A review by papidoc
Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America by Jared Cohen

5.0

Accidental Presidents was a well researched, engaging exploration of the transitions between elected presidents and those while followed them into that office upon their deaths in office. Cohen also describes the evolution in the policies and procedures and even laws around those transitions. It may be difficult for us in these days to imagine it, but how and whether and by whom the presidential seat would be filled was, for many years, much less clear than it is now. Even as recently as 1981, when Ronald Reagan was shot, we saw Al Haig, then Secretary of State, rush to the podium and, in an unfortunate choice of phrasing for which he would ever after be remembered, declare “I, Al Haig, am in control here at the White House.” He certainly knew that he would not be the next President, but what a PR nightmare!

Cohen does a nice job of illuminating interesting details around the assassinations and other deaths in office of eight presidents, and the resulting changes in the country's direction from the influence of their successors...some good, and some not so good. I found myself speculating about what might have happened had the original president continued in office for his full term. Again, I suspect some good and some not so good would have come about. It's hard to imagine a world in which Teddy Roosevelt or Lyndon Johnson wasn't president at the precise time in which they ascended to the presidency.

All in all, a fascinating book, highly readable, and filling an interesting gap in my under standing of American history. Worth a read.