![Gentleman Boss: The Life of Chester Alan Arthur ([Signature series book])](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41D3GD2W3BL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
So I was looking for a biography about Grover Cleveland simply because I knew next to nothing about him (other than Ma, where is my pa?, the non consecutive term, and the origin of the Baby Ruth candy bar). The classic biography on Cleveland is the one Allan Nevins, but it is expensive and long. Brodsky's seemed to be a good alternative.
I did learn a lot about Grover Cleveland so the biography worked from that standpoint. Brodsky does a good job of painting a picture of a President who fought against graft and corruption in politics, was above party, had a strong sense of duty to those who elected him, and was an all around decent guy. His rise from Mayor of Buffalo to Governor of New York to President was phenomenal. Also interesting was his popularity as President during his first term only to see him lose the election on his second run, then reclaiming the Presidency and becoming the most unpopular person in America only to be completely vindicated 8 years later. All the while Cleveland remained true to himself with little regard with the opinion of others.
Cleveland was not the smartest President we have ever had. One can not see him pulling off detente with the Soviet Union because of pressure derived from a restored relationship with China leading to the ending of the Vietnam War. However, he was capable, honest, and resolute in his principles. He stood for lowered tariffs because it benefited the people and not special interests. He stood for sound money because he knew the economy depended on it - on this principle he was most despised but ultimately vindicated. Cleveland also had a very enlightened foreign view of the Native Americans and refused to be entangled in foreign policy misadventures like Hawaii and the Cuban revolution. Cleveland was boring in many ways, but I think he would be a welcome antidote to our time of celebrity politics and special interest driven policy.
While I did achieve my goal of learning about Cleveland, I cannot say I enjoyed reading this book. Too often Brodsky, likely in an attempt to illustrate his points with a contemporary audience, made facile comparisons with modern Presidents. These comparisons took the form of unsupported, sweeping judgments. It was not so much partisan (he negatively judged Democratic Presidents and Republican ones), they just seemed silly and unnecessary. He also seemed to have a pathological need to use obscure vocabulary for no particular reason. It was like he read a thesaurus each night before he went to bed. The word antipathetic was used 4 times. Also he used words like geminate and salmagundi. They were of no particular benefit and actually not used as deftly as one needs to when employing this level of vocabulary. I expected better from an author whose background was in journalism. As a result of these two negatives, I found the biography a less enjoyable read than it could have been.
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