Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Someday, He Will Be President

The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro

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Robert Caro’s Lyndon Johnson series has always been honest about what it is. Ostensibly, this is true about every biography. A book about the life of Amelia Earhart should be just that. Only, every biographer, no matter how well-intentioned, objective, clear-eyed or distant brings with them an angle. Perhaps a person was under appreciated in their time. Maybe they were overrated by the laudations of historical standard. Possibly they had a hidden back story that impacted their life. Caro has been clear that these books […]

New York S—Y

Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America by Maggie Haberman

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Read this as part of cbr14bingo: time. Maggie Haberman connects Donald Trump’s presidency to his upbringing, rise, fall, and rebirth in New York City. By covering one aspect of time, we learn how the city and the country made the man…and how he would eventually remake the country. An aside: The cover art is from The Washington Post’s review of Haberman’s book. I loved it, though I’m out of free articles and have no idea who to credit with it. Ever since his presidency mercifully ended, I’ve had a […]

Outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, outplanned….

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I’ve long been interested in the American presidency. I’ve read,  perhaps, more about the various men to have served that role than any other particular historical subject. Over the last 2+ years participating in the Cannonball, I’ve read about 20 biographies of various presidents. I have books on the office itself, not just the men who’ve sat in it. I’ve read countless articles and think pieces. And in all of this, Jefferson Davis, one and only president of the Confederate States of America, is never […]

At Home in this Nation We’ve Made

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When I was in 5th grade, we were assigned a “President’s Pack” to complete. It was a just a bunch of worksheets with facts about the Presidents, but it was enough to get me hooked. Ever since, I’ve been completely fascinated by the lives of U.S. Presidents. I’ve never cared as much about their political accomplishments–I wanted to know more about their families and their day-to-day lives. This is exactly what The Residence is about, and I found it completely enjoyable. Kate Andersen Brower used […]

Understanding Laura Bush. Kinda.

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Though I read “Prep” many years ago I really enjoyed it and was excited to see what else Sittenfeld had up her sleeve. This novel, loosely based on the life of First Lady Laura Bush, is a fictional memoir of Alice Blackwell, wife of the sitting president Charlie Blackwell.   Beginning on “what might become one of the most significant days in her husband’s presidency,” Alice reflects on all the steps, and missteps, that have shaped her life and gotten her to this moment.   […]



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