Reading Series
Commanders-in-Chief
The American presidency as biography, myth, power, and political system.
How Franklin Delano Roosevelt weaponized federal power and reshaped America through the New Deal despite fierce resistance from the Supreme Court and political enemies.
A myth-busting biography of George Washington that strips away the cherry tree legends to reveal the complex planter, soldier, and reluctant ruler behind the marble monument.
The presidency of George W. Bush, from 9/11 and the War on Terror to the 2008 financial crisis.
The messy, contradictory life of Thomas Jefferson—from writing the Declaration of Independence to the brutal election of 1800 that would define American democracy.
A candid look at JFK's messy presidency—from the Bay of Pigs disaster to the Cuban Missile Crisis to his reluctant embrace of civil rights—cutting through the Camelot mythology to reveal the calculating politician behind the charm.
The story of Abraham Lincoln navigating America's deadliest crisis, from the election that split the nation to the battles and words that barely held it together.
The story of Richard Nixon's rise, fall, and the moment he unilaterally ended the gold standard and changed global economics forever.
How Barack Obama mastered the political game to become America's first Black president, rewriting the rules while playing by them.
A witty, irreverent tour through American presidential history that treats each commander-in-chief as a flawed human rather than a marble monument.
A critical examination of Ronald Reagan's presidency as deliberate demolition of the New Deal and Great Society through trickle-down economics that never trickled.
How a sickly kid turned himself into America's most legendary president through sheer force of will, war, and myth-making.
The seventh president of the United States stares out from history with a look that says, I dared you to forget me.