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arthuraugustyn 's review for:
Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America
by Walter R. Borneman
Perhaps painfully accurate, but a dreary and boring book.
I read President biographies to get a sense of their accomplishments and what type of person they were, but this book lacks both. The specifics of Polk's accomplishments could just as well be ascertained from a Wikipedia article and the only anecdotes you get are about the various other figures present at the time (Sam Houston, Andrew Jackson, James Buchanan, Winifield Scott, Zachary Taylor, etc.). While that might be great for true lovers of history from that time, I continuously felt like I was missing out on what Polk was up to during these times.
I didn't get a real sense of why Polk pursued any of his agenda or what made him tick. This is a good book for historical facts, but it's boring to read and I can't help but think I'll forget I read it at all in a few weeks.
I read President biographies to get a sense of their accomplishments and what type of person they were, but this book lacks both. The specifics of Polk's accomplishments could just as well be ascertained from a Wikipedia article and the only anecdotes you get are about the various other figures present at the time (Sam Houston, Andrew Jackson, James Buchanan, Winifield Scott, Zachary Taylor, etc.). While that might be great for true lovers of history from that time, I continuously felt like I was missing out on what Polk was up to during these times.
I didn't get a real sense of why Polk pursued any of his agenda or what made him tick. This is a good book for historical facts, but it's boring to read and I can't help but think I'll forget I read it at all in a few weeks.