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duparker's review against another edition
2.0
The book gets two stars in part because the subject should get two stars. What a colossal waste of time Johnson was. I found the pre-politics years to have interest, but I really wonder about Lincoln for bringing Johnson on as VP. A sack of rice would have been a better choice.
ryki08's review against another edition
4.0
While not getting into extensive details, the author does a good job explaining a lot of the issues behind the Johnson administration.
neglet's review against another edition
Short but solid biography of the dude that had the impossible job of replacing Abraham Lincoln. Makes clear that he wasted the opportunity for greatness, instead becoming rigidly fixed in his white supremacy when dealing with Reconstruction. Has given me enough context into Johnson before reading a more detailed historical portrait of his impeachment.
elizartemisbailey's review against another edition
5.0
I’m generally in awe of Gordon-Reed’s writing, and this bio of our possibly-worst-ever president was as illuminating as I’d hoped. Would be perfect for fans of NPR’s Throughline podcast!
mattintx's review against another edition
2.0
Of all the Presidential biographies in the series (so far) , this one stands out to me as the most political and negative. Obviously Johnson is universally desparaged, but the author seems to take a much more personal take than others in the series. Overall, the book is informative and accessible.
cstuart13's review against another edition
2.0
Andrew Johnson was a racist. He and Lincoln both came from poor homes and childhoods of loss, but that is where their similarities end. One decided to live life looking for the positive and surrounding himself with counselors. He became a great man. The other sought only his own mind and looked on others with scorn. He became a competitor for the worst president ever.
I was not a fan of the writing either. Maybe such a difficult subject also makes writing difficult.
Now on to Chernow’s 1000+ page tome on President Grant—it will be a while before I update this list again
I was not a fan of the writing either. Maybe such a difficult subject also makes writing difficult.
Now on to Chernow’s 1000+ page tome on President Grant—it will be a while before I update this list again
agrinavich's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Wow. This guy SUCKED. I know I've only read up to President #17, but my guess is he's easily in the top 3 - if not #1 - worst presidents in history. You almost start out with a small level of empathy for the guy; he came from nothing. Didn't know how to read or write. But that's quickly erased when you remember the man was a racist. A big one. He was also your standard politician who knew to say whatever he needed to to progress, like, you know, telling African Americans he would be their Moses. (What?!)
Man, Lincoln must have been rolling in his grave.
It's painful to think this was the guy left to handle things after the Civil War. The author points out that it's dangerous to think "What if ..." but it's hard not to ponder how things would have went if Lincoln was not assassinated or someone else was in the VP spot.
He did give his inauguration speech as VP completely drunk, and I do wish TV was around back then to capture that footage.
Man, Lincoln must have been rolling in his grave.
It's painful to think this was the guy left to handle things after the Civil War. The author points out that it's dangerous to think "What if ..." but it's hard not to ponder how things would have went if Lincoln was not assassinated or someone else was in the VP spot.
He did give his inauguration speech as VP completely drunk, and I do wish TV was around back then to capture that footage.
alanfederman's review
4.0
It was purely coincidental that I was reading this during the Civil War and Lincoln assassination anniversaries. The book did a great job of giving a high level overview of the life and politics of arguably the worst president in U.S. history. Johnson comes across as inflexible (at best) and tyrannical (at worst) in his complete disregard of Congress' efforts during reconstruction. He's clearly a virulent racist to boot. I was never 100% clear as to why Lincoln picked him as VP to begin with and this book didn't really clarify it. I would have enjoyed more scholarship on the impeachment trial as well, but that's probably worth a book in and of itself.
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