Moderately interesting and well written account of the life and Presidency of Andrew Jackson. I didn't have much knowledge of Jackson when I began the book, but my perception of him was that he did not rank among the greatest of American presidents. After reading the book... I felt exactly the same way. Seemingly he left two significant marks on American society. First, he helped define the power of the modern American Presidency by consolidating significant power in the executive branch. Second he averted the potential succession of South Carolina over a tariff/states rights/slavery issue. The first did have some lasting impact, the second clearly did not. Although this has nothing to do with the author's skill at conveying the context of history, the first third of the book is caught up with the social conflicts among Jackson's cabinet and their wives. While the underlying problem was serious enough to lead to the fall of virtually his entire cabinet, it holds no interest for me in the context of long term American historical impact. It's worth reading for the author's skill, but the topic left me cold.