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The American Presidencies have long held the interest of many around the globe with the role being the topic of many a film, book, or play, biographically and fictionally.
As the Big Brother of the world, or as this author termed “the preeminent World Power”, the global fascination continues with the American President and Government used in case studies for a variety of disciplines ranging from education to economics, anthropology to criminal justice, politics to healthcare.
While the author and many Americans believe their country and citizens to be the most important on the globe, they are not the singular nationality that preoccupies every culture’s interest. That said, America’s colourful history consistently offers areas of interest with the role of President and all it encompasses being especially baiting.
It is undeniable that there will be an enormous number of documents, books, media to sift through and the premise of this book regarding the span to be covered is more than ambitious and daunting. Admittedly, the inclusion of “100 years” in the subtitle can act as a deterrent even though it is necessary to let the reader know exactly what, and which Presidents will be covered in the book .
The format and presentation of the book, even with limited knowledge of American History, enabled for easy assimilation of the information. Despite the breadth of years and events covered to formulate a “Grade” for each President, the breakdown of each was easy to read and the author’s voice presented it in a mostly objective manner.
While I appreciate the implementation of a ‘grading system’ to further the book’s thesis, the very notion of grading implies bias and subjectivity regardless of the points used to arrive at the grade. As most things, for every event used to allocate the arrival of Schein’s grade, another author can employ other events within each President’s tenure to arrive at a different conclusion, thereby making objectivity ‘subjective’. Notwithstanding, Schein’s stating of the events and facts with the corresponding citations was presented in a manner void of a ‘personal voice’ although, through his innate tone, it was not difficult to perceive that a few Presidents are favoured.
Perhaps because he was the latest President discussed, there was a definite ‘preoccupation’ or ‘fascination’ with President Obama who spurred the longest chapter among the Presidents, and he was often invoked in other chapters when discussing the need for more oversight and change within the position.
This book offered enough information to give overarching reviews of each presidency over the 100 years as claimed. As it was presented, the information was an engaging, enlightening and surprisingly fascinating read even for one not incredibly interested in this genre.
I anticipate it being a good teaching tool which isn’t unexpected as Schein spent many years cultivating his teaching skills. A book of this undertaking required many man hours and assistance and Schein’s acknowledgement of that in his dedications, acknowledgments and citations are applaudable.
This last school cycle, my daughter asked me about which American President was my favourite and automatically with just a superficial understanding of the Presidents and their policies, I said Kennedy and Obama. She was partial to Kennedy, Obama and included Roosevelt. Since reading this book and becoming more aware of some of the intricacies of these Presidents and others, my choices remain but I have a more reserved and respectful opinion of them and others. Given that the public is never privy to all that happens behind closed doors even after the fact, this book was clear in its presentations without relying on hearsay and rumors but citing credible and undisputable documentation.
I appreciate the author’s inclusion of the role played by the media in creating myths surrounding the American President as well as the bias of all sources of information. The media is and has always been subjective, as the authors are human beings with opinions that do surface in some way, either candidly or via innuendo.
While the challenge to be objective is one that some are better able to overcome, it is an innate one that most, if not all, fall victim to, even the author of this book. While doing a remarkable job of presenting information in an objective manner, Schein’s bias could still be read between the lines. In a steadily evolving world where media changes hands almost daily, the author’s acknowledgement of that is commendable.
Schein presented possible solutions to a role that have been filled by ‘failing’ contenders, that said, his solutions would appear to require more than one person, regardless of title, to initiate and maintain these solutions. Schein also leans into a recommended personality trait of arrogance, bordering on egomaniacal to assert, elevate and maintain America’s global position as THE SOLITARY POWER, regardless of other nations and cultures, thereby revealing an innate arrogance in Schein himself.
This book is a handy tool for introducing American Politics through the Presidents discussed, to those in a Civics class or anyone wanting to broaden their understanding of American politics. It has a place in the genre and though the title can be daunting, the content is easily digestible.
Pros:
- Well written, researched and formatted
- Presented in a concise and easy to assimilate manner
- Compact summaries and identification of key events used for rating
- Well thought out solutions to combat perceived challenges of the Presidential role
Cons:
- Injection of a rating system is by its very definition a system based on bias and subjectivity
- Seeming preoccupation with Barack Obama
- The author’s solutions would suggest more collaborative action needed for success
- Use of Time Magazine’s ‘Man of the Year’ as a point of discussion presented as a form of vanity and a frivolous benchmark to be intimated
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