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Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times Audiobook
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(3.03) - 1,126 listener ratings
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The extraordinary story of Andrew Jackson—the colorful, dynamic, and forceful president who ushered in the Age of Democracy and set a still young America on its path to greatness—told by the bestselling author of The First American. The most famous American of his time, Andrew Jackson is a seminal figure in American history. The first “common man” to rise to the presidency, Jackson embodied the spirit and the vision of the emerging American nation; the term “Jacksonian democracy” is embedded in our national lexicon. With the sweep, passion, and attention to detail that made The First American a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a national bestseller, historian H.W. Brands shapes a historical narrative that’s as fast-paced and compelling as the best fiction. He follows Andrew Jackson from his days as rebellious youth, risking execution to free the Carolinas of the British during the Revolutionary War, to his years as a young lawyer and congressman from the newly settled frontier state of Tennessee. As general of the Tennessee militia, he put down a massive Indian uprising in the South, securing the safety of American settlers, and his famous rout of the British at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 made him a national hero. But it is Jackson’s contributions as president, however, that won him a place in the pantheon of America’s greatest leaders. A man of the people, without formal education or the family lineage of the Founding Fathers, he sought as president to make the country a genuine democracy, governed by and for the people. Jackson, although respectful of states’ rights, devoted himself to the preservation of the Union, whose future in that age was still very much in question. When South Carolina, his home state, threatened to secede over the issue of slavery, Jackson promised to march down with 100,000 federal soldiers should it dare. In the bestselling tradition of Founding Brothers and His Excellency by Joseph Ellis and of John Adams by David McCullough, Andrew Jackson is the first single-volume, full-length biography of Jackson in decades. This magisterial portrait of one of our greatest leaders promises to reshape our understanding of both the man and his era and is sure to be greeted with enthusiasm and acclaim.
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"Although, I generally distrust people with initials for first names, and having read a couple of other books he's written - TR: The Last Romantic and The First American - I wasn't sure which Brands I was going to get, as the former was well-written and the latter, eh ... not so much. I found this book to be of the well-written variety, although many times I had a sense that there was more that I needed to know, but that can run the risk of the The First American, which seemed a bit bogged down in pointless detail. I am going to give The First American another try, as now I have a clearer picture of Brand's style, and highly recommend this book for a good picture of the Jacksonian era, and it's many characters. Good job, H.W., and I drink your milkshake..."
— Albert (4 out of 5 stars)
Andrew Jackson Listener Reviews
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" Very interesting....a daring man. "
— Cliff, 2/19/2014 -
" I didn't think I would like Andrew Jackson. But this book did an excellent job of explaining his reasons for doing what he did in relation to the time period he lived in. Came away from readying it with a new appreciation of the man. "
— Janet, 12/28/2013 -
" In the end I didn't like Jackson much "
— Bob, 11/27/2013 -
" I love history. This book was about Jackson's life before his presidency as well as during his term. I found it interesting and enlightening. "
— Glo, 11/22/2013 -
" Best one volume biography of Jackson. HW Brands who has written many books on popular historical figures tells the story of Andrew Jackson as it is. A stern supporter of the People, takes no shit from anyone who gets in his face and was a pretty decent military general (i.e. Battle of New Orleans). "
— Dave, 10/24/2013 -
" Didn't care for the man, but enjoyed the book... "
— Brent, 9/22/2013 -
" Another excellent presidential biography. This one is based largely, though not exclusively on Adams journal which he kept assiduously most of his life. Thus one gets to know more of the personality of the man, than is normally the case. "
— Richard, 9/13/2013 -
" Enjoyable biography of our 7th president. Struck a good balance between the issues of the days and Jackson's personal life. "
— Billy, 3/11/2013 -
" I didn't know much about Jackson before this book. Bottom line - he was one tough military dude. "
— John, 12/18/2012 -
" Very very good. Fascinating time period. Jackson lived from colonist to union preserver. Quite a character and such a legacy. Following this with Meacham's American Lion for more detail on his White House years. "
— Sharon, 8/18/2012 -
" This is a decent biography, but it doesn't do much to illuminate Jackson's contradictions. In a lot of ways, he was a complete asshole, and he is almost certainly the only president of the United States who was an actual murderer. "
— Robert, 5/17/2012 -
" Andrew Jackson is definitely in my top 5 Presidents list. I really like this book because Brands is so fair to Jackson and includes so much of the history of the times in which he lived. Anyone who is a critic of Jackson needs to read this and get to know him better!!! "
— Kathy, 5/10/2012 -
" interesting, revealing look at the $20 bill man. he was hated by many. very strong personality "
— David, 1/6/2012 -
" Insights on America - and how we became who we are- that most people have not explored. A very informative , and sometimes provocative read "
— Barry, 7/3/2011 -
" Andrew Jackson was an interesting character. "
— Humkeb, 6/23/2011 -
" Amazingly well written and researched book. A great book about a great man! "
— Josh, 6/15/2011 -
" A great history book--I learned a lot about Andrew Jackson as a person, but much more about our country and how we got to this place through the actions of the past. Highly recommended! "
— Patricia, 4/13/2011 -
" Excellent bio. Very well written for a history. Easy to read. "
— Charles, 4/11/2011 -
" "The Union, it must be preserved." "
— John, 1/25/2011 -
" Didn't care for the man, but enjoyed the book... "
— Brent, 12/15/2010 -
" I didn't think I would like Andrew Jackson. But this book did an excellent job of explaining his reasons for doing what he did in relation to the time period he lived in. Came away from readying it with a new appreciation of the man. "
— Janet, 10/11/2010 -
" #7 in the Presidential biography project. This biography did a great job of combining the historical backdrop with the personality of the subject. Jackson, so far, has been the most fascinating president and really helped usher in the party system and the rule of the people. "
— Alan, 9/16/2010 -
" A very fine biography of our seventh president. Well written and balanced. "
— Greg, 6/11/2010 -
" I love history. This book was about Jackson's life before his presidency as well as during his term. I found it interesting and enlightening. "
— Glo, 5/4/2010 -
" Enjoyable biography of our 7th president. Struck a good balance between the issues of the days and Jackson's personal life. "
— Billy, 4/7/2010 -
" A great history book--I learned a lot about Andrew Jackson as a person, but much more about our country and how we got to this place through the actions of the past. Highly recommended! "
— Patricia, 2/21/2010 -
" Amazingly well written and researched book. A great book about a great man! "
— Josh, 1/16/2010 -
" A look at the life of the incredibly smart (yet populist) Andrew Jackson. He had an amazingly accomplished life and stopped or prevented a lot of overly-zealous federalist from achieving their damaging goals. "
— Greg, 10/19/2009
About H. W. Brands
H. W. Brands has written more than a dozen biographies and histories, including the The General vs. the President, a New York Times bestseller. Two of his biographies, The First American and Traitor to His Class, were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. He holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin.
About John H. Mayer
John H. Mayer, author and Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a character actor whose voice has been heard on numerous commercials, animated programs, audiobooks, and narrations including E! Entertainment’s Celebrity Profiles. He was a five-year member of the Groundlings comedy theater company in Los Angeles. He is also the co-author of Radio Rocket Boy, an award-winning short film.