Warren G. Harding. Not, as many claim, the worst president of all time, but far from good. patrickrodowd.com/blog/warren-g-…

Calvin Coolidge. I did not like this book. I found it flat and dull, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read my post about it! patrickrodowd.com/blog/calvin-co…

Herbert Hoover. Below average president. Not the greatest guy. But a fascinating individual, and Whyte’s biography of him is excellent. patrickrodowd.com/blog/herbert-h…

FDR was president for twelve years. Some hate him, some love him. This week, I take a look at his legacy and how, after him, the presidency would never be the same (for better or worse). patrickrodowd.com/blog/franklin-…

Harry Truman. This is one of the best biographies I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Truman is a fascinating figure and president. He was flawed and made mistakes, but don’t we all? patrickrodowd.com/blog/harry-s-t…

Dwight D. Eisenhower. The bland representation of the imagined utopia of the fifties. A brilliant military mind who was forced into politics. Or, that’s what they tell you. The truth is quite the opposite. patrickrodowd.com/blog/dwight-d-…

A hero? A villain? A symbol for a generation? A spoiled rich kid? In the end, maybe a little bit of all of those things. Frederick Logevall’s sublime first volume on JFK’s early life introduces us to a man we know so much and so little about. patrickrodowd.com/blog/john-f-ke…

My review of Julia Bartz , author of the THE WRITING RETREAT's wonderful debut novel, The Writing Retreat. Go read it! sequoia-speaks.com/2023/09/the-sa…

This is it. These are the books that launched my journey to read a biography of every president. They are still the best. Engrossing, exhaustively researched, and endlessly fascinating. They’re long, but if you like biographies, you need to read them. patrickrodowd.com/blog/lyndon-jo…

Tricky Dick Nixon. A name he more than lived up to. An insecure, fragile, angry, paranoid, ambitious man who shaped the nation we now live in as much as anyone. This is a wonderful biography of a fascinating, troubling man. patrickrodowd.com/blog/richard-n…

The book’s ok. Gerry was pretty mid. But Betty Ford was cool. patrickrodowd.com/blog/gerald-fo…

Two posts today to make up for missing last week (cooking Thanksgiving dinner). Jimmy Carter. Not a great president, but a good man. This biography is just ok. patrickrodowd.com/blog/jimmy-car…

In many ways the polar opposite of his predecessor Carter. He leaves behind a substantial legacy and is beloved by many, but so much of what plagues this nation can be traced to him. patrickrodowd.com/blog/ronald-re…

Almost done! Seen by many as the most forgettable of our recent (can we still call him recent?) presidents, Meacham’s masterful biography shows otherwise. A compelling figure and a brilliant book by one of the great biographers of our time. patrickrodowd.com/blog/w05etpyer…

Bill was nothing if not memorable. The presidency changed irrevocably during his tenure in office. Tabloid journalism, the 24/7 news cycle, and the internet marked his presidency. patrickrodowd.com/blog/bill-clin…

This is a good book about a bad president and his worse vice president. George W. Bush. patrickrodowd.com/blog/george-w-…

Barack Obama. The first president I voted for and, I worry, the last I will truly believe in. patrickrodowd.com/blog/barack-ob…

Donald Trump. You already have an opinion on him. We all do. This book wasn’t very good, and I don’t think there are any good books on him. Not yet, at least. patrickrodowd.com/blog/donald-tr…

Joe Biden. Finally, we have reached the end of this project. Judging by the current political environment it seems likely I will not be reading a bio on a new president for at least four years. This book is bad. Sorry to be harsh. patrickrodowd.com/blog/joe-biden

Releasing April 29: "Patrick O’Dowd’s vigorous debut is a prescient and perceptive tale, a compelling examination of a world in which fact and fiction have become blurred and weaponized." …al-house-publishing.mybigcommerce.com/a-campus-on-fi…