Dead presidents : an American adventure into the strange deaths and surprising afterlives of our nation's leaders

Title:

Author:

Carlson, Brady, author.

ISBN:

9780393243932

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

xii, 324 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Contents:

Monument man : on George Washington's transformation from mortal man to immortal icon -- Well-timed exits : on the postmortem fortunes (and misfortunes) of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, and Andrew Johnson -- The first patient : on James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Zachary Taylor, and the doctors who keep presidents alive (and occasionally make them worse) -- Farewell, Mr. President : on William Henry Harrison, Woodrow Wilson, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon, and how the presidential funeral was born -- Death trips : on the posthumous travels of James Polk, James Monroe, John Tyler, and Abraham Lincoln -- His good name : on William McKinley, Ronald Reagan, and Calvin Coolidge, and the large (and small) ways presidents are remembered -- Robots and sphinxes : on Lyndon Johnson, Rutherford B. Hayes, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, and Chester Arthur, and America's Presidential libraries -- Unintended legacies : on William Taft, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, and how presidents' reputations change over time -- Eternal flame : on John F. Kennedy, the City of Dallas, and what ties them together every November 22 -- The rest of the set : on the many types of presidential obscurity and mediocrity, with Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, and Warren Harding -- Family reunion : on the Adamses, the Harrison, and presidential descendants.

Subject Term:

Presidents -- United States -- Death.

Presidents -- United States -- Biography.

Summary:

An entertaining exploration into the varied ways we remember and memorialize the American presidents. --Publisher.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	973.099 CAR	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	973.099 CAR	Searching... Unknown
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Summary

To public radio host and reporter Brady Carlson, the weighty responsibilities of being president never end. As Carlson sees it, the dead presidents (and the ways we remember them) tell us a great deal about ourselves, our history, and how we imagine our past and future. For American presidents, there is life after death--it's just a little weird.

In Dead Presidents, Carlson takes readers on an epic trip to presidential gravesites, monuments, and memorials from sea to shining sea. With an engaging mix of history and contemporary reporting, Carlson recounts the surprising origin stories of the Washington Monument, Mount Rushmore, Grant's Tomb, and JFK's Eternal Flame. He explores whether William Henry Harrison really died of a cold, how the assassin's bullet may not have been what killed James A. Garfield, and why Zachary Taylor's remains were exhumed 140 years after he died. And he explains the strange afterlives of the presidents, including why "Hooverball" is still played in Iowa, why Millard Fillmore's final resting place is next to that of funk legend Rick James, why "Who's buried in Grant's Tomb?" became a running gag for Groucho Marx, why Ohio and Alaska fought for so long over the name of Mt. McKinley (now known as Denali), and why we exalt dead presidents not just with public statues and iconic paintings but with kitschy wax dummies, Halloween costumes, and bobblehead dolls.

With an infectious passion for history and an eye for neglected places and offbeat characters reminiscent of Tony Horwitz and Sarah Vowell, Carlson shows that the ways we memorialize our presidents reveal as much about us as it does about the men themselves.

Author Notes

Brady Carlson is a reporter and the on-air host of NPR's Weekend Edition for New Hampshire Public Radio. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and children.

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Inspired by a lifelong fascination with America's chief executives, Carlson, a reporter and NPR host, adopts a novel perspective on American history by exploring the ways in which past presidents have been remembered and memorialized. It's hard to imagine a better narrator for this audio book. Zingarelli's deep and gravelly voice naturally contains the right amount of gravitas for the subject, especially during the more somber moments when the author visits the tombstones of the deceased American leaders. Zingarelli just as aptly captures the humor and curiosity that arises from quirky and morbid approach to American history. He uses a fittingly regal voice for the quotes and passages from the presidents themselves. With good pacing and emphasis, and a congenial tone, he keeps listeners' interest long enough for readers to discover the fascinating ways that Carlson connects the different presidential deaths. A Norton hardcover. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

When it comes to final wishes, even presidents don't always get their way. Take George Washington, who wanted a private funeral held at Mount Vernon, but cities across the country also held mock funerals of their own. The first president was not alone in having his wishes ignored, as NPR reporter Carlson notes in this thoroughly enjoyable account of presidential gravesites and memorials. From unusual deaths to unique monuments to lingering questions about causes of death (Did William Henry Harrison really die of a cold?), our nation's presidents made some of their most peculiar contributions to history after their terms on earth expired. With both the reverence of a pilgrim and the impudence of a comedian, Carlson tours the presidents' homes and graves, demonstrating in the process how the manner in which we remember these men reveals as much about us as it does about them for however much they accomplished in life, the presidents are also remarkable for the legacy they pass on after passing away.--Thoreson, Bridget Copyright 2015 Booklist

Kirkus Review

What dead American presidents reveal "about ourselves, our history, and how we imagine our past and future." In his spirited debut book, Carlson, host of NPR's Weekend Edition for New Hampshire Public Radio, looks at the curious ways that presidents have been commemoratedby buildings and tombs, statues and libraries, and even bars and gift shops. Some presidents (George Washington and Calvin Coolidge, for example) resisted being celebrated. "It is a great advantage to a President," Coolidge wrote in his autobiography, "and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know he is not a great man." Not all were so modest. John Tyler was "the first presidential pariahand the first president the House considered impeaching"; yet he longed to be remembered as a great man, appointing a literary executor to review and eventually publish his papers. Franklin Roosevelt was the first president to establish his own library, setting a model for every successor. Besides millions of documents, letters, and government papers, the library contains his stamp collection and a papier-mch Sphinx made to lampoon him when he refused to reveal if he would run for a third term. In the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum, a life-size robotic version of Johnson "stands behind a podiumand cracks jokes." Along his exuberant journey, Carlson found whole cities devoted to presidential celebration: in Buffalo, which claims connections to Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, and Teddy Roosevelt, a downtown pub is called Founding Fathers, where patrons can order a "Hail to the Chef!" sandwich. Rapid City, South Dakota, near Mount Rushmore, calling itself "the most patriotic city in America," features a complete set of life-size presidential statues. Mount Rushmore itself, the enthusiastic author learned, "was designed not to be an icon of American identity buta tourist trap" meant to draw visitors to the Black Hills. A brisk, lighthearted travelogue with an exuberant guide. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Library Journal Review

Carlson, a New Hampshire public radio host, provides listeners with an unusual take on the story of the American presidents. In this humorous audiobook, he examines the lives after they left office of 40 of the 44 men who held the post, the circumstances of their deaths, and the gravesites, memorials, and libraries constructed to honor them. Some of the stories are tragic, such as the eight leaders who died in office through assassination or illness. Others, such as Millard Fillmore, William Howard Taft, and Herbert Hoover, show that a difficult presidency is only one chapter of an otherwise productive life. Carlson also provides a brief account of the lives of the descendants of the presidents. He closes the work with the story of Mt. Rushmore. Reader Tom Zingarelli presents the story in a light and funny manner. VERDICT This entertaining audiobook is recommended to listeners with an interest in American history. ["Readers who enjoyed Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation will enjoy Carlson's similar book": LJ 11/15/15 review of the Norton hc.]--Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Parkersburg Lib. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Presidents of the United States	p. xi
Introduction	p. 3
1 Monument Man	p. 9
On George Washington's Transformation from Mortal Man to Immortal Icon
2 Well-Timed Exits	p. 25
On the Postmortem Fortunes (and Misfortunes) of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, and Andrew Johnson
3 The First Patient	p. 49
On James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Zachary Taylor, and the Doctors Who Keep Presidents Alive (and Occasionally Make Them Worse)
4 Farewell, Mr. President	p. 75
On William Henry Harrison, Woodrow Wilson, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon, and How the Presidential Funeral Was Born
5 Death Trips	p. 93
On the Posthumous Travels of James Polk, James Monroe, John Tyler, and Abraham Lincoln
6 His Good Name	p. 123
On William McKinley, Ronald Reagan, and Calvin Coolidge, and the Large (and Small) Hays Presidents Air Remembered
7 Robots and Sphinxes	p. 141
On Lyndon Johnson, Rutherford B. Hayes, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, and Chester Arthur, and America's Presidential Libraries
8 Unintended Legacies	p. 161
On William Taft, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, and How Presidents' Reputations Change over Time
9 Eternal Flame	p. 183
On John F. Kennedy, the City of Dallas, and What Ties Them Together Every November 22
10 The Rest of the Set	p. 205
On the Many Types of Presidential Obscurity and Mediocrity, with Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, and Warren Harding
11 Family Reunion	p. 227
On the Adamses, the Harrisons, and Presidential Descendants
Epilogue	p. 241
Acknowledgments	p. 251
Notes	p. 253
Illustration Credits	p. 311
Index	p. 313

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Kirkus Review

Library Journal Review

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