If it’s not obvious, history is kind of my thing. The presidents have always fascinated me. And they also give a really interesting lens through which to learn about how the story of the US has evolved. Here’s my reading plan for reading biographies of the US presidents.
US Presidents – Reading Plan
| President # | President | Title | Author | Reading Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Washington | Washington: A Life | Ron Chernow | |
| 2 | John Adams | John Adams | David McCullough | |
| 3 | Thomas Jefferson | Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power | Jon Meacham | |
| 4 | James Madison | James Madison | Richard Brookhiser | |
| 5 | James Monroe | James Monroe: A Life | Tim McGrath | |
| 6 | John Quincy Adams | John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit | James Traub | |
| 7 | Andrew Jackson | American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House | Jon Meacham | |
| 8 | Martin Van Buren | Martin Van Buren | Captivating History | |
| 9 | William Henry Harrison | Mr. Jefferson’s Hammer: William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy | Robert Owens | |
| 10 | John Tyler | President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler | ChristopherJ Leahy | |
| 11 | James K. Polk | Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America | Walter Borneman | |
| 12 | Zachary Taylor | Zachary Taylor | JohnSD Eisenhower | |
| 13 | Millard Fillmore | Millard FIllmore: Biography of a President | Robert Rayback | |
| 14 | Franklin Pierce | Franklin Pierce | Michael Holt | |
| 15 | James Buchanan | James Buchanan | JeanH Baker | |
| 16 | Abraham Lincoln | Lincoln: A Life | DavidHerbert Donald | |
| 17 | Andrew Johnson | Andrew Johnson | Annette GordonReed | |
| 18 | Ulysses S. Grant | Grant | Ron Chernow | |
| 19 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Rutherford B. Hayes: The American Presidents Series: The 19th President, 1877-1881 | Hans Trefousse | |
| 20 | James A. Garfield | President Garfield | CW Goodyear | |
| 21 | Chester A. Arthur | Chester Alan Arthur | Zachary Karabell | |
| 22,24 | Grover Cleveland | A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbably Presidency of Grover Cleveland | Troy Senik | |
| 23 | Benjamin Harrison | Benjamin Harrison | Charles Calhoun | |
| 25 | William Mckinley | President McKinley: Architect of the American Century | RobertW Merry | |
| 26 | Theodore Roosevelt | Theodore Roosevelt: Volume 1: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt | Edmund Morris | |
| 26 | Theodore Roosevelt | Theodore Roosevelt: Volume 2: Theodore Rex | Edmund Morris | |
| 26 | Theodore Roosevelt | Theodore Roosevelt: Volume 3: Colonel Roosevelt | Edmund Morris | |
| 27 | William Howard Taft | The William Howard Taft Presidency | LewisL Gould | |
| 28 | Woodrow Wilson | Wilson | AScott Berg | |
| 29 | Warren G. Harding | Warren G. Harding | John Dean | |
| 30 | Calvin Coolidge | Coolidge | Amity Shlaes | |
| 31 | Herbert Hoover | Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times | Kenneth Whyte | |
| 32 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | FDR | JeanEdward Smith | |
| 33 | Harry S. Truman | Truman | David McCullough | |
| 34 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Eisenhower in War and Peace | JeanEdward Smith | |
| 35 | John F. Kennedy | An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 | Robert Dallek | |
| 36 | Lyndon B. Johnson | LBJ: Vol 1: The Path to Power | RobertA Caro | |
| 36 | Lyndon B. Johnson | LBJ: Vol 2: Means of Ascent | RobertA Caro | |
| 36 | Lyndon B. Johnson | LBJ: Vol 3: Master of the Senate | RobertA Caro | |
| 36 | Lyndon B. Johnson | LBJ: Vol 4: The Passage of Power | RobertA Caro | |
| 37 | Richard M. Nixon | Richard Nixon: The Life | John Farrell | |
| 38 | Gerald R. Ford | An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford | RichardNorton Smith | |
| 39 | Jimmy Carter | His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life | Jonathan Alter | |
| 40 | Ronald Reagan | Reagan: An American Journey | Bob Spitz | |
| 41 | George Bush | Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush | Jon Meacham | |
| 42 | William J. Clinton | First In His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton | David Maraniss | |
| 43 | George W. Bush | Bush | JeanEdward Smith | |
| 44 | Barack Obama | Barack Obama: The Story | David Maraniss | |
| 45 | Donald J. Trump | Confidence Man | Maggie Haberman |
Quest end: