{"500121":{"#nid":"500121","#data":{"type":"news","title":"What to Read during an Election Year: Presidents and Founding Fathers","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EWith Presidents Day on Feb. 15 and the 2016 presidential election in full swing, this is a good time to look at a few books written by or about some who have held the nation\u2019s highest office.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003ESeveral Georgia Tech professors made their recommendations. These range from books by or about former President Jimmy Carter, who attended Georgia Tech before attending the U.S. Naval Academy, to Alexander Hamilton, who was one of the country\u2019s Founding Fathers but could not run for president because he was born outside of what became the United States.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWhat the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President? Jimmy Carter, America\u2019s \u2018Malaise,\u2019 and the Speech That Should Have Changed the Country \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EBy Kevin Mattson, Bloomsbury USA 2009\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u201cPresident Carter gave a speech in July 1979 that tried to provide a spiritual uplift for Americans focused on an energy crisis, domestic scandals, Three Mile Island, and a supposed attack by a rabbit on the president\u2019s rowboat. He never used the word \u2018malaise\u2019 but the speech quickly became characterized and satirized as a sign of a failed presidency. The core of the speech was a set of proposals on energy policy \u2014 some very unrealistic, but others that could have set the nation on a very different path toward energy independence. The book is a case study in politics, leadership, media spin, and how the best and worst of our political instincts interplay.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p4\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u2014 \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/barke\u0022\u003ERichard Barke\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor, School of Public Policy\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EAlways a Reckoning and Other Poems \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003EBy Jimmy Carter, Crown Archetype 1994\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u201cPercy Bysshe Shelley famously argued, \u2018Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.\u2019 Being president of the United States seems the antithesis of the \u2018unacknowledged legislator.\u2019 Perhaps this is why only one president has published a collection of poetry. Jimmy Carter\u2019s collection, \u003Cem\u003EAlways a Reckoning and Other Poems \u003C\/em\u003Eprovides a personal, often nostalgic, glimpse into his life. In his poem, \u2018Trout,\u2019 he writes, \u2018Testing oneself is best when done alone,\u2019 and in these humble verses he shares some of his life\u2019s lessons in a way only poetry can.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u2014 \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/head\u0022\u003EKaren Head\u003C\/a\u003E, director of the Communication Center, and assistant professor, School of Literature, Media, and Communication\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ETried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003EBy James M. McPherson, Penguin 2008\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWashington: A Life \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003EBy Ron Chernow, Penguin 2010\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u201cAbraham Lincoln lived what was, by several measures, the most singular life in American history. No president has had to face more difficult trials, including developing and implementing the national strategy for winning the only existential war this country has fought since its creation. This consisted of the geographic, diplomatic, military, and economic isolation and reduction of the Confederacy. James McPherson deals with the military part of this in his book.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003EThe new United States could not have chosen a better first president than George Washington. He was, among many other things, the \u201cMaster of Farewells,\u201d a man who knew when it was best for all to leave office after a job well done. He has not received as much attention as he continues to deserve in the last few decades. Ron Chernow\u2019s book helps to correct this.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u2014 \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.scs.gatech.edu\/people\/seymour-goodman\u0022\u003ESeymour \u201cSy\u201d Goodman\u003C\/a\u003E, professor, jointly at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the College of Computing\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EEleanor and Franklin: The Story of Their Relationship, Based on Eleanor Roosevelt\u2019s Private Papers \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003EBy Joseph P. Lash, W.W. Norton \u0026amp; Co. 1971\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003Cem\u003EEleanor and Franklin \u003C\/em\u003Eexplores the relationship of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose progressive ideals and initiatives inspired the country during the Depression and World War II. Starting with their childhoods, Lash depicts the complex intertwining of their public and private lives, their exuberant family, and their political maneuverings and activities. Although Eleanor was often Franklin\u2019s stand-in as a speaker or a representative, \u2018her profound trust in her husband\u2019s leadership. . . did not keep her from disagreeing with him.\u2019 Their effectiveness as public servants depended on their compassion for others and their bold aspirations for social improvement.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u2014 \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/colatrella\u0022\u003ECarol Colatrella\u003C\/a\u003E, professor and associate dean for graduate studies, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003EBy Ira Katznelson, W.W. Norton \u0026amp; Co. 2013\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u201cWhile not a presidential biography in the strict sense, this award winner is arguably the most important book published in years on Franklin Delano Roosevelt\u2019s New Deal and its aftermath. \u003Cem\u003EFear Itself \u003C\/em\u003Eexplores the roots of the New Deal, its strengths, and its shortcomings while situating Roosevelt\u2019s efforts in a global context. It is a provocative book, crucial for understanding U.S. history long after Roosevelt left office.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u2014 \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/amsterdam\u0022\u003EDaniel Amsterdam\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor, School of History and Sociology\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003EBy Barack Obama, Times Books 1995\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u201cThis would be a classic American coming-of-age narrative, even if Barack Obama had never become president, because it is so smart and so disarmingly self-aware about his process of figuring out where he fit as a son, brother, grandson, and insider\/outsider to multiple cultures and subcultures.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u2014 \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/murray\u0022\u003EJanet Murray\u003C\/a\u003E, associate dean for research, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EAlexander Hamilton \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003EBy Ron Chernow, Penguin 2004\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u201cAt 800-plus pages, Ron Chernow\u2019s \u003Cem\u003EAlexander Hamilton \u003C\/em\u003Equalifies as a doorstop as well as the biography of a fascinating man and the inspiration for a popular Broadway musical.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003EA fine writer, statesman, military hero, abolitionist, and creator of the U.S. banking system, Hamilton was the only Founding Father to understand that the future lay in industry, not farming. Reading Chernow\u2019s excellent biography introduces us to all the Founding Fathers and fleshes out the man most know only as the face on the $10 bill and the victim of a tragic duel.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u2014 \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/senf\u0022\u003ECarol Senf\u003C\/a\u003E, professor, School of Literature, Media, and Communication\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EWith Presidents Day on Feb. 15 and the 2016 presidential election in full swing, this is a good time to look at a few books written by or about some who have held the nation\u2019s highest office.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"With Presidents Day on Feb. 15 and the 2016 presidential election in full swing, this is a good time to look at a few books written by or about some who have held the nation\u2019s highest office."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2016-02-15 09:25:53","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:42","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-02-15T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2016-02-15T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"500181":{"id":"500181","type":"image","title":"Washington","body":null,"created":"1455904800","gmt_created":"2016-02-19 18:00:00","changed":"1475895258","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 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Carter","file":{"fid":"204689","name":"carter-wreckoning.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/carter-wreckoning_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/carter-wreckoning_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":367441,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/carter-wreckoning_0.jpg?itok=pHbNKFty"}},"500201":{"id":"500201","type":"image","title":"Tried By War","body":null,"created":"1455904800","gmt_created":"2016-02-19 18:00:00","changed":"1475895261","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:21","alt":"Tried By 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Father","file":{"fid":"204692","name":"dreamsfrommyfather.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dreamsfrommyfather_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dreamsfrommyfather_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":662915,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dreamsfrommyfather_0.jpg?itok=SBgWFRro"}},"500171":{"id":"500171","type":"image","title":"Alexander Hamilton","body":null,"created":"1455904800","gmt_created":"2016-02-19 18:00:00","changed":"1475895258","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:18","alt":"Alexander 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