Rating: 
Summary: A Great Overview of His Life
Review: In a quest to read a biography of every American president, I found this one of Cleveland a satisfying and easy read. Jeffers doesn't seek to make the bio an in-depth study of his personal knowledge of English vocabulaly; thus the easier read, a welcome break from the 600-pagers of some other presidents. Although over 300 pages, this biography goes fast and I didn't find myself wishing it would end. It gave the facts truthfully, thoroughly and precisely; and that's what I needed.
Rating: 
Summary: A basic biography
Review: It is always a pleasant surprise to find new books relating to presidents that are rarely covered in modern day print. This biography of Grover Cleveland does an excellent job of covering the issues and events which dominated the late 1800s. In contrast, the details of Cleveland's personal and political life are treated in a cold and sterile manner. You never really get the sense that this book provides any real insight into the character and persona that the author perpetrates on the cover "An Honest President". The book starts out by describing a little of his family background and quickly jumps into his role as mayor of Buffalo New York. From there, he soon becomes the first democratic president elected after the civil war. During his presidencies, Grover Cleveland takes controversial stands. His position to lower tariffs on imported goods was particularly unpopular and the author cites this as one of the contributing factors that led to his defeat in the presidential election of 1888. During his second term he handles the Pullman's strike in a quick and decisive manner but leaves many to question the federal government's role in the intervention of affairs at the state level. If anything else, Jeffers successfully conveys the fact that Cleveland was a man of ideals and principals. His decisions were based on the greater good and not on party stance or public opinion. He favored the gold standard, opposed the anexation of Hawaii and fought for reform against the political machines of his day. A strong supporter of the Monroe Doctrine, Cleveland asserted his views against the sequestration of Venezuela by Great Britain. On a final note, I found the author's comparison of Cleveland to Bill Clinton in the last chapter to be somewhat inappropriate. These are two different men from two different eras and it is unfair to speculate how each would have performed in each others time. His closing comments only serve to detract from his scholarly efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Painless Backgrounder
Review: Jeffers provides a painless background on one of the least-remembered Presidents for those who need to fill in the blank spots of their US history timelines. The writing is fluent and the narrative moves quickly. But the book is not for scholars. Important issues of the times, including the Financial Panic of 1893, the free-silver movement, Hawaii and the imperialist impulse, and the growth of organized labor are covered in a few passages or pages. I especially found the discussion of Cleveland's racial attitudes and civil rights policies insufficient; for a President governing during the implementation of Jim Crow, more than a few paragraphs about the issue were warranted. For detailed discussions of those important historical issues, the reader will have to go to more specialized sources.
Rating:
Summary: Painless Backgrounder
Review: Jeffers provides a painless background on one of the least-remembered Presidents for those who need to fill in the blank spots of their US history timelines. The writing is fluent and the narrative moves quickly. But the book is not for scholars. Important issues of the times, including the Financial Panic of 1893, the free-silver movement, Hawaii and the imperialist impulse, and the growth of organized labor are covered in a few passages or pages. I especially found the discussion of Cleveland's racial attitudes and civil rights policies insufficient; for a President governing during the implementation of Jim Crow, more than a few paragraphs about the issue were warranted. For detailed discussions of those important historical issues, the reader will have to go to more specialized sources.
Rating:
Summary: Clevland should be covered in that audio series on
Review: president "Character Above All". He had it. He was a strong president in an era of weak & little remembered presidents between Lincoln & Roosevelt. He stands out if we take a little time to consider him. His was not a towering intellect but he worked hard at understanding everything that came before him. He was somewhat bereft of political skills but didn't care & didn't work at it. His fiscal responsibility & insistence on honesty & merit in the civil service gained him no friends in many of the big city political machines that existed in that era.
His integrity & decency did not allow him to compromise when he knew he was right. The tariff issue was one such example of his integrity & cost him the election of 1888. But he came back in 1892, the first & only president to do that. Unfortunately, that is what he is most remembered for. Paul Jeffers has written a popular & well publicized book on this very good but obscure president. It may be on the light side but it is just right for starters & appreciated.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Reverential
Review: Something is missing from this picture -- a two-time president, three-time presidential nominee and former New York governor who "never, ever" trimmed his sails for expediency, was "always" honest and consistently stuck to his convictions no matter the political cost? Not credible. To read this book one would think that Grover Cleveland was literally the second coming. The portrait is overly worshipful, completely one-sided, and ultimately unpersuasive. In particular, attempts at comparison to Bill Clinton and "Zippergate" (as the author calls it) fall totally flat and are completely gratuitous. There is little real analysis here, and too much regurgitation of what prior biographers have written.I don't doubt that Cleveland was a unique politician, a man well-positioned in his time to take advantage of the public's increasing distaste for the spoils system and the fractional and petty squabbles that marked the Republican party from 1868-84 (Stalwarts vs. Half Breeds, Conkling vs. Blaine, Garfield vs. Conkling, etc). The early chapters on Cleveland's meteoric rise from an obscure sheriff to mayor of Buffalo to governor of New York to president in a few short years are fairly interesting. But Cleveland the man, particularly during his two presidential terms, comes across as a wooden, cardboard figure; no real flavor or insight into his personality and character emerges. Some biographies are too heavy on psycho-babble, maybe this book could have used some of that.
Rating:
Summary: Weak
Review: The author appears to have done no original research. He quotes so extensively from earlier biographies that I wish I could read one of them instead. Alas, they all seem to be out of print... If you just want an outline of Cleveland's life and presidency, then I suppose this books is okay, but if you want any insight or analysis, look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: No Oxymoron
Review: The title of this book might seem an oxymoron to readers whose memories extend no further than the past eight years. It is refreshing to read about a President who put principle before self-advancement, confronted embarrassing revelations about his private conduct with candor, and believed a politician had to "stand for something" in order for an election to be worthwhile. Cleveland's rise can only be described as meteoric: from Mayor of Buffalo to the New York statehouse within two years, and the White House two years after that. Once in office, he blazed a trail uniquely his own: pro-gold standard, anti-tariff, pro-rule-of-law, anti-government activism. More than 100 years after the fact, Cleveland's viewpoints are often startling. For example: "the people support the government; the government should not support the people." On the evils of government supluses: "The public treasury . . . becomes a hoarding place for money needlessly withdrawn from trade and the people's use, thus crippling our national energies, suspending our country's development, preventing investment in productive enterprises, inviting schemes of public plunder. It will not do to neglect this situation because its dangers are not now palpably imminent or apparent." Are you listening, Messrs. Bush and Gore?
Rating:
Summary: Could have been so much better.
Review: The very best thing about this book is how easy it is to read. Mr. Jeffers has done a great job of writing and this book is not in the least bit dull. His lack of footnotes are explained and he does do a fairly good job of adding sources into the text. This book does a nice job of giving the reader a quick look at the life of a man who does deserve more attention than he gets. Now we get to the problems with the book. First of all since Mr. Jeffers takes most of his book from the works of other men who have written about Cleveland there is little new here. Still, since most people aren't going to pick up and read one of these massive works he draws from, they might read this and Jeffers may indeed bring his subject to light for many who know little of Cleveland. As Jeffers points out Cleveland did face a serious problem in that he was the first elected Democrat in the White House since Buchanan. Jeffers in fact says he was the only Democrat since Buchanan which I am sure would suprise Andrew Johnson. The point is though that Cleveland's party in 1857 was busy with north vs. south issues and when Cleveland went into office they weren't real sure of where the party should stand on anything except tariffs. Cleveland a "Bourbon Democrat" found himself at odds with many in his party as it began to grow into its present progressive form. As with many other of Cleveland's faults Jeffers pays no attention to the part the President played in a split that would cost the Democrats the White House for sixteen years. Finally, Jeffers never seems to be able to draw the reader into the life of Grover Cleveland. One never really feels as if he knows Cleveland. The reader will began to like "Big Steve" as he was called in his youth but I never felt as if I really knew the man. If you are looking for a quick read on Cleveland this is the book to read. If you want details and the sour with the sweet look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been so much better.
Review: The very best thing about this book is how easy it is to read. Mr. Jeffers has done a great job of writing and this book is not in the least bit dull. His lack of footnotes are explained and he does do a fairly good job of adding sources into the text. This book does a nice job of giving the reader a quick look at the life of a man who does deserve more attention than he gets. Now we get to the problems with the book. First of all since Mr. Jeffers takes most of his book from the works of other men who have written about Cleveland there is little new here. Still, since most people aren't going to pick up and read one of these massive works he draws from, they might read this and Jeffers may indeed bring his subject to light for many who know little of Cleveland. As Jeffers points out Cleveland did face a serious problem in that he was the first elected Democrat in the White House since Buchanan. Jeffers in fact says he was the only Democrat since Buchanan which I am sure would suprise Andrew Johnson. The point is though that Cleveland's party in 1857 was busy with north vs. south issues and when Cleveland went into office they weren't real sure of where the party should stand on anything except tariffs. Cleveland a "Bourbon Democrat" found himself at odds with many in his party as it began to grow into its present progressive form. As with many other of Cleveland's faults Jeffers pays no attention to the part the President played in a split that would cost the Democrats the White House for sixteen years. Finally, Jeffers never seems to be able to draw the reader into the life of Grover Cleveland. One never really feels as if he knows Cleveland. The reader will began to like "Big Steve" as he was called in his youth but I never felt as if I really knew the man. If you are looking for a quick read on Cleveland this is the book to read. If you want details and the sour with the sweet look elsewhere.
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