The Making of the President 1960

By: Theodore H. White

Narrated by: Wayne Mitchell

A Harper Perennial Political Classic, The Making of the President 1960 is the groundbreaking national best seller and Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the 1960 presidential campaign and the election of John F. Kennedy.

The Making of the President: 1960 revolutionized the way modern presidential campaigns are reported. Reporting from within the campaign for the first time on record, White’s extensive research and access to all parties involved set the bar for campaign coverage and remains unparalleled. White conveyed, in magnificent detail and with exquisite pacing, the high-stakes drama; he painted the unforgettable, even mythic story of JFK versus Nixon; and, most of all, he imbued the nation’s presidential election process with a grandeur that later political writers have rarely matched.

©1961 Theodore H. White (P)2020 HarperAudio

Mispronounced names, many names

Hard to concentrate on because of mispronunciations. Harkens back to the days when conventions, not primaries determined candidacies.

The United States - 64 Years After Kennedy’s Election

In trying to puzzle out our current situation in American politics and our standing in the world, this book helps shed light on it. I have read a couple of White’s books on the making of our Presidents. They are helping me to understand how we have gotten to this point. Knowing our history and seeing how things played out sheds light on the “soup” we are in as a nation. As Han Solo liked to say in Star Wars saga, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

A Timely Book

This book provides almost a real-time view of people and events surrounding the 1960. It presents contemporary portraits of Kennedy and Nixon as they were then and not from a revisionist historic perspective. The style and reporting is a little dated but that makes the book more valuable because it makes the history fresh. The narrator is a bit irritating- mumbles sometimes, get worked up in other places- and is a little distracting. To compare the men in the election of 1960 with those of the current 2020 election is depressing though. Regardless of which candidate you support in this election they seem to pale in stature compared to those running in the 1960 primaries and election.

Timely book for 2020 election

From this book it appears that “party bosses” of 1960 had tremendous power. Of course how that power was implemented is not discussed. But the candidate surely needed their support

In 2020, it appears there are local party bosses that work in the shadows and can affect elections in ways people are unfamiliar Of course today with social media the secrets are harder to contain.

Must read for fans of historical politics

A great insight into how presidential campaigns of the mid century operated. Well written and expertly read, it made me damn audible for not having the full series of Making of the President available. Definitely an evergreen book that will always have some relevance insofar as how differently things work now and how some things never change.

Great History Lesson

Good book! Great Narrator! This is a dense reading so many breaks may be necessary. Kennedy comes off well in the book.

Doctoral Thesis

The most interesting parts of the book were the descriptions of the national conventions, the descriptions of the campaign staffers' roles, and the climax of election night. All other details, such as the demographic make up of politicians, the genesis of religious differences, and the origins of race relations, may have added much context to the issues of 1960. However, overall, the book reads like a doctoral thesis in many areas. This story was Ok, but I was not sad when it ended. No disrespect to the level of research done to prepare for this book though.

Detail

I liked the detail of the piece. I think generally it was too long. It would have benefited by having a seasoned and ruthless editor.