First in Line

Presidents, Vice Presidents, and the Pursuit of Power

De: Kate Andersen Brower

Narrado por: Fred Sanders

First in Line has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Great book, boring narration

The subject matter and thorough research for this book was very interesting but the narration was monotone and computer-ish. Otherwise, I would have given it 5 stars.

Really enjoyed but...

I really enjoyed this book, but you need a pretty good grip on the players and time lines of modern history to follow it. It is organized categorically, so the jumps can be a tad jarring, hopping from Vietnam era to modern day then to Eisenhower’s Illnesses at a moments notice. That being said I really enjoyed the book. I liked that it didn’t seem to be preferential to one party or one era, and explained both sides and motivations of an story when possible.

Very interesting and informative

I love history, non-fiction and biographical books...this book hit all 3. It was awesome to read about our U.S. presidents and vice presidents' lives and inside info.

Engrossing

This is an easy readable book. Brower is a journalist and writes in that style. Because she is not a historian, facts are presented but there is no historical analysis or academic documentation. The book is well written and researched. Brower tells the history of the vice presidents and how the method of choosing the VP to his role in office has changed over the history of our country. Brower states no one wants to be the vice president. Nine vice presidents have become president after the president either died, was assassinated or resigned. Of those vice presidents who became presidents, Brower states some have been poor presidents and some became significant presidents.

Brower provided a brief biography of the vice presidents since Truman to the most current one. I found the information about Dan Quayle and Mike Pence interesting and new to me; all the others I was quite familiar with. The book starts off strong but becomes gossipy in the last half. The author might have done better shorting the book and making it more concise. Over all, I enjoyed the book and did pick up some new information about vice presidents. The author has triggered me to want to read some biographies about some of the vice presidents.

The book is almost eleven hours. Fred Sanders does a good job narrating the book. Sanders is an actor, voice-over artist and audiobook narrator.

Long but insightful

The text seemed to bounce around a lot and repeat itself but was still very enjoyable.