Customer Reviews

Windows on the White House: The Story of Presidential Libraries

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've ready a LOT of presidential books over the last 30 years, but I have never been more excited about a book when purchasing it or more disappointed after reading it. The simple fact that I'm taking the initiative to review it speaks volumes. I guess I should have taken the time to sift through the book a little more before purchasing. I'm not going to say that the book is poorly written, but I will say that Mr. Smith's style and mine are polar opposites. The writing was extremely awkward and difficult to understand at times. Some references were poorly placed (IE: a 1970's John Connally quote in the chapter about Hayes' library). It has some decent photos in it, and SOME good information about how the individual libraries came to be, but the majority of the information you could simply find on the internet. Each chapter's text deals a LOT with the presidencies themselves and the individuals who held the office, rather than the libraries. The story of each library is seemingly briefly mentioned, in addition to directions to each library and hours of operation, etc. Again, if you're looking for information on the libraries, you're better off just referencing the internet. Each of them has a website and will probably be a better resource for you than this book will. No offense to the author, but I just simply did not like or enjoy this book.