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A review by yangyvonne
Coolidge by Amity Shlaes
2.0
Calvin Coolidge was President from 1923-29, but we don't know much about him other than that he came right before Hoover and the Great Depression and was known for being very frugal and reserved. In this (long) biography, we see the shy boy from Vermont come into his own and help America navigate an era marked with amazing growth, innovation, and national optimism. He manages to turn the Federal deficit to a surplus while DROPPING taxes, seeing the economy grow and treating the office not as one for special privilege, but a place for humble service. Like Lincoln, he loses a son while in office, yet still carries on in his commitment.
Coolidge is a fascinating man, who clearly did not get enough credit in our history lesson, but this book is ENTIRELY TOO LONG and TOO DRY to make anyone want to care. In 456 pages, there are so many drab lists of places and names that add nothing to the overall portrait of the man. Even when we read some of his letters, there is no real analysis of the content or development of the back/front story to them - it's as if these primary texts were just dropped into the book to legitimize it. It's a shame that such an under-appreciated man is stuck with an even worse attempt to honor him!
Coolidge is a fascinating man, who clearly did not get enough credit in our history lesson, but this book is ENTIRELY TOO LONG and TOO DRY to make anyone want to care. In 456 pages, there are so many drab lists of places and names that add nothing to the overall portrait of the man. Even when we read some of his letters, there is no real analysis of the content or development of the back/front story to them - it's as if these primary texts were just dropped into the book to legitimize it. It's a shame that such an under-appreciated man is stuck with an even worse attempt to honor him!