First Fathers: The Men Who Inspired Our Presidents

by Harold I. Gullan

Book Overview

A compelling introduction to the fathers of America's presidents After so much literature about first ladies and first families, here finally is a fascinating book focused on the fathers of our... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471465976
• ISBN13: 9780471465973
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Wiley (TP)
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Great gift idea!

After reading it myself, I decided that this was the perfect gift for my father this past Father's Day. He loved it, and it opened up a great conversation about the role of dads in general. I highly recommend this book as a gift for the birthday or or other celebration of a father in your life.

I learned a great deal from this book!

I realized after reading this book how much of what I read here was totally new to me, although I have read a good deal about the presidents. It seems, though, that much more focus is always put on the mothers of presidents, and the fathers are somewhat overlooked. I really enjoyed learning what sort of fathers inspired their sons to be presidents! This book is scholary and well written. At times, the language is a bit formal and for my taste, a little overly flowery. It has the feel of a book written in the early part of the 1900s---which is certainly not all a bad thing! It's not written in the casual style of so many books today. I was especially fascinated to read about Teddy Roosevelt's father. I had no idea he was such a well loved person, and as the author says, the closest to a perfect father of any profiled here. The story of Gerald Ford's birth father and then his step-father should be an inspiration to step-fathers everywhere. Definately worth a read!

Winderful insight into the men behind the men at the healm!

The author eloquently serves up a biographical feast of the fathers of the leaders! It's not so much an ideological review of the fathers' influences on the Presidents but an analysis of the influence (or lack of) influence the men had fostering. The most interesting review if that of Andrew Grant and his father's strict upbringing, without which, we would not have had this military leader and President.

Great Gift For Father's Day and All Year Long

Fascinating and well-written look at the fathers of all 43 American Presidents--many well-known, many less so. Gives a great perspective on the forces that shaped our nation's leaders and, in many cases, explains a lot about their values, political philosophies and sources of inspiration. I cannot recommend highly enough this timely and wonderful book.