A Treasury of Great American Scandals: Tantalizing True Tales of Historic Misbehavior by the Founding Fathers and Others Who Let Freedom Swing

Rating:
Summary: ok beach reading
Review: If you want something cute and amusing to read for a couple of hours, this book is as good a choice as any. I can't say I learned anything deeper from it, but deep understanding of American politics isn't really the goal of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat of a rehash
Review: Many of the scandals referred to in Farquhar's title are familiar (Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton's duel; Ben Franklin's animosity toward his son; Robert Lincoln's commitment of his mother to an insane asylum), but there are quite a few that strike a cord. Thomas Jefferson's brother Randolph for one. Apparently he couldn't be trusted to manage his own affairs and one of Jefferson's slaves refers to him as "one mighty simple man--used to come out among the black people, play the fiddle and dance half the night." Unfortunately, this account is only one-page long, and Farquhar makes no mention of the fact that it may have been Randolph rather than Thomas who impregnated Sally Hemings.
Some of the other highlights (or lowlights) from GREAT AMERICAN SCANDALS involve James Buchanan's sexual preference; J. Edgar Hoover's vindictiveness; and some direct quotes from Richard Nixon's Oval Office tapes. And there's an especially eerie section on what happened to some famous corpses, including Tom Paine's and John Paul Jones's.
The section on the Salem Witch trials shows how duplicitous human beings, even young ones, can be. According to Farquhar, life in Salem was so dull that the girls made the whole thing up to get attention.
Despite the rehashing of some well-known historical episodes, SCANDALS is a fast read and well-worth the cost of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Calling all American History Buffs!
Review: No, this is not an in-depth history book, and thank goodness for that! Rather it is a hilarious (and well-researched)collection of historical American scandals--mostly political, and all really, really funny. A great way to learn, and also just a great read. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Let freedom stink
Review: Okay, we had Monica Lewinsky and that icky cigar story. But apparently American politicians can't even begin to match European royals for scandal production. "A Treasury of Great American Scandals" aspires to let us glimpse our prezzes and politicians in their nastier, naughter moments. But there's too little scandal and too much catfighting.

It begins at the very start of the United States -- George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. Not only did they have to win the Revolution, but these poor guys had problems at home too. For example, poor George had to deal with his neurotic, whiny mother embarrassing him publicly, and Jefferson had a "simple" brother whom he had to pick up the slack for. Amazing that they had time to break loose from the British Empire.

The problem is that very little of the book is actually scandal. Most of it is infighting -- Adams and Jefferson loathed each other until they retired, Franklin disowned his loyalist son, Aaron Burr fought a duel, and the extended Roosevelt family despised F.D.R. Sad, maybe, but hardly scandalous and not terribly "tantalizing." In fact, it gets a bit dull after awhile, listening to historical anecdotes but not finding anything too shocking.

There are some genuinely intriguing stories, such as Mary Lincoln's insanity, graverobbing, "Ima Hogg," the Salem Witch trials and more. And what DID happen on Governer Houston's wedding night? However, none of this is scandalous. And it fails to measure up to the tumultuous controversies of the Clinton administration. Or the Kennedy family, whose past anti-Semitism is only briefly touched on.

Michael Farquhar just doesn't manage the level of wit that the book demands -- his writing tends to be rather plodding and gets tedious after awhile. He also doesn't seem to have done much research, such as neglecting to mention that Randolph Jefferson, not his brother, may have fathered slave Sally Hemmings' children. That's a pretty big omission, especially since poor Randolph is most of the "scandal" surrounding Jefferson.

"A Treasury of Great American Scandals" is a deceptive title -- there's little scandal, and nothing really great here. It has a collection of moderately interesting historical anecdotes, and nothing more.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but...
Review: The stated purpose of the book is to show that recent scandals involving DNA on a blue dress, etc. are not out of the ordinary, but that our history has been riddled with scandals. Since the author writes for the Washington Post (a paper that went easy on Bill Clinton's scandals and generally favors Democrats), I began to suspect this book is an attempt to rehabilitate Bill Clinton and assist in restoring his legacy. If that was the intent, the author meanders from his target without aim. The book presents some very interesting anecdotes, many of which are not particularly scandalous. Who cares if John Adams loudly expressed disappointment in two of his sons because they achieved only mediocrity? So Lincoln's body was exhumed six or so times for various reasons. It is not nice, but there is no scandal. In addition to relating interesting stories about little known events, he shows people from other centuries also have a great capacity to be as immoral, petty, and disappointing as people in our times. It is an interesting book to read, but in no way does it reflect one way or the other on the significance of more recent scandals, especially those involving DNA samples on blue dresses.

Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Romp...not a lot of depth...
Review: There are a lot of good stories here. I enjoyed many. The book covers some well-travel ground (Burr v. Hamilton, Salem, McCarthy, Hoover, etc.). Nevertheless, there are some pleasures to be found here...many of the stories are terrific. I enjoyed the passages on the lesser known assassinations and the cruel campaigns a good deal. As often happens with these collections, there is not a lot of depth. It is fun read and I will use it in my history class. For those looking for an in-depth version of history, this is not the place to look. However, it is a fun overview and an important reminder that as much as things change...they have really haven't, we just have bigger TVs now.

Rating:
Summary: Some great American stories
Review: This is a much better book than Farquhar's earlier effort 'Great Royal Sandals', it contains far more interesting and less well known (tro me anyway) stories. There are many intersting anecdotes that I'd never heard before. The chapter on the Salem Witch Hunts is particularly interesting, and it is cheering to learn that John Alden, the son of Priscilla Mullins, defied the judges at the trial so sturdily, and even more splendidly succeeded in escaping from their clutches. Equally fascinating is the chapter on Benjamin Franklin, and his scandalous treatment of his son, who unlike his traitor father, remained loyal to his King. Unlike some other reviewers, I do not find this book particularly funny, for funny history you want to read Will Cuppy or Sellar and Yeatman, but it is full of interesting information.

Rating:
Summary: Some great American stories
Review: This is a much better book than Farquhar's earlier effort 'Great Royal Sandals', it contains far more interesting and less well known (tro me anyway) stories. There are many intersting anecdotes that I'd never heard before. The chapter on the Salem Witch Hunts is particularly interesting, and it is cheering to learn that John Alden, the son of Priscilla Mullins, defied the judges at the trial so sturdily, and even more splendidly succeeded in escaping from their clutches. Equally fascinating is the chapter on Benjamin Franklin, and his scandalous treatment of his son, who unlike his traitor father, remained loyal to his King. Unlike some other reviewers, I do not find this book particularly funny, for funny history you want to read Will Cuppy or Sellar and Yeatman, but it is full of interesting information.

Rating:
Summary: A TREASURY INDEED!
Review: This is a terrific, well-researched book that left me laughing and learning at the same time. I highly recommend it, especially to those who were turned off by their American history classes growing up. This book will change your mind, and proves once and for all that history doesn't have to be boring.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: This is a wonderful book! I bet if American History teachers wove in a few of these terrific stories into their classes, their students would find the subject infinitely more interesting. History is not just about dates. It's vivid, dramatic, and, as Farquhar shows, often very humorous. Besides, making the Founding Fathers almost mythological figures does them a great disservice. They were human, with great human flaws, but look what they accomplished despite it all!