Tyson Library’s collection includes books for all ages that are appropriate for marking the annual celebration of Presidents’ Day – which is Monday, February 19 this year. We encourage our patrons to take this opportunity to branch out and explore a new topic or a familiar topic in a new genre if you are a reader who is already familiar with many of our nation’s leaders.
We have more books in our stacks about presidents, but here are a few highlights. Some are housed in our non-fictions shelves, but others are fiction that still celebrate the spirit behind a country which chose democracy after gaining its independence hundreds of years ago.
Secret Lives of the U.S. Presdients by Cormac O’Brien
Tyson Library Call No.: 923.173 OBR
From Goodreads: “Your high school history teachers never gave you a book like this one! Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents features outrageous and uncensored profiles of the men in the White House – complete with hundreds of little-known, politically incorrect, and downright wacko facts.
With chapters on everyone from George Washington to G. W. Bush, Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents tackles all the tough questions that other history books are afraid to Are there really secret tunnels underneath the White House? How many presidential daughters have bared their all for Playboy ? And what was Nancy Reagan thinking when she appeared on Diff’rent Strokes ? American history was never this much fun in school!”
The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Tyson Library Call No.: F BEN
From a Goodreads reader review: “The First Ladies takes on the friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune.
While I’ve read much about Mrs. Roosevelt, Mary Bethune was unknown to me. An educator (she founded a private school that became the Bethune-Cookman College) and a civil rights activist (founding the National Association of Colored Women and sitting on the board of the NAACP), she became an advisor to President Roosevelt… It’s a fine art to imbue a story with facts without disrupting the pace of the story… As the book progresses, it focuses on the work both women did for equal rights, starting with trying to get an anti-lynching bill passed by Congress…”
The President is Missing by Bill Clinton & James Patterson
Tyson Library Call No.: F PAT
From Goodreads: “As the novel opens, a threat looms. Enemies are planning an attack of unprecedented scale on America. Uncertainty and fear grip Washington. There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the cabinet. The President himself becomes a suspect, and then goes missing…”
The Presidents Decoded by Katie Kennedy
Tyson Library Call No.: J9373.099 KEN
From Goodreads: “Some call it the most important job in the world. It’s certainly the most powerful. And it’s one that every citizen needs to know about because we’re the ones who vote to put a president in office. Lively, informative, filled with firsts and facts, big ideas and compelling anecdotes, The Presidents Decoded, is a richly layered guide to the leaders who have shaped our nation. Featuring over 125 primary sources–including documents, speeches, letters, executive orders and diaries–each leader’s time in office is broken down and explained to show the what, how and why of our leaders’ thoughts, decisions and policies.”
Who was Andrew Jackson? by Douglas Yacka
Tyson Library Call No.: WHO JAC
From Goodreads: “Seventh President Andrew Jackson was a man of contradictions: quick tempered and brash, he often seemed to look for fights, but he was so devoted to his wife, he quit Congress twice to be by her side. He was a celebrated war hero who nevertheless most enjoyed his serene life in Tennessee. …Douglas Yacka captures the many sides of Andrew Jackson, whose life began just before the Revolution and ended not long before the Civil War.”
Presidents’ Day by Anne Rockwell
Tyson Library Call No.: PIC HOLIDAYS MISC
From Goodreads: “Follow along as the kids in Mrs. Madoff’s class are introduced to this staple of the elementary school classroom. As a five-start reviewer put ‘I could not find a good basic book about Presidents’ Day for my kids until I found this one. It’s just enough information for them to understand what the holiday is about but it doesn’t overload them.'”
Search for your next title to enjoy Tyson Library’s entire collection at https://evergreen.lib.in.us/eg/opac/home today!
