Don't Know Much About the American Presidents

November 26, 2012
Davis’s latest historical reference explores the presidency as an institution and the individual lives of the men who have served as America’s commander in chief. The book’s shifts between narrative and encyclopedic elements would likely have presented a solo reader with a serious challenge in maintaining fluid narration. Luckily, the collaboration between Arthur Morey, Kirby Heyborne, and Mark Bramhall does just that. In performing the book’s main narrative, Morey adopts the tone of a kindly professor, balancing the seriousness of the subject with the need to engage with his audience. When pronouncing the historical judgments of Davis, Morey lets his voice rise and fall to convey the heights of successes and the depths of failures. Heyborne and Bramhall also turn in solid performances—among the highlights are the “Fast Facts” and “Presidential Voices” segments. A Hyperion hardcover.

Starred review from October 8, 2012
In this presidential election year, bestselling author Davis (Don't Know Much About History) returns with an absorbing take on the American presidency. Like his previous works, this hefty but breezy compendium offers brief assessments of America's chief executives, accompanied here by quotes (often clipped from inauguration speeches), a timeline featuring key moments of their life and term(s) as president, and miscellaneous trivia about each commander-in-chief, concluding with a "final judgment" of their legacy complete with a letter grade. Of course some presidents (e.g., Washington, Lincoln, and FDR) get more in-depth coverage than others. (e.g., William Henry Harrison, Grover Cleveland) and Davis, not one to mince words writes in his assessment of Franklin Pierce: "Good looks, breeding, brains and piety do not a good president make." Davis's bipartisan analysis offers a refreshingly agnostic look at the fumbles, foibles and victories large and small that make up a presidential term. Loaded with dishy trivia (Gerald Ford was a male model, FDR tried to have "In God We Trust" removed from currency) and succinct analysis of pivotal events like Watergate, the election of Lincoln ("the most momentous in American history") and America's involvement in WWI, Davis remains a highly informed, observant student of history eager to share his discoveries and knowledge.