Customer Reviews

Presidential Leadership: From Woodrow Wilson to Harry S. Truman (American History)

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After purchasing this book, I went first to his chapter on "Warren G. Harding's Reputation," an interesting title I thought, until I realized that this is the same "warmed-over" Ferrell at his anti-revisionist best. The chapter is nothing more than a blow-by-blow refutation of every Harding biographer in recent times. He uses interesting bloviating phrases "appearance of scandals," "none of these scandals was very scandalous...if in fact they existed," and "the low-level or alleged scandals."

One wonders if this professor emeritus ever took a course in historiography, and what his own professors thought of his work as a graduate student.

It is a well-known fact that Harding fathered two children out of wedlock, that he himself violated the laws of Prohibition, that he was a prolific gambler...all of this Ferrell has chosen to ignore for years...in this and other books he has written on Harding.

I noticed Carl Anthony's book listed in the bibliography; but not mentioned in this chapter on Harding...I have to wonder why. To bolster his own biased opinion of Harding, in his chapter on "The United States in World Affairs," Ferrell lashes out at what he considers "the new left history as it applies to twentieth-century subjects." He castigates the young historians coming out of graduate school, implying that they are un-trained; implying that they are in it for the money; and he hasn't earned royalties off his one-sided view of Harding?

Carl Anthony, like Francis Russell, has told the truth about Harding's character and lack of presidential ability. One has to wonder what Ferrell's connection is to the Harding family; with book after book under his name, giving Harding the red-carpet treatment. Don't waste your money or time on this one. Another Ferrell whitewash.