This is a book for you:
- If you want to get an overview of the books written by US presidents since George Washington
- You want to understand some changes in the American readers’ appetite for books particularly within the biography/memoir genre
- You want to understand the literary side of the American presidents; who is bookish, how books were used as part of election campaign strategy, etc.

As an avid reader and political follower, this book was incredible. I loved learning about the presidents and their writing, especially as I continue to read work from presidents and their spouses. I really appreciated the things this book taught me and educated me on!

Debut author Craig Fehrman delights with his book Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote.

Fehrman traces the history of the presidency from George Washington to Donald Trump through the words of the books that they wrote. He outlines early volumes such as Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, prominent works like Theodore Roosevelt's The Naval War of 1812., and delves into books familiar to modern readers like JFK's Profiles in Courage and Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father.

In addition to the books that presidents have written, the narrative simultaneously serves as a history of books and reading in the United States. We see the dominance of non-fiction in the early days of the republic, the increased influence of novels such as Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, and into the modern era of the mega-publishing houses and best sellers. Within this evolution, Fehrman does a nice job following the development of the campaign book and how it differs from the post-presidency legacy book.

What emerges are interesting and unexpected conclusions, such as the role that the famously taciturn Calvin Coolidge played in presidential literature, and among the most definitive explorations about the disputed authorship of Profiles in Courage.

While all of our presidents have had large egos and ambition, Fehrman does not hold back in his assessments that a ton of books written by presidents just aren't very good. Author in Chief will help readers identify the exceptions, and what makes a presidential book effective. Those interested in the presidency, or the history of reading in America will find much to like here.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Very enjoyable look into the literary world of past presidents that opens the window to a history of books in the U.S.

This look at the occupants of the Oval Office from a literary/authorial lens took me some time to get through, but it was a fascinating journey! Like so many Americans, I had to take American history at various points in my education. And, like so many of my fellow Americans, there are the presidents who stand out in my memory and many in the middle whose contributions have gotten muddled. The evolution of the types of writing they've done (or have at the very least taken credit for - I'm a little disappointed I'll never be able to look at Profiles in Courage "by" JFK the same way again) was quite a journey, as well as learning about how publishing has evolved over the centuries. The ending was a bit abrupt for my taste, but again, I learned so much from this and have added a few of these presidential titles discussed to my to-read list!

'"A good citizen is a good reader." The reverse is true, with the most bookish Americans being 31 percent more likely to vote than their peers. In other words, a good reader is also a good citizen.'(pg 4, Author in Chief)

This book is one for a reader which may be a lover of Presidential history, but is also looking for more information on the books written by our Presidents.

Not only did this book expand my knowledge of our Presidents, but it also expanded my TBR list because I will definitely add some Presidential books to my list.

I found my favorite parts of the book to be the sections on Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Calvin Coolidge, John F. Kennedy, and Barack Obama.

It was obviously very well researched and I can see myself recommending this to many friends and family.

Very informative book which takes us into the minds of our Presidents and lets us see how their books and writing influenced them as well as us as citizens.
Definitely recommend for all history lovers.