5 comments about The making of the president, 1960 (Franklin library of Pulitzer Prize classics).

1. While it would seem this book would be very dated, I found it to be incredibly interesting and unintentionally relevant to the modern political world. First though, the book reads incredibly easy. Ted White was a journalist and thus this feels more like a direct piece, rather than an academic's thesis. The story of the election moves along with a few pauses for in-depth analysis. The focus shifts in every chapter, so it doesn't become monotonous.
   I especially liked reading the book because it was about John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon and written from a perspective that is hard to find: before JFK was shot and Nixon resigned. Instead the book treats them just as two young pols, eager to ascend to the highest office.
   Additionally, many of the positions of the Democrats and Republicans, as well as response by the American people seems unchanged despite the past nearly 50 years. Looking at the parties as they began to form their present state provides insight into how our political scene today developed.
   All in all, I recommend this book to anyone who's interested either in Nixon, Kennedy, or presidential campaigning in general. They'll find it almost humorous in how some descriptions written in 1961 still apply in 2007, and how most tactics are still being used.



2. I very much enjoyed reading this book - having polished it off in a day. This book really takes you back into a very different era of American politics and culture. Indeed, there were only 3 major television networks, 2 wire services (which fed local newspapers), and no cable or internet. Moreover, the Presidential nomination process was quite different from what it is today. Back then, party conventions actually conducted substantive business, with deals and compromises being made, and floor battles beign waged (whereas today's conventions are largely a waste of time and money). Also, both major Presidential candidates sought to carry the broad segment of the electorate, not just certain geographic regions (there was not the concept of "Red" states and "Blue" states that exists today - many of the states were "in play" for most of the campaign).
   
   I also enjoyed Mr. White's interesting analysis of American culture and society, circa 1960. He takes readers through a colorful discussion of trends and changes that have occurred and connects them with the political scene. This definitely puts the unfolding of the campaign and election into a greater perspective.
   
   I have read a number of criticisms that Mr. White was unduly biased toward John F. Kennedy in this book. I do not see this as being accurate - he does not present Kennedy as some sort of secular saint. Moreover, (and I am no great admirer of Kennedy), Kennedy did have a great deal of charisma that lent itself to positive press coverage. In a later book, Mr. White takes a similar tack toward Ronald Reagan. Mr. White does show some empathy toward Richard Nixon, though he rightly criticizes him for not making better use of President Eisenhower's immense popularity and goodwill with the American people. Nixon, of course, will ultimately win a Presidential contest, though under a different set of circumstances.
   
   Interestingly, I don't think that either Kennedy or Nixon would have won their respective party's Presidential nomination in the current political climate. This is because both men were, at heart, center-leaning pragmatists, not given to being in lockstep with the ideological orthodoxy that exists today in both parties.
   
   On a critical note, Mr. White does not mention the controversial election returns that took place in Chicago and Texas, or about the dubious (to put it nicely) dealings of Joseph P. Kennedy, who took an active role in the campaign, despite an appearance of aloofness. I think that Mr. White should have included this, and that doing so would not have harmed the book.



3. Nowadays, when a campaign book is written it amounts to little more than a collection of Newsweek articles. Theodore White's Making of the Presidency 1960 on the other hand gets into the nuts and bolts of presidential campaigns, party machinery, and voter demographics in a way not really seen anymore. It's about the big ideas that shape national elections and the individual people that make it all operate.
   
   Given the current political process, some of the 1960 action seems quite distant. First, several candidates were aiming for a convention strategy, completely ignoring the primaries that were then far less important. Second, at one point the book mentions eight minute statements given by Kennedy and Nixon during one of their debates. Nowadays, we are lucky if a debate statement on the most important national issue lasts for more than two minutes.
   
   The book's publication in 1961 also makes it interesting, as it leaves the reader at the threshold of the Kennedy presidency but is completely unaware of the events to follow. Not only does this include the assassination of two Kennedy brothers, but also the election of Richard Nixon to the presidency in 1968.
   
   I have also read the Making of the Presidency 1964, but not the two successive volumes. I highly recommend this and the follow-up.



4. Senator John F. Kennedy's slim victory (less than 150,000 votes) over Vice-President Richard M. Nixon in 1960 was arguably the 20th century's most iconic. Kennedy's generation, "born in this century," linked American history and heroes with still-modern inventions of instant polling and television to face the legacy of a beloved war hero president, his formidable vice-president and eight years of their "peace and prosperity."
   
   Theodore H. White's influential bestseller, "The Making of the President 1960," not only chronicles the primaries, speeches, strategy sessions, debates, and final tallies, but was largely where 1960's election, and its victor, began owning their singular places in U.S. history.
   
   Beginning fittingly at campaign's end with Kennedy's stressful, exhilarating victory night, the book unfolds candidate strategies from primary to convention to the weeks between Bill Mazeroski's World Series-ending home run and that November 7. White is novelist, journalist and historian chronicling the Democratic party torch passing from hero Adlai Stevenson (a reluctant if overpoweringly influential candidate) to Kennedy at the Los Angeles convention. With unprecedented access to President Kennedy, campaign manager Bobby Kennedy (provocatively described as a Catholic "Boston Puritan"), and their brain trusts, White sketches the candidate's vigor, intellect, and humor making him cultural equal to era icons Franklin Roosevelt and Elvis Presley.
   
   Without nearly the access to the then-vice president or his staff (part of Nixon's hostility to press which reached dizzying heights a decade later) White's views on Nixon are observational, quotes from formally prepared speeches or advisors speaking off-record. Eisenhower's Republican torch becomes a hot potato jumping from New York governor Nelson Rockefeller to industry captains supporting the party to what White describes as Nixon's mix of stubbornness (with a 50-state strategy), bad luck, bad TV imagery, and a touch of greed. This led Nixon to make decisions perceived strategically right over those morally right (both candidates' reaction to Dr. Martin Luther King's Georgia imprisonment weeks before the election being a watershed example.)
   
   But for its merits in describing Kennedy and Nixon's exhausting marathon to the Oval Office (and hardships of accompanying staffers and even reporters), White's most valuable chapter for today's reader is "Retrospect on Yesterday's Future." Any political science or sociology student must read White's chronicle of 1960's changing demographics: contrasts between black/white, urban/suburban, regional/ethnic ("red" and "blue" state values are spot-on described without color) and, most notably, Catholic/Protestant. (Kennedy's famous speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, taking his religious and presidential responsibilities head-on, is reprinted as an appendix.)
   
   White gives this humanity and immediacy making particular episodes (Nixon's Atlanta rally, Hubert Humphrey's long bus ride in Wisconsin and his awkward TV telethon, Kennedy's final speech as candidate in Connecticut) seem fresh and evocative of their time. White shows 1960 as slamming shut the "simpler time" many envision the 1950s to be. This not only stems because of the horrible tragedies awaiting both men, but Big Media's ever-larger bytes and swallows of political discussion and drama.
   
   Anyone wanting to understand modern American politics, strategiesm and motivations in place even to this year's election must start here. "The Making of the President 1960" should be required for any voter helping to make one in 2008 and beyond.



5. A gift to my old friend who ever read few
   books from the same authors.

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3 comments about In His Own Words.

1. This is a compilation of Nelson Mandela's speeches divided into twelve categories that run a diverse classification. The topics run the gamut of historical: "Struggle" "Freedom", "Reconciliation", "Nation Building" and "Development"; social: "Education", "Culture", "Religion", "Health" and "Children"; Cross sectional: "Heroes" and "Peace". The collection provides a one source to obtain the works of a key twentieth century person, but like any of these IN HIS OWN WORDS is repetitive and at times boring. Unless needed for a school assignment, this biographical oratory is best savored over several weeks as Mr. Mandela through his words show why he remains an inspirational influential individual whose speeches provide a deep insight into the man, the legend, and an era of transition.
   
   Harriet Klausner



2. Rebeccasreads highly recommends IN HIS OWN WORDS for those who have ever wondered how this man moved generations of people to agitate for civil rights. Settle down with this big, big book & relive the ideas that inspired us, & get a rare glimpse of the heroes from another time & another place.
   
   Because these are public speeches, there will be repetition - relax & let the words flow over you. & while most of us won't notice it, what we read from the book in no way indicates the timbre, cadence & nuances of the spoken word, so it would have been a wonderful completion had a DVD sound recording of one or two of Nelson Mandela's speeches been included.
   
   The extraordinary power of IN HIS OWN WORDS is in, once again, hearing legend's way of expressing himself, who, along with Mahatma Gandhi & Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is one of the most articulate, courageous, & respected men of our time. The list of people who contributed their impressions is extraordinary, & illustrates how deeply Nelson Mandela changed our lives & our world.



3. IN HIS OWN WORDS is perfect reading for history buffs. There are 545 pages of speeches, addresses and statements of Nelson Mandela. When you read this collection of words by Mr. Mandela, you come away with a better understanding of this man who has dedicated his life to his belief of freedom and equality.
   
   Nelson Mandela is a prolific writer as well as a gifted speaker. There are twelve chapters in IN HIS OWN WORDS. Because of its length, I suggest that you read this book by first reading the topics that most interest you. I started with Education, Health and Culture and was moved by Nelson Mandela's compassion and his tenacity to remain focused in his one man crusade for democracy for all people. As someone who enjoys reading about history, I read the remaining chapters over several weeks and found them to be fascinating. Very much worth reading.
   
   Vannie(~.~)
   Work & Family @ BellaOnline.com
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2 comments about Rare Personal Accounts of Abraham Lincoln.

1. This was a very intersting book! It contains letters that invidivuals have written about Abraham Lincoln that met or knew him personally. If only someone would build a time machine!



2. One of the satisfactions of being so involved in reading and reviewing books is that I get to meet some fascinating people with some truly wonderful books. Sure, there is some dross, too. However, because of what I like to read and review I avoid most of the stuff I would hate. This is a very special book that we came amazingly close to never having at all.
   
   By a very unlikely set of circumstances I happened to meet one of the editors of this book. We fell into a conversation about reading history and he told me about this book. It turns out that his brother was an avid collector of historical memorabilia, some of it amazingly valuable. As he was caring for his brother's estate there was a flood in the basement where this manuscript was stored. They were busy throwing away a lot of stuff that was ruined and material that seemed to have no value. Something told him to take a closer look at the books that were the manuscript of this book. He soon realized what a treasure it is.
   
   The manuscript was put together in the first couple of decades of the Twentieth Century when some of those who had seen Lincoln were still alive. John E. Boos was an avid autograph collector, a devotee of Abraham Lincoln and the soldiers who fought in the Civil War. His text for the book does not give a complete transcript of each item he collected, but does talk about the items and provides some context for the items. Some get more extensive treatment than others. The Boos manuscript is NOT a finished or even polished text, but that isn't at all important. What is important is that the editors have not only included the Boos text, but PHOTOCOPIES of the original documents. We can see the handwritten documents and glean all kinds of interesting information from them.
   
   For example, there are many accounts of the Lincoln-Douglass debates from people who attended one or the other of them. I learned that Lincoln was dressed more casually than Douglass. Lincoln wore Kentucky jeans and could have used a haircut in at least one of the debates. Another recounts Lincoln wearing a long duster coat. Douglass is remembered by one has having worn a blue swallowtail coat with a shirtfront stained with tobacco juice. He noted that Douglass liked to drink and looked like he had come to the debate looking as if it were the morning after the night before. Another fascinating detail was how Lincoln would bend his knees and the quickly rise to his full height to emphasize a point.
   
   There are also many accounts of soldiers and officers who served in the Civil War. Getting information on the battles in which they fought, their wounds, and their lives after the war is all quite interesting. It seems to me that the material in this book would be of interest to historians and history buffs interested in Lincoln and the Civil War. If there is any new nugget of information provided in this manuscript it could be quite valuable to our understanding in reconstructing various events. Given the attention any new scrap of information about Lincoln gets, the accounts presented in this book would seem to me to deserve careful examination.
   
   Granted these folks were all aged when they gave these accounts. Everything they say should be checked for plausibility, but it sure reads as if it were true. One person admits being unsure if one of their memories is something he experienced or something he read about or from a photograph he had seen. This is always the problem with accounts taken decades after the events. I do think that going through these accounts is more like looking at a site of possible gemstones rather than panning for gold. John Boos has done all the collection. Some might be quartz, others might be glass, but there just might be a diamond or two that can really help our understanding of events. In any case, they are all interesting. Even just looking at the handwriting from a century ago is fascinating. Some historian should not only look this over in book form, but contact the editors and make sure that these manuscripts and original documents are properly preserved for future generations.
   
   Of course, I am strongly recommending this book.

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