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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Taft was more than an overweight golfer,
This review is from: William Howard Taft, an Intimate History (Hardcover)
I am reading all the presidential biographies in order.
This was a very good book, even though it is nearly 30 years old. It is also the only bio that seemed to foot the bill. And boy did it! The author based this book on her dissertation that she worked on through much of the 1970s, I believe. I was a bit leary at first after hearing that, thinking, "oh great, it's going to be very dull." But I was very pleasantly surprised! It was VERY well written, read very well, and was a joy to discover. We are given a VERY complete picture of Taft -- from his overbearing mother to his overbearing wife, to his overbearing partner TR. The author really gets us inside Taft's head -- literally. I think the author was a psychology major because she gives a "diagnosis" of Taft's mental state and thinking along the way. For instance, she blames his being overweight to his overbearing parents, in particular, his mother. This was one of the better biographies I have read. I really felt bad for Taft. He seems to have been bullied by just about everyone in his life, but on the flip side it seems to have been his motivation. Only later in his life -- a lot later -- did he "grow up." Fascinating read!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
a weak biography,
This review is from: William Howard Taft: An Intimate History (Paperback)
As implied by the subtitle, "an intimate history," this book attempts to meld history with psychology, a dangerous field made futile with its exploration of Taft's relationship to his mother, his wife, and to Theodore Roosevelt. As a straight biography, the research is unoriginal, with all themes and details better covered in other works, before and since.
When first published this seemed an original approach, but it doesn't hold. This book's primary interest to the modern reader stands as an example of 1970s historiography more than a study of Taft and the Progressive Era.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Insightful Biography Of An Important Face In American History.,
By Indiana Jeff Reynolds "Preacher Jeff" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: William Howard Taft, an Intimate History (Hardcover)
This is an excellent biography of William Howard Taft. It not only looks at what he did but why he did it.
Taft is not known for being a good president, but that was his one area of weakness. His life was one success after another, except for the presidency. In fact, he never wanted to be president, but was more interested in being on the Supreme Court, where he eventually served. This book consults letters by Taft and those around him. It includes great quotes, like Taft's saying "I would rather entertain people I don't like than not entertain at all." If you want to know more about Taft, I would highly recommend this book.
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