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disasterchick's review against another edition
3.0
It took me nearly a year to read this book. It was easy to put down and forget. There were times I felt like Brands was beating a dead horse - enough already. I don’t think enough went into the bad side of Jackson. The Bank of the United States drama was drawn out but the Trail of Tears was here and gone. I have always like the name Andrew Jackson. I respect his struggle from childhood and his love for Rachel. His love for her was the best thing about him. I wish Brands had talked about the tree her planted in her honor at the White House which was recently removed because it had become a hazard. One of its offsprings has been replanted. I’m not a Jackson fan but I do want to visit the Hermitage.
shannasbooksnhooks's review
4.0
**rating is actually 4.5 out of 5 stars**
So I really did enjoy this book; I always enjoy reading books that make me think - really think - about how people, society, and times were/might have been versus how I see them.
I’m giving this book a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. I just think that there were certain parts that could have been broken down and/or explained better, but then again - as with any of my historical nonfiction reading - clarity may come with a reread.
I think that H.W. Brands did a fantastic job in constructing Andrew Jackson’s life; I’ve never really liked Jackson, but I always find it nice learning more about someone or something I didn’t know much about.
So I really did enjoy this book; I always enjoy reading books that make me think - really think - about how people, society, and times were/might have been versus how I see them.
I’m giving this book a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. I just think that there were certain parts that could have been broken down and/or explained better, but then again - as with any of my historical nonfiction reading - clarity may come with a reread.
I think that H.W. Brands did a fantastic job in constructing Andrew Jackson’s life; I’ve never really liked Jackson, but I always find it nice learning more about someone or something I didn’t know much about.
librarianonparade's review
5.0
For me Andrew Jackson has always been one of those 'interim' Presidents, who held office between my two main eras of interest: George Washington and the Revolution and Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. I knew of him but only in the course of retrospective analysis: the similarities between the South Carolina nullification crisis and the onset of the Civil War; his tussles with the greats of the age who lingered on in subsequent years to play a part again in the run-up to the Civil War, men like Clay and Calhoun and Webster.
And I find it's a shame I never paid more attention to him, because this biography was a fascinating revelation. Andrew Jackson perhaps played more of a role than anyone else in the shifting of America from a republic to a democracy; he was the first President to break the Eastern, and most particularly Virginian, stranglehold on the Presidency; the first true Washington outsider, the first to appeal as a 'man of the people', the first who parleyed a military reputation into political power, George Washington notwithstanding. Ironically I found that his career prior to the Presidency was of far more interest than his years at the helm, and Brands spend more times on these years than Jackson's eight in what was then known as the Presidential Palace.
Jackson really seem to bridge a lot of eras; as a young teenager he participated in the Revolutionary War, as a grown man and general he was the hero of the War of 1812, as a President he oversaw the beginnings of the Texan independence and the emergence of many of the issues that would subsequently erupt into the Civil War. In many ways Andrew Jackson was almost the quintessential America, embodying within himself so much of his country's history, patriotism and political beliefs, for good and bad. A truly fascinating character, and a biography that lives up to its subject.
And I find it's a shame I never paid more attention to him, because this biography was a fascinating revelation. Andrew Jackson perhaps played more of a role than anyone else in the shifting of America from a republic to a democracy; he was the first President to break the Eastern, and most particularly Virginian, stranglehold on the Presidency; the first true Washington outsider, the first to appeal as a 'man of the people', the first who parleyed a military reputation into political power, George Washington notwithstanding. Ironically I found that his career prior to the Presidency was of far more interest than his years at the helm, and Brands spend more times on these years than Jackson's eight in what was then known as the Presidential Palace.
Jackson really seem to bridge a lot of eras; as a young teenager he participated in the Revolutionary War, as a grown man and general he was the hero of the War of 1812, as a President he oversaw the beginnings of the Texan independence and the emergence of many of the issues that would subsequently erupt into the Civil War. In many ways Andrew Jackson was almost the quintessential America, embodying within himself so much of his country's history, patriotism and political beliefs, for good and bad. A truly fascinating character, and a biography that lives up to its subject.
steviec's review
4.0
Next to David McCullough, H. W. Brands is probably my favorite biographer. This one does not disappoint.
I'm convinced that Andrew Jackson is the man and President that our current President pretends to be, but isn't. A military man, distinguished by combat, macho, a man not afraid to say what he thinks, a man who values loyalty, etc. But in the end I am also convinced that Jackson isn't the kind of hero we should want. His view of justice was tainted by his time and hard upbringing. His distaste for government often led him to obstruct progress. His predilection for violence caused more problems than it solved. In the end though he makes for quite a character, and Brands is in fine form as he presents that character for our observation.
I'm convinced that Andrew Jackson is the man and President that our current President pretends to be, but isn't. A military man, distinguished by combat, macho, a man not afraid to say what he thinks, a man who values loyalty, etc. But in the end I am also convinced that Jackson isn't the kind of hero we should want. His view of justice was tainted by his time and hard upbringing. His distaste for government often led him to obstruct progress. His predilection for violence caused more problems than it solved. In the end though he makes for quite a character, and Brands is in fine form as he presents that character for our observation.
creativelycliche's review
3.0
I will admit up front to a certain bias against Andrew Jackson. I side with many of his contemporary critics on a number of his 'successes'. Jackson was a man who believed first and foremost in his own righteousness and infallibility. By the time he was president he truly believed that he was the mouthpiece for the people, and was perfectly happy to stomp over whatever political or legal barricades were put up to stop him.
This book claims to be an unbiased account, and there are reviews of it that praise it's objectivity, but I can't agree with them. Brands does certainly bring up many of Jackson's faults, but he doesn't leave it to the reader to decide if those faults were mortal or not - he spends a lot of time defending Jackson's actions from Jackson's point of view. Ignoring the Supreme Court? Well (here I paraphrase) "Jackson really believed it would be better for the indians to live separately from the whites". I'm sure he did believe that, even earnestly. But what a silly defense for the Trail of Tears.
The positives of this book are that it is thorough, and that it does not cover up Jackson's actions, just comes up with excuses for him. It is not at all impossible to come out of this with a conclusion different than the author, although I have some major issues with describing Lincoln as a Jacksonian. He was an "odd Jacksonian" because he wasn't a Jacksonian, Brands. Believing in the Union was not somehow a singularly Jacksonian idea.
I don't know if this is the best biography of Jackson out there, but it is a good one. I just encourage you to read it with a grain of salt.
This book claims to be an unbiased account, and there are reviews of it that praise it's objectivity, but I can't agree with them. Brands does certainly bring up many of Jackson's faults, but he doesn't leave it to the reader to decide if those faults were mortal or not - he spends a lot of time defending Jackson's actions from Jackson's point of view. Ignoring the Supreme Court? Well (here I paraphrase) "Jackson really believed it would be better for the indians to live separately from the whites". I'm sure he did believe that, even earnestly. But what a silly defense for the Trail of Tears.
The positives of this book are that it is thorough, and that it does not cover up Jackson's actions, just comes up with excuses for him. It is not at all impossible to come out of this with a conclusion different than the author, although I have some major issues with describing Lincoln as a Jacksonian. He was an "odd Jacksonian" because he wasn't a Jacksonian, Brands. Believing in the Union was not somehow a singularly Jacksonian idea.
I don't know if this is the best biography of Jackson out there, but it is a good one. I just encourage you to read it with a grain of salt.
alanfederman's review
3.0
#7 in the Presidential biography project. This biography did a great job of combining the historical backdrop with the personality of the subject. Jackson, so far, has been the most fascinating president and really helped usher in the party system and the rule of the people.
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