These are books I have read about U.S. Presidents. I have read 60+ books on Presidents. I am only including those that I liked and that I would recommend to my friends. There are so many good reviews of most of these books on Amazon. Therefore, I will provide you a link to the book on Amazon for reference.
Some of these are general reference books and others are full biographies. I have made a commitment to read a book about all of the deceased presidents. We'll see how far I get. I would love to get your recommendations on books to read. ()
I buy most of the books I read from Amazon. They give you a discount and also they sell old or used books that you can't find in other book stores. If you use one of the books links on Amazon I may get a few cents from Amazon which will help pay for the cost of the books and website fees.
| Books I have read! |
You can click on the link or the image to read reviews on Amazon. |
| George Washington |
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Washington: A Life
I truly enjoyed this book. Chernow does a great job a mixing stories with details. You'll even learn the truth about Washington's teeth.
4.5 stars on Amazon |
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1776
I love all of the books by David McCullough. He is an excellent story teller.
4.5 stars on Amazon |
| John Adams |
You can click on the image or text to see reviews on Amazon. |
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John Adams by David McCullough - Loved it. Also, the HMO series based on the look is available in DVD.
(John Adams DVD)
I have not watched the DVD, but heard it is outstanding. As I said previously I loved it and really enjoyed reading it. |
| Thomas Jefferson |
You can click on the image or text to see reviews on Amazon. |
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Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
Another great book. 4.5 stars on Amazon. It is easy to read and very informative. |
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Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History
I almost didn't include this book. However, on of the first books I ever read was about the Tripoli Pirates.
Jefferson was the first President to ask Congress to declare war.
4.5 stars on Amazon |
| James Madison |
You can click on the image or text to see reviews on Amazon. |
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Not as easy to read as some of the books above, but it is a very good book.
James Madison and the Making of America
3.5 stars on Amazon
I have a copy of Lynne Cheney on my desk that I hope to read soo.James Madison: A Life Reconsidered it has 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon. (So many books and so little time! |
| James Monroe |
You can click on the image or text to see reviews on Amazon. |
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The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness
Very imformative and better than other books I have read about him.
Trvia: Monroe was the first President that was inaugurated outdoors. |
| John Quincy Adams |
You can click on the image or text to see reviews on Amazon. |
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Both of the books I have read on John Quincy Adams are very good. He is a fascinating man. Do to the "corrupt bargain" he didn't accomplish as much as he might have under other circumstances.
John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life
Trivia: Abraham Lincoln served as a pallbearer at his funeral |
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  | John Quincy Adams: American Visionary
The two books are rated the same and I enjoyed both of them. Hard choice to say which is better. This biography might have a slight edge. |
| Andrew Jackson |
You can click on the image or text to see reviews on Amazon. |
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Andrew Jackson
Robert V. Remini is the authority on Andrew Jackson. I have enjoyed reading several of his books. I think you wll also.
4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon. |
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The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory
I enjoyed Remini's book on Jackson that I bought the book he wrote on The Battle fo New Orleans.
Both were excellent. I have to admit I didn't know much about the battle. I learned a lot from his book.
4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon. I would give it 5 stars.
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American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
I read this when it was first released. It is good, but I would start with Remini's book. |
Martin Van Buren
 
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Martin Van Buren
I would not recomend this book unless you are very interested in Van Buren. The book spends a lot fo time on his work in New York and politics in the state of New York.
Martin Van Buren : The Romantic Age of American Politics (Signature Series)
This book is better for High School or Middle School students.
The second book is a easy read and gives you the basic facts about Van Buren. |
| William H. Harrison |
No recommendations at this time. |
| John Tylor |
No recommendations at this time. |
| James K. Polk |
You can click on the image or text to see reviews on Amazon. |
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A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent (Simon & Schuster America Collection)
Polk was one of my favorite presidents when I was younger. He was probably the hardest working president.
4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
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| Zachary Taylor |
No recommendations at this time. |
| Millard Fillmore |
No recommendations at this time. |
| Franklin Pierce |
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The Expatriation of Franklin Pierce: The Story of a President and the Civil War
This book was very interesting. I am hoping to find a better book on Pierce.
He is a very interesting person. He link Johnny Cash always dressed in black.
4 stars on Amazon. |
| James Buchanan |
You can click on the image or text to see reviews on Amazon. |
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President James Buchanan: A Biography
I only have about 50 pages to go in this book. The first part about his background moved a little slow. I found it much more enjoyable when I got to the chapters on his years as president.
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| Abraham Lincoln |
You can click on the image or text to see reviews on Amazon. |
 
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Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln There are tons of books about Lincoln. This is one of my favorites. I have enjoyed every book I have read by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
This is one of her best.
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The second book is outstanding. If you are going to read one book about lincoln read this book.
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| Andrew Johnson |
No recommendations at this time. |
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I read The Loyalist: The LIfe and Times of Andrew Johnson
and enjoyed it. It does have 4.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon. I am looking for a better book. |
| Ulysses S. Grant |
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Grant this is written by Jean Edward Smith another one of my favorite writers. I think you will enjoy this book. Her book on FDR is also very good. |
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President Nixon: Alone in the White House I was just started teaching when Nixon was elected. I lived through the Vietnam War and Watergate. This book brought back a lot of memories. It also convinced me that Nixon had some real physiological problems. He would lie about things he didn't need to lie about in his life. For example he would tell people he worked much longer hours than he did. So it is not a surprise that he lied about important things.
The author Richard Reeves does an excellent job of telling this amazing story. Well worth your time to read it. It is 600 pages long not counting notes and footnotes. |
| Books I have read |
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Woodrow Wilson: A Biography folllows Wilson through his early years until his death. John Cooper Junior does an excellent job of detailing the private and public life of a man who like to spend a lot of time alone thinking about solutions and the big picture before he acted. This book was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist. If you are looking for a good biography on Wilson I would add this to your library. |
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Eisenhower: Soldier and President (The Renowned One-Volume Life) (Paperback)is an excellent biography of Ike. The author does a great job of telling Ike's story. It has enough detail to help you learn about Ike and enough stories to keep it fast moving and interesting. |
Books I have read: |
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The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia is full of fun facts about U.S. Presidents. Both adults and children will enjoy this easy to read book. It is a great addition for school and classroom libraries. The book is formatted in a series of questions and answers. For example: “Which battle-tested president was sickened by the sight of blood?”
There are over 300 questions that teachers could use for class warm-up activities or for those five minutes at the end of class when you want to keep your students thinking. You could also divide your students into teams to see which team could get five questions answered first.
One of the things that is unique about this book is that the questions also have a photo from the Smithsonian Collection. I think I know a lot of trivia about presidents, but I was stumped by some of the questions. This might help make your students curious about history.
Let’s get back to the question about blood. We know that it must be a president who was in battle. You know that the bloodiest war in U.S. History was the Civil War. So if you guessed President Grant you would be right.
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Eleanor & Franklin
by Joseph P. Lash. I have read 100 pages so far. The book starts with the history of Eleanor's family and follows up to when she is 18. So far I am enjoying it. I have finished the book and would not recommend it unless you want to know a lot about Eleanor. There is not much in the book about Franklin. To me the book goes into too much detail about who she met and what she did. Eleanor was a great lady but the book is somewhat boring. |
 
| The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 1 I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. I wasn't sure that there was that much to learn about Lyndon Johnson. This is the first of three of four books the author wrote about Johnson. He starts with the history of his family and ends with him entering the Navy. |
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William Henry Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 9th President,1841 (American Presidents (Times)
The book is relatively short, 125 pages not counting notes and references. Harrison only served as president for 31 days so the book is more about his early life and the campaign for president. It was interesting, because his campaign could be said to be the first “modern” campaign. He was the first presidential candidate to give speeches, shake hands and go out to meet voters. Also, Thurlow Weed is the first head of the campaign that was more concerned with winning than who was nominated. |
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Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President: I never learned a lot about James Garfield when I was in school. This book gave me new knowledge and a lot of respect for Garfield. It was amazing how many medical errors his doctors made. I think you will enjoy the story. Adults. |
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Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt. A fascinating story about a sickly young boy who went on to be an outstanding man and later became president. Adult level. Fast read. |
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1776 By David McCullough Another great book by David McCullough. |
 
| Smithsonian Presidents and First Ladies:
Trivia and facts about the Presidents and First Ladies. Good for younger students but fun for all ages. |
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Truman Another great book by David McCullough. I learned a lot about Truman from this book. I ended up going to his Presidential Library near Kansas City. I think adults will enjoy this book. |
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Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot
by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. Number One on the New York Times best seller list in Non Fiction. It brought back a lot of memories. Very fast moving. Written more like a novel than a history book. |
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Gerald R. Ford (The American Presidents Series: The 38th President, 1974-1977)This is a good book for high school students or even good middle school students. It is 160 pages long and gives a good overview of Gerald Ford's life and his life as president.
It doesn't break any new ground or offer a detailed account of his political life. |
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Complete Book of Presidential Trivia, by J. Stephen Lang. I picked up a copy of this book when I visited the Gerald Ford Presidential Library in Grand Rapids. It has tons of facts about the presidents. The information is presented in a quiz format with the questions on one page and the answer on the next. The are tough questions. It also has some facts about the First Ladies. Lot of information and a good test of you knowledge. I would say junior high and up. |
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In the Line of Fire: Presidents' Lives at Stake by Judith St. George. Good overview of the presidents who have been attacked and assassinated. Middle school and higher. It is about 120 pages long. Simple to read with pictures. |
 
| First Ladies: Women Who Called The White House Home (First Ladies)
Delightful short book on the women who were first ladies. Each First Lady is given one to two pages. Includes images and fun facts. Good for Middle school and higher. |
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| Taking Aim at the President: The Remarkable Story of the Woman Who Shot at Gerald Ford
I found out about this book from the author. She commented on the section on assassinations and help out by giving some corrections. |
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The Forgotten Conservative: Rediscovering Grover Cleveland
This is a fairly short and brief history of Cleveland and his time as president. The author make a case for why Cleveland should be considered a conservative if though he ran as a Democrat. Also, his opinion is that Groover Cleveland was in the top ten list of presidents.
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Donald J. Trump
I have to omit that I did not know a lot about Trump when he was elected. I think is is a very good book.It was rated 4 stars on Amazon. It is an easy read and very imfomative. I would recomend it. |
