Have you heard of the popular idea of reading a quality biography on every President of the United States? There are blogs where bloggers trace their journey through the Presidents, there are groups on Goodreads dedicated to this pursuit, and there are far more people starting this quest than you might imagine. I don’t know exactly what percentage of them finish, but many begin. Presidential biographies do quite well on non-fiction bestseller lists as well.
Why might this be so popular? Well, it makes a good bucket list item–I mean, we have 44 Presidents so far. Still, there has to be more to it than that. More profitably, it is an exciting and thorough way to grasp the history of our country. Even if you love to read, and even if you love history, have you ever read anything more boring than a textbook? Stringing together key facts will never match the living tales of history’s greatest shapers. In addition, disgust with modern history might make going into the past a cathartic experience.
It takes some commitment. A biography of Warren Harding, for example, will never match one of George Washington, but you will have to read one of him to finish this feat. Plus, if you pick the wrong biography, even the more interesting Presidents may be difficult to get through.
I have decided to join the other Presidential biography readers to the lofty heights of achieving this goal. My only difference is that I am going to be a rebel to the typical rules of accomplishing it. I will not force myself to read them in order, but as the spirit moves me. I also might read two or three of one President before I read one of another. The point is pleasant reading, learning, and growth. In other words, I am more excited about the journey than the summit.
If you know me, or read this blog, you know I read all kinds of Christian literature. That is not going to change. I also read other non-fiction, as well as only very occasional fiction, and I don’t plan to change that either. But I am going to fit this in even if it takes a lifetime, assuming I have a lifetime to give it.
If you are even remotely thinking about reading Presidential biographies, you must check out this blog: My Journey Through The Best Presidential Bios by Stephen Floyd. The amazing thing about this blogger is that not only is he doing them in order, but he is reading several on each President. Then he gives a detailed review of each title followed by a summary post on the biographies of each President. He apparently loves the rest of us to compile such an incredible amount of material for us. I will read him before I decide on each President. He even tells us if a volume is expensive or hard to find–talk about doing all the work!
As he has done, I am going to list each volume in my library. (I might read them all as I have more than I might care to read about some presidents). When I finish and do a review, I will link it to the list. Click on the highlighted ones to go to my individual reviews. I might even do a summary post on particular Presidents to share my thoughts about the man unless laziness overtakes me. If any of my blog readers or Facebook friends and acquaintances, are either on the quest or starting it, please let me know in the comment section or a private message. My readers are overwhelmingly Christians (with varying levels of loving to read), but I would love to know if any others are on this journey.
MY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY:
G. Washington: The Forge of Experience by James Thomas Flexner
G. Washington in the American Revolution by James Thomas Flexner
G. Washington: Anguish and Farewell by James Thomas Flexner
His Excellency G. Washington by Joseph Ellis
Founding Father by Richard Brookhiser
G. Washington by Willard Sterne Randall
G. Washington by Shelby Little
“Mr. President” (Washington) by Harlow Giles Unger
J. Adams and the American Revolution by Catherine Dinker Bowen
J. Adams by Anne Husted Burleigh
America’s First Dynasty: The Adames by Richard Brookhiser
T. Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Willard Sterne Randall
J. Madison by Richard Brookhiser
Madison’s Gift by David Stewart
The Last Founding Father (Monroe) by Harlow Giles Unger
J. Quincy Adams by Harlow Giles Unger
J. Quincy Adams and the Union by Samuel Flagg Bemis
The Life of A. Jackson by Marquis James
American Lion (Jackson) by Jon Meacham
Martin Van Buren by Ted Widmer
William Henry Harrison by Gail Collins
Zachary Taylor by John S. D. Eisenhower
Millard Fillmore by Robert Rayback
Franklin Pierce by Michael F. Holt
James Buchanan by Jean H. Baker
Lincoln by David Herbert Donald
Team of Rivals (Lincoln) by Doris Kearns Goodwin
A. Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years by Carl Sanburg
Great Captain (Lincoln) by Honore Morrow
Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography
Herdon’s Life of Lincoln
Impeached (A. Johnson) by David Stewart
Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant
The Man Who Saved the Union (Grant) by H. W. Brands
Ulysses Grant: Soldier and President by Geoffrey Perret
Captain Sam Grant by Lloyd Lewis
Grant Moves South by Bruce Catton
Grant Takes Command by Bruce Catton
Rutherford B. Hayes by Hans Trefousse
Destiny of the Republic (Garfield) by Candice Millard
The Unexpected President by Scott Greenberger
The Presidencies of Grover Cleveland by Richard Welch Jr.
Benjamin Harrison by Charles W. Calhoun
President McKinley by Robert Merry
The Triumph of William McKinley by Karl Rove
Mornings On Horseback (T.R.) by Davis McCullough
River of Doubt by Candice Millard
TR: The Last Romantic by H. W. Brands
Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris
The Autobiography of T. R.
The Presidency of T. Roosevelt by Lewis Gould
The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The Life of Wilson by Josephus Daniels
Wilson by A. Scott Berg
Warren G. Harding by John W. Dean
The Life of Warren G. Harding by Willis Fletcher Johnson
The Autobiography of C. Coolidge
Herbert Hoover in the White House by Rappleye
H. Hoover: A Biography by Eugene Lyons
H. Hoover by Joan Hoff Wilson
FDR by Jean Edward Smith
Traitor To His Class (FDR) by H. W. Brands
No Ordinary Time (FDR) by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Truman by David McCullough
Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith
Eisenhower by Stephen Ambrose
My Three Years With Eisenhower by Capt. Harry Butcher
President Kennedy by Richard Reeves
Path To Power (LBJ) by Robert Caro
Means of Ascent (LBJ) by Robert Caro
Master of the Senate (LBJ) by Robert Caro
The Passage of Power (LBJ) by Robert Caro
Richard Nixon by Fawn Brodie
In The Arena by Richard Nixon
G. Ford by David Brinkley
An American Life by Ronald Reagan
The Role of a Lifetime by Lou Cannon
Speaking My Mind by Ronald Reagan
When Character Was King by Peggy Noonan
R. Reagan: How An Ordinary Man Became An Extraordinary Leader by D’Souza
The Reagan I Knew by William Buckley
Reagan’s War by Peter Schweizer
Reagan: Inside Out by Bob Slosser
Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan by Shirley
Hand of Providence by Mary Beth Moore
Destiny and Power (Bush) by Jon Mecaham
41: A Portrait Of My Father by George W. Bush
Decision Points by George W. Bush
Bush by Jean Edward Smith
[Updated 12-31-2017]
These volumes may seem a hodgepodge set and they are. I have picked them up over the years (I clearly have wanted to be on this journey for a long time and have already read some) as I came across them in good deals. I have several more volumes than I need to secure. Would love to hear any recommendations! God bless!
Thanks for the shout-out, and good luck on your quest!
I’ve had a far more rewarding experience reading the best biographies of the presidents than I could have ever expected. Seeing the world through their eyes really does bring history to life in an entertaining and almost effortless way.
Also, conventional wisdom seems to suggest the US currently faces unique and insurmountable political and social challenges, but what I’ve witnessed thus far (from Washington to Teddy Roosevelt) suggests this isn’t really the case. We’ve been “here” many times before, and yet our country holds as much promise as ever.
Good luck again on your journey and Happy 4th of July!
Thanks! Your blog is the most amazing thing I have come across on the subject of presidential biographies. Your reviews really help us decide which volumes we should read.
It is going to be so interesting to see you go on to the end. You may cross a few by the end that are far more disturbing than those you have covered through TR. I look forward to read them all as you go through them!
God bless!
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I have “God in the White House: The Faiths of American Presidents.” Does that count? Haven’t read it yet, but I enjoyed your blog on the subject!
God bless!
I am not familiar with that book. Sounds like it would be incredibly interesting.
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I’ve been attempting to read a bio of each president as well–started in 2012. I like your approach, as it’s the same as mine: don’t be over ambitious, and don’t read in chronological order. Keep the journey fun! I’ve been jumping around reading what strikes me as interesting, at the pace I want, and that has enabled me to keep up the project. I know that if I made myself go in chronological order, I would lose motivation in the 19th century. Good luck–I’ll keep checking in here!
Thanks Rebecca! I love our approach too. It’s much more fun this way! God bless and happy reading.
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