is also objective enough to avoid romanticizing the Hoover's strong free-market economic beliefs. Her scholarship adds a complexity to both the Hoovers and an understanding of the first lady's constantly evolving role.
   
   A relatively 'traditional' public demeanor ultimately enabled Mrs. Hoover to begin a transition of the "First Lady" role AND "American Womanhood" which her successors are only continuing.

1 comments about Lincoln & Davis: Imagining America, 1809-1865 (American Political Thought).

1. There are so many books on Abraham Lincoln, that choosing one can be extremely daunting. But this books presents the two candidates for the Presidency in 1860, one for the USA and the othe, the CSA. Clearly, Lincoln is presented, and rightfully so, as a man whose morals play a large role in the great man he becomes. For Davis, his morals, as conditioned by his Southern upbringing, lay the path for failure. If you are looking for a different book on ALincoln from a political perspective posing one candidate agains the other, this is for you.

No comments about Public papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1959; containing the public messages, speeches, and statements of the President, January 1 to December 31, 1959.

1 comments about The Presidency of Andrew Johnson (American Presidency Series).

1. This book in the American Presidency Series focuses not only on Andrew Johnson's presidency, but also expatiates the economic hardship that both the Union and the Confederacy faced during the Civil War, along with its political and economic repercussions. The author recognized that Johnson's battle with Congress over Reconstruction evolved into the most pivotal issue during his presidency. In fact, Albert Castel argues that Johnson lost his battle with Republicans over Reconstruction due to intransigence and impracticality with regards to African Americans. Also, this book mentions that Johnson's lack of a political base contributed to the Southerners' refusal to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment. Nonetheless, Johnson retained much of his institutional power of the presidency. Johnson's violation of the Tenure of Office Act did, however, lead to his impeachment and eventual acquittal. Nevertheless, Johnson achieved appropriations for the purchase of Alaska.

   The last chapter reads: Johnson Before The Bar of History. This chapter gives a historiographical overview about Johnson's critics since his presidency until 1979. Unfortunately, Castel contradicts his own thesis when he maintains that Johnson used the presidency in a strong manner with integrity, but ultimately failed as president. Did he fail or did he represent a scapegoat for his political enemies? Nonetheless, this book elaborates on the relevant issues and explains why Johnson has been much maligned. Nevertheless, this book stimulated my interest in Johnson and provided me with a useful bibliographical essay.

5 comments about JFK: Remembering Jack hc*OP*.

1. I first happened to see the book at a local grocery store. It was so small and thin that I didn't even give it a second look. Even though I am a great Kennedy fan. However, at Christmas, my youngest son, gave the book to me as a gift. I smiled and thanked him and thought that I would look at it just to please him. But then I found the cd that came along with the book and it was incredible. In 1940 JFK tells a radio audience that if America didn't start re-arming we would be caught off guard the same as london was. What an incredible foresight he had. The other selections on the cd are well worth listening too. Including JFK reciting an autobiographical segment, handling a stubborn southern governor regarding James Merridith, and an adorable exchange between President Kennedy and his 2 year old son.



2. This book is truly a wonderful tribute to JFK.

   Greetings from Canada from a Canadian who wants to honor the memory of President John F. Kennedy.

   Kennedy was my hero when I was a 12-year-old boy, and 40 years later, President Kennedy is a true hero in the heart of a 52-year-old man.

   It seems hard to believe that 40 years have gone by since that very tragic day of Friday, Nov. 22, 1963. The day John F. Kennedy died, I shed tears and felt the world had lost a truly wonderful and remarkable leader.

   In the 40 years since the death of President Kennedy, I have built up a collection of books, photographs and political buttons from Kennedy's campaign for president in 1960. On my office wall hangs a large campaign poster with a larger-than-life photograph with a caption that reads: "A Time for Greatness" - John F. Kennedy for President. On my desk is a bust of President Kennedy. It is my way of honoring his memory and legacy.

   President Kennedy offered America and the world hope and a vision of greatness. He had courage and, like (those portrayed in) his book "Profiles in Courage," he was indeed a man of courage.

   Over the years, I had the honor to shake the hand of Robert F. Kennedy and U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, and in 1989, I spent a whole day at the John F. Kennedy Museum in Boston, where I had the honor of spending time with one of John F. Kennedy's closest friends - David Powers. Mr. Powers shared with me some wonderful memories of JFK.

   These encounters with history have reinforced my heartfelt belief that John F. Kennedy was truly a wonderful and remarkable world leader.

   Back in December of 1974, on a cold morning, I made the trip to Arlington National Cemetery to visit the grave of President Kennedy. Though it was early and cold, I was moved by the line-up of people filing past President Kennedy's grave. Thousands of people like myself were moved by the life and times of a leader gunned down in the streets of Dallas.

   Forty years have not changed my affection and admiration for President John F. Kennedy; he has a special place in my heart.

   Michael McCafferty lives in Regina, Saskatchewan




3. With the purchase of this book, you get not only great pictures of the Kennedy's, but also a wonderful 60 minute CD with some of Kennedy's greatest press conferences, speeches and some phone conversations. This alone is a seller for this book. Bringing back JFK, if only for a few moments is awsome. He did things his way, you hear his conviction and beliefs in his voice, and his choice to follow those beliefs, is awe inspiring.

   I reccomend along with this book and CD the purchase of the book, "John Fitzgerald Kennedy: A Life In Pictures". They are superb together and what I feel to be 2 of the best 40th Anniversary Commemorative books on JFK.




4. A wonderful pictorial of a brave man.
   No one is asking you to feel sorry for the Kennedys. But they do deserve respect. Yes, they could have lived long lives and grown full heads of grey hair if they had gone "with the flow" but instead they were killed for standing up for what they believed in.
   Brave people truly live Life while alive, more so in one year than cowards do in a lifetime.

   "Speak not evil of the absent: it is unjust."
   ~George Washington




5. jfk remembreing jack is good tribut to jfk.
   there are some rare pictures and anecdotes.
   there is a cd too. we can heard jfk at 23 and john-john speaking to his father.
   but there is not a biography, so if you want to know more about him buy another book.
   soif you are a kennedy fan or not buy it1

1 comments about The Nixon Years 1969-1974: White House to Watergate.

1. A very insider's view of the nixon white. the photographers' access is unlike any other's and the text accompanying each photoe reveals the photographers innermost thoughts of his subjects. this is an excellent photo book.

1 comments about CHARACTER ABOVE ALL VOLUME 1 DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN (Character Above All).

1. I don't know of anyone who can make me feel more patriotic than Doris Kearns Goodwin. Her admiration for FDR flows from this speech. If you've read her outstanding 'No Ordinary Time' you've heard most of this before, but hearing her praise FDR in this atmosphere will stir your soul. A great speech about a great man. Oh, to have another President like that. No chance...

No comments about Papers of John Adams, Volume 13, 1 May - 26 October 1782 (Adams Papers).