Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I find it very disappointing that most people have a kneejerk reaction to Paul Johnson. It seems as though if you are a conservative you love him and if you are a liberal you hate him. I find this very unfair. Mr. Johnson is always entertaining and frequently thought provoking. After reading this book I have already bought biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison because Mr. Johnson has brought them to life and has caused me to want to learn more about them. For example, did you know that Mr. Edison would frequently sleep under the table in his workshop so as to be able to go right back to work when he woke up? Or that Calvin Coolidge once summoned some of his staff in the White House and then hid under his desk so that they couldn't find him? But this doesn't mean that this book is full of fluff either. Mr. Johnson also gives you much "straight" history and is not afraid to give you his opinions of the people and their policies. He clearly thinks that Jefferson, FDR and John Kennedy were overrated and Coolidge underrated, for example. He greatly admires Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Probably one of the great lessons of this book is that some distance is needed before a person or an event can be judged fairly. Years ago one heard almost only positive things about Thomas Jefferson. In recent years the pendulum has somewhat swung the other way especially where Jefferson's writings on slavery are now seen to diverge quite a bit from his practices in real life. But the beauty of this book lies in the uncovering of personality. We also learn that Jefferson had no sense of humor and that though he was a compulsive record keeper and wrote down everything that he bought and sold he had absolutely no idea of his financial situation, which was always getting worse, throughout his life. He liked to present himself as a common farmer but spent vast sums on fine wines and fancy clothes. He was a compulsive book buyer. He tended to get migraines when under pressure. He was a minimalist as far as believing in the power of the national government but did not hesitate to make the Louisiana Purchase. In short, like all interesting people he was inconsistent and quirky. I have dwelled on Jefferson but Mr. Johnson brings numerous historical figures to life in the same way. I found the last 100 pages of the book disappointing in its handling of events since 1960. I understand that many negative things about JFK have come to light in the last 20 years or so but Mr. Johnson has nothing positive at all to say about him. The space program, for example, is not shown in a positive light at all but as a Kennedy obsession about "competing" and "having to win". Likewise, Mr. Johnson has nothing to say about the serious personal flaws in the personality of Richard Nixon. It is clear that Mr. Nixon throughout his life got a very unfair deal from a lot of the press but is it not true that he was a bit paranoid about his perceived enemies and therefore worsened the situation? Mr. Johnson states as a blanket fact that Mr. Nixon knew nothing of the Watergate break-in beforehand. This is possible, but then Mr. Johnson has nothing at all to say about the coverup, which Nixon clearly did know about. The job of the historian is to present all sides of an issue and not to ignore unpleasant facts that do not support what you are trying to prove. It is also curious that Mr. Johnson makes no attempt to analyze whether or not the U.S. should ever have been in Vietnam. He faults the politicians for not listening to the military in saying that an all-out massive effort was needed or the war could not be won. In short, more discussion of both sides of the issue was needed. But if you forget the last 40 years or so, the bulk of this book is excellent.