We've recently added four new books to our biographies of US presidents. Larry has read them all--here are his reviews!

Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times

Kenneth White, Alfred Knopf, out now

It has been a long time since there has been a comprehensive review of President Hoover. This impressive volume is an effort to tell his story and reappraise his place in our history. There is strong attention given to his development as a person and to his business background and his evolution as a humanitarian, including his relief work feeding Europe during and after WW1. The story of his presidential years follows the path of the Great Depression and his efforts to correct it, continuing through his personal and ideological conflict with FDR and the establishment of the modern conservatism of the Republican Party.

The Accidental President:    Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World

A. J. Bailey, HMH, out now
In this book,  Bailey spotlights the first four tumultuous months of Truman's presidency after FDR's death, focusing on the transformation of an official into a President in a time of complex, life-or-death decisions with worldwide impact.

The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur

Scott Greenberger, DeCapo, out now
Chester Arthur is considered the most accidental President in a group that often included surprising political party choices. He was a true political hack who tried to transform himself to fit the expectations surrounding a President. With his transformation, he proved his honesty and tried to produce reform in both his party and in the federal government, as well as involving himself in the struggle for the rights of African Americans and Native Americans. However, he was not really very astute in the political game and lost his bid for a second term. I found this book extremely interesting as I, like many, had forgotten about this man and his efforts.

Grant

Ron Chernow, Penguin, out now.
Undoubtedly, the big presidential biography of the season and impressive in its breadth. In typical fashion, one would have to search hard to discover a facet of Grant's life not covered by Chernow. The reader witnesses the author's growing admiration for Grant through the book. While the terrible plague of scandal around Grant in his second administration is not denied, the man's honesty, judgement, and basic integrity remains. Chernow is now among those calling for a review of Grant the human, the general and the president.  Like Chernow's Hamilton, Grant is a major biography and worth the time of any reader.