Description: Renowned New Deal historian Leuchtenburg offers a frank, thoughtful portrait of the lifelong public servant, and shrewdly assesses Hoover's policies and legacy in the face of one of the darkest periods of American history--the Great Depression.
Brief description: Sean Wilentz, a professor of history at Princeton University, is the author or editor of several books, including Chants Democratic and The Rise of American Democracy. He has also written for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, and other publications. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Review Quotes:
"Powerful . . . [Herbert Hoover] is a superb example of the vitality and importance of political history . . . Mr. Leuchtenburg's biography reminds us that the personalities, actions and beliefs of political leaders have a profound effect on the rest of us."
--The New York Observer
--The Dallas Morning News "In this meaty little book, [Leuchtenburg] brings to the life of Hoover his own lifetime of study of this watershed moment in the American past . . . He is one of the foremost authorities on the 1930s, the New Deal, and FDR."
--Slate "[A] frank, thoughtful literary portrait . . . This is a fair and balanced reassessment of Herbert Hoover and his legacy that is long overdue."
--Tucson Citizen "William E. Leuchtenburg's . . . Herbert Hoover [is] a wonderful and instructive biography."
--The Washington Post "Timely."
--The Bloomsbury Review "A brilliantly written cautionary tale for those who believe a hard-nosed businessman would bring a breath of fresh air to the American presidency."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "In this outstanding addition to the American Presidents series, Bancroft Prize-winning historian Leuchtenburg . . . brings vivid prose and strong opinions to this richly insightful biography of a president whose impressive business acumen served him poorly."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)