Written by Robert Sobel
Read by Charles Bice
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps

Noted business historian Sobel (Dangerous Dreamers, LJ 5/1/93) here attempts a revisionist examination of Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States. Arguing that Coolidge "merits serious consideration," Sobel asserts that he was more complex than conventional wisdom would have us believe. Tracing Coolidge from New England childhood to retirement, he attempts to show "Silent Cal" as more of a "hidden-handed" type of leader than most historical assessments suggest. Unfortunately, his efforts to elevate Coolidge's reputation succeed only marginally. The Coolidge presented here had a Whig vision of presidential leadership and did not seek actively to lead the government. While this vision may have been, as Coolidge himself seemed to believe, closer to the original design of the Founders, it was probably better suited to the 19th than the 20th century. Still, Sobel succeeds at getting the reader to take a serious look at this oft-neglected and sometimes disparaged president, and his tightly argued, well-researched book will be of importance to historians and presidential scholars for years to come.A