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The Presidents Club: Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity Audiobook
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(4.29) - 7 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
When we think of exclusive clubs and secret societies, we often connect them with the world's most powerful men. It should come as no surprise, then, that the most exclusive club is composed entirely of men who have previously been the most powerful man in America.
The world's most exclusive club never has more than six members, and its membership varies only through election or death. The only prerequisite for joining the club is having been elected President of the United States.
The Presidents Club: Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity gives readers a look at the club, conceived in 1953 by members Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover. Since that time, The Presidents Club has allowed sitting presidents to call on past presidents -- sometimes former political rivals -- when they need help getting the job done. Hoover helped in Europe after Truman's call, John F. Kennedy needed Eisenhower's help in Cuba and Richard Nixon went to Russia for Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
The President's Club covers the one-on-one interactions of presidents and past presidents from Hoover through Barack Obama. Surprisingly, the book doesn't discuss much about the office of president. Rather, it explores the relationships between the men who have worked from the Oval Office. It also provides a behind-the-scenes look at each of the men as individuals, and how they grew both during their tenure and after.
The President's Club is the second book written by Michael Duffy and Nancy Gibbs, following 2007's The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House. Both Gibbs and Duffy work for Time magazine. Duffy serves as the Washington bureau chief and an executive editor while Gibbs is an editor at large. Both are known for their work in political writing and are considered top commentators on politics and values in the United States.
"I really thought this would be a boring audiobook and only began listening since my husband wanted to listen to it on a long trip and thought we'd both enjoy it. I have to admit he was right and I found that I did not want to stop listening. There are so many interesting facts presented that I lost count. It was an intriguing look at presidential friendships as well as rivalries. Highly recommended to history and political science buffs."
— JD137 (5 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
The bestselling authors of The Preacher and the Presidents return with a riveting new history of the private relationships among the last thirteen presidents, uncovering and exploring the partnerships, private deals, rescue missions, and rivalries of those few men who served as commander-in-chief.
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 he 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.
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Quotes
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“Political junkies, historians, psychologists, and Main Street citizens will find the tales of friendship, envy, conspiracy, competition, and common cause irresistible.”
— Tom Brokaw -
“With surprising reporting and insights, this book reveals the relationships and rivalries among the few men who know what it’s like to be president. It gives a new angle on history by exploring the essence of the presidency.”
— Walter Isaacson, New York Times bestselling author -
“The tiny world of US presidents is our Olympus, and Gibbs and Duffy have chronicled the intimacies and rivalries of the gods.”
— Jon Meacham, New York Times bestselling author -
“The Presidents Club is a lucid and well-written glimpse into the modern presidency and its self-sustaining shadow organization. It’s worth reading and rereading for its behind-the-scenes insights.”
— USA Today
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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An Amazon Best Book of the Month, April 2012
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A Kirkus Reviews “New and Notable Title”, May 2012
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A USA Today bestseller
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One of the 2012 Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books for Nonfiction
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A 2012 Washington Post Notable Book for Nonfiction
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A 2013 Chautauqua Prize Finalist
The Presidents Club Listener Reviews
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George Sechrist, 10/22/2023
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jerry benford, 10/12/2020
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" This is a fascinating audio book that gives you a very unique insider's look at the presidents' relationships with one each other. I found the relationship that developed between Bill Clinton and George W.H. Bush to be particularly compelling. "
— Jerry P., 8/5/2012 -
" While it was interesting to see how former political rivals can become acquaintances and even occasionally friends there were far too many mundane details and boring observations throughout that felt like filler to pad the length of the book. If you have the patience to get past that it's not bad. "
— E.R., 8/1/2012 -
" This book started off great out of the gate but quickly lost steam. It's a great premise but there's an over-reliance on old gossip and occasionally sloppy research. Very disappointing. "
— Drew Stevens, 6/13/2012 -
" I enjoyed this book immensely, it's honestly the best thing I've read in years (fiction and non-fiction). It paints a captivating portrait of the complex relationships that have developed between sitting presidents and their predecessors. The author does an exceptional job weaving multiple riveting biographical accounts together in a way that is entertaining and educational. "
— A.C., 5/22/2012
About the Authors
Nancy Gibbs has authored more than 150 cover stories for Time and is currently the publication’s executive editor. She won the National Magazine Award in 2002 for her cover story after 9/11 and has written covers on Graham and “Faith, God, and the Oval Office,” a story about the role of religion in the 2004 presidential campaign. Named by the Chicago Tribune as one of the ten best magazine writers in the country, she is also the New York Times bestselling author, with Michael Duffy, of the book The Preacher and the Presidents.
Michael Duffy is Time’s Washington Bureau Chief and directs the coverage of presidential, political, and national affairs for both the magazine and website.
About Bob Walter
Bob Walter is a producer, director, and audiobook narrator. He is best known for his work as a music producer and sound effects designer for the movies Halloween, The Little Brave Toaster, and Apocalypse Now. His audiobook narrations include several nonfiction and fiction titles from Hachette, Random House, and HarperCollins, among others.