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Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote by Craig Fehrman
rhoelle's review against another edition
4.0
A few of the more interesting details I learned from reading this book:
- The life ambition of John Quincy Adams was actually to be a professional poet.
- Though he read voraciously, Abraham Lincoln could never get much interested in fiction, except for that of Edgar Allan Poe.
- Theodore Roosevelt brought his working manuscript on the War of 1812 along on his honeymoon!
Other notes
- Missed the ghostwriting of Obama's books, but very harsh on JFK for same.
- Surprisingly positive on Truman's book, which nevertheless does not sound very readable.
- Quite positive on Reagan's Hollywood biography, which is little praised elsewhere.
Didn't care for organization too much, the flitting back and forth between presidents. The admission in the end notes of heavy reliance on summary books was a bit disturbing.
- The life ambition of John Quincy Adams was actually to be a professional poet.
- Though he read voraciously, Abraham Lincoln could never get much interested in fiction, except for that of Edgar Allan Poe.
- Theodore Roosevelt brought his working manuscript on the War of 1812 along on his honeymoon!
Other notes
- Missed the ghostwriting of Obama's books, but very harsh on JFK for same.
- Surprisingly positive on Truman's book, which nevertheless does not sound very readable.
- Quite positive on Reagan's Hollywood biography, which is little praised elsewhere.
Didn't care for organization too much, the flitting back and forth between presidents. The admission in the end notes of heavy reliance on summary books was a bit disturbing.
lesserjoke's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fascinating topic -- or at least one aimed squarely at the center of my particular interests -- and I really commend author Craig Fehrman for compiling the material behind it. As he details in his closing remarks, presidents' books have rarely been seen as important even for their official biographers, so quite a bit of original primary research was necessary just to gather all the facts in question. And in Fehrman's hands, those findings have been assembled into not the rote catalog I was half-expecting, but rather an intricate narrative tracing the gradual development of American literacy, literature, publishing, notions of authorship and ghostwriting, and presidency itself.
The content could have been organized better, since following a single politician from campaign book through legacy memoir and even posthumous influence often requires then doubling back to an earlier time for the next figure Fehrman considers. I also wish he had approached the subject more exhaustively, making this not merely the first account of its type but also the definitive comprehensive one. By focusing on the texts that either best reflect changing trends or were so influential themselves, we miss out on others that could still be interesting in their own right. And finally, I'm somewhat frustrated by how often the writer acts as a critic, projecting his own subjective take on what is "enlightening or enjoyable to read today" instead of simply documenting the books themselves and how they were received by contemporary audiences.
Nevertheless, I have generally found this to be a worthwhile and educational read, full of neat contrasts between the writings that various presidents have created to either pitch their candidacy or leave behind as memoir. I'd recommend it for anyone interested in history, politics, or how those might intersect with popular nonfiction.
[Content warning for descriptions of racism and sexual assault.]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
The content could have been organized better, since following a single politician from campaign book through legacy memoir and even posthumous influence often requires then doubling back to an earlier time for the next figure Fehrman considers. I also wish he had approached the subject more exhaustively, making this not merely the first account of its type but also the definitive comprehensive one. By focusing on the texts that either best reflect changing trends or were so influential themselves, we miss out on others that could still be interesting in their own right. And finally, I'm somewhat frustrated by how often the writer acts as a critic, projecting his own subjective take on what is "enlightening or enjoyable to read today" instead of simply documenting the books themselves and how they were received by contemporary audiences.
Nevertheless, I have generally found this to be a worthwhile and educational read, full of neat contrasts between the writings that various presidents have created to either pitch their candidacy or leave behind as memoir. I'd recommend it for anyone interested in history, politics, or how those might intersect with popular nonfiction.
[Content warning for descriptions of racism and sexual assault.]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
aliena_jackson's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC from Avid Reader Press to review this book. Unfortunately, it came a little late, but I’m still going to review it anyway.
As a Rutherford B. Hayes partisan, I was disappointed.
I was talking to my mother when she asked me if I had received any new books to review for Goodreads. In fact, I had just received one in the mail that day. Curious, she asked me what it was. (She normally poaches my books when I’m done reading them.) I responded, “It’s called Author in Chief, and it’s about books that the presidents wrote.” I could almost hear her disappointment through the phone. “Sounds boring. Well, let me know how it goes.”
Mom, if you’re reading this review, you can be assured that you were wrong. This is one of the most interesting books I’ve read this year. A walk through the history of publishing, Author in Chief is one of the most illuminating chronicles on the history of presidential books, and while it may be entirely too nice to certain presidents (looking at you, Andrew Jackson) Craig Fehrman doesn’t hesitate to give scathing reviews of these presidential titles.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, especially the sections on Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Calvin Coolidge, of all people. It was interesting to read about the writing, printing, distribution, and finally reading processes through the history of the US. I’ll admit, I knew almost nothing about JFK’s writing process, and the fact that- I’m sorry, I just cannot get over how much I enjoyed the Calvin Coolidge section of the book. It was astounding. Back on track: JFK was a lazy slob who apparently did none of the work and took all of the credit. Jeez.
One of my major problems with this book came in the last 80 pages, when Mr. Fehrman was describing the so called ‘blockbuster’ publishing industry. The way he described it made me feel disgusted- not just with the industry, for churning out these god-awful books, but with myself, for reading and occasionally enjoying them. It left me with a sick feeling, and I was imbued with guilt for supporting the beast. The writing style also veered a bit during this section, but was straightened out by the time we got to Obama’s section. Speaking of, Craig did redeem himself with the Obama section of the book, and I’m happy to report that I finished reading with a smile on my face.
Presidents (and their books) you should definitely read about:
- Thomas Jefferson
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Calvin Coolidge
- Ronald Reagan
- Barack Obama
Seriously, go pick this book up. You won’t be disappointed.
As a Rutherford B. Hayes partisan, I was disappointed.
I was talking to my mother when she asked me if I had received any new books to review for Goodreads. In fact, I had just received one in the mail that day. Curious, she asked me what it was. (She normally poaches my books when I’m done reading them.) I responded, “It’s called Author in Chief, and it’s about books that the presidents wrote.” I could almost hear her disappointment through the phone. “Sounds boring. Well, let me know how it goes.”
Mom, if you’re reading this review, you can be assured that you were wrong. This is one of the most interesting books I’ve read this year. A walk through the history of publishing, Author in Chief is one of the most illuminating chronicles on the history of presidential books, and while it may be entirely too nice to certain presidents (looking at you, Andrew Jackson) Craig Fehrman doesn’t hesitate to give scathing reviews of these presidential titles.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, especially the sections on Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Calvin Coolidge, of all people. It was interesting to read about the writing, printing, distribution, and finally reading processes through the history of the US. I’ll admit, I knew almost nothing about JFK’s writing process, and the fact that- I’m sorry, I just cannot get over how much I enjoyed the Calvin Coolidge section of the book. It was astounding. Back on track: JFK was a lazy slob who apparently did none of the work and took all of the credit. Jeez.
One of my major problems with this book came in the last 80 pages, when Mr. Fehrman was describing the so called ‘blockbuster’ publishing industry. The way he described it made me feel disgusted- not just with the industry, for churning out these god-awful books, but with myself, for reading and occasionally enjoying them. It left me with a sick feeling, and I was imbued with guilt for supporting the beast. The writing style also veered a bit during this section, but was straightened out by the time we got to Obama’s section. Speaking of, Craig did redeem himself with the Obama section of the book, and I’m happy to report that I finished reading with a smile on my face.
Presidents (and their books) you should definitely read about:
- Thomas Jefferson
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Calvin Coolidge
- Ronald Reagan
- Barack Obama
Seriously, go pick this book up. You won’t be disappointed.
mfumarolo's review against another edition
4.0
This look at the occupants of the Oval Office from a literary/authorial lens took me some time to get through, but it was a fascinating journey! Like so many Americans, I had to take American history at various points in my education. And, like so many of my fellow Americans, there are the presidents who stand out in my memory and many in the middle whose contributions have gotten muddled. The evolution of the types of writing they've done (or have at the very least taken credit for - I'm a little disappointed I'll never be able to look at Profiles in Courage "by" JFK the same way again) was quite a journey, as well as learning about how publishing has evolved over the centuries. The ending was a bit abrupt for my taste, but again, I learned so much from this and have added a few of these presidential titles discussed to my to-read list!
jeremyanderberg's review against another edition
5.0
This new book was basically 337 delightful pages of heaven for me.
Nearly all of our presidents have been writers to some degree — whether in the form of a campaign book or a post-presidency memoir, presidential authorship has become almost a certainty in recent decades.
What Ferhman does is critically analyze those books our presidents wrote (or claimed to have written), from Ulysses Grant’s famed memoirs to Calvin Coolidge’s surprisingly well-done autobiography to JFK’s secretive process in “writing” the Pulitzer-winning Profiles in Courage. Those are just a few of the marvelous backstories Feherman uncovers for the reader.
In addition, he provides some great peeks into the Presidents’ reading lives — from Lincoln’s self-education in the backwoods of Kentucky, to Theodore Roosevelt’s voracious, near addictive appetite for books of all genres, to Obama’s self-actualization in his reading of black history and literature.
The only problem with this book is its incredibly niche subject matter — the combination of presidential/political history with literary criticism is neither common nor terribly popular.
That said, I loved it. Fehrman covers a great deal of ground that even major biographers have skipped over in favor of “sexier” storylines, yet to the book lover, these stories are unquestionably enticing. Even the footnotes, appendix, and sources offer bookish gems.
Nearly all of our presidents have been writers to some degree — whether in the form of a campaign book or a post-presidency memoir, presidential authorship has become almost a certainty in recent decades.
What Ferhman does is critically analyze those books our presidents wrote (or claimed to have written), from Ulysses Grant’s famed memoirs to Calvin Coolidge’s surprisingly well-done autobiography to JFK’s secretive process in “writing” the Pulitzer-winning Profiles in Courage. Those are just a few of the marvelous backstories Feherman uncovers for the reader.
In addition, he provides some great peeks into the Presidents’ reading lives — from Lincoln’s self-education in the backwoods of Kentucky, to Theodore Roosevelt’s voracious, near addictive appetite for books of all genres, to Obama’s self-actualization in his reading of black history and literature.
The only problem with this book is its incredibly niche subject matter — the combination of presidential/political history with literary criticism is neither common nor terribly popular.
That said, I loved it. Fehrman covers a great deal of ground that even major biographers have skipped over in favor of “sexier” storylines, yet to the book lover, these stories are unquestionably enticing. Even the footnotes, appendix, and sources offer bookish gems.
altlovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not super big into political books, but I do like well-written history books on obscure topics. While the presidents are hardly obscure, looking at them through the lens of the books they left behind really lent this book something that kept me interested. I greatly enjoyed the look at the pre-1900s presidents, as this book contained a lot of interesting factoids and amusing anecdotes from even the earliest presidencies that I hadn't heard before. I also appreciated the care the author took in describing the tonal shift in why a president would write a book and also the shift in when a president would typically write one.
Where I started to lose interest (and it almost seemed like the author did too) was around the Kennedy administration on up. Rather than spending pages and pages on early lives and stories from growing up, the book's pace sped up dramatically. Several presidents were glossed over or not mentioned at all: neither of the Bushes were represented, Clinton received a brief nod of a few pages, and despite the last section being entitled Truman to Trump, the only mention of Trump was a reference to 'The Art of the Deal' in a footnote. I understand perhaps glossing over the early lives of recent presidents as we probably already know most of their histories by heart, but I really felt like the last section was phoned in.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
Where I started to lose interest (and it almost seemed like the author did too) was around the Kennedy administration on up. Rather than spending pages and pages on early lives and stories from growing up, the book's pace sped up dramatically. Several presidents were glossed over or not mentioned at all: neither of the Bushes were represented, Clinton received a brief nod of a few pages, and despite the last section being entitled Truman to Trump, the only mention of Trump was a reference to 'The Art of the Deal' in a footnote. I understand perhaps glossing over the early lives of recent presidents as we probably already know most of their histories by heart, but I really felt like the last section was phoned in.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
4.0
A cool book about what presidents write. Also, an interesting look at publishing history in the US.
residentrunner1_'s review against another edition
5.0
"Everyone else connected with Washington has written a book. I am certainly not going to compound the felony." - Bess Truman
"Books are good company. Nothing is more human than a book." - Marilynne Robinson
! Thanks to Jeffrey Keeten (jkeeten) for this book! You reviewed it, and it seemed interesting to me, so I checked it out from my local library and read it. People reading this, you should check out his reviews. They are great.
~ And with that aside, the review shall go on. ~
Great book. Astonishingly revealing. For example, I never knew that a bunch of presidents had published memoirs or books (Trump was the Art of The Deal). Most presidents I've seen write books were Reagan, Bush, and Obama. Truman was an exception, along with Jefferson. Craig Fehrman did a great job digging aside details from presidents who have published memoirs.
There were some cases of ghostwriting though . . . let's see, Jackson, Nixon, Reagan, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Teddy Roosevelt, and the list go on. While sometimes they were original, most of them were just interviews packed together.
From this book, I also have a new itch for presidential books. Here's an (incomplete & short) list:
Dreams From My Father & The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama
An American Life, Ronald Reagan
In conclusion, this book must be read. 5 out of 5 from me.
"Books are good company. Nothing is more human than a book." - Marilynne Robinson
! Thanks to Jeffrey Keeten (jkeeten) for this book! You reviewed it, and it seemed interesting to me, so I checked it out from my local library and read it. People reading this, you should check out his reviews. They are great.
~ And with that aside, the review shall go on. ~
Great book. Astonishingly revealing. For example, I never knew that a bunch of presidents had published memoirs or books (Trump was the Art of The Deal). Most presidents I've seen write books were Reagan, Bush, and Obama. Truman was an exception, along with Jefferson. Craig Fehrman did a great job digging aside details from presidents who have published memoirs.
There were some cases of ghostwriting though . . . let's see, Jackson, Nixon, Reagan, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Teddy Roosevelt, and the list go on. While sometimes they were original, most of them were just interviews packed together.
From this book, I also have a new itch for presidential books. Here's an (incomplete & short) list:
In conclusion, this book must be read. 5 out of 5 from me.
brianharrison's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
rtwilliams16's review against another edition
4.0
Author In Chief is a history of books by U.S. presidents and their bookish lives. Fehrman argues that there are two types of presidential books: campaign and legacy books. Campaign books are written before the future president runs for office. These books have tended to provide the future president with some national notoriety before a successful presidential run, or in the case of Calvin Coolidge, a vice-presidential run. Legacy books are retrospectives that former presidents use to reflect on their presidencies. These books can be used to settle scores or to provide historians a first draft of what went on behind the scenes. Each chapter covers one or two presidential books and how they fit in the context and innovations of the book industry in the time that it was published. It begins with Jefferson’s [b:Notes on the State of Virginia|1230425|Notes on the State of Virginia|Thomas Jefferson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348420060l/1230425._SX50_.jpg|294213] and ends with Obama’s [b:Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance|88061|Dreams from My Father A Story of Race and Inheritance|Barack Obama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1352340675l/88061._SY75_.jpg|86032] and [b:The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream|9742|The Audacity of Hope Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream|Barack Obama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386925614l/9742._SY75_.jpg|1716451].
I really enjoyed this book and liked it more than I thought I would. Fehrman is a great storyteller. I was very surprised to learn that many presidents had ghostwriters and that this practiced started in George Washington's presidency (Madison and Hamilton wrote GW's speeches and addresses). Readers will learn that ghostwriting would become a constant feature in presidential writing even into the 21st Century (ie. JFK's [b:Profiles in Courage|830364|Profiles in Courage|John F. Kennedy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347378709l/830364._SX50_.jpg|95117] is a notable example, Reagan's [b:Where's The Rest Of Me?: The Autobiography Of Ronald Reagan|524643|Where's The Rest Of Me? The Autobiography Of Ronald Reagan|Ronald Reagan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1275373832l/524643._SX50_.jpg|512506] is an obscure example). Fehrman does a good job explaining what writing was like for the various presidents, many of whom found the practice of writing very difficult (hence the ghostwriters, or the prolonged process of finishing their books, a la Clinton and Obama). Not only does Fehrman give the reader a good grasp of the kind of writer each president was, he also focuses on their reading lives. He covers the books that presidents read at early ages as well as when they were in the presidency. The final section of the book covers the current Blockbuster book era and the effect the era had on presidential books. Since books in this era are mostly published to make a profit, the writing quality tends to be lackluster. Fehrman makes a good case that ultimately the reader does not benefit from reading these bad political books. The only benefit is that when a well written campaign or legacy book comes around, it has the potential to sell well.
Overall, this is definitely a book that students of history and the presidency will enjoy. Hopefully at the end you will come away with a list of presidential books you want to check out.
I really enjoyed this book and liked it more than I thought I would. Fehrman is a great storyteller. I was very surprised to learn that many presidents had ghostwriters and that this practiced started in George Washington's presidency (Madison and Hamilton wrote GW's speeches and addresses). Readers will learn that ghostwriting would become a constant feature in presidential writing even into the 21st Century (ie. JFK's [b:Profiles in Courage|830364|Profiles in Courage|John F. Kennedy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347378709l/830364._SX50_.jpg|95117] is a notable example, Reagan's [b:Where's The Rest Of Me?: The Autobiography Of Ronald Reagan|524643|Where's The Rest Of Me? The Autobiography Of Ronald Reagan|Ronald Reagan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1275373832l/524643._SX50_.jpg|512506] is an obscure example). Fehrman does a good job explaining what writing was like for the various presidents, many of whom found the practice of writing very difficult (hence the ghostwriters, or the prolonged process of finishing their books, a la Clinton and Obama). Not only does Fehrman give the reader a good grasp of the kind of writer each president was, he also focuses on their reading lives. He covers the books that presidents read at early ages as well as when they were in the presidency. The final section of the book covers the current Blockbuster book era and the effect the era had on presidential books. Since books in this era are mostly published to make a profit, the writing quality tends to be lackluster. Fehrman makes a good case that ultimately the reader does not benefit from reading these bad political books. The only benefit is that when a well written campaign or legacy book comes around, it has the potential to sell well.
Overall, this is definitely a book that students of history and the presidency will enjoy. Hopefully at the end you will come away with a list of presidential books you want to check out.