About 5 years ago I read my first Biography. My interest in WWII had of course exposed me to some of the oratory of Winston Churchill. I picked up a book of his speeches and loved it. That Christmas, I recieved a biography on him from one of my sisters-in law who had noted my interest. Loving that I soon found additional works by Churchill, including part of his History of the English Speaking People and the complete set (6 volume) of his memoirs on World War II. It was a lot of material with a stunning amount of detail. I felt like I was learning something important and new with every page. Where previously I had always read Sci-fi and Fantasy, I now believe that the enjoyment and growth from reading from history, and more specifically, from the lives and thoughts of those in history, can't be beaten.

Because of that, I decided a little over a year ago that I wanted to read to read biographies of all the US presidents (at least through Reagan). I also decided that I wanted to read them in order for the simple reason that the overlap in events from different points of view would be the best way to understand what was happening. For example in reading about George Washington you would find out about the Continental Army as he led it though its struggles in the Revolutionary War. At the same time, from John Adams you will about his negotiations with France, from Thomas Jefferson about the governership of Virginia, from Madison about the Continental Congress, from Monroe about being wounded as a junior officer in the Battle of Trenton, and from Andrew Jackson about being a 13 year old scout for Virginia Militia forces in the backwoods of Kentucky. The result is a much more complete picture than you would ever get from learning about one individual alone. You start to see how the actions of one enabled the others to succeed and how all of them were needed to create the world we now live in. It is hard to believe, but I am even excited about eventually learning about Millard Filmore, perhaps even more so then about the more famous president's, because there will be that much more to learn.

Reviews of all the books will eventually be posted and available in my journal.

I'm not talking about the current president now, but instead the current biography I am reading. Here is a little bit from it that you might enjoy.

The Life of Andrew Jackson by Marquis James

(Andrew Jackson challenges an opposing attorney to a duel while actually in court) Excerpt from page 45.

"Waightstill Avery, of Morgantown, was a personage in North Carolina, a wise and scholarly old lawyer mellowed by the experiences of life. He liked Jackson and had gone out of his way to be helpful to him, but this did not deter him , in an address to the court, from twitting his adversary upon the liberal doses of Bacon (Francis Bacon?) that spiced his arguments.

Andrew squirmed in his seat, and when Colonel Avery concluded, he blurted out, probably forgetting to supress his Irish accent:" I may not know as much law as there is in Bacon but I know enough not to take illegal fees!"

Silence in the log court room. Colonel Avery arose to ask if Mr. Jackson meant to imply  that he had taken illegal fees. "I do, sir" replied Andrew Jackson. "It's false as ____!" shouted Waightstill Avery.

Mr. Jackson was writing rapidly on a fly-leaf of his Bacon. He tore out the page and bowing --- "Your obedient servant, sir" --- presented it to Colonel Avery.