The Glory and the Burden

The American Presidency from FDR to Trump

By: Robert Schmuhl

Narrated by: Peter Lerman

The Glory and the Burden: The American Presidency from FDR to Trump is a timely examination of the state of the American presidency and the forces that have shaped it over the past 75 years, with an emphasis on the dramatic changes that have taken place within the institution and to the individuals occupying the Oval Office.

In this fascinating book, Robert Schmuhl traces the evolution of the modern presidency back to the terms of Franklin Roosevelt, maintaining that FDR’s White House years had a profound impact on the office, resulting in significant changes to the job and to those who have performed it since. Specifically, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, limiting a president to two terms, has largely redefined each administration’s agenda. News sources and social media have also grown exponentially, exercising influence over the conduct of presidents and affecting the consequences of their behavior.

Schmuhl examines the presidency as an institution and the presidents as individuals from several different perspectives. He identifies recent trends in the office and probes the relationship between the White House and various forms of contemporary media. This book is an engrossing listen for a general audience, particularly those with an interest in politics, American history, journalism, and communications.

The book is published by University of Notre Dame Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

"An important and timely book." (The Irish Catholic)

"The book plows new ground, making sense of what appears to be inexplicable and upsetting to many." (Tom Bettag, former executive news producer at ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN)

“It’s the kind of book that every American should read in the run-up to the next presidential election.” (Robert Costa, national political reporter for The Washington Post and moderator of Washington Week on PBS)

©2019 University of Notre Dame (P)2019 Redwood Audiobooks

The Glory and the burden

This was interesting and timely.Peter Lerman was a fine narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Thoughts About How the Presidency Got to 2020

I listened to the Audible version of this book over the weekend after the U.S. assassination of Iranian General Soleimani which arguably provided it with an unintended colouring. I really enjoyed the insights and the history offered up and found it provided a whole new viewpoint on the 45th president of the United States and the situation in the run-up to the 2020 election.
Scrupulously nonpartisan and highly informative, this is an excellent backgrounder for anyone hoping to understand how the collective changes to American politics and the presidency have lead us to where we find ourselves today.

Mostly Good

It starts out as a very even handed book, it's a series of political essays from Robert Schmuhl and he describes his attempts at being a political professor and maintaining a balance in spite of the of Us vs Them battles that get ever narrower - i.e. being a fan of both Teddy & Franklin Roosevelt, JFK and Reagan,

Then he gets to the more modern era, It's still fairly balanced through the Bush's and Clinton, And you can start to see a shift when we get to the Obama/Trump age. Not only because the country has became even more polarized, but because the author has become personally attached to what happens politically, he tries to give a fair balance, but looses focus on doing so partway through.

Ultimately, even though some clear biases are revealed, it is a very well thought out work that examines what it means to be commander-in-chief, both the Burdens and the Glories of that job.

~~I received a review copy in exchange for understanding that I would give an honest review.

An Important History all Americans Should Read

Today it is all too easy to think of the Presidency only in terms of the current office holder. While each is unique, especially it seems today's resident, they all share a common history and a common constitution to govern by. Yet the office has changed significantly since the days of George Washington with each new resident making new and many times substantial changes. Certainly FDR brought in more changes and faced more challenges than most before him leading the country through both its biggest depression and greatest war, and those revisions and the resulting move towards a stronger and stronger executive branch continues today. You can trace the evolution of the office and the country from FDR, through Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Bush 1 and 2, Clinton, Obama, and now Trump.

An important textbook, yet presented in a thoroughly enjoyable way. Peter Lerman is perfectly cast to maintain the listeners interest while never forgetting the importance of the information.

very interesting book

i should note I got this for free in exchange for an honest review.
the book covers large amount of presidential history. It really focuses in on how the idea and role of president has changed. it also did a great job of being pretty apolitical.
The narrator did a fantastic job performing the text which might have been dry otherwise.

Informative and enlightening

This is the first book I’ve read/listened to by this author and I would listen to another. I found this to be an interesting book. Sometimes the information seemed haphazard but it mostly had a flow. I learned a few things about how the Presidents terms in office dictate how and when they put forth new policies, etc. This book is one I’d have to listen to again to really grasp all the information. The comparison of certain presidents in sections of time was also interesting.
I can see how this would be helpful to listen to prior to elections.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator ( Peter Lerman ) and I would listen to another. I think he did well reading this content.

There is not any swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Better That the Average Presidential Book

This will be short: I enjoyed the book for one reason and one reason only: it was topical not chronological and that made all the difference to me. Instead of the same old rundown of President after President, year after year, Schmuhl address topics, media, for example, and examines each Presidents dealings with and opinions of the media.

A refreshing approach.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this review voluntarily.