American Lion
Andrew Jackson in the White House
by Jon Meacham
★★★★
In recent years I’ve learned that I love a good
biography. Presidential bios are particularly interesting because I think it
takes a specific kind of person to want to be in such a lauded and attacked
position of power. American Lion has been on my radar for a while and it didn’t
disappoint.
Jackson broke the mold of presidents at that time. He was
a fighter, a pioneer, a country boy, the opposite of the elite group of
founding fathers in New England. I think he rivals Teddy Roosevelt for the
title of most badass president of all time. At one point he was shot in the
chest during a duel and he kept fighting!
He was more astute than most people gave him credit for.
His critics often focused on his temper and stubborn nature, but he seemed to
know when to back down or be cordial if he would benefit from it. He was
fiercely loyal to his family and friends, at times to a fault. I thought it was
interesting that even hundreds of years ago, the presidential office was filled
with scandal and petty fights, etc. That was nothing new in the 20th century.
Jackson had his own moral code and he stuck by it. There
are certainly some dark spots during his tenure as president, especially the
trail of tears, which was created by his policy even if it was enacted in
another president's term. Just like any other president, there were both good
decisions and bad, and I’m sure that it’s much easier for us to judge them with
hindsight.
BOTTOM LINE: Jackson was such an interesting president!
Also, I’ll keep reading whatever Meacham chooses to write. He’s up there on my
list of must read nonfiction authors with Erik Larson, Mary Roach, Bill Bryson,
and a few others. I didn’t love this one as much as the author’s biography ofThomas Jefferson, but I think that has more to do with my fascinating with
Jefferson.
“I was born for a storm and a calm does not suit me.”
Pairing Books with Musicals: I’ve never paired a book
with a musical before, and a presidential biography isn’t the obvious place to
start, but I think this is a perfect fit. My first real glimpse into Jackson’s
life was through the musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, which is fantastic.
It turned Jackson’s wild life into a fun rock ’n’ roll theatre piece. Following
that same trend, there’s now a musical about Hamilton’s life on Broadway. It
stars Lin-Manuel Miranda who also created “In the Heights”! Anyway, I’m dying
to see it, especially after finishing American Lion.
2 comments:
Jackson seems to have been through a lot during his life and administration. I think I recall him b/c he won one of the last battles of the War of 1812 in New Orleans. I'll check out some of Meacham's writings, thanks.
thecuecard - I loved learning more about his life!
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