American Caesars: Lives of the Presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush

Breezy biographies of the presidents from FDR to Bush, parsed into formative years, public career and personal ethics. Not as much Suetonius as "Lives of the Saints," except they aren't. Occasional lapses in detail (Gerald Ford played for the Michigan State Wolverines?) but the author's choice of broad strokes is the attraction. My father read chapters of the manuscript for the author's brother.

Interesting premise: viewing presidents from Eisenhower onwards with focus on personality as well as achievements, in the style of Suetonius. Falls a bit flat in some areas, but is eloquent in others. One wonders if this book will survive into the distant future and be thought of and used as a source as Suetonius is now?

Hmmmmm, The first ten biographies were good, not great mind you, once Hamilton got to Clinton though the book was sloppy and full of unnecessary feeling. For example all his opponents are frequently referred to as "right wing fanatics" and he tries to link Gingrich (not the most sympathetic of men) to the Oklahoma City bombing. The condescending tone he uses in his treatment of Bush was more embarrassing for Hamilton than Bush. Overall I would have to say this is a very poor book and this is due to the disappointing two chapters.

58__ American Caesars Lives of the Presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush, by Nigel Hamilton (read 23 Feb 2025) Excellent. I agreed with the author most of the time.

Unterschiedlicher könnten die Charaktere kaum sein, die in diesem Band dargestellt werden, von Franklin D. Roosevelt bis zu George W. Bush. Und dabei ist es nahezu erschütternd, wieviel Macht diesen Personen zukommt, und in welchem Ausmaß sie diese auch für ihre eigenen Interessen nutzen. Dass dabei in Hochmut die Verbindung zur Realität verloren gehen kann, ist wohl nachvollziehbar, aber nicht minder verwerflich.
Der Autor macht bei seinen Ausführungen kein Hehl aus seiner eigenen politischen Ausrichtung. Dies mag ihm als voreingenommen zur Last gelegt werden, doch ist es erfrischend, wenn manche Begebenheit mit pointierter Klarheit Ausdruck verschafft wird.
Ein sehr gutes Buch.