Challenges discussion
Been working on this....
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Daniel
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Feb 01, 2017 11:58PM
I'm just finishing John Quincy Adams (#6). A while back I thought it would be cool to read a book on each president. Anyway, I saw this group and joined. I'm going pretty mainstream with my selections, but appreciate any selections. Found the first 5 presidential reads very interesting. Had to drift off and read Ben Franklin and Hamilton just because reading a book on each president is somehow incomplete without them. Will do American Lion for Andrew Jackson next. Cheers!
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Here's my list thus far...Washington a Life by Ron Chernow
John Adams by David McCullough
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham
James Madison by Richard Brookiser
The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's call to Greatness by Harlow Unger
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
John Quincy Adams by Harlow Unger
Got a ways to go!
Good luck! I am sure you will continue to have fun if you've enjoyed it thus far. My list differs from yours only with Madison, Monroe, and JQA. I own American Lion but read Remini's abbreviated Andrew Jackson. I, too, read Isaacson and Chernow on Franklin and Hamilton, and will throw in some bios of others along the way, including the perpetual Henry Clay. I just finished #11, the unsung James K. Polk, and I'm taking a bio break to read up on the Lee Harvey Oswald fantasies. Ciao!
Based on your list, I have read the same books on the first three presidents.However I selected Madison by Lynne Cheney which seemed a bit too dry.
Now I am on Monroe by Unger.
As far as reading about other people involved in history, I'm trying to avoid that because it seems that it would take a year just to get through all the founding fathers. Besides Franklin and Hamilton, there are Burr, Paine, Samuel Adams, etc...too many to even name.
Daniel wrote: "Here's my list thus far...
Washington a Life by Ron Chernow
John Adams by David McCullough
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham
James Madison by Richard Brookiser
The Last Founding Fa..."
Awesome! I have been at this for years and am only on Van Buren.
Van Buren? I haven't even looked that far ahead. Ive got Andrew Jackson next who sounds like a sociopath so should be an interesting read!
Welcome Daniel!And Gary, the problem with Madison is that the subject matter is dry. He was so boring! I feel like there's a reason his wife is as famous as him.
Good luck to you all and happy reading.
I thought I was the only one who did this. About 15 years ago, I started this challenge. I didn’t necessarily read the first few books in order, but quickly fixed that. It took me a couple of years but I got through Reagan, then took a few years off until Jon Meacham’s book about George HW Bush came out. I read The Age of Clinton and Dead Certain for 42 and 43.
Next up is Obama but haven’t found anything that doesn’t feel political. I’ll wait a good while for 45 because I’ve already read what’s been written which has covered Trump’s life and presidency, though I don’t really count it is too close to the events.
Bryan: Regina Lindsey, a former group member (now sadly deceased) started the Presidential Read group on a now defunct site called Shelfari (gobbled up by Amazon/Goodreads). She ported the books and much of our group discussions into another site that also went defunct. I'm not sure how many of discussions subsequently got moved into Goodreads. We voted on what biography to read and then discussed each work in the group. It was fantastic! BTW, I have read all the biographies up to President Obama. I am currently reading David Garrow's "Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama." It's humungous (Garrow could have used a good editor), but it seems fair and balanced thus far.
I’m way back in the gray beards taking my time apparently. Great way to appreciate the country’s history.
Scott wrote: "Bryan: Regina Lindsey, a former group member (now sadly deceased) started the Presidential Read group on a now defunct site called Shelfari (gobbled up by Amazon/Goodreads). She ported the books an..."Thank you for filling me in! Sorry about your founder and friend.
