Andrew Jackson is exactly that, a bio about the Senator/ War Hero/ President. It is an engaging book, a truncated version of the author's 3 volume set on Jackson's life. It does a credible job of covering his battles be they on the battlefield, political, or his health. It delves into the many scandals and "incidents" of Jackson's presidency with an ease of understanding and reader comprehension. All-in-all, it is a good book. Where I found it lacking:
- Jackson supported slavery and owned slaves. The book totally glosses over this fact. I'm not one to judge someone by the standards of 170 years ago, but you can't cover history if you're willing to ignore facts, warts and all.
- It was very pro-Jackson, at times bordering on fan-boy admiration. Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot about Jackson and his presidency and think he is a highly underrated president. With that said, he had his moments of failure and I had the impression the book spun those failures. I couldn't shake the thought that it was polished and prettied-up history with just enough rough patches to give it some credibility.
Would I recommend it? Yes. Buy it on clearance or used. Would I recommend that you use at least one more source to put Remini's work into perspective? Yes.
- Jackson supported slavery and owned slaves. The book totally glosses over this fact. I'm not one to judge someone by the standards of 170 years ago, but you can't cover history if you're willing to ignore facts, warts and all.
- It was very pro-Jackson, at times bordering on fan-boy admiration. Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot about Jackson and his presidency and think he is a highly underrated president. With that said, he had his moments of failure and I had the impression the book spun those failures. I couldn't shake the thought that it was polished and prettied-up history with just enough rough patches to give it some credibility.
Would I recommend it? Yes. Buy it on clearance or used. Would I recommend that you use at least one more source to put Remini's work into perspective? Yes.
