2 comments about John M. Schofield and the Politics of Generalship (Civil War America).

1. This is truly a wonderful book. I have always maintained an interest in civil military relations, but until I read this book, I never truly understood the importance of this topic. I am currently a student in a Graduate degree program, and I can't express how often this book touches on our day to day studies. In fact, I can pull something from this book on almost any topic. In fact, I think I'll recommed that our professor make it mandatory reading. I hope he'll agree!!
   Dan Saumur, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas



2. John Schofield was one of those young men who managed to graduate from West Point just before the start of the Civil War. When the war began, like many others, he quickly became a general officer. Unlike many others, he retained this rank for the rest of his very long career. He held administrative and battlefield commands during the war, was Secretary of War, superintended West Point, and eventually became commanding general. Yet, he is almost unknown outside the circle of civil war experts and even within that group is not a major subject of research. This book will fill that gap. It is copiously detailed and covers every aspect of Schofield's career. The book centers on Schofield's negotiation of the politics of the military life. However, the author provides an opbjective and appropriately critical discussion of Schofield's role in the Atlanta/Franklin/Nashville campaigns. Schofield's personal virtues and flaws are also analyzed. As the book deals with army administration, army/congressional relationships, and politics, it is not a quick read. However, if you are willing to devote the time needed to carefully read this book, you will come away with a good understanding of the role of this interesting and important officer.

5 comments about Wake Up, I'm Fat!.

1. I love Camryn Mannheim and her book. I'd give this a 4.5 if I could, because since she wrote the book, she's lost quite a bit of weight and puts the reasoning for it on being a mother.
   
   I hated it when Carnie Wilson went from being a NAAFA member and spokesperson for loving yourself at any size to being obsessed with being thin. She's admitted to lying about why she had WLS and has made a snootful of money pimping it to others. She has been a major factor in the deaths of hundreds of (mostly) women who didn't make it after the surgery and her recommendation of it.
   
   And I am very saddened by Mannheim's abandonment of her principals of fat-acceptance and the people who have supported her and her book.
   
   Isn't there anyone out there who will stay committed to the cause and not cave in when someone runs some cash under their noses or threatens their career if they don't lose weight?
   
   Ack. Love the book. Disappointed in Mannheim today.



2. This was both an intertaining a introspective read. Camryn Manheim is funny, smart, human, and beautiful. This book made me look at the excuses I make for my failures and the things I allow to stand in the way of my success. I was able to relate to Camryn much more than I could relate to Oprah when I read her book. It is a book for all women, all mothers, and a book I would want my boyfriend to read. Thank you Camryn, I wish we could meet some day.



3. I just happened into a copy of the book when I had a little time to kill, then I could hardly put it down. I enjoyed the book and the many reviews that have been written here. I normally write reviews on obscure books where there are only a few, if any, reviews so this is different for me and I doubt if i have too much to add. Beyond the self acceptance theme that has been much reviewed (I have fat issues and support Camryn's views (mostly)), I liked the book on many other levels. Of course I liked the humor and human interest of growing up in America. The struggle for success story is good too. I especially liked the unconventional approach to the book itself. Frnakly, I did not much the Cammy--fat dialogs, but I liked many of the other, unusual things like asides and notes to herself and others throughout. There were other quirky approaches that I really liked too. I really like the book and recommend it highly.



4. Camryn Manheim is an sassy, award-winning actress and laugh-out-loud funny. This book is a personal account of her experiences of fat-ism and her journey to self-acceptance.
   
   Manheim is a natural storyteller and, being overweight myself, there was a lot here to relate to, but although I enjoyed the book, there were no groundbreaking revelations for me here ... though it does make a pretty strong case against society's obsession with being thin, this book is in no way a "self-help" book (to be fair, it doesn't claim to be) and it didn't help me to "make peace" with my fat. It did however make me laugh a lot and that's reason enough to encourage others to read it!
   
   Thank you Camryn, for speaking out for big women everywhere.



5. Camryn Manheim is a fat activist. Her experiences in a world where people are literally dying to be thin include getting in to the NYU Masters of Fine Arts program, gracing the cover of "fat" magazines such as Radiance and winning an Emmy for her performance on The Practice. She is a likeable, mature and attractive woman who has fought passionately for what she believes in. But does that make one a good author? In Manheim's case, it damn well does.
   
   "Wake up, I'm fat," is a hilarious, bittersweet page-turner. This socially critical memoir mainly deals with one individual's struggles on growing up in our superficial world. Anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, be it because of their race, religion or looks, will immediately be able to relate to the amiable narrator.
   
   Manheim manages to be honest about the ugly underbelly of today's beauty image and her struggles without sounding whiny. She uses dark humor and clever prose to describe how she got to where she is today.
   
   Subjects such as erotic weight gain or personal ads are also dealt with in this book. They may make the reader feel slightly squeamish at first, but ultimately they just make this book a more interesting read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about "the underdog being on top" or who simply likes a good story told well.

5 comments about The Adams Women: Abigail and Louisa Adams, Their Sisters and Daughters.

1. A small book with a large amount of information. The women described in this book are giants to my mind. They provided succor to their men and ran the equivalent of a modern business in their households, and in cases their sisters as well. I would have liked to know them all.



2. Co-dependent relatives? Disfunctional families? Yes, these are modern pop-psychology terms. But Paul Nagel shows that these things existed at least two centuries ago, in one of America�s most prominent families.

   Most of the book discussed the Smith sisters --- Mary, Abigail, and Elizabeth. What struck me most about these three is how much they came to rely on each other. This has a good side --- i.e., there�s always a sympathetic ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on, or a pair of hands to pitch in when help was needed. It has a �bad� side too --- for often one sister�s �concern� for or about another bordered on interference. And it seems that the first rule of the Smith Sisters was �Never raise your own children when they can be passed on to a relative.� But who knows, maybe that was just the eighteenth century form of �day care.�

   The other major chunk of the book describes John Quincy Adams� wife Louisa: a very fascinating, intelligent, and educated woman ... whose husband probably did not appreciate her. If anything, John Quincy appeared rather wimpy compared to Louisa.

   The final generation discussed in this book is that of Charles Francis Adams and his wife --- also Abigail.

   Throughout the book we are treated to accounts and anecdotes about the various Adams relatives and in-laws. It is amazing how the behavior of these people came so close to disgracing or embarrassing the sitting presidents, John or John Quincy. If it happened today, the Press would be all over it!

   This was the second of Paul Nagel�s books on the Adams family that I�ve read. Like his John Quincy Adams, The Adams Women was informative and well-researched, if a bit pedantic in tone. It brought to life this fascinating family and the era in which they lived.




3. Author Nagel has done a wonderful job of bringing the lives of the Adams women to life. The first part of the book concentrates on Abigail Smith, wife of John Adams and her sisters. Their letters describing their daily lives are fascinating. The various daughters of these women are also highlighted. The only daughter of John and Abigail, Abigail (nickednamed Nabby) is a particularly heartbreaking story. Pushed by her mother to marry a "promising" young man, she becomes the abandoned wife of a cruel alcoholic, living in near poverty. Unable to break away because of the strict moral codes of the time, she succombs to cancer, dying in her father's arms. Almost all of the women of the family were tortured by the alcoholism of either their husbands or sons. Louisa Johnson, the wife of John Quincy Adams is also highlighted. Her unhappy marriage to a difficult man is portrayed sympathetically.

   Even though thiese women lived almost 200 years ago, their stories are timeless. Unable to contol their own destinies, these women nevertheless contributed greatly to their families and communities.




4. Nagel starts his book with a discussion of how happy he is to write another book on the Adames, specifically on the women. He then proceeds to tear the best of them, Abigail Sr., to shreds. Portraying her as shrewish, domineering, and just distasteful, he paints an inaccuratly biased view of an amazing woman who was far before her time. Although I don't know enough of the other women to critque his evaluations of them, I have read Abigails letters at the Mass Historical society and have read countless books on her during the last six months in relation to an intensive research project. I have seen many different "reads" of Abigail from feminist to domestic to maternal...but none so blatantly anti-Abigail. I suppose the world needs dissent to continue to have interesting discourse, but Nagel quite obviously hates Abigail Adams. If you read his book, please temper it with something like Portia, which is admittedly dry, but will give you a good counterpoint to Nagels criticisms.



5. Another winner for Nagel. This book is as good as his other two about the Adams family. I still don't find Abigail very likeable. The pressure she put on her children to achieve broke 3 of them and the lone successful child (John Quincy) turned around and did the same with his children. I really enjoyed the writer's descriptions of Louisa. I hope to see a full blown biography of her someday...she deserves it! I gained a true understanding why John Quincy had the personality he did. Abigail was extremely intelligent and ahead of her time. I enjoyed reading of her true partnership with husband John.

5 comments about The Enormous Room (Penguin Classics).

1. This is not a book for everyone. I received this book as a gift from a relative, and that's the main reason I thought I'd try it. The book is a portrayal of E.E. Cummings' imprisonment in France during WWI, and the bulk of the work is a portrayal of the many characters Cummings saw at the prison -- and the many cruelties they suffered at the hands of their keepers and each other. While Cummings' prose is casual, ironic, and sometimes amusing, the work as a whole suffers from a lack of a plot to drive it forward. I frequently grew tired of reading one elaborate character sketch after another. Other people obviously are forgiving of this fault because they enjoy Cummings' prose so much, but I couldn't bear it.



2. Best known for his poetry, "The Enormous Room" may seem like a departure for e.e. cummings. The artist turned his experience as a prisoner-of-war in France during WWI into a lyric memoir that reads like a novel. At times poetic, at others almost laughingly absurd in its depictions of the absurdities of imprisonment, "The Enormous Room" is a delectable read.
   
   Cummings begins his novel by recounting his arrest and that of his friend, referred to only as B. They are eventually separated, and questioned, only to be reunited in jail. Apparently B. wrote some letters that the French censors considered to be seditious, and since Cummings was his constant companion and wouldn't denounce his friend, he was sent to jail as well. The remainder of the novel is filled with sketches of everyday life and the fellow inmates that Cummings befriends during his stay. For that reason, it reads like a series of vignettes rather than a cohesive novel.
   
   While I enjoyed the book overall, I did not like the edition I had - an older printing of the Everyman's Library, which included no translations for entire conversations in French. Perhaps the most poignant aspect of "The Enormous Room" is the letter included at the start, written by Cummings' father as he tries to discover exactly what has happened to his son. Anyone familiar with the poems of e.e. cummings can see the poetry in his prose, in his descriptions and observations about life in jail, and the delight he takes in the rare moments of beauty that he could find.



3. Never more relevant than today, eighty-some years removed from World War I (to end all wars, ironically), this book deals with issues that nations still have not seemed to solved: fascist governments, disregard for due process, injustice in the name of expediency and national security. That the US quarantines Japanese-Americans twenty years after its first run only embarasses us; that eighty years later we still do the same thing breaks your heart.

   Mr. Cummings writes in a sort of stream-of-consciousness first person, something on the order of Romantic prose mixed with his own style that is inimitably his own. A student of Cummings might be quick to see the parallel between his earliest poems and that evolution to his modern free verse, as taking place within this novel right before one's eyes.

   Enjoyable stories, and Mr. Cummings and his friend are something of snobs, something of braggards even (becoming fluent in French after two weeks is extremely hard to believe). The annoyance quickly passes (and crops up again whever he mentions how much more evolved he is than other Americans) when he paints such vivid mental images of life in the enormous room, the ennui and absurdity of being held without due process, and the veritable Ellis Island of characters populating his new world.

   A reader would do well to approach this book without reading the hyperbole of its back cover or the well-meaning but misguided praqises of some reviewers. This is a great book, but not a classic. Cummings is not a master novelist, which does not dimish his effort or take anything from his creative genius. Rather, it is much like falling into the trap of thinking a master in one form can be a master in another. Enjoy the reading, and marvel at ironic relevance it holds for us today.

   Fred




4. E. E. Cummings, The Enormous Room (Liveright, 1921)

   Cummings became famous for his poetry, but before that he wrote a now obscure novel-cum-memoir about his temporary imprisonment during World War I, The Enormous Room. Modeled loosely after Bunyan's magnum opus, Pilgrim's Progress, Cummings gives us the arrest and detention (for he is never sent to prison, only detained awaiting the word of the Commission on whether he is to be imprisoned or freed) of a friend of his and himself. The friend is charged with treason after writing letters home critical of the French government; Cummings is charged with nothing but being his friend.

   The book touches all the expected bases; the horrors of war, problems with authority, etc., etc. Nothing here you haven't seen before. What causes it to stand out is Cummings' treatment of the whole thing. Cummings takes an horrific experience and makes it a whimsical way to pass the time, only allowing enough of the horror to show through so that the reader can understand the irony of Cummings' presentation here.

   The book is well-written, though a bit jarring in places; it is written rather like you would hear the story from someone sitting next to you at the club smoking a cigar, although all too overeager at times. Cummings' enthusiasm for his subject, though, is a refreshing change from the usual war novel. This is not a book that is easy to digest, but is worth the effort. *** ½




5. Written by America's most inventive poet, "The Enormous Room" is a book of prose set in a French detention camp during World War One. It is a coming-of-age story in which events happen, not always to the narrator (E.E. Cummings), but to the inhabitants of a place that serves as a microcosm for all the folly and brutality of war itself. As a war narrative it is unique -- unlike Hemingway's "Farewell to Arms" or Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front," the central story doesn't take place on the front lines. The plot of the book is basically non-linear, with the exception of the first three or four chapters, and several passages are written in French (thankfully a glossary of foreign terms is printed at the back of the book). I would describe Cummings' story as a stream-of-consciousness dialogue with himself, written in the language of a talented budding poet. Most memorable are the wonderful characters Cummings encountered during his short stay at La Ferte Mace, the name of the camp in which he was interned. They are objects of torn humanity and how terrible it must have been for him to leave them, knowing that upon his release many would languish in prison for the rest of their lives. "The Enormous Room" is a unique historical fiction. It is not an easy read, but it is one of those books that is even more difficult to put down. I have never read another book quite like it. [P.S.: There are two editions of the book, one published by Boni & Liveright and the other by Penquin Classics. The Liveright edition is the better one (and naturally harder to locate online or in book stores), and includes samples of drawings that Cummings made during his confinement.]

5 comments about Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin.

1. excellent book that reviews Dean's life in Steubenville and Cleveland in his earlyu days, as well as his first, second and third marriages. BUT the guy loved his wives,kids and fans
   
   He truly was a classic. He is a legend -God doesnt make these kind of guysm no more.



2. I read this book thinking I'd pick up some interesting insights on Dean Martin, his partnership with Jerry Lewis, and his friendships with people such as Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. While "Martini Man" does present some interesting information about the aforementioned subjects, too much of the book, as other reviewers have noted, contains endless movie reviews of Dean's movies. I mean, do we really need every plot turn of every movie Dean ever made? I think the reader would have preferred to read about Dean's relationships, and, while some of that is there, the bulk of the book seems devoted to detailed story descriptions of Dean's movies.
   There is very little discussion about Dean's recordings, and his career as a singer. Dean, when he wanted to, could really sing, and it's a shame Schoell did not spend more time discussing Martin's music.



3. While the book is a bit of a dissapointment, and does not really discuss the things one would want to truly know about Dino,I am more amazed that one of the people that wrote a review for this book called Dean an "Overrated talent" and that TWO BIT HACK Jerry Lewis a genius. Other than the partnership with the truly GIFTED Dean Martin what has that arrogant no talent ever done that would be considered worthwhile, and please dont mention the Nutty Professor because he even admitted that the suave version of the professor was him doing a POOR Dino imatation,and the best thing about his telethon is when he is not on screen.If I were you I would also get my facts straight on the music of Dean because the song list is endless Volare ,aint that a kick in the head,oh marie,return to me,welcome to my world ,the things we did last summer,kiss,your nobody till somebody loves you,memories are made of this,imagination,Please dont talk about me when im gone,All of these in addition to the ones you mentioned and I could go on and on.The same goes for his movies academy award nominations for The young Lions,and Rio Bravo and criticaly acclaimed movies such as Kiss me stupid(something YOU probably hear often....then again NOT)and Some Came Running,and of course Ocean's 11.The man was also a civil Rights activist,and received an award for donating huge somes of money to charitable organizations.All this just to say Martini Man was not a great book but still more interesting than anything written about Jerry Lewis and the guy from Vancouver Wouldn't know talent if it jumped up and bit him on the ass.



4. Superbly written by William Schoell (the co-author of "The Rat Pack"), Martini Man: The Life Of Dean Martin is an informed and informative biography of the famous celebrity and entertainment legend Dean Martin (1917-1995). One result of this authoritative biography is to dispel the public image of Dean Martin as a ladies' man and hard drinker who casually used and tossed aside comrades, colleagues, associates, and ladyfriends alike. Martini Man also defends Dean Martin's memory against allegations that he was a "Mafia singer" claiming that Martin's contact with gangsters was inevitable and unavoidable as they owned the best clubs and most popular casinos of the day. Martini Man is an upbeat, detailed, thoroughly researched, and straightforwardly presented life story that is a "must read" for the dedicated legions of Dean Martin's fans.



5. This book is a nice, basic look at Dean Martin's life. I am a Frank Sinatra fan and of course became interested in Dean as well. I watched several biographies of Dean Martin and so I had a good overview of his life. This book helped with some details, mostly his movies. The author talks a lot about Dean's movies and I found this helpful, but had I already known all of Dean's film roles I probably would have found it tiresome after a while. However, I'm glad I read the book. It was helpful on dates and smaller details that are glossed over in television biographies. I recommend this book for new Dean Martin fans. If you are a diehard Dino fan, this stuff won't be news to you. Its an easy read.

5 comments about Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography.

1. Like all of us Teddy's life has been good and bad. I have not gone through deaths of his brothers in such a tragic way. I especially loved Robert. His long tenure in the senate is historic even though I have disagreed with a lot of his beliefs. He also lost 2 sisters tragically. and all of his children have been affected by cancer. His first marriage ended in divorce and alcohol has been a factor of many events. The event in July of 1969 influenced national and personal politics. Overall, he has been blessed with both good fortune and tragedy unspeakable. This book explores them all. And that he has been responsable for 16 children. And now he is in the fight to save his own life. Life has dealt him some really sad things and this book like life is worth your reading.



2. In this book, Adam Clymer offers us a well-written, detailed portrait of the life and career of Edward Kennedy, a man who has long labored under the shadows cast by his ambitious family. Burdened by the expectations the came with the family name and tarnished by the self-inflicted wounds of scandal, he nonetheless persevered to become a force in the United States Senate, one whose career the author ranks as one of the greatest in the history of the institution.
   
   Such a judgment certainly reflects Clymer's bias for his subject. But he does make a convincing case for the influential role that Kennedy has played in the Senate over the past three decades. Clymer conveys Kennedy's love for the Senate, which he argues was reflected in his half-hearted attempts for the White House in the 1970s and 1980s. While some may argue that his failure to win the nomination makes any effort to minimize his presidential campaigns a case of sour grapes, Clymer demonstrates how Kennedy thrived in the Senate in a way his brothers - who seemed to treat their careers there as little more than platforms from which to launch their bids for the White House - never did.
   
   Yet Clymer's biography is not without its flaws. As some reviewers have noted, the book occasionally bogs down in the minutiae of legislative maneuvering, the deals and rules that play such an important role of Kennedy's career (and his mastery of which is one of the keys to his influence). Even more troubling, though, is Clymer's inability to reconcile successfully the powerful senator with the dissolute personal character. He acknowledges Kennedy's personal problems but refers to most of them in passing only, which has the effect of reducing Chappaquiddick to an isolated incident rather than the most tragic example of the personal conduct which has defined the man in the minds of many Americans.
   
   In spite of this, Clymer's book stands as an excellent biography of Edward Kennedy. Detailed, insightful, and well-argued, it will remain for some time the best book about the Kennedy brother who might turn out to have been the most important and influential one of them all.



3. He was the "last" brother, the Kennedy who, despite a (mostly) sterling reputation and record in the Senate, will never become president. And so we are delivered yet another Kennedyana kernel, this one by "New York Times" reporter Adam Clymer. The book fails to capture the spirit and humanity of the man; the insights are surprisingly shallow for such a respected journalist. On the Chappaquiddick incident, during which a young female Kennedy supporter was drowned when the car in which Ted was driving went off the road, leaves Clymer writing the shocking news that Kennedy was a bad driver who "probably" was drinking prior to the accident! A faded rose indeed.



4. Adam Clymer's biography on Edward M. Kennedy is monumental: the result of fastidious research and decades-long stint writing for both the New York Times and Baltimore Sun. What is so skillfully articulated here is a sober account of the Senator's long, strange trip -- from childhood days, under the shadow of older brothers, Jack and Bobby; to the tragedy at Chappaquiddick, effectively incinerating any dreams of securing the Oval Office; to his resurgence as one of the most influential and powerful political leaders in American history.

   Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography, is what Mr. Clymer achieves. There are no speculations, conspiracy theories, or interviews with shady "informants"; only an astute biography of a man who is as brilliant and perseverant a leader as he is controversial and complicated a human.




5. The best senator in Congress... and Clymer explains exactly why it is so. A flawed man, who by hard work and diligence, becomes an excellent representative and spokesman for the highest ideals of the republic. An outstanding biography, a story you need to know.

5 comments about First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War.

1. Joan Cashin's FIRST LADY OF THE CONFEDERACY is not only an excellent depicticion of the life of Varina Davis, but is is also another way of looking at Jefferson Davis. The research is outstanding and I found the book very readable. Several criticts state that Cashin is looking at Varina through 20th centuries eyes. The research is what is it. I find no value to those arguments.



2. Through her extensive research, much of which had not been used before, Ms. Cashin brings Varina Davis to life. The details of her marriage to Jefferson Davis, her serving as the First Lady of the Confederacy, and her life after the Civil War give the reader a great appreciation of Varina Davis and the struggles she faced throughout her life. This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in the personal stories of this critical time in American history. Bob and Cherie Allen-Authors A "Guest" of the Confederacy The Civil War Letters and Diaries of Alonzo M. Keeler, Captain, Company B, Twenty-second Michigan Infantry



3. interesting and informative study of a woman who was a northerner by birth and sympathies married to a complete and selfish maniac who didnt love her. she was much better educated and perceptive than he was, but she did her duty in every way. happy to see that she had some time to herself to pursue her own interests near the end of her life.



4. As has been mentioned in other reviews, there is a paucity of books on Varina Davis. Joan Cashin's book certainly fills that void. With all of the books on Mary Lincoln finally there is something about Varina Davis.
   Cashin has done her homework in research on her and clearly lays out her family's history and Varina's youth, exceptional education and marriage to Jefferson Davis. It is fascinating to read her letters to wives of famous men in history, some smuggled through the lines during the Civil War. She was well liked, well educated and certainly had mixed feelings about secession.
   Jefferson Davis does not fare well in this volume. He never appreciated Varina's intellegence or feelings. It seems then he needed her she was always there, but the opposite was rarely true. She endured her years in Richmond as some of her worst. After the war she suffered poverty and her husband's frequent trips. During much of his post war years he kept a semi-romantic relationship the a Mrs. Clay.
   Only after his death was Varina liberated from the imposed role of former Confederate First Lady. She moved to New York and established friendships with many former "enemies" such as Julia Grant, all to the distaste and chagrin of many former Rebel soldiers and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. A telling letter from about 1901, she related the the right side won the War.
   Varina endured all of this plus the deaths of many of her children with grace and dignity. It seems that maybe the Lincolns and Davis's married the wrong women. I enjoyed reading Cashin's very well book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the War or women in history.



5. A very disappointing book! Written by a feminist, 20th century liberal scholar intent on imposing her 20th century politically correct views on a 19th century subject, the book becomes a parody of what a truly historical biography should be. The author makes no attempt to maintain objectivity and interjects her own opinions, views and beliefs, trying to get the reader to believe that Mrs. Davis was the one who held them. I am truly glad I borrowed this from the library and didn't waste my money.

4 comments about America's First Families (HC) : An Inside View of 200 Years of Private Life in the White House.

1. This is a fascinating book. It is a wonderful compendium of trivia, probably not available in any other volume. It contains a wonderful assortment of pictures of First Families, some of which have never before been published. The book is well organized into chapters detailing various aspects of the Presidential families' lives and activities. for me, one of its prime attractions is that it does not include the politics or issues of the President's era.
   At times, it is a little confusing, because the author skips from one family to another rather abruptly, so it requires a little getting used to in order to follow the narrative.
   I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the social and "human" aspects of the White House families.



2. This book gives an insight into the private lives of the first families. We learn about their extended families, hobbies, illnesses, preparations for leaving the White House when their terms are completed, etc. The pictures are what really makes this book great. We see Lyndon Johnson in bed with his wife watching tv and we see the older George Bush in bed too (can you imagine Nixon or Clinton letting down his guard like this?). We see Gerald Ford in his bathrobe. If you always wanted to see such a sight, there is a photo of Eleanor Roosevelt in a bathing suit and a rare photo of Franklin in shorts with his polio ravaged legs exposed to the camera. We see painful personal moments such as the famous photo of Nixon hugging his daughter Julie when he made the decision to resign. In short this is, at times, a very rare personal and intimate glimpse into the lives of the first families. I enjoyed it and recommend it highly.



3. I have been fortunate enough to read Mr. Anthony's brilliant "First Ladies" mini-opuses, and highly looked forward to this epic on the lives of our First Families. I sat for three hours stright with an almost constant smile on my face as I ran through the pages. What an amazing acheivement Mr. Anthony has pulled together! I can only imagine the painstaking research needed to find out the tidbits sprinkled throughout. There is so much information in this novel that it almost boggles the mind at times and is a bit overwhelming. I wondered if everything was sinking in, when I saw Mr. Anthony speak at the Richard Nixon library on CSPAN one night recounting the tales found here. Every story he told was instantly recalled and sentences finished before explaining. The sheer knowledge that one can gain from reading this novel is tremendous. (Where else can you find a list of President's favorite movies? By Reagan selecting Rambo, it does nothing but prove what a complete and utter moron we had occupying the White House under his reign).....Point proven further....When listing President's favorite reading options, Mr Anthony lays out beautiful examples of this. President Clinton enjoys biographies of his predecessors, Eisenhower military biographies and TR, anything he could get his hands on. Reagan? Newspaper comics.....I shall leave my review at that.



4. I purchased this book yesterday and I can't put it down. It is filled with great pictures and stories of the forty-one famlies who lived in the White House. This is a great source of presidential trivia and provides a human element to the most famous family in America. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in American history and the lives of the presidents.

1 comments about Time: Hugh Sidey's Portraits of the Presidents: Power and Personality in the Oval Office.

1. This is a photographic summary of the last several presidents up to Clinton. The selection of photos is good and includes several rare and unique pictures. Hugh Sidey, the author is the expert on presidential history at Time Inc (he writes a weekly column for the magazine) and thus the text is outstanding. Really the only downside to this book is the price - for the sheer size of the book its pricey. Still, if you are a presidential history buff, and particularly interested in photography you will want this book in your library.

No comments about Abraham Lincoln and the Union (Library of American Biography Series) (Library of American Biography).