With the first presidential debate in the background this seems like the right time to feature THE PRESIDENTS CLUB. I will also provide this disclaimer, the words below are from my other half who took the book and put it in his secret stash upon its arrive. So thanks Simon & Schuster this was a twitter win and it seems like the least he could do.
I am a bit of a history buff, but I am not really interested in political history (and I am certainly not a political junkie). When my wife asked me to read and review this book
my reaction was less than enthusiastic. Now that I’ve finished the book I can conclude that my instincts were wrong – this book was quite good!
There is more to find within the pages than just politics. The book touches on many post World War II issues important to the US (both during the cold war and after the fall of the Berlin Wall).
I would say that, in addition to those interested in politics, the target audience would
include those interested in American history. Because I am over 50 I am familiar with
most of the events included in the book, so the subject matter ended up right in my
wheelhouse.
More specifically, the book looks at the relationships between the Presidents over the last
50 years. It focuses on ex-Presidents being called into service at the request of the sitting
President in time of need. The interplay between certain Presidents is often fascinating,
and I thought the more interesting relationships were those between Presidents of different
political parties. Some real surprises here.
In addition, the book provides some obscure facts that I found truly interesting. For example,
when Nixon first got to Congress he formed the Chowder and Marching Society, a group
made up of “fifteen junior lawmakers who united as a bloc in hopes of having some clout
in a chamber controlled by the Old Bulls”(page 261). What was interesting was, of the fifteen
members of this Society, 3 of them (Nixon, Ford, Bush ’41) would go on to be President and
shape a half-century of American history.
When I reached the end I reflected on what I had just read. In my opinion this is a highly
original book. Regardless of your political leanings, I feel that the information you will find
may cause you to view things a bit differently.
poofbooks 