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Lunch » Tags » Books » Reviews » Presidential Anecdotes

Presidential Anecdotes

1 rating: 3.0

A book by Paul F. Boller Jr.

*Praise for the first edition: "A robust, entertaining, collection."--Publishers Weekly "This is a more than sound refresher in American history: It is a...delightful account of how lucky this country has been in its … see full wiki

Tags: Books, Cafe Libri

Author: Paul F. Boller Jr.

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

1 review about Presidential Anecdotes

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See the presidents as funny men

Dec 22, 2001

by CharlesAshbacher
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

There have been many different personalities serve as the President of the United States, from dynamic types such as Theodore Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter to the extreme reserve of Calvin Coolidge. However, each was capable of humor in their own unique way, and this collection of stories about the presidents from Washington through Clinton shows much of their humanity. The funniest President of all was probably Abraham Lincoln, and his sense of humor helped him get through the greatest crisis this nation has ever faced.
However, I found the funniest one to be when a society woman sat next to Calvin Coolidge and informed him that she had a bet that she could get more than two words out of him. His reply was, "You lose." Any person who could utter such a line without breaking stride would have made a great straight man. While there is no real historical significance to the anecdotes, some of the public performance of these men does come through in the stories. There were many times when it was possible to see some of their effectiveness as leaders reflected in their jokes. Politics will always remain an exercise in personal charm and there is no better way to do that than making jokes.
I enjoyed the book, finding it a light journey through the history of the American presidency, not in deeds, but in funny words.

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