The American President : The Human Drama of Our Nation's Highest Office

by Philip B. Kunhardt III, Peter W. Kunhardt

Publishing in paperback to coincide with the presidential election, the companion volume to the ten-part PBS series explores the lives of America's presidents, from Washington to Clinton, in a study that examines the nature, history, evolution, and influence of the U.S. presidency. Reprint. TV tie-in.

Genres: History, Presidents, Politics, American History, Nonfiction, Biography, Us Presidents

481 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Peter Wolfley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could be the finest collection of presidential pictures ever assembled. I also liked how they broke up the president profiles into various styles of Presidents. It's probably an overly simplistic way of looking at history but it makes for interesting reading.

[Zack McCullough · Rating 4 out of 5]

When assessing the quality of a book, one must always take into account the purpose of the book. For example, if a book is meant primarily to entertain, and one critiques it for not being informative enough or scholarly enough, that would not make much sense. Having said that, I think the authors of this book intended for their book to do two things, and I think they did those two things well.
First, the authors wanted to humanize the presidents of the United States by presenting them as flawed, yet mostly well-intentioned men. Instead of describing the presidents as political leaders pushing agendas that one may or may not agree with, the book emphasizes the different backgrounds, personalities, and influences that each president experienced that made him the leader that he was. I think the authors do a pretty good job of presenting all presidents impartially, whether they be Democrat, Republican, Federalist, or Whig. I think maybe the authors were a bit partial to the last president covered in this 1999 book, Bill Clinton, which brings us to our next intention.
The second intention of the authors, I think, was to restore the positive image of the presidency in a time of scandal and partisanship that was prominent in the late 1990s. In doing so, the authors were careful to present each and every president as uncritically as possible. This is not to say that they ignored obvious failings such as Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal. But even when there was an obvious failing, they presented the president as a man that made a mistake, or got caught up in the wrong ideas, or perhaps experienced mental exhaustion. They presented the presidents as, "only human."
I understand the intent of the authors, and I appreciate their handling of the presidents and their legacies. I think it is good to see them all as basically good, with dreams and aspirations. But there were times were it felt odd not to criticize. After all, out of 41 presidents covered in this book, we have to admit that at least some of them were probably not driven by well-intentioned dreams and aspirations, but were instead primarily motivated by basic greed and lust for power. The co-existence of both great good and terrible evil is, after all, "only human."

[Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

With well-selected quotes, thorough fleshing-outs of pre- and post- administratorial accomplishments and failures, and satisfactorily separated factual and opinion-oriented passages, this excellent collection presents a memorable look at the executive office, made sharper by its unique thematic groupings.

[Jeff Ragan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a solid overview, if leaning a little to the left, of the nation's presidents, along with some great photos and artwork. I thoroughly enjoyed the read!

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Presidency is largely considered to be the most demanding, most public, most powerful office on Earth. The calibre of men who have held the office is astonishing in its variety. Ranging from some who actively disdained the office to those who relished it, success and failure have come to those ill-suited for it and for those who were born to it. In this book, Philip Kunhardt goes through every man to sit in the office (up through Bill Clinton) to examine what made some successful and others not. Eschewing the traditional chronological approach, Kunhardt places the 40 presidents into groupings such as those who came into the office accidentally, those who focused on foreign affairs, etc. Kunhardt presents brief 3-4 page biographies concentrating on the Presidential administrations of each one. He shows how the personality affected the Presidency and what went into the key events in the life and administration of each man. The book is also richly illustrated with photographs and paintings of the White House through the years and also includes fascinating sidebars and a section of each man's thoughts from primary sources. This for me is the definitive history of the Presidency. What needs to happen is an update after every President leaves office.

[Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this from the library. After listening, I ordered the book. I don't think I could have read this book cover to cover, but listening to the CD was very, very good, and the book has even more info than the CD. There was just enough information to keep me interested in each description of each president. I like the way it was presented also -- rather than chronologically, it was grouped by influence and what groups of presidents had in common and didn't have in common.

[Joshua McKey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when you thought you knew everything about the US presidents...along comes this collection to teach you something new. The quality of information provided about former presidents is what makes this book interesting indeed.
One problem: the sections for each president is not long enough to really engage the reader. They tend to dedicate a few pages to each before transitioning to the next. Also, the categorization is odd: they classify presidents into different personas instead of following the chronological order of events. I might be being picky here.
Still a good read though!

[William Larsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating look at the Presidents and not in chronological order, but rather in groups, such as Generals, Accidental Presidents, etc. It provided all kinds of interesting tidbits not only about the President himself, but about the members of his family, cabinet, and political opponents. I loved this book and learned so much more than I thought I knew about each and every President, particularly with regard to their personalities. It was much more than just encyclopedic information.

[Jeff Russo · Rating 3 out of 5]

a big coffee-table book bought for me by a square aunt that actually worked out. A brief (usually 8-15 page) discussion of each president, with plenty of pictures and usually at least one picture of the evolution of the White House building itself for each president. It's organized by themed groups, as opposed to chronologically, but I jumped around anyway. Not heavily ideological.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief look at each of the presidents--usually 10-15 pages with illustrations. The presidents are arranged by themes (generals, dark horse, etc.) rather than chronologically. Fairly standard information. I was expecting a more in-depth analysis of each president, but this book would be interesting for someone who wants a basic overview of the presidency and the men who have held the office.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very nice overview of the men who were President of the Unites States, from George Washington to Bill Clinton. You will see, many, many photographs that you have not viewed before, get a feeling for the person himself, and learn of the accomplishments, challenges, and scandals during their administrations.
I highly recommend this book.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book divided presidents into different "categories" and then gave a short overview of each and why they fit into a particular category. I found out some interesting info on presidents I was not really familiar with.

[Delmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is probably one of my most favorite books in my collection. I'm a history nut, and this book does not disappoint; it provides you with detailed information about our presidents that you might not have known, nor learned about it in school!

[Christine McCloud · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to read about ALL the presidents (up to Clinton). I loved seeing all the photos & other pictures, as well as the sidebars about the First Ladies. After reading this, one president that left me wanting more was James Garfield. He seemed like a really decent guy!

[Mr. V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had some interesting facts. Gave about 5 pages on each president up to Clinton. Every synopsis was really good except the last on Clinton. The authors completely changed their tone and sounded like Clinton apologists. Other then that it was really good.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors grouped the different presidents in categories; that made it difficult to follow the chronological order.However, I did learn a great deal. They gave an excellent overview of how the American presidency has changed through the years and how the various Presidents have changed it.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The biographies were well written but I didn't care for the way the book skipped around on the presidents. They were grouped in catergories like military heros, professional poloticians, etc.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives a nice overview of the presidents. It brings some interesting groupings, though they don't all really work.

[Dave Beeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book covering presidents 1 -41 (Washington to Clinton).

[Nancy S · Rating 2 out of 5]

This textbook was downright hard to read. Interesting subject matter just presented in a boring way. This book works better than a sleeping pill on restless nights.

[THATCHER HICKMAN SMITH · Rating 3 out of 5]

a LITTLE BIASED AND INACCURATE ON PRESIDENTS THAT THE AUTHORS DON'T LIKE BUT THAT IS EXPECTED........OTHERWISE TRIVIALLY INFORMATIVE WITH GOOD PICTURES....MORE FUN TO READ THAN FACTUAL.....

[KD]

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