U.S. Presidents for Dummies (2nd Edition)

By: Marcus A. Stadelmann

Narrated by: Rick Adamson

Which one was the tallest? Which one fought a duel? Which had liquor smuggled into the White House during Prohibition? And why is the president even called the president in the first place? From periwigs and knee breeches to the 24-hour news cycle and presidential tweets, the fascinating and colorful stories of the 45 incumbents are a powerful lens through which to view US history and get insight into the present.

Taking listeners on a fact-filled journey through two centuries, this book examines how each individual obtained their dream (or nightmare) position, what they stood for (or against), achieved (or didn't), and how their actions affected the country - for better or worse. And - remembering that presidents are people, too - it shows how the personal really can be political, exploring how each president's vision, strengths, and foibles helped or hindered them in building the country and their own legacy.

Whether you're a student, a history buff - or are even interested in becoming president yourself one day - U.S. Presidents for Dummies is the perfect guide to what it takes to be leader of the free world, who has stepped up to that challenge, and how those personal histories can help us understand yesterday's, today's, and even tomorrow's union.

©2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (P)2020 Tantor

Brief descriptions of US presidents

Narration is clear.

Content is clear, well organized, and interesting but must be vetted by consulting other references.

The Trump entry is dated, incomplete, and insufficiently critical.

A quick overview of each president using the same criteria

I think the way the book was organized WORKS. It’s generally consistent in terms of criteria he uses. the writing appears to be drawn from mostly the older historical writers who lean to the left. There’s been many recent books in the last 25 years-updated and are much more unbiased and truthful than the sources this author chose to use. It’s OK for the early presidents but the closer he gets to the 20th century. The more of the bias jumps out and the facts are shaky. Generally, Democrats are good. Republicans are bad. Examples:The Clintons set up their Clinton crime CHARITY family by using their offices to garner hundreds of millions of dollars from all over the world to get influence from them.The author mentions integrity as a criteria -of which Clinton and Hillary had none of same but they he excepts at face value, the Russia, Russia, Russia, hoax set up by Hillary and the DNC as truth, rather than the fully proven facts that it was bogus. It’s obvious he hates Trump although he does cut him some slack as to some of the accomplishments which he did achieve. Given it’s a book for dummies, my suggestion would be to not quote from this or you will prove he wrote this book for you!