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A review by lesserjoke
Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote by Craig Fehrman
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