“Gerhardt is fluent in Lincoln history and political philosophy, but he stays close to his aspiration for the book—not to cover every event, but to demonstrate how an untutored, Western, sm
“Alter provides a multi-dimensional portrait of an American president’s journey as a husband, father, and perhaps his most fulfilling role, as humanitarian.”
“The Hour of Fate is a tale of greed, power, and accountability, an epic story of a clash of titans, one a political dynamo, the other unparalleled in business sav
“This is the story of George Washington’s founding of the city that would bear his name and that grew to be the most important capital city in the world.”
These days many historians would ask: Why another book about a well-known founding father, in this case a dual biography of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington?
“To the average American, the notion of using the courthouse simply as a negotiating tool or a bludgeon with which to batter one’s enemies, rather than as a place to facilitate justice, oug
A Republic, If You Can Keep It opens delightfully with a short autobiography flavored with stories, among them, tracing family history, savoring chicken curry, eluding reporters and camera
“Pipes recounts the gradual process by which through the sheer force of his intellect, Richard Nixon became relevant again to the debates about America’s proper role in the world.”
When someone says, “She’s a lesbian, but really nice,” the “but” reveals unfair bias. Jonathan Hansen’s “revisionist” account of Fidel Castro is of this sort.
“To quote from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, ‘When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.’ Fortunately for us, author Clay Risen printed both.”
“The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation is not only an important book that reminds us of a historical moment we might have been
“It has been 15 years since Ronald Reagan’s death and more than 30 years since he left the White House, yet most historians and biographers continue to misunderstand the man and the reasons
“Hitler’s Death represents a useful contribution to the neverending literature dealing in some way with the life and death of this most despicable of human beings.
“Haig’s Coup will also appeal to a broader audience, painting a picture that is tantamount to a wreck on the freeway from which we cannot avert our eyes.
“if you really want to be creeped out and want a sleepless night, enter the unsavory and often seedy world of ‘Javanka’ where ruthlessness, egotism, and pure ignorance run rampant.”