Warren G. Harding: Twenty-Ninth President of the Unidted States (Encyclopedia of Presidents)

Rating:
Summary: An informative juvenile biography of the worst president
Review: Linda R. Wade begins this juvenile biography of Warren G. Harding with the declaration that the man who is always ranked last when historians rate the presidents "was a man who could not say no to his friends, and his friends became his downfall." Wade even quotes Herbert Hoover as saying that Harding was betrayed by his friends, who were appointed to their positions because they were the President's friends and not because they were qualified. Foreshadowing the scandals that would destroy Harding's reputation, Wade sets the stage for the ironic ending to his life of public service.

Harding led a rather interesting life, never intending to become President. Especially interesting was his wife, Florence, who proved a capable business partner in his publishing business. During the election this became important because women were voting for the first time and Florence Harding was certainly someone the modern woman could find inspiring. Wade establishes a nice contrast between the scandals in the Harding Administration that were starting to break while the President planned a grand tour of the West, which was intended to restore his popularity but ended up costing him his life. The only problem is that I am not sure that when they finish this book young readers will understand why Harding has such a horrible reputation as a President. In that respect, Wade might be doing too good of a job of detailing Harding's life.

One of the strengths of this book is that it probably has more political cartoons than any other volume in the Encyclopedia of Presidents series. There are plenty of black & white photographs as well (especially of Harding conducting his front porch campaign), but I always find that nothing captures the spirit of the times and the heat of public issues like a political cartoon.