Which President Killed a Man? : Tantalizing Trivia and Fun Facts About Our Chief Executives and First Ladies [Paperback]

James Humes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2002

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1. Which president killed a man?.
2. Which president had just fathered an illegitimate child when he entered the White House?.
3. Which first lady taught her husband how to read and write?.
4. Which president broke his arm jumping out of a window to escape his mistress's husband?.
5. Which president's daughter married another president's grandson?.
6. Who was the only president to be preceded and succeeded by the same man?.
7. Which president had a secret operation performed to remove a cancerous jaw?.
8. Which president's last words were "My nourishment is palatable.".

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Written by a White House speechwriter who actually served five presidents, this irresistible collection of presidential trivia reveals the more colorful side of American history. Following a QAndA format and organized around 31 themes, Which President Killed a Man? will captivate trivia fans and history buffs of every political persuasion.

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Answers:

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1. Andrew Jackson.
2. Warren Harding.
3. Andrew Johnson's wife Eliza.
4. Thomas Jefferson.
5. Richard Nixon.
6. Benjamin Harrison.
7. Grover Cleveland.
8. Millard Fillmore.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This noteworthy dual study sheds new insight into Churchill and Eisenhower as individuals and as global partners." -Library Journal on Eisenhower and Churchill; "One of the most sought-after speechwriters in history offers a hilarious behind-the-scences perspective on presidential history." --Ingram on Confessions of a White House Ghost Writer

From the Back Cover

From George W. to George W., a flurry of fascinating facts about our forty-three presidents and their fabulous first ladies

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• Q: Which president had the lowest approval rating in the twentieth century? .
• Q: Which president fathered a child at age seventy? .
• Q: Which first lady was responsible for bringing the cherry blossoms to Washington? .
• Q: Which president wrote bawdy limericks as a hobby? .
• Q: Who is buried in Grant's tomb? .
• Q: Who was the first president of the United States? (Hint: It's not George Washington.) .
• Q: Which president enlisted Elvis Presley in the war against drugs? .
• Q: Who is the only president to have earned a Ph.D.? .
• Q: Who was the only first lady to be committed to a mental institution? .

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And do you know . . . WHICH PRESIDENT KILLED A MAN???

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You'll find the answers to these and many other fascinating facts inside!

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The commander in chief has always made headlines--but what about the tantalizing tidbits that don't make it into the history books? After serving several generations of presidents, author and former White House speechwriter James Humes now offers a delightful smorgasbord of little-known facts and figures about our presidents and their first ladies.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (October 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071402233
• ISBN-13: 978-0071402231
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #374,449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very amusing, February 19, 2005

By 

Kimberley Wilson (VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Which President Killed a Man? : Tantalizing Trivia and Fun Facts About Our Chief Executives and First Ladies (Paperback)

If you love presidential trivia you'll find this one to be very amusing. It not only satisfied my trivia yen but it actually gives the reader a pretty good biographical portrait of some of the more interesting presidents.

Lincoln was probably the most tragic president but did you know that he once offered to use cow dung in a duel? Did you know that his wife Mary went wild if another woman ever got too close to Abe? Did you know that he loved Macbeth and idolized George Washington?

Franklin Pierce has to be one of the top five most tragic figures in White House history. In one day he lost his young son, his wife's love and ended up on the road to alcoholism and a presidentcy that disappointed everyone.

Herbert Hoover was another sad figure. On paper his administration should have been an unflashy but dignified success. Despite his experience, intelligence and stamina he got hit with the Depression and was unfairly blamed for it.

And don't forget Woodrow Wilson. He's often presented as a plaster saint but ole Woodrow was far from that. He was loved by the ladies, made up obscene limericks and was a rip roaring, shameless racist.

The president who comes "alive" the most on these pages is Theodore Roosevelt. What a man! Cowboy, naturalist, cop, adventurer, statesmen, wit, and force of nature. After reading this book of trivia I decided to go find a good biography of TR.

21 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Political bias in an innocent-sounding cover - be forewarned, March 15, 2003

By 

Literary Mama (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Which President Killed a Man? : Tantalizing Trivia and Fun Facts About Our Chief Executives and First Ladies (Paperback)

Although I enjoyed the trivia in this book and learned a lot of tidbits, the longer I read, the more I was put off by the obvious political bias. It's subtle, but after awhile it becomes unmistakable. The Harding scandals, for instance, are characterized as follows: "Harding was personally honest but exploited by his business cronies." Rosalynn Carter, we are told, "wore an old dress to the inaugural" (she could have instead been characterized as "economical"). Nixon's scandals are never mentioned without an accompanying comment regarding the poor character traits of his Democratic foes. George W. Bush is called a "fine student," while we are told that Clinton "never earned a degree at Oxford" (he was not in fact on a degree-granting program). The author gives an account of Teddy Roosevelt's attitude toward muckraking that does not comport with what I have read by other historians. The instances of bias compile the longer you read; these are just a few of the numerous examples.

James Humes is a former speechwriter for Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and the first Bush, so I suppose this bias is not surprising, and I personally have no problem with partisan argument per se. I'm an Independent voter so I have no particular axe to grind in either direction. What bothers me is that a clearly partisan stance is packaged in an apparently neutral and innocent, "fun" wrapper--"tantalizing trivia and fun facts." It's disingenious and deceitful. I believe readers deserve to know when they are getting something different than what is advertised. If Humes is trying to make a case for Republican "honesty" and superior values, it is ironic that he does so in a most dishonest manner.

Had I known there were so many "mini-sermons" embedded among the "tantalizing trivia," I would have saved my [money]. Good presidential trivia books abound, and most of them are marketed more honestly than this deceptive little volume. Truly irresponsible reporting and marketing. Mr. Humes, your prejudices are showing.