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)

A bit boring

An interesting approach through history. I definitely was unaware of the fellowship between Presidents going back to Truman so I appreciated learning something new. However, there was a lot information that just didn’t seem very relevant and I would be interested in the sources he used to support his claims. Decent book.

who knew

What did you love best about The Presidents Club?

The Presidents appear to be men working hard to do their jobs. They are portrayed in human terms with all their strengths and weaknesses.

What did you like best about this story?

The amount of cooperation between the Presidents.

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

NA

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It's too long.

Any additional comments?

no

Great book for any student of government!

Any student of presidential history or of US government will find this book a very informative and enthralling read.

Reader ruins a good book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I liked the subject matter. I learned a lot about Hoover that I did not know. Still trying to finish but the breathless reading is very distracting.

How could the performance have been better?

Another reader.

Fantastic Insight and Perspective

This book helps to put the political process into a meaningful perspective. It provides a prism to divide reality from politics.

Terrific Read about Empathy & Hope

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

One of the top stories-restored my faith in all the men who have held the job of President since Truman. It is high level gossip about the workings of the Presidency and the comradarie that they held for one another, given that only they know how difficult a job it is..I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was disappointed when it came to the end, as I could not listen to any more stories..

What other book might you compare The Presidents Club to and why?

For me there is no comparison - it felt unique.

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

No

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No - I liked prolonging the read as I used it on my daily walks - it was a treat that I looked forward to every day.

Any additional comments?

I gained more respect for the office and it made me more hopeful about politics overall.

Incredible read

Wow is all I have to say. One of the best books I’ve ever read.

A real look at the Presidents after the White House

A long, long book! But truly fascinating!! Lots of research-digging in to many resources to write a clear view over many years. I may listen to it again. I remember so many of these Presidents-but, did not think of their life after the White House. I was surprised about several of them.
It was an eye opener to me about Carter-making a Big life after the WH. A confirmation of Truman-a humble man- who rose to the terrible times- and took care of what was at hand to do.
RAE

Great insights on the office

The political machinations were sometimes boring and distracting but the foreign policy and foreign diplomatic efforts/stories were fascinating. Overall a great read

how much I didn't know about our history.

perhaps some of the recordings could be audible in a audio book. That would alliw greater credibility.