Scan barcode
livruther's review
informative
medium-paced
4.0
i felt like the writing of this was very objective, which i appreciated. i also thought it was a good length for a presidential biography. it was long enough to be detailed but not too long that it was a super slog to get through. the writing is also solid and not too dry. not exciting by any means, but it didnt make me want to go to sleep. my biggest gripe was with the choice of which information was presented. i think there were some more interesting angles that the author could have brought up.
apryls's review against another edition
2.0
Overall very meh. I appreciate biographies that go into how the president's policies and decisions impacted the country down the road; this did not do that. He died, and that was the end. Some speculation on if he inadvertently played a hand in the Great Depression and rise of Nazism would have been appreciated!
bryan8063's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. What resonated with me was how she showed what the presidency was before the modern one. What a difference. Coolidge believed in refrain, waiting to act, then act at the right moment. His presidency was about fiscal responsibility as he cut the WWI debt, which is hard to leave a large legacy with that. His foreign policy accomplishment was the Kellogg-Briand Pact and that fell to ashes with the start of WWII. What was left? The Great Depression and he was unfairly blamed for that. Then you had FDR, JFK, LBJ, and so one that had these huge personalities. Coolidge just wasn't that kind of president.
I think Shlaes could have refrained her bias, especially during the time she was writing about Coolidge's presidency. Some of her points about Coolidge's thinking, especially about his relationship with the farmers, is a little confusing. Yet, overall, I recommend this book to anyone interested in Coolidge or history of the presidency.
I think Shlaes could have refrained her bias, especially during the time she was writing about Coolidge's presidency. Some of her points about Coolidge's thinking, especially about his relationship with the farmers, is a little confusing. Yet, overall, I recommend this book to anyone interested in Coolidge or history of the presidency.
statman's review
3.0
Coolidge is a relatively unknown and underrated president so it was great to have a biography that covered his life. He is so different than the modern politician with his non-verbose ways and his strong fiscal conservativeness. What a different notion than anything you hear today - that government should only spend what it receives.
jmtaylor1981's review against another edition
3.0
I love US Presidential history, I feel like learning about the best & worst of this country's leaders can help one to determine where this country is headed. I was hoping this be up there with David McCullough's Adams, or Ron Chernow's Washington, or A. Scott Berg's Wilson but it wasn't even close. I could not get past Shlaes' writing style. And, because of that, I could not invest in the story as much as I wished.
That being said, nearly a century after his death, Coolidge is often an overlooked American President; Shlaes deserves thanks for helping us know and understand the 30th President of the United States.
That being said, nearly a century after his death, Coolidge is often an overlooked American President; Shlaes deserves thanks for helping us know and understand the 30th President of the United States.
pamiverson's review against another edition
3.0
Long, detailed biography of 1920's President. Highlights what a small role the President expected to have -- he was involved in details of the budget -- how can each Department make cuts. Not a spectacular President, did not realize how what he was doing might contribute to the downfall of the economy.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
Calvin Coolidge was placed on the 1920 Republican ticket as the vice-presidential candidate because of his actions during the 1919 Boston Police Strike when he was Governor of Massachusetts and he became the president on the death of Warren G. Harding in 1923. Untainted by the scandals of the Harding administration, Coolidge went on to be elected in his own right in 1924 and presided over four years of pre-Great Depression prosperity. Amity Shlaes has created a glowing portrait of Calvin Coolidge and views him as an unappreciated hero in the political history of the 20th century. Shlaes is clearly an admirer of Coolidge and praises his emergence as a champion of low taxes, small government, and admirer of business as the foundation of America ("He who builds a factory builds a Temple") without analyzing what his administration's policies meant for the average American worker or farmer. Readers who don't share Shlaes' conservative views may become impatient with her dismissal of the real economic distress in which many Americans found themselves after World War I and during the years that we were "Keeping Cool with Coolidge".