Matthew Algeo

This is a nicely balanced history of the surgery performed on Grover Cleveland without the country knowing that he was ill. The president had a growth in his mouth that was removed on a luxury yacht in the Long Island Sound. The information leaked during the financial panic of 1893. The newspaper man who told the story was vilified by all, including the president and his staff. The truth was not told for another quarter of a century when the surgeon who performed the surgery believed that the country should know and the newspaper man vindicated.
The biography of Grover Cleveland was briefly provided up to the time of the surgery - enough to appreciate his history. The context of the country's financial plight and the social perceptions were fully laid out. Cleveland's subsequent health and politics were added only to the amount necessary to understand the ramifications of his surgery.
This story was tightly woven and very readable without a lot of extra facts and meanderings. The only thing that would have been nice to have while reading this story would have been a concise timeline. The author does provide a "cast of characters," but some of the dates were difficult to follow since he would indicate them by stating "12 years later."… (mer)

6 months after leaving the White House, Harry and Bess Truman embarked on a road trip from Independence, Mo to Philadelphia, where he was to give a speech, and New York (to visit their daughter). Without secret service protection, they made their way from town to town, stopping at hotels and diners along the way. The author followed the path of the Trumans, looking for places they stopped, and observing how things have changed over the decades. We learn a bit about history, the development of the road systems in the early '50s (and the motels that followed), and a time that is long gone. Chock full of interesting details.… (mer)