| Title | : | To the Best of My Ability |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0756607779 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780756607777 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 488 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2000 |
To the Best of My Ability Reviews
-
One of the more insidious ways to fritter away your life on the internet is to play Jeopardy online, competing against random strangers for (relatively) small amounts of money. There are few things more satisfying than starting out your day by shutting out perky cincinnatipatti, even though you immediately plow your winnings back into playing more online games.
Of course, if you want to stand a fighting chance in the whole online Jeopardy caper, you'll need to buckle down and face a harsh reality. That "U.S. Presidents" category comes up with disturbing regularity and eventually you realise that it can't be ignored. You need somehow to get up to speed on the 42 presidents pronto, assimilating the various tidbits of common knowledge that cincinnatipatti and her ilk had their entire high school years to soak up. What to do?
Well, to get the basic information down, you could do worse than acquire a copy of "To the Best of My Ability" (The American Presidents) . It's published by DK, a company I had previously associated with travel guide books. The DK travel books are typically pretty decent - they all follow a common template, are written at an intermediate level of detail, and incorporate lots of pretty pictures. TtBoMA can be thought of as a kind of high-level guided tour of the U.S. presidency. Following a brief introduction by general editor James McPherson, the book is divided into two parts. The first section, running about 300 pages, comprises 42 essays, one per president from Washington to George W. Bush, written by "the nation's finest historians". The remaining 150 pages are given over to brief accounts of the electoral campaigns and results for each presidential selection (written by Richard M. Pious) and - one of the book's major strengths - the full text of every inaugural address through 2001. My edition of TtBoMA was published in 2004.
The book jacket promises "engaging thoughtful analyses"; a "handsomely illustrated volume" that "brims with fresh anecdotes, stylish prose, and sharp analysis - a treasure!" "Treasure" is pushing it, but the essays are pretty decent for the most part. With only 7 pages per essay, and all of those "handsome illustrations" clamoring for space, in-depth analysis is not really an option, so most of the contributors focus primarily on the main events of each presidency, providing context and explaining consequences as well as the prescribed chapter length allowed.
Given the constraints, TtBoMA was much better than I expected. There are unavoidable structural limitations - some presidencies were more eventful than others, and some presidents were more complex. For example, even the combined contributions of both Harrisons are nowhere near as interesting as those of Lincoln or FDR. Omitting some of the handsome illustrations in favor of additional text would have been a welcome improvement in many cases, as would relaxation of the allocation of equal length to each contribution. Devoting equal space to the month-long tenure of William Henry Harrison and to the Lincoln presidency hardly seems sensible.
But these are minor criticisms. To the Best of My Ability was an interesting, engaging read, and served its purpose nicely. If it weren't for the odious baseball and football categories, I'd be mopping the floor with the other online Jeopardy contestants.
Regrettably, the book has been of little help in boosting my performance in online Trivial Pursuit, a game whose questions are just a bit too ... trivial ... to be dealt with in a serious book. I can, however, share the following nuggets of presidential trivia:
number of left-handed presidents : 3
number of presidents with facial hair : 10
number of presidents assassinated while in office : 4
number of presidents who died in office from causes other than assassination : 4
fattest president : William Howard Taft, who gained 50 pounds in a two-year period, ballooning to a zenith of 355 pounds. Famously, he had to have a super-large bathtub installed in the White House
shortest president : James Madison, who stood barely 5' 4" tall and weighed only 100 pounds
(perhaps) the most handsome president : Franklin Pierce
the only bachelor president : James Buchanan
3 creepy presidents : Harding, Coolidge, Nixon
presidents who fathered bastard children : Jefferson, Cleveland, Harding
number of presidents who were only children : 0
-
This book is a perfect refresher of the highlights of each U.S. President, including the messy elections and transitions between Presidents. So often I see new publications of Presidential Histories which don't give me the highlights, but take a novel spin on history. This book serves a useful purpose and is highly readable.
I even learned some things--even though I was a history major. For example, I had no idea that Buchanan was rumored by some people to be gay (and I'm embarrassed I didn't know that).
Also, this is a great preparatory book before you read "America: A Citizens Guide to Democracy Inaction" by Jon Stewart and the Daily Show writers.
I remembered half of the joke about Silent Cal having someone say that she could get him to say more than two words, and he responded "You Lose." I couldn't remember what the two words were exactly. Thankfully, the story was recounted in To the Best of My Ability. In the Jon Stewart version, a lady tells him at a dinner party that she was going to get him to say more than two words, to which he replies "F*** You."
While that's funny, I'm pretty sure it didn't go down that way. Thank you To the Best of My Ability for clearing it up.
Also, one interesting point about the format of the book. DK publishing does many of our family's travel guides. As a result, this book is beautifully designed with nice glossy pictures. I especially liked the discussions on TR and Lincoln.
For a very in-depth discussion of Lincoln's assassination, you should check out "Assassination Vacation" by Sarah Vowell. She's seriously incredible. -
Not a bad source for information about the first 42 presidents at all. It had all or most of their inaugural addresses and there were pictures I hadn't seen before of them. Also learned some really weird facts too. Like Thomas Jefferson invented something that "allowed him to read 5 books simultaneously" and James Madison has a lock of his hair in a little locket thing. The weirdest part? The hair looks exactly like mine.😮😂
-
It was very organized and didn't dull me with unnecessary details. I wanted to know all about the presidents but the problem with me is that most books about the early presidents contain many pages and I don't want all the details so this gave me what I exactly wanted and needed.
I am more interested in presidents starting from TR (Theodore Roosevelt) and those who came after him because I think that's when the important part of history started and got even more dirty and interesting.
This is well researched, well presented and worth it. -
a brief bio on each president. We have found this book an enjoyable flip through together book.
-
A great companion for anyone interested in American presidential history, this book covers the presidencies from Washington through Clinton featuring interesting short historical essays, an appendix with short summations of each presidential election, and transcripts of every inaugural address, few of which are memorable. The Dorling Kindersley volume is also peppered with their trademark attention to photographs, art work, and brief vignettes of historical information in the margins.
Two recurring theme’s struck me. Most vice presidents who were elevated to the presidency were deemed woefully inadequate before taking office. Often this was proven to correct, with Arthur and Truman being distinct exceptions. Also, many who were considered eminently qualified because of their experience turned out to be quite miserable (Van Buren, Buchanan, Grant, and Hoover).
Since the book concludes with Bill Clinton’s presidency, here’s what I think future historians might write of the two who came after him:
“In his last years, George W. Bush himself admitted that he was never up to the task of being president and allowed himself to be manipulated and misled by those he most trusted.”
“Despite the symbolism of being the first black American elected president and taking in his signature accomplishment, the expansion of health care, Barack Obama's years were marked by incremental, minor changes that were more caretaker than transformational.”
What the hell, let’s speculate:
“Washington’s moneyed lobbies looked back upon the Hillary Clinton administration as their Golden Age while the constituencies that supported her are still scratching their heads and asking what happened.”
“After an intransigent Congress blocked every one of Bernie Sanders's initiatives in the first two years of his administration, he rallied the nation in a 21st century reprise of Truman’s Whistle Stop Tour to elect strong progressive majorities in Washington and numerous state legislatures.”
“Historians assessing the Donald Trump presidency agreed that they might have been a bit harsh on James Buchanan.”
“Public and congressional opposition to the Ted Cruz administration unified the American people more than any time since World War II.”
John Kasich: (see Hillary Clinton and replace references to Clinton with Kasich)
Key excerpts from each of the presidential essays:
“[George Washington] was an extraordinary man who made it possible for ordinary men to rule.”
“…[John] Adams’s sensitivity to criticism led him to confuse uniformity with unity and to seek consequences through legal force—errors committed by later presidents and politicians as well.”
“The making of policy throughout [Thomas] Jefferson’s presidency was essentially an editorial process.”
“[James Madison] had been convinced that unbridled executive power, especially in time of war, posed a great threat to the cause of republican government.”
“The [Monroe] doctrine far outlasted [James] Monroe’s tenure and indeed became more significant in the twentieth century than it was in the nineteenth.”
“[John Quincy Adams] favored conviction over compromise and preferred discipline to convenience. A rare president.”
“By the skillful used of his veto power, [Andrew] Jackson gained enormous advantages over Congress and won for himself a significant role in the legislative process.”
“[I]n his handling of the slave issue, [Martin] Van Buren established the practice of northern Democratic leaders abetting southern interests.”
“[William Henry Harrison’s] tragic death robbed the American people of their chosen leader and the Whig party of the fruits of its triumph.”
“[John Tyler’s] penchant for strong unilateral action quickly established the pattern for his presidency.”
“If there is a Valhalla where great presidents gather, it’s not hard to imagine Andrew Jackson standing at the gates, welcoming James Knox Polk to the select company.”
“During the campaign, [Zachary] Taylor pledged not to veto congressional legislation concerning slavery in the territories, thereby mollifying proslavery and antislavery elements.”
“[T]he Fugitive Slave Law…had been accepted as constitutional, and [Millard] Fillmore was as stalwart a defender of the Constitution as anyone.”
“[Franklin] Pierce’s ideology of limited government together with his personal traits of accommodation and deference to the powerful southern wing of his party made for an inept president who piloted the ship of state to the shoals of secession and civil war.”
“[James] Buchanan’s presidency demonstrated that harm that can result when great talent and experience are shackled to a personality ill suited to the pressures of the office.”
“Washington’s legacy was one nation, perhaps divisible, with liberty for some; [Abraham] Lincoln’s was one nation, indivisible, with liberty for all.”
“[Andrew] Johnson’s blunders contributed to the defeat of congressional candidates who would have supported him, greatly strengthening the radicals.”
“[Ulysses S. Grant’s animosity toward reformers] blinded him to the corruption that did exist, and his resentment undermined what had been his greatest asset—his ability to identify able subordinates who could be trusted to carry out his wishes.”
“Inheriting a weakened presidency, sectional bitterness, and widespread corruption, [Rutherford B. Hayes] dexterously handled the emergence of an industrial America divided by class, ethnicity, and extreme partisanship.”
“For reformers, it turned out, a dead [James A. ] Garfield proved much more valuable than a living one.”
“[Chester A.] Arthur’s reserve, so unexpected in a graduate of machine politics, restored to the presidency some dignity lost during the tenures of Johnson and Grant.”
“A largely negative president, [Grover Cleveland] firmly believed it was his duty to prevent hurtful things from happening, rather than to make beneficial things take place.”
“[Benjamin Harrison] was also the regular object of public jesting, in much the same way Gerald Ford was a century later.”
“It was with sure instinct that [William] McKinley became the leading exponent of the most powerful theme of the late-nineteenth-century Republican party: American nationalism.”
“[Theodore Roosevelt] tested and extended the limits of the American presidency—emphatically.”
“Though an effective lieutenant under Roosevelt, [William Howard] Taft had little sense of what he wanted to accomplish as president.”
“What [Woodrow] Wilson wanted was not an equilibrium based on a balance of power but a universalistic peace rooted in American moral values.”
“To [a friend Warren G.] Harding declared, ‘I am not fit for this office and should never have been elected.’”
“[Calvin Coolidge] regarded government, unlike business and industry, as being nonproductive: His task, therefore, was not to innovate but to improve what already worked.”
“[Herbert Hoover’s] presidency is perhaps best described as a series of disasters that left the nation immobilized both at home and abroad.”
“As a result of [Franklin D. Roosevelt’s policies], for the first time, people began to experience the federal government as a concrete part of their daily lives.”
“[Harry S. Truman] correctly believed that the National Security Act greatly strengthened his ability (and that of future presidents) to undertake America’s apparently permanent role of world leadership.”
“[Dwight D. Eisenhower’s] single greatest achievement, George Gallup’s pollsters heard over and over again as the president prepared to leave office, was that had ‘kept the peace.’”
“Unfortunately, [John F.] Kennedy knew more about becoming president than being president.”
“[Lyndon B. Johnson] turned his difficulties into advantages that helped him become one of the two greatest domestic reform presidents in U.S. history (the other being Franklin Roosevelt).”
“In his relentless pursuit of the White House, [Richard M.] Nixon had accumulated hatreds and insecurities that seemed to grip him even more tightly when he at last achieved the long-sought power.”
“[Gerald R. Ford] had the misfortune of becoming president as the mood of his party shifted right.”
“[A]fter voters booted [him] from office, [Jimmy] Carter has become…renowned the world over as the epitome of the caring, compassionate, best sort of American statesman.”
“Yet questions linger as to which [Ronald] Reagan was the ‘real’ one: the ideologue or pragmatist? the great man or the dunce?”
“[George Bush’s] foreign policy successes and the respect he had won from America’s allies seemed to count for little during the months that followed the Gulf War.”
“More likely, [Bill] Clinton will be recalled as a president who might have been great, had he not squandered his talents.” -
I spilled my coffee on this book and I could wipe it off. That's how well done the photo paper was on my copy.
This book is a collection of tiny biographies made by a great diversity of authors. I may be reading into this a bit much, but I got the feeling that the authors were extremely partisan. The authors of Reagan/HW Bush's sections viewed them as major successes and the authors viewed Kennedy/Johnson as abject failures.
What hurts this book is partisanship and disorganized delegation.
Robert Dallek probably appreciated writing Johnson's section, but Dallek had already dedicated a significant portion of his career to Kennedy, not Johnson. Robert Caro, who is reputed today as one of the greatest historians, should have been tapped to do Johnson because of his dedication to LBJ.
The book's other section contains all of the inaugural addresses, campaign slogans, and campaign strategies of each election the president took place in except Ford. Poor Gerry. -
Definitely not for those without a good understanding of all of American history. It summarizes each presidency while not going into much of any background information about them. Each chapter (one chapter per president) was written by different writers but all maintained the same voice and style - overly academic and judgmental (quite slanted). The second half was a few paragraphs on the elections with inaugural addresses following each summary. The sidebars have great little tidbits and included something about how each met their wives and the personalities of their wives. I found that the most interesting. However, it was difficult to know how to read this book with the main chapters, sidebars, election information, addresses, etc. It’s a beautiful book with wonderful photos. (Hoping to find another book that better summarizes the presidents for non-academics.)
-
I’ve been wanting to read this cover-to-cover* for a few years now, having only picked it up as a quick reference on occasion. Written in a non-partisan fashion by many acclaimed historians, it’s a great primer for Presidents Washington through Clinton. I’ve been motivated to read more about our Presidents, especially living in a time when our current White House occupant lacks the intellect and empathy of his 44 predecessors.
* When I say cover-to-cover, I have to confess I did not read all of the inaugural addresses towards the back of the book. In fact I only read about a dozen of them. Close enough. -
Interesting, but Slanted
Lot of good information and a quick history, but the authors seemingly never met a government regulation or expansion that they didn't approve of. They provide an interesting service in showing that the political leaders, including the presidents, have generally been largely incompetent and hypocritical, with little understanding or regard for the principles of the Constitution -
Read this twice,, the last time maybe 5 years ago.Has to be one of the greatest book written on the U.S. Presidency with thorough, highly informative and interesting chapters on those who held office but also how the office changed since its inception. There's a more comprehensive one I inherited from my pop called the Complete...which I'm adding to my list.
-
It was good. Mostly interesting, but for some reason I had thought there would be a little more trivia in this. There was some, which I enjoyed. I also learned some things that changed a few of my opinions. I didn't read all about the campaigns and the inaugural addresses. I started that, but I really wasn't enjoying them at all, so I just read the info about the presidents.
-
Very interesting, until the 20th century when the bios become quite slanted. The inaugural speeches are included which was a great feature.
-
This is an easy vehicle for learning the Presidents and what they did and did not do for the American people. There are lots of illustrations that help bring us a visual taste of the times and important concurrent events are shown to help the reader gain a sense of each era. The book has a heart – it refers to the Trail of Tears as “one of the most disgraceful and dishonorable actions in American History” while other books leave Jackson high on a pedestal. It shows how Hayes becomes Rutherfraud by selling out the Black population of the south and the achievements of Lincoln and Grant in order to become President. I loved that it flat out says that Wilson was a white supremacist! Whitewashing American History only reinforces exceptionalism, jingoism, and fear of “the other” (“we always want to do the right thing but ‘bad’ others make us fight at their level”). Five stars for the presentation (printed on fancy gloss paper to make the illustrations look great) and for how the info is given on each president that is really usable and genuinely interesting. Lots of great facts - and great photographs we never get to see elsewhere.
-
I decided recently to devote some serious time to studying the politics of my country, having just a casual interest in the past and some very solid opinions that may not have been one hundred percent informed, or at least not as informed as I would like, so I immediately started searching through my local library and decided to start with this book.
And I have to say, I know how to pick 'em. This is an excellent reference book that contains well-researched biographies on each President up to Clinton (the book being published in 2000). Pherson has pulled together some heavy-hitters to write each bio and includes a wealth of major events that occurred during each presidency. Also included in the back of the book are breakdowns of each campaign and each President's inaugural address.
I learned so much from this book and will definitely be picking up a copy for my own library as soon as possible. Also, it's left me ready to learn more. -
This was a present to me from my parents that I received on my twentieth birthday. It is a great introductory resource for information on the Presidents of the United States. Each section is a mini-biography and the events of their presidency. Each section is visibly decorated with paintings and later photos of the presidents. The second part contains a description of each presidential election followed by each inaugural address of the elected president. The presidential biographies go from George Washington to Bill Clinton and the inaugurals go from Washington to George W. Bush.
This book is well-done and well put together and is a great gift for a fledgling presidential history buff. -
I confess - I don't know much about our presidents and which one is responsible for which acts. It's embarassing. So, I've developed a plan to fix it: I'm reading this book simultaneoulsy with a book about the First Ladies.
To be fair, I started reading this book along side the First Lady book and the two Howard Zinn books but it was just too much to try to stay in the same decade in each book. So, I'm set to start reading this along side the First Lady book which gives a really nice, rounded view into the presidency. -
So leading up to President's Day, I have been reading this book full of factoids, some obscure and some well-known, about our country's presidents. You get the highs and lows of each president and, in the margins, there are wonderful sidebars about the first ladies and objects of interest of each president. I love history, so I am loving this book. It doesn't dive TOO deep, but it leaves you with an impression of how each presidency. The back part of the book reprints inauguration speeches and election results from each president...pretty cool.
-
This book was seriously 3.5 pounds heavy. Too heavy for reading in bed but I enjoyed both parts of it (it could have been two seperated volumes, with one being the presidents and the other their inaugural speeches). Annitoted books are my favorite. And this did not disappoint, I was inspired to learn more about Hoover and Nixon but disappointed that some serious shortcomings were breezed over or not mentioned at all (Andrew Jackson).
-
I loved it. It is a well put together book. Each President is a short three or four pages overview, written by different contributors. The photographs are wonderful to look at. I highly recommend it for anyone that wants to learn the presidential histories. If you have a child that is learning history, have them read this book and watch the History Channel Presidents DVD as a companion. They will need to look up some vocabulary.
-
I really enjoyed this book about the Presidents. Would love to see it updated as it only goes through Clinton. There were many facts I knew, others I did not. It is an easy read and reminds me very much of the the History Channel's special "The Presidents" which leads me to believe it was based on this book.
-
I have a goal, unattainable of course, of reading the biography of each US President great or small. Short of that I try to concentrate on my favorite ones and then the most important ones. This book is good to look at the minor players, who serve and do momentous things that history has hidden away.
-
McPherson is wonderful. It's a great way to find out about the presidents.
-
The best book I own. I read it over and over. It is a well presented biography of our 43 presidents.
-
Wonderful pictures and stories. You will need a thesaraus to keep up with some of the vocabulary. Good details
-
Great bed time reading
-
Solid presentation and content, by some big name authors. Reads like a book version of a History Channel special which, in fact, it is. Cue dramatic music and gravelly narrator voice.
