Wilson in Challenges

Apr 27, 2023 贰濒测蝉别鉁� rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, biography, male-author, us-history, wwi, presidents-us, world-history, history, politics, academia

I haven鈥檛 been writing reviews lately. I must get my big old desktop computer fixed before I start up again. It鈥檚 too hard for this old lady to write reviews with her bad eyesight and shaky hands on my iPhone. The letter/number buttons are too small. And I have trouble dictating coherent reviews even though that option is available. I think my Apple iPhone has trouble understanding my South Jersey accent and it鈥檚 difficult to correct all the mistakes. But anyway, I like writing reviews and will ...more

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Jan 15, 2017 YourLovelyMan rated it really liked it

Shelves: u-s-presidential-bios

This is a bio of Woodrow Wilson, a consequential and somewhat controversial American President. A few thoughts:

On Wilson鈥檚 story: An idealistic, academic, Democratic President looks to leave a positive, lasting impression on the nation and world, but a Republican Congress prevents the President鈥檚 agenda from coming to fruition. The President is succeeded by a Republican best known for poor choice of words, gambling, womanizing, and self-dealing. The successor campaigns on nationalism over global This is a bio of Woodrow Wilson, a consequential and somewhat controversial American President. A few thoughts:

On Wilson鈥檚 story: An idealistic, academic, Democratic President looks to leave a positive, lasting impression on the nation and world, but a Republican Congress prevents the President鈥檚 agenda from coming to fruition. The President is succeeded by a Republican best known for poor choice of words, gambling, womanizing, and self-dealing. The successor campaigns on nationalism over globalism and on undoing the outgoing President鈥檚 initiatives. The parallels to our situation today are uncanny.

Half-kidding aside, Wilson really did lay the groundwork for much of our modern foreign policy. Peacekeeping initiatives, freedom of the seas, and making the world safe for democracy all seem to have taken root during his administration. Even domestically, he made a great deal of progress for women鈥檚 equality, arguably more than any other President up to his time. No doubt he鈥檇 be considered among our greatest Presidents if not for his backwards attitudes toward race--publicly he would endorse separate but equal policies; privately he would crack racist jokes and impressions that would make most of us cringe.

Writing style: Heavy on facts, moderate on analysis. Each chapter is titled for a biblical reference, partly as a nod to Wilson鈥檚 religious upbringing, partly to give the air that Wilson, with his mission to bring peace to a war-torn world, is a sort of savior. While this feels a little hokey, the portrayal is ultimately fair and not too hagiographic. The author鈥檚 own analysis seems to just be for filling in unknowns like whether Wilson was ever physically intimate with his rumoured paramour, Mary Peck (unlikely, says the author, given the people around them and his own reserved nature).

Biggest gripe: Lack of breaks. Subjects are not separated by more than a paragraph indent, often for up to forty pages at a time (total 743 pages). Small details and major events seem to be on equal footing, and it is difficult to organize cogent pictures or time lines. This is especially true in the discussion on the Peace Conference, which seems to drag on and on. Since this book no doubt took an enormous amount of research, it鈥檚 a shame that this stylistic approach holds it back.

Having said that, it finishes strong. By the last chapter, you really don鈥檛 want to put the book down. It could be that overall there is a change of pace (we鈥檙e at the Wilsons鈥� home watching post-Wilson events play out, no longer negotiating a treaty in Europe for six months), but part of it is also watching the demise of this figure with whom you鈥檝e become so acquainted by the end.

While it鈥檚 not a casual read nor always compellingly written, anyone wanting to learn about Woodrow Wilson, the American Presidency, or WWI will enjoy and appreciate this book. ...more

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Aug 20, 2015 Steven rated it really liked it

Shelves: president-bio

I dedicate the completing of this book in less than a month to my 5mm kidney stone, which gave my countless hours to read.

The author, A. Scott Berg, allows readers to come away feeling full and content, knowing they have a complete and unbiased view of Wilson.

Nothing shows this more than how Berg handled the most sensitive issue regarding Wilson's reputation:Jim Crow laws, and the amount of unabashed anti-Semites in his inner circle. Berg handled these topics cleverly, allowing the reader to c ...more

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Oct 07, 2021 Earl Ecklund III rated it it was amazing

Shelves: woodrow-wilson

Woodrow Wilson is best remembered for his Fourteen Points issued at the end of World War I as a framework for peace. He also was an accomplished historian, professor, university president as well as an advocate of progressive legislation both as Governor of New Jersey and as President of the United States. Among his accomplishments as President includes the creation of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission and strengthening the Anti-Trust laws. In this insightful and poignant ...more

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Jul 02, 2024 Christi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, biography, reference, history, virtues-examples, politics

This was a good biography. Wilson is a very complex man and sometimes that made things confusing, but it was fascinating, inspiring, frustrating, and sad. Michael like Wilson鈥檚 life. Recommend if you are interested in Wilson or in the WWI /league of nations conversation.

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