The Story of America Through Our Presidents

41: A Portrait of My Father, by George W. Bush
It’s easy to forget that presidents are humans, people with interior lives and unique personalities. By necessity, presidents tamp down their ordinary person-ness during their terms in office. In this remarkable book, one man tells the story of his father. The unique twist: both men served as president. Narrated in George W. Bush’s trademark style—earnest folksiness combined with sly charm and surprising depth—this is a remarkable book documenting the life George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, who had achieved a lifetime of amazing deeds before being elected to the highest office in the land.

Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot, by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
In his second work of nonfiction, O’Reilly uses an accessible narrative style to narrate a carefully researched historical account of the Kennedy assassination. Focusing on the three years of Kennedy’s administration and on the assassination that ended his life, O’Reilly and his co-author offer glimpses into the confidential events—both official and personal—that led up to that tragic day.

The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most famous presidents in history; William Howard Taft, decidedly less so. Yet you can’t truly understand Roosevelt or the time in which he lived and governed without understanding his relationship with Taft. In The Bully Pulpit, celebrated historian and gifted writer Doris Kearns Goodwin recounts the epic Progressive Era—one of the most transformative periods in U.S. history—and the relationship between Roosevelt and the man he thought he could trust to continue his reform work, but whom he ultimately viewed as a traitor to his legacy.

The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society, by Julian E. Zelizer
As years pass and a consensus forms, many presidential terms get reduced to tidy, familiar narratives. In Lyndon Johnson’s case, the conventional wisdom is that he enjoyed a “liberal moment” after President Kennedy’s assassination that made it easy to push through an incredible slate of landmark legislation, collectively known as “The Great Society.” In this illuminating book, Zelizer argues that the real narrative is much more complex, as was Johnson himself. Zelizer crafts a fascinating history of Johnson the man, as well as the work he did to ensure passage of what is—along with the Vietnam War—Johnson’s defining legacy as President.

Lincoln’s Boys: John Hay, John Nicolay, and the War for Lincoln’s Image, by Joshua Zeitz
In this remarkable book, Zeitz examines Abraham Lincoln as a man, a gifted political operator, and one of the most influential chief executives of all time. We see the famed commander in chief through the eyes of his official secretaries, two men who had almost unfettered access to the president, and who took it upon themselves after his assassination to compile what remains, to this day, the definitive biography of the legendary leader. By exploring the lives and careers of these two men, Zeitz manages to illuminate one of the most written-about presidents in a whole new light.

George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution, by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger
George Washington remains the most iconic—and in some ways, misunderstood—president in history, his term of office usually conflated with his military exploits during the American Revolution. Kilmeade and Yaeger focus on a little-known aspect of that revolution: the spy ring Washington personally formed to provide himself with crucial intelligence that enabled his vastly inferior forces to resist, and ultimately defeat, the British. This spy ring so secretive and so well-organized that the identify of one of its six members remains a mystery to this day. Written in a compelling, exciting style, this book offers a fresh take on one of our most-studied presidents.

Washington’s Revolution: The Making of America’s First Leader, by Robert Middlekauff
By the time George Washington stepped onto the global stage, he was a man so in control of his emotions and public image, he was almost unknowable. That opaqueness continues to define him, as most people think of him more as an icon than as a human being. Middlekauff takes a close look at Washington’s youth, when he was less guarded and more prone to personal revelation, and paints a portrait of a young man growing in confidence, self-control, and genius, until finally emerging as one of the greatest generals and leaders in American history.

The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan, by Rick Perlstein
To understand the political present, it’s essential to understand its past—and the role two presidents, one disgraced, another years away from election, played in shaping it. Perlstein examines the low years between Richard Nixon’s resignation and the remarkable moment in 1976 when it appeared Ronald Reagan might actually win the Republican nomination for President. He didn’t, but his narrow defeat marked the beginning of the rise of the Conservative movement that continues to shape modern politics. Perlstein brings the time period to life, making it clear to modern readers why Reagan’s rise at the convention was so surprising, so transformative—and so possible.

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President, by Candice Millard
The story of President James A. Garfield is surprisingly under-explored for being so dramatic: four months into a contentious term in which he tried to clean house and achieve great things in foreign policy and civil rights, the president was shot by a deranged man. The wound should have been survivable, but doctors failed to locate the bullet and, because they didn’t understand germs and infection, worsened Garfield’s condition at almost every turn. As the president slowly dies, Millard recounts the parallel—and equally fascinating—tale of the power struggle going on around him, telling each story with verve and energy.

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, by Jon Meacham
President Thomas Jefferson remains one of the most enigmatic men ever to hold the office of president. The most important figure in the shaping of our young country, from revolution through its earliest years, our third president is presented in Meacham’s remarkable book as a pragmatic realist who managed to achieve his lofty goals of popular government and a stable America through his genius, nerve, and ability to navigate between conflicting forces. The book presents Jefferson in an unwaveringly positive light that will leave you inspired.
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