Customer Reviews

Hail to the Chief: The Making and Unmaking of American Presidents

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Despite the other review posted at Amazon.com, 'Hail to the Chief' is not only thoroughly researched and written, but entertaining to those who are interested in the American Presidency and the tools necessary to be a successful president. As someone who has had the pleasure of taking two college courses with Professor Dallek, reading his books have been helpful in his courses, and also have proven to be invaluable in my quest to learn more about American government.

Robert Dallek is one of my professors at Boston University. His class is amazing, as is this book. Although the average reader may not enjoy it so much, Hail to the Chief is a great book for anyone interested in American presidents and politics. I highly recommend it :)

Dallek is one of the foremost historians in terms of the Presidents of the United States. His books about JFK, LBJ, and Nixon are certainly outstanding, and worth a read.

This book is not a biography but an overview of the responsibilities, and qualities of good and not so good Presidents. Dallek has a wealth of knowledge in terms of Presidents and makes connections which are not always obvious. Dallek believes that Vision (chapter 1) is one of the most important things for a President (most other Presidential scholars would agree). He also identifies other aspects for a good President. This short book is certainly worth a read not only for those interested in the Presidency, but also political science.

Dallek writes a very informative and thourough review on the highlights and nadirs of presidential terms. He points out how and why presidents were elected and what , if anything, they did to change America. This book serves a purpose as a reference, but not for political reading.

This book is a good place to start reading about American presidents. After reading more detailed biographies, one will probably come to different conclusions than Professor Dallek.