chelseela's review against another edition
4.0
Very good book on the 8 "accidental presidents", Tylee, Filmore, Johnson, Arthur, T. Roosevelt, Truman and Johnson. Two chapters on Truman were not necessary and I would have liked a chapter on Ford.
skylar2's review against another edition
3.0
While the first half of the book was well-written and engaging, by the time the book focuses on the 20th century, the prose is rambling and begins to lack much substance. The acknowledgements indicate that the author is a Google executive and decided to eschew a research assistant, so this decline in quality smacks of hubris and "tech bro knows best" applied to disrupting the analysis of history.
pamiverson's review
4.0
Intriguing look at the eight men who became President following the death of the elected President (also looks in less detail at Gerald Ford's rise after Nixon resigned.) How they were chosen to be vice-president, how they prepared for possible succession (even though Truman knew FDR was dying, there was little transition effort, Kennedy and colleagues kept LBJ out of the loop), and what it meant that such a different person became President. Teddy Roosevelt and Truman rose to the occasion, Chester Arthur evolved, Andrew Johnson was horrible. I continue to be fascinated by the Presidents; this was an interesting take on our history. (Note: there are books about Tyler and Truman called "The Accidental President."
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
4.0
This fascinating book looks at the sudden transition of power that takes place when a president dies. It was filled with many things I did not know about those transitions and those presidents. I recommend.
karlycay's review against another edition
4.0
Super interesting! I learned so much and the writing was so good that even if I knew what was coming, Cohen made it seem so dramatic and suspenseful.
gusreads's review
informative
medium-paced
4.5
I have read a lot of presidential history but I still learned a lot about the eight men who became “accidental presidents.” The author did a great job painting informative portraits of all of them, but especially those not as well known. He also makes a persuasive argument for changing the way vice presidents are selected and informed once in the job.