en-US Fri, 02 May 2025 08:02:00 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg ReadStatus9378149056 Fri, 02 May 2025 08:02:00 -0700 /review/show/7536806570 Jason started reading The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham
]]> Review7446307285 Sat, 29 Mar 2025 19:43:49 -0700 /review/show/7446307285 Jason gave 4 stars to In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Hardcover) by Erik Larson
]]> Review7349252920 Sun, 23 Feb 2025 16:21:06 -0800 /review/show/7349252920 Jason gave 5 stars to John Turner: An Intimate Biography of Canada's 17th Prime Minister (Hardcover) by Steve Paikin
I began following current events at eight. I vividly recall watching the morning news when I was 10 and seeing the 1988 Canadian leaders debate on CBS. The raised voices, pointed fingers, and a white-haired man in a bright red tie stood out to me.

The man was Liberal Party Leader John Turner. And, while I did not know it at the time, I had witnessed this political gladiator's finest hour in the epic 1988 free trade election.

As a 10-year-old fascinated by history and politics, I took my precocious self to the public library to learn more about Canadian politics. Looking back, that moment made me a Canadaphile. Over the years, I've closely followed Canadian politics.

About three years ago, I requested Steve Paikin's recently released biography of Turner for Christmas. I just now read it and found it to be an absolutely superb political biography.

Rather than a lengthy cradle-to-grave biography, Paikin succinctly covers Turner's 91 years in a concise, 300-page intimate portrait - exactly as promised in the title. More than any other political biography I've read, this book offers a genuine sense of the man and his times.

Once the golden boy of Canadian politics, Turner was tragically the victim of poor timing. It was his great misfortune to follow Pierre Trudeau's 15-year reign. (Considering the Democratic Party's current malaise, I kept thinking as I read the book that Barack Obama resembles Pierre Trudeau in many ways.) Compounding his challenges, Turner's political skills were rusty from a nine-year hiatus in the private sector, and the opposition Conservative Party was united and expertly led by another Canadian political giant, Brian Mulroney.

Turner's premiership lasted only from June to September 1984. While it might be tempting to view him as an asterisk, that would be a miscarriage of history. Fortunately, Paikin sets the record straight, portraying Turner for who he truly was: a talented statesman, a pragmatic yet imperfect party leader, a devoted parliamentarian, a tireless advocate for democracy, as well as an Oxford-educated intellectual who could be both regal and profane, but always honorable and compelling � scotches, cigars, f-bombs, and all.

Anyone interested in politics, Canada, or who simply enjoys reading compelling biography will be richly rewarded in reading this biography of Canada's 17th prime minister.

Highly recommended! ]]> Review7275636422 Fri, 31 Jan 2025 06:45:44 -0800 /review/show/7275636422 Jason gave 2 stars to America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War (Hardcover) by H.W. Brands
H.W. Brands is one of my go-to historians. His biography of Ronald Reagan ranks as one of my favorite presidential biographies. I thoroughly enjoyed his books on Andrew Jackson, Truman's relationship with MacArthur, the settling of the American West, and his contribution to the 'American Presidents' series with his slim volume on Woodrow Wilson.

I provide all this by letting you know that I enjoy Brands as both a writer and a historian. I did not, however, enjoy 'America First.'

Others have told the story of FDR versus Lindbergh very well. Brands' effort falls far short for a few significant reasons. First, he provided no new information. Second, he provided little context. Third, he regurgitated Lindbergh's private journal entries or posted entire sections of FDR's speeches.

Contrary to his previous works, Brands' 'America First' lacked a compelling narrative flow. I found myself skimming entire chapters just to get through the text.

Overall, a major disappointment from an otherwise stellar historian and writer. If you want to read a definitive history of this fraught era, I recommend Lynne Olson's 'Those Angry Days.' ]]> Review7191988576 Wed, 08 Jan 2025 15:08:01 -0800 /review/show/7191988576 Jason gave 5 stars to The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter (Hardcover) by Kai Bird
After I read a superb presidential biography, as I did with Jonathan Alter's 'His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life,' I seldom read another book on the same president. I regard Alter's book as one of the finest biographies I've ever read.

But I made an exception in reading Kai Bird's 'The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter' for a few reasons. First, Bird is a gifted and engaging writer. Second, Bird had access to the files of Carter's close friend and political advisor Charles Kirbo. Third, for whatever reason, I'm fascinated by this period in American political history and especially in Jimmy Carter. Finally, I wanted to read the book before Carter passed. The former president died on December 29, 2024 - that was the same day I read the chapter on Carter's greatest achievement: the Camp David Accords.

Bird matches Alter in almost every way with a few distinctions. Alter wrote a comprehensive cradle to late-in-life biography of the 39th president that gave you a sense of the man. In contrast, Bird dispatches fairly quickly with Carter's upbringing and later life, focusing instead on his presidency. This is where the book really soars. You get a full overview of the Carter presidency - the challenges he faced, his accomplishments, and his shortcomings. And, in contrast to Alter's biography, Bird more fully introduces you to Carter's key advisors and administration officials.

While I love the Alter biography, I enthusiastically recommend Bird's work. In my mind, 'The Outlier' ranks up there as one of the very best studies on an American presidency I've come across.

Five stars. ]]> Review7172599781 Sat, 04 Jan 2025 14:25:10 -0800 /review/show/7172599781 Jason gave 4 stars to Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction (Hardcover) by David Kuo
]]> ReadStatus8690940621 Sat, 30 Nov 2024 20:34:26 -0800 /review/show/7046824964 Jason wants to read Why the Tories Won: The Inside Story of the 2015 Election by Tim Ross
]]> Review6993695791 Sun, 10 Nov 2024 11:16:06 -0800 /review/show/6993695791 Jason gave 4 stars to The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters (Hardcover) by Susan Page
]]> Review6547894567 Sat, 14 Sep 2024 21:56:09 -0700 /review/show/6547894567 Jason gave 4 stars to Treasure State (Cassie Dewell, #5; Highway Quartet, #6) by C.J. Box
When I read fiction, I typically go to Daniel Silva, Jeffrey Archer, or John Grisham. I’ll now add C.J. Box to the mix. This was my first Box novel. It will certainly not be the last. Box is a captivating storyteller. After reading ‘Treasure State,� I now understand what my father and millions of other devoted Box fans see in his work.

Even though this is part of the Cassie Dewell series, ‘Treasure State� provides sufficient background for this to be read as an introduction or a stand alone.

Recommended without hesitation. Enjoy! ]]> Review6748105140 Sat, 14 Sep 2024 21:55:53 -0700 /review/show/6748105140 Jason gave 4 stars to The Duel: Diefenbaker, Pearson and the Making of Modern Canada (Hardcover) by John Ibbitson
A superb blend of political history and biography that tells an important chapter in the growth of Canada. For any American, looking to understand more about the politics of our northern neighbor, they can do no better than picking up this read and following John Ibbitson's insights. ]]>