HEY, POLITICAL JUNKIES! (03/05/2014)




Gary S is a businessman and a political junkie.  His opinions, comments and reviews often appear on this blog. THE BULLY PULPIT by Doris Kearns Goodwin is his latest read and an unforgettable one, especially if you're a history buff.

One of the Best Books of the Year as chosen by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, Time and USA Today.... Reviewers have labeled it "A tale so gripping that one questions the need for fiction when real life is so plump with drama and intrigue"

Doris Kearns Goodwin does it again! Read Gary S's review below....
   



The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism By Doris Kearns Goodwin 



As an avid reader of history, I was anticipating the latest book from Doris Kearns Goodwin. I was excited to learn about an era that really changed how our country was governed—and learn about two United States Presidents that I was vaguely familiar.


What scared me was the length of the book—928 pages—and 3 pounds of shipping weight (according to Amazon). As a reader with a moderate attention span, I was fearful I would toss it aside the moment I got bored. Not so! On the few occasions when I thought Goodwin was giving me too much information (sometimes way too much information), I would simply skip ahead and no harm was done.


The book reads like a history book should. It brings the reader back in time and helps to visualize what it was like to live in that era. At that time, around 1890's to early 1900's, corporations were all powerful (Rockefellers and the railroad barrons) and government was not always for the people.


Goodwin tells the story of two men, Roosevelt and Taft—along with the advent of investigative journalism that together created the progressive movement... and changed a nation.




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2 comments:

  1. I have heard really go things about this book from several sources. Nice that Taft gets some attention here. So little abiut him is remembered.

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  2. Hi Brian! I agree, it was great to learn about Taft. It was a very special time in our history and he played a big part.
    GaryS

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