The Presidents Club

Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity

By: Nancy Gibbs, Michael Duffy

Narrated by: Bob Walter

Length: 22 hrs

Publisher's summary

The Presidents Club was born at Eisenhower’s inauguration when Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover first conceived the idea. Over the years that followed - and to this day - the presidents relied on, misunderstood, sabotaged, and formed alliances with one another that changed history. The world’s most exclusive fraternity is a complicated place: its members are bound forever because they sat in the Oval Office and know its secrets, yet they are immortal rivals for history’s favor.

Some presidents needed their predecessors to keep their secrets; others needed them to disappear. Most just needed help getting the job done. Truman enlisted Hoover to help him save Europe; Kennedy turned to Ike on Cuba; Nixon sought Johnson’s advice on getting reelected, but then tried to blackmail him; Ford and Carter couldn’t stand each other until they saw what they had in common; Reagan and Clinton relied on Nixon as an off-the-books emissary to Russia; Bush put Clinton and his father to work and they became like father and son; and Obama and Clinton became quiet rivals for the same crown.

Journalists and presidential historians Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy unravel the secret compacts, the shared scars, and the private cease-fires from Hoover to Obama. The Presidents Club will change the way we think about the presidency, for the club itself is an instrument of presidential power.

©2012 Nancy Gibbs, Michael Duffy (P)2012 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"This is essential reading for anyone interested in American politics.” (Robert Dallek, best-selling author of An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917–1963)

“Forget Rome’s Curia, Yale’s Skull and Bones and the Bilderbergs - the world’s most exclusive club never numbers more than six. Its rules are inscrutable, and its members box the compass politically and stylistically.... Michael Duffy and Nancy Gibbs have penetrated thick walls of secrecy and decorum to give us the most intimate, revealing, and poignant account of the constitutional fifth wheel that is the ex-presidency. Readers are in for some major surprises, not to mention a history they won’t be able to put down.” (Richard Norton Smith, author of Patriarch: George Washington and the New American Nation)

“ The Presidents Club is magnetically readable, bursting with new information and behind-the-scenes details. It is also an important contribution to history, illuminating the event-making private relationships among our ex-Presidents and why we should do a far better job of drawing on their skills and experience.” (Michael Beschloss, best-selling author of The Conquerers)

Didn't know that

What did you love best about The Presidents Club?

Remarkable stories about how former presidents from both sides of the aisle actually help current presidents

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Presidents Club?

Impact of Eisenhower and then Nixon on subsequent presidencies was eye opening.

Have you listened to any of Bob Walter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

well spoken

Any additional comments?

It was kind of reassuring to learn that current presidents can have relatively non-partisan counsel from people who have a unique understanding of the job. Worth listening to twice.

Very informative with new historical information

What did you like about this audiobook?

It combines "behind the scenes" history with a contiguous story & also combines biography and non-fiction which are two of my favorites.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

The interaction between Presidents which was not previously available in one book.

Do you have any additional comments?

I enjoyed & learned

Searching for a US Presidential family

There are human beings, mere human beings, who could make the choice to destroy our planet. The President of the United States is one of these people. This is an unimaginable burden.

The Presidents??? Club traces the relationships between various Presidents. The main theme is that that only former Presidents can understand the enormity and immense loneliness of the position. There are tears, heartbreak ??? the raw emotions of immense egos, greed, compassion, wisdom, fear, love ??? and that ever present question: how will the future judge me. We are given images of Reagan teaching Clinton how to salute, Clinton???s advice on making speeches being sought by Bush 43, Truman being ignored by Ike, the deep friendship between Bush 41 and Clinton, the personal as well as political challenges presented to Johnson and Ford following the Kennedy assassination, Nixon fixated on self redemption, Carter with almost unrestrained idealism. Of particular poignancy was the relationship between the two Bushes.

The reader is taken through presidential relationships in a calm, factual manner, supported by an authoritative but tired narrator. To my mind, this book amounted to a well researched, very lengthy magazine article. Different points of view were rarely included ??? that would have detracted from the narrative. Instead it sounds like homage to the positive presidential relationships, and almost a dismissal of those who really didn???t want to play the games of this club.

I don???t feel that the disorder, the messiness and brutality, the fears, bewildering information, the brinkmanship, the risks, and the immense decisions emerging from the constant avalanche of advice, were sufficiently explored.

Sentimentality pervades this account. The authors seem driven to discover -- or imagine, or create -- threads of a presidential family.

Very interesting

This was a really interesting story, with particular reference to the relationship between the different presidents up to and including Bill Clinton.

the relationship between the different men was both very enjoyable and also enlightening. this is also the case when comparing the public face of the different presidents and the person who they really are.

The story made me also think about the different relationships that have existed between presidents and their vice presidents - that was not covered, unless the vice president went on to become president - and only then it was superficial.

It is obviously very difficult to write about the Obama administration and it's relationship with the past presidents, including the potential role they have played in getting votes in the senate and house for raising the debt ceiling etc. When that is able to be written I will certainly spend a credit on that too.

Insight into the men in the Top Job

Loved it. You already know the cast but you don't know the relationships. Each chapter surprised me with a relationship, a feud, a slight or an praise for men I never thought about connecting with one another. Fun book. Great stories.

Turn the speed up!

Where does The Presidents Club rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

There is almost nothing I would rather read about than American presidential histories. However - this narrator was so slow it was distracting. Likewise, his inflections seemed off, at times changing the meaning of the quotes or the sense of humor of the individuals quoted. I certainly wanted the information and since I frequently both read the book and listen to make the best use of time - I found I was reading far more than listening. However if you only have time to listen - go ahead and get this wonderful book filled with enlightening new information - just turn up the speed to 1.25 or 1.5 and move through it. Best advice - read the book on a digital device or in real living color! The photos are good anyway.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I learned more about many of the presidents I thought I knew plenty about already. I was mostly enlightened by the new perspectives on LBJ.

What didn’t you like about Bob Walter’s performance?

Slow with oddly stated inflections. Sometimes when he was reading quotes it was very clear that it wasn't intended to be read the way he was reading it.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The behind the scenes stories that betray the public behavior.

Captivating look at political history

Great read if you are a political history junkie. The gamesmanship between current and former presidents, going back to Hoover, makes for a book that offers something for everyone, regardless of political stripe.

Excellent glimpse into the exclusive Presidents’ club

For anybody who is interested in reading about the tie that binds Truman and Hoover, Kennedy and Eisenhower, Nixon and Reagan, G HW Bush and Clinton and GW Bush, and all of the other men who sat in the Oval Office; this is the perfect book!

Slow Start

The Clinton / Bush years really ramped up the whole thesis of this book! The earlier years were interesting but not as engaging.

After 2008?

I enjoyed the book but I would have appreciated more detail after the 2008 election.