president - Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

James K. Polk by John Seigenthaler

By Scott J. Pearson | September 27, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

US President James Polk (1845-1849) elicits strong opinions from those aware of his record. They either love him for his effectiveness and performance or hate him for his difficult personality and the Mexican War. So-called “Young Hickory,” styling himself after “Old Hickory” Andrew Jackson, Polk set out to be a one-term president and to accomplish four specific goals outlined in his inaugural. He accomplished all of them and died a few months after leaving the…

My Life by Bill Clinton

By Scott J. Pearson | January 9, 2022January 9, 2022 by Scott J. Pearson

The name Bill Clinton evokes several reactions among people, each with its own emotional subtext: economic prosperity, partisan conflict, sexual misconduct, and international peacemaking. In a long history of American presidential memoirs, Clinton adds his to the list in this book. It is lengthy, thoughtful, and carefully crafted. He attempts to provide insight into himself and his leadership while advocating for the policies his administration enacted during his presidency. I was a Republican teenager from…

Biography-Memoir History

Eisenhower: The White House Years

By Scott J. Pearson | October 11, 2021October 11, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

After 70 years, Eisenhower remains a respected president with a mostly positive influence. Not only did he lead the Allies to victory in World War II, but as president, he also organized the world for a lasting peace. He continued to develop the American economy so that over time, America would win the Cold War against communism while not annihilating the world in the process. Newton analyzes these issues in careful detail, but he tends…

Biography-Memoir History

Wilson by A. Scott Berg

By Scott J. Pearson | June 1, 2021June 1, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

Both Woodrow Wilson and World War I are generally overlooked by American historians because FDR and World War II tends to overshadow them. However, as Berg makes clear, both set the stage for the American century by transforming an isolationist country into the dominant player on the world stage. The son of a Presbyterian minister and a university president, US President Woodrow Wilson led America into this change. Although Congress never accepted his major creation…

Biography-Memoir History

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

By Scott J. Pearson | June 18, 2020June 18, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Teddy Roosevelt was certainly one of the greatest U.S. Presidents. Perhaps below a Washington or a Lincoln, but not much below. He set the twentieth century for America on a positive course and ushered in what has been called the American century. In this biography, Morris explores the Teddy Roosevelt that came to be before he assume presidential office. This work is part of a three-part series and has been ranked in the top 100…

Biography-Memoir

A Woman’s Education: The Road from Coorain Leads to Smith College

By Scott J. Pearson | December 19, 2019December 19, 2019 by Scott J. Pearson

Jill Ker Conway has left us with quite a trilogy of autobiographies. In so doing, she has divided her life into thirds – growing up on the Australian outback, coming of age in North-American academe, and gaining a feminist voice as president of the elite Smith College. This work examines her experiences at Smith College. She poured her soul into learning to articulate an authentically feminine institutional voice in a world of coeducation. Instead of…

Biography-Memoir History

41: A Portrait of My Father

By Scott J. Pearson | August 25, 2019October 11, 2019 by Scott J. Pearson

The notion of this book is very interesting. A Presidential biography written by a fellow President who is also a son. Parallels to the Adams family abound. George Bush the Elder, possessing a lifetime of experience in government, is like John Adams, also a one-term President. George W. Bush and John Quincy Adams are both sons who became President. Both sons had shortcomings which can be linked to their elite birth. Both sons knew how…

Biography-Memoir History

Review: Theodore Rex

By Scott J. Pearson | July 12, 2019July 12, 2019 by Scott J. Pearson

Teddy Roosevelt set the agenda for twentieth-century America. After assuming the presidency because of an assassination (McKinley), Roosevelt provided a successful progressive trajectory for the coming century. Because of him, America prospered and prospers still. He impacted just about every major area with his touch. He helped start the area of land conservation. He introduced legislation to improve transportation by ending the railway trust. In foreign policy, he mediated negotiations to end the Russian-Japanese War…