Five Presidential Biographies That I Recommend Reading

Flag of the United States waving

With every Inauguration Day, regardless of who anyone supported, I tend to sit back and reflect at the rich history of the United States and the men who have stepped foot in the Oval Office to work on behalf of the American people. The United States, I believe, has a unique history, along with a different set of beliefs and ideals, since it is the first country to declare independence from a foreign great power to establish a representative government in which the people choose their elected officials to work on the issues that they’ve proposed. Ancient Rome had the same form of government as well, but perished due to political instability, poor leadership, military losses, and overexpansion. The United States though still keeps being a country unified by a certain set of beliefs in order to create a more perfect union even if the people have disagreements over candidates and policies. Forty-seven men, as of today, have recited the oath of office to uphold the office of President of the United States. Here are five presidential biographies that I recommend reading to learn more about a president’s life:

Washington: A Life, by Ron Chernow- A Presidential Biography of the First President

My next read is this one! Washington: A Life is one of the best George Washington biographies out there if anyone wants to know an in-depth perspective of what the first president of the United States was like. This biography book was written with the heavy use of archival evidence and letters, maps, and images from the Papers of Washington. Other than talking about his life and commanding the Continental Army, which consisted of ordinary American colonists at the time, the book delves deep into the psychology of Washington and his political views during the nascent period of the United States. Like any presidential biography of the presidents who lived before the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, the slavery politics of Washington is heavily explored and on how he thought about freeing his slaves after the Revolutionary Way but was cautious on signing any proclamation since it would rip the infant nation apart. The United States would’ve been a lifetime presidential nation if it wasn’t for Washington, who stepped down from power. After serving two terms, a healthy precedent that he himself set, as commander in chief, he decided to step down and not run again, urging the American people to elect another leader that has fresh ideas to solve the priorities facing the country.

And There Was Light: Lincoln and The American Struggle, by Jon Meacham

The United States would’ve been a failed experiment of representative government, like Ancient Rome, if the job of this one man didn’t become a reality. Abraham Lincoln became president in one of the most tumultuous times in American history. After the 1860 election, giving Lincoln the required electoral votes to hold the presidency, the southern states seceded and formed a confederacy. Meacham wrote this 2022 biographical account using primary sources, letters, archival material, speeches, and diaries that contain Lincoln’s written words to get an in-depth view of the era that he lived in. It also has accounts that are directed on how Lincoln managed to confront the war against the Confederacy and the extreme political polarization regarding the issues at the time. Today, he consistently ranks as one fo the greatest presidents of the United States. Look into this book if you’re currently looking for a recent Lincoln biography.

Coolidge, by Amity Shlaes

This is on my bookshelf and will read it as soon as I finish with the five books that I promised myself to read in 2025! Coolidge is an enigma to many Americans since he was one of those presidents who worked behind the scenes and was known to have a quiet personality. He was known as Silent Cal as a matter of fact. During his presidency, Coolidge pursued an effective governing style in which he stressed the importance of maintaining a small and frugal government, meaning limited intervention of the government in the economy and individual liberties. He oversaw an America in the 1920, known as the Roaring Twenties by many, in which the economy flourished to heights never seen before. Even though he was popular during his time as an effective president for his approach to governing, many analysts and historians debate that this limited governing approach laid the seeds for the economic hardships of the 1930s. This is the only top-rated book that I could find if anyone is looking to explore who Calvin Coolidge is.

A Promised Land, by Barack Obama

A Promised Land is Obama’s first of a two volume series. The second part of this book is still in development and there has not been an official release date yet. Barack Obama delves deeply in this personal memoir about his time as a youth, college student, community organizer, and being a senator before the 2008 presidential elections. He shares a deep insight of his first campaign for president and his first term, which was dominated by the Great Recession of 2008 and addressing the economic hardships that were related to the recession. It also talks about how polarization makes it harder for bipartisan efforts to be felt across the country, especially in a digital age where online disinformation can sway many people to either side of the political spectrum. This book stretches from his first presidential victory speech all the way to the events surrounding the hunt and execution of Osama Bin Laden.

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power

The Father of Individual Liberty and the main drafter of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson is my favorite Founding Father of all time since he was a devoted reader, writer, and was interested in many fields during his time. The Art of Power, written by Meacham, author of And There Was Light, is a top-rated biography of Jefferson and it speaks completely about his life: his childhood and a discovery of a hill where he would build his home of Monticello, his classical formation with some of the best minds of the Enlightenment Age, his thought process during the Revolution, his definition of the four famous words of the Declaration of Indpendence that “all men are created equal” even though he owned slaves and didn’t set them free until his death, the presidency, and his post-presidency in which he would build the University of Virginia. Jefferson was the first president from the opposite party, Democratic-Republicans, in which the peaceful transfer of power was transferred from John Adams, the second president of the United States, to him. This is the best Jefferson bio for anyone to pick up.

THOSE ARE MY FIVE AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL BIOS THAT I RECOMMEND

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