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The Twenty Worst Americans: What History Can Teach Us About Overcoming the Present
Americans forget the past very well. In this book, you can look back at some of the very worst of Americans, how they did what they did and what we can learn for our present situation.
Whether it's the author of the worst Supreme Court ruling that led to the Civil War, or the greatest fraudster in bio-technology, the man who stole the 2000 election, or Rupert Murdoch, the creator of the menacing monster of Fox News, there are many damning miscreants that have poisoned the American dream. Table of contents Chapter 1. Antonin Scalia – Supreme Court Justice Whose Personal Views Moved America Back to 1787…….6 Chapter 2. Bill Maher – Quickly Moving from Progressive to Regressive……11 Chapter 3. Elizabeth Holmes – Blood money and a Monumental Scam……20 Chapter 4. Donald Trump – Enabling the Catastrophe of Covid-19……..28 Chapter 5. Trump, The Early Years in New York Wilding Among the Powerful…..36 Chapter 6. Rupert Murdoch – Power for Power’s Sake…….43 Chapter 7. James A. Baker, III – Republican Fixer and Mastermind of Bush v Gore…….53 Chapter 8. Phyllis Schlafly – Baking Cookies to Stop Equal Rights……60 Chapter 9. Paul Castellano – Real-life Godfather…..67 Chapter 10. Franklin D. Roosevelt – Allowed Incarceration Camps for Americans of Japanese Descent……….72 Chapter 11. Betsy DeVos – The Education Secretary Clueless About Education…..78 Chapter 12. Eddie Cicotte – Throwing Baseballs, Games and the National Pastime………85 Chapter 13. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney – Author of the Worst Decision in Supreme Court History that Ignited the Civil War…….91 Chapter 14. Herbert Hoover – The Great Humanitarian with Political Hands of Stone…….98 Chapter 15. William Safire and the Death of Political Civility…….103 Chapter 16. Walter O'Malley – Changed America's Pastime into a Cold Business…….114 Chapter 17. Father Charles Coughlin – Pastor, Media King and Dangerous Anti-semite……121 Chapter 18. Henry Ford – Pioneer of the Automobile and Hitler Ally……126 Chapter 19. Harvey Weinstein – As a Movie, Rate Him X…….134
Chapter 20. Dan White – The Politician Who Killed Two Political Icons – Changed America's Pastime into a Cold Business……140
Whether it's the author of the worst Supreme Court ruling that led to the Civil War, or the greatest fraudster in bio-technology, the man who stole the 2000 election, or Rupert Murdoch, the creator of the menacing monster of Fox News, there are many damning miscreants that have poisoned the American dream. Table of contents Chapter 1. Antonin Scalia – Supreme Court Justice Whose Personal Views Moved America Back to 1787…….6 Chapter 2. Bill Maher – Quickly Moving from Progressive to Regressive……11 Chapter 3. Elizabeth Holmes – Blood money and a Monumental Scam……20 Chapter 4. Donald Trump – Enabling the Catastrophe of Covid-19……..28 Chapter 5. Trump, The Early Years in New York Wilding Among the Powerful…..36 Chapter 6. Rupert Murdoch – Power for Power’s Sake…….43 Chapter 7. James A. Baker, III – Republican Fixer and Mastermind of Bush v Gore…….53 Chapter 8. Phyllis Schlafly – Baking Cookies to Stop Equal Rights……60 Chapter 9. Paul Castellano – Real-life Godfather…..67 Chapter 10. Franklin D. Roosevelt – Allowed Incarceration Camps for Americans of Japanese Descent……….72 Chapter 11. Betsy DeVos – The Education Secretary Clueless About Education…..78 Chapter 12. Eddie Cicotte – Throwing Baseballs, Games and the National Pastime………85 Chapter 13. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney – Author of the Worst Decision in Supreme Court History that Ignited the Civil War…….91 Chapter 14. Herbert Hoover – The Great Humanitarian with Political Hands of Stone…….98 Chapter 15. William Safire and the Death of Political Civility…….103 Chapter 16. Walter O'Malley – Changed America's Pastime into a Cold Business…….114 Chapter 17. Father Charles Coughlin – Pastor, Media King and Dangerous Anti-semite……121 Chapter 18. Henry Ford – Pioneer of the Automobile and Hitler Ally……126 Chapter 19. Harvey Weinstein – As a Movie, Rate Him X…….134
Chapter 20. Dan White – The Politician Who Killed Two Political Icons – Changed America's Pastime into a Cold Business……140
153 pages, Paperback
Published July 11, 2023
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July 18, 2023
Thoughtful and Thought-provoking
At first glance, David Balog’s The Twenty Worst Americans may seem to be a simple laundry list of villainy. But this is no tirade of personal grievances; nor is it a whining screed against those who think differently than the author.
Instead, Balog has called upon his background in history writing to present the citizens whose behavior he sees as particularly heinous (Harvey Weinstein, Paul Castellano), ignorant (Phyllis Schlafly, Eddie Cicotte, Betsy DeVos), vicious (Dan White, Rupert Murdoch) or simple grifters (Henry Ford, Charles Coughlin, James A. Baker and Donald Trump). There are twenty short essays in all. Each is easy to read, pleasantly brief, but never glib or lightweight. Balog has something to say and he says it plainly.
Balog calls upon an encyclopedic knowledge of history to make his points, which he does not hide behind manipulative propaganda. No, we know where the author stands and he is transparent in his views. What surprises us is his gentle tact while discussing subjects that could infuriate readers if presented by a lesser writer.
All of which makes some of his choices that much more challenging.
Balog has personal knowledge of William Safire. As a fellow history writer, I have certainly read many of Safire’s books. Some are quite good. But his affairs—business and personal—seem to veer far from his written work. It is eye opening, and this begs the question that many of us must face sooner or later: at what point do we toss out the better work of creation because its creator was repulsive? We enjoy the distance of centuries between us and, say, a Caravaggio or Michelangelo. Those who are closer to our time strike us where we live.
There is much to take exception to, of course.
In just one example, I have published enough about the Roosevelts to have different views on FDR than Balog. This is as it should be. The moment we accept every word of any individual as inviolable, we start on the dangerous path that Balog decries in this book. Heated discussions are part of what make this kind of text interesting.
Balog occasionally digresses into information that is only tangentially related. This is when the author is at his best.
In my favorite example, in the chapter on Bill Maher, Balog provides eight fascinating pages on the physical and neurological aspects of gender, well supported by medical experts. As with his section on FDR, Balog demonstrates a rare talent for engendering discussion without badgering or patronizing.
I agree here, I disagree there; but by the time I was done, I had learned something and want to learn more. I can think of no higher compliment.
At first glance, David Balog’s The Twenty Worst Americans may seem to be a simple laundry list of villainy. But this is no tirade of personal grievances; nor is it a whining screed against those who think differently than the author.
Instead, Balog has called upon his background in history writing to present the citizens whose behavior he sees as particularly heinous (Harvey Weinstein, Paul Castellano), ignorant (Phyllis Schlafly, Eddie Cicotte, Betsy DeVos), vicious (Dan White, Rupert Murdoch) or simple grifters (Henry Ford, Charles Coughlin, James A. Baker and Donald Trump). There are twenty short essays in all. Each is easy to read, pleasantly brief, but never glib or lightweight. Balog has something to say and he says it plainly.
Balog calls upon an encyclopedic knowledge of history to make his points, which he does not hide behind manipulative propaganda. No, we know where the author stands and he is transparent in his views. What surprises us is his gentle tact while discussing subjects that could infuriate readers if presented by a lesser writer.
All of which makes some of his choices that much more challenging.
Balog has personal knowledge of William Safire. As a fellow history writer, I have certainly read many of Safire’s books. Some are quite good. But his affairs—business and personal—seem to veer far from his written work. It is eye opening, and this begs the question that many of us must face sooner or later: at what point do we toss out the better work of creation because its creator was repulsive? We enjoy the distance of centuries between us and, say, a Caravaggio or Michelangelo. Those who are closer to our time strike us where we live.
There is much to take exception to, of course.
In just one example, I have published enough about the Roosevelts to have different views on FDR than Balog. This is as it should be. The moment we accept every word of any individual as inviolable, we start on the dangerous path that Balog decries in this book. Heated discussions are part of what make this kind of text interesting.
Balog occasionally digresses into information that is only tangentially related. This is when the author is at his best.
In my favorite example, in the chapter on Bill Maher, Balog provides eight fascinating pages on the physical and neurological aspects of gender, well supported by medical experts. As with his section on FDR, Balog demonstrates a rare talent for engendering discussion without badgering or patronizing.
I agree here, I disagree there; but by the time I was done, I had learned something and want to learn more. I can think of no higher compliment.
Displaying 1 of 1 review