Regardless of party or philosophy,
current and former U.S. presidents have bonded in an exclusive group
where they consult, advise, and help each other. A new book, ‘The
Presidents Club,’ traces the exclusive fraternity from its beginnings
with Truman to the present with Obama.
The
idea of an Ex-Presidents Club sounds like a punchline. The idea that
former presidents eagerly consult each other, let alone have their own
clubhouse seems a little absurd. In fact, it’s even been the basis of a
long-running Saturday Night Live skit that featured them as superheroes. But the group actually does exist. It’s not a formal organization with Jimmy Carter taking down minutes of the meetings and George W. Bush collecting dues; but it plays an important, albeit underappreciated, role in running the country.
In The Presidents Club
Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy examine how this ad hoc fraternity was
formed when, after suddenly ascending to the presidency upon Franklin
Roosevelt’s death, Harry Truman reached out to his only living
predecessor, Herbert Hoover, and how it has influenced the nation up to
the present day.
Read both or select just one!
In Upstairs at the White House, West offers an absorbing and
novel glimpse at America’s first families, from the Roosevelts to the
Kennedys and the Nixons. Alive with anecdotes ranging from the quotidian
(Lyndon B. Johnson’s showerheads) to the tragic (the aftermath of John
F. Kennedy’s assassination), West’s book is an enlightening and rich
account of the American history that took place just behind the
Palladian doors of the North Portico.
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