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Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House
New York Times bestselling author of Accidental Presidents explores what happens after the most powerful job in the President of the United States.
Former presidents have an unusual place in American life. King George III believed that George Washington’s departure after two terms made him “the greatest character of the age.” But Alexander Hamilton worried former presidents might “[wander] among the people like ghosts.” They were both right.
Life After Power tells the stories of seven former presidents, from the Founding to today. Each changed history. Each offered lessons about how to decide what to do in the next chapter of life.
Thomas Jefferson was the first former president to accomplish great things after the White House, shaping public debates and founding the University of Virginia, an accomplishment he included on his tombstone, unlike his presidency. John Quincy Adams served in Congress and became a leading abolitionist, passing the torch to Abraham Lincoln. Grover Cleveland was the only president in American history to serve a nonconsecutive term. William Howard Taft became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Herbert Hoover shaped the modern conservative movement, led relief efforts after World War II, reorganized the executive branch, and reconciled John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Jimmy Carter had the longest post-presidency in American history, advancing humanitarian causes, human rights, and peace. George W. Bush made a clean break from politics, bringing back George Washington’s precedent, and reminding the public that the institution of the presidency is bigger than any person.
Jared Cohen explores the untold stories in the final chapters of these presidents’ lives, offering a gripping and illuminating account of how they went from President of the United States one day, to ordinary citizens the next. He tells how they handled very human problems of ego, finances, and questions about their legacy and mortality. He shows how these men made history after they left the White House.
Former presidents have an unusual place in American life. King George III believed that George Washington’s departure after two terms made him “the greatest character of the age.” But Alexander Hamilton worried former presidents might “[wander] among the people like ghosts.” They were both right.
Life After Power tells the stories of seven former presidents, from the Founding to today. Each changed history. Each offered lessons about how to decide what to do in the next chapter of life.
Thomas Jefferson was the first former president to accomplish great things after the White House, shaping public debates and founding the University of Virginia, an accomplishment he included on his tombstone, unlike his presidency. John Quincy Adams served in Congress and became a leading abolitionist, passing the torch to Abraham Lincoln. Grover Cleveland was the only president in American history to serve a nonconsecutive term. William Howard Taft became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Herbert Hoover shaped the modern conservative movement, led relief efforts after World War II, reorganized the executive branch, and reconciled John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Jimmy Carter had the longest post-presidency in American history, advancing humanitarian causes, human rights, and peace. George W. Bush made a clean break from politics, bringing back George Washington’s precedent, and reminding the public that the institution of the presidency is bigger than any person.
Jared Cohen explores the untold stories in the final chapters of these presidents’ lives, offering a gripping and illuminating account of how they went from President of the United States one day, to ordinary citizens the next. He tells how they handled very human problems of ego, finances, and questions about their legacy and mortality. He shows how these men made history after they left the White House.
528 pages, Paperback
First published February 13, 2024
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July 21, 2024
We listened to most of this during our spring break road trip, and my husband and I both enjoyed it. I went back and finished it afterward. We did skip the end of Thomas Jefferson; we were both a little over him. I went back and listened to John Quincy Adams (we'd skipped him along the way), and I finished up with George W. Bush (my husband didn't care much about that one). I thought the most interesting chapters were the Cleveland, Taft, and Hoover chapters. These men were known to me for just one or two reasons, and I felt like I got a much better glimpse into who they were. The overall lesson of this book is a good one. History doesn't always remember with accuracy, and one span of 4 or 6 years does not make up a person's whole life. This is a good book to remind readers of the importance of persistence, growth mindset, and purpose. It was a fascinating listen.
April 11, 2024
Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond The White House is a compelling and rather innovative book with an unique commitment to focusing on what most Americans (as well as writers and historians!) tend to overlook or forget, despite the hyper attention paid to the office of the presidency and its current occupant’s celeb-like status: the peculiar adjustment to life-as-an-ordinary citizen, after just stepping down from the highest office in the country (arguably, the world).
As author Jared Cohen reminds us, it’s not as if there’s any kind of enormous club where these once ultra-powerful men can go to talk and reflect on life after such a surreal experience. It’s the “smallest club” in the world, the one of former (yet still living) US presidents. Up until February of last year, it was probably at one of its largest memberships yet: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.
Although given that Carter passed away in February 2023 and Trump is actively running for President this year, it really brings the membership down to just three individuals.
It was definitely a very interesting read that pointed out very different life trajectories (as well as outcomes) of seven former presidents, many of whom were extremely unpopular during their years in the White House, but managed nonetheless to repair the damage to their legacy through other important work.
Thomas Jefferson was not just one of the Founding Father presidents, but a lifelong founder, spending the last decade of his life ensuring that his life’s passion - higher education - would be sustained through his establishment of the University of Virginia, an institution that has been a top center for learning for two centuries now.
Most reviewers found John Quincy Adams’s story to be most interesting, and while it’s definitely one of the more intriguing ones for sure, I don’t know as if I’d say it was my favorite. His years in the White House took a backseat to his nine terms serving in the House of Representatives, where, with knowledge of executive power, now moving into legislative leadership, gave him a unique view and a strong voice onto issues that might not have gained as much traction had a former president not so strongly advocated for them (like pushing for abolitionism, and inspiring a young congressman new to politics to fight for the cause - Abraham Lincoln).
For me, Grover Cleveland’s story was probably the most uneventful of all seven. Sure, it was interesting that he came up all of the way to the nation’s highest political office not through an Ivy League education (or any college education, for that matter) as well as being an “unusually hard worker”, “known for putting in eighteen-hour days” and “gaining admittance to the bar at the age of twenty-two without a law degree.”
If you’re looking at his pathway to the presidency through a modern lens, then indeed it is not something that will happen again. You become president nowadays through having a lot of money to spend, the establishment behind you, and/or name recognition. And I’m pretty certain no matter how hard you work, or no matter how well you can argue a case, you can’t be a member of the ABA without first obtaining your J.D. and then passing the Bar Exam. However, at that time? It was relatively common for presidents to come from total obscurity.
His positions just didn’t seem to be very clearly defined, and he seemed rather to be running for a non-consecutive second term (the first and only US president to do so) not because he really wanted the job, but because he didn’t want the job going to the Republican contender, Benjamin Harrison, nor any of his fellow Democratic top contenders, whom he viewed as corrupt party bosses or populists.
Although he was evidently “incorruptible” and “trustworthy” to the electorate, it’s also worth noting that he was the first nominee with allegations of a pretty serious sex scandal surrounding him (of course, in today’s political climate - at least not with DT, voters don’t even blink at this kind of thing, but back in the 1880s? Yikes). He’d apparently had:
”a consensual relationship with a thirty-six year old widow, in which things quickly went south, Cleveland allegedly impregnated Ms. Halpin, hired private detectives to hound her, and even tried to force her into an insane asylum.”
Coincidentally enough, ”a late-breaking story may have made the difference for Cleveland. The day before the election, Ms. Halpin issued a piece in the Detroit Free Press in her own words. She cleared him of all charges, declaring that she had ‘no fault whatever to find in Mr. Cleveland.’ True, she had signed an affidavit alleging horrible crimes. But it turned out she hadn’t read it before putting her name to it.”
Okay, this is one of the rare times where I feel it the author should interject something into this insanity. As much as anyone else, I like to be presented with facts and for writers to largely (if not entirely) keep their personal opinions out of the story. I just felt this merited a bit further exploration.
We’re talking about a time when it was very easy for a man to put his own wife in an institution, simply because of the even greater power men held over women then than they do even today. Add in the power dynamic of a U.S. president and shouldn’t the question be asked, why would she sign a statement about someone without bothering to read it? Why would it take her so long to deny the story? Could the fact that she was being - oh, I don’t know - threatened to be recommitted to an insane asylum be the possible reason she might have retracted her statement?!
Anyway, none of this merits further scrutiny. He clearly didn’t do it, there you go. Because after the bit about “not reading it before putting her name to it”, it simply skips to how close the election was. Nothing further. Another interesting fact about Cleveland: he was the first US president to marry inside the White House.
This may have been cute and romantic were it not for the fact that the bride-to-be was his late law partner’s daughter, Frances, whom after his friend’s death, Cleveland was named executor of the state, and grew close with his late friend’s family, ”with the then-eleven-year-old Frances sometimes calling him ‘Uncle Cleve’. He, in turn, would call her ‘Frank.’ Frances blossomed into a beautiful lady. When Cleveland was elected POTUS, she was still a college undergraduate…he courted her from afar by sending flowers and love letters to campus. He asked her mother for permission to marry her… the age difference between the two was vast, but they were in love.”
Awes! Except… no. There’s a word for that in today’s terminology… umm… knew her and basically pursued her from the age of eleven and married her while she was still nearly a teenager… begins with the letter G? Grinning? Glooming? Ah, never mind. The point is, a man in his late 40s doesn’t need to be pursuing a teenager then marrying her when he’s 48 and she’s 21. It’s gross, and I wish the author hadn’t romanticized it so emphatically: ”she said yes to his proposal. She meant it.”
Ugh, I just don’t even want to bother with it anymore, but it’s so problematic. Is it obvious I don’t care for Grover Cleveland? Haha.
Taft likely would have been my favorite after-presidency legacy to read about, as he was the only president to ever serve at the head of all three government branches at one point. However, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was always the job he’d longed for, and thanks to a family with a bit too much say into his career choices, along with the simple bad luck of wrong timing, he had to wait his entire life for this appointment.
It did eventually come, however, and he was able to serve about a decade on the bench before having to resign due to progressively worsening health. What I found, along with other readers though, was that there wasn’t much mention of the most influential cases he heard (the ones named were quite dull) nor citing of particularly interesting words he made in his written arguments, whether he was to side with the majority or offer a dissent, uphold a law or strike it down. Wait, actually, he did agree on repealing Prohibition, so that was interesting…
He also put the Judiciary Act of 1925 into practice, increasing appellate court jurisdiction and allowing the Supreme Court more control over the steady influx of cases appearing on its docket. And he made sure the Supreme Court got its own separate building, so that was cool of him. Hero to constitutional law nerds everywhere.
I just can’t with Hoover. It’s nothing personal against the man like so many of his fellow party members ostracized him as a political pariah after his time in office was up. That was too long ago for me to harbor any real grudge. He did shape the modern GOP party - although I believe that refers to GOP prior to Trump. Now it’s just MAGA! or bust.
Oh! Actually, I’d be thinking of his successor, Harry Truman. I don’t really have anything greatly for or against either, but my grievance with Truman is based on the fact that my International Law professor assigned my class the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company v. Sawyer SC case, to comment on which each justice thought on the limits of executive power, and whether Truman’s seizure of steel mills under war time measures was constitutional.
I’m sure you’re probably thinking wtf? - and I can’t say I blame you. But you have to understand this assignment was over 45 pages (single spaced!) and will forever haunt me.
The final two presidents covered are presidents who have done much in recent years and whose presidencies can actually be remembered by large amounts of the population. While Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush both left the White House extremely unpopular (Carter, due to the Iranian Hostage Crisis and its 444-day exhausting duration, Bush Jr. and his increasingly unpopular wars on terrorism) they both found new respect - and much higher approval ratings- once out of office.
That’s about where the similarities end. While Carter and his wife Rosemary remained active diplomats (often to the point that successive presidents found Carter to be a meddling nuisance, given Carter’s unique ability to at times believe himself still President). I mean, meeting Kim Il Sung in an attempt to make him stop his research into chemical weapons? Yeah, understandable that Clinton wouldn’t be okay with this.
Bush, on the other hand, has been content to let history be his judge, feeling no need to still weigh in on politics or defend his policies in the Middle East. He’s faded (happily) from the spotlight, enjoying time now with his family and taking up painting as a hobby (one he’s very good at, too!).
Cohen’s book shows that president or not, there are many new meanings and purposes your life can take on, no matter what your prior experiences in life have been, no matter how old you are. It’s never too late to learn something new about yourself.
Cleveland rant aside (just skip it if it gets too be too lengthy for you, and move on to Taft 😂), I really enjoyed the stories and the message this book sends. 4 stars.
As author Jared Cohen reminds us, it’s not as if there’s any kind of enormous club where these once ultra-powerful men can go to talk and reflect on life after such a surreal experience. It’s the “smallest club” in the world, the one of former (yet still living) US presidents. Up until February of last year, it was probably at one of its largest memberships yet: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.
Although given that Carter passed away in February 2023 and Trump is actively running for President this year, it really brings the membership down to just three individuals.
It was definitely a very interesting read that pointed out very different life trajectories (as well as outcomes) of seven former presidents, many of whom were extremely unpopular during their years in the White House, but managed nonetheless to repair the damage to their legacy through other important work.
Thomas Jefferson was not just one of the Founding Father presidents, but a lifelong founder, spending the last decade of his life ensuring that his life’s passion - higher education - would be sustained through his establishment of the University of Virginia, an institution that has been a top center for learning for two centuries now.
Most reviewers found John Quincy Adams’s story to be most interesting, and while it’s definitely one of the more intriguing ones for sure, I don’t know as if I’d say it was my favorite. His years in the White House took a backseat to his nine terms serving in the House of Representatives, where, with knowledge of executive power, now moving into legislative leadership, gave him a unique view and a strong voice onto issues that might not have gained as much traction had a former president not so strongly advocated for them (like pushing for abolitionism, and inspiring a young congressman new to politics to fight for the cause - Abraham Lincoln).
For me, Grover Cleveland’s story was probably the most uneventful of all seven. Sure, it was interesting that he came up all of the way to the nation’s highest political office not through an Ivy League education (or any college education, for that matter) as well as being an “unusually hard worker”, “known for putting in eighteen-hour days” and “gaining admittance to the bar at the age of twenty-two without a law degree.”
If you’re looking at his pathway to the presidency through a modern lens, then indeed it is not something that will happen again. You become president nowadays through having a lot of money to spend, the establishment behind you, and/or name recognition. And I’m pretty certain no matter how hard you work, or no matter how well you can argue a case, you can’t be a member of the ABA without first obtaining your J.D. and then passing the Bar Exam. However, at that time? It was relatively common for presidents to come from total obscurity.
His positions just didn’t seem to be very clearly defined, and he seemed rather to be running for a non-consecutive second term (the first and only US president to do so) not because he really wanted the job, but because he didn’t want the job going to the Republican contender, Benjamin Harrison, nor any of his fellow Democratic top contenders, whom he viewed as corrupt party bosses or populists.
Although he was evidently “incorruptible” and “trustworthy” to the electorate, it’s also worth noting that he was the first nominee with allegations of a pretty serious sex scandal surrounding him (of course, in today’s political climate - at least not with DT, voters don’t even blink at this kind of thing, but back in the 1880s? Yikes). He’d apparently had:
”a consensual relationship with a thirty-six year old widow, in which things quickly went south, Cleveland allegedly impregnated Ms. Halpin, hired private detectives to hound her, and even tried to force her into an insane asylum.”
Coincidentally enough, ”a late-breaking story may have made the difference for Cleveland. The day before the election, Ms. Halpin issued a piece in the Detroit Free Press in her own words. She cleared him of all charges, declaring that she had ‘no fault whatever to find in Mr. Cleveland.’ True, she had signed an affidavit alleging horrible crimes. But it turned out she hadn’t read it before putting her name to it.”
Okay, this is one of the rare times where I feel it the author should interject something into this insanity. As much as anyone else, I like to be presented with facts and for writers to largely (if not entirely) keep their personal opinions out of the story. I just felt this merited a bit further exploration.
We’re talking about a time when it was very easy for a man to put his own wife in an institution, simply because of the even greater power men held over women then than they do even today. Add in the power dynamic of a U.S. president and shouldn’t the question be asked, why would she sign a statement about someone without bothering to read it? Why would it take her so long to deny the story? Could the fact that she was being - oh, I don’t know - threatened to be recommitted to an insane asylum be the possible reason she might have retracted her statement?!
Anyway, none of this merits further scrutiny. He clearly didn’t do it, there you go. Because after the bit about “not reading it before putting her name to it”, it simply skips to how close the election was. Nothing further. Another interesting fact about Cleveland: he was the first US president to marry inside the White House.
This may have been cute and romantic were it not for the fact that the bride-to-be was his late law partner’s daughter, Frances, whom after his friend’s death, Cleveland was named executor of the state, and grew close with his late friend’s family, ”with the then-eleven-year-old Frances sometimes calling him ‘Uncle Cleve’. He, in turn, would call her ‘Frank.’ Frances blossomed into a beautiful lady. When Cleveland was elected POTUS, she was still a college undergraduate…he courted her from afar by sending flowers and love letters to campus. He asked her mother for permission to marry her… the age difference between the two was vast, but they were in love.”
Awes! Except… no. There’s a word for that in today’s terminology… umm… knew her and basically pursued her from the age of eleven and married her while she was still nearly a teenager… begins with the letter G? Grinning? Glooming? Ah, never mind. The point is, a man in his late 40s doesn’t need to be pursuing a teenager then marrying her when he’s 48 and she’s 21. It’s gross, and I wish the author hadn’t romanticized it so emphatically: ”she said yes to his proposal. She meant it.”
Ugh, I just don’t even want to bother with it anymore, but it’s so problematic. Is it obvious I don’t care for Grover Cleveland? Haha.
Taft likely would have been my favorite after-presidency legacy to read about, as he was the only president to ever serve at the head of all three government branches at one point. However, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was always the job he’d longed for, and thanks to a family with a bit too much say into his career choices, along with the simple bad luck of wrong timing, he had to wait his entire life for this appointment.
It did eventually come, however, and he was able to serve about a decade on the bench before having to resign due to progressively worsening health. What I found, along with other readers though, was that there wasn’t much mention of the most influential cases he heard (the ones named were quite dull) nor citing of particularly interesting words he made in his written arguments, whether he was to side with the majority or offer a dissent, uphold a law or strike it down. Wait, actually, he did agree on repealing Prohibition, so that was interesting…
He also put the Judiciary Act of 1925 into practice, increasing appellate court jurisdiction and allowing the Supreme Court more control over the steady influx of cases appearing on its docket. And he made sure the Supreme Court got its own separate building, so that was cool of him. Hero to constitutional law nerds everywhere.
I just can’t with Hoover. It’s nothing personal against the man like so many of his fellow party members ostracized him as a political pariah after his time in office was up. That was too long ago for me to harbor any real grudge. He did shape the modern GOP party - although I believe that refers to GOP prior to Trump. Now it’s just MAGA! or bust.
Oh! Actually, I’d be thinking of his successor, Harry Truman. I don’t really have anything greatly for or against either, but my grievance with Truman is based on the fact that my International Law professor assigned my class the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company v. Sawyer SC case, to comment on which each justice thought on the limits of executive power, and whether Truman’s seizure of steel mills under war time measures was constitutional.
I’m sure you’re probably thinking wtf? - and I can’t say I blame you. But you have to understand this assignment was over 45 pages (single spaced!) and will forever haunt me.
The final two presidents covered are presidents who have done much in recent years and whose presidencies can actually be remembered by large amounts of the population. While Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush both left the White House extremely unpopular (Carter, due to the Iranian Hostage Crisis and its 444-day exhausting duration, Bush Jr. and his increasingly unpopular wars on terrorism) they both found new respect - and much higher approval ratings- once out of office.
That’s about where the similarities end. While Carter and his wife Rosemary remained active diplomats (often to the point that successive presidents found Carter to be a meddling nuisance, given Carter’s unique ability to at times believe himself still President). I mean, meeting Kim Il Sung in an attempt to make him stop his research into chemical weapons? Yeah, understandable that Clinton wouldn’t be okay with this.
Bush, on the other hand, has been content to let history be his judge, feeling no need to still weigh in on politics or defend his policies in the Middle East. He’s faded (happily) from the spotlight, enjoying time now with his family and taking up painting as a hobby (one he’s very good at, too!).
Cohen’s book shows that president or not, there are many new meanings and purposes your life can take on, no matter what your prior experiences in life have been, no matter how old you are. It’s never too late to learn something new about yourself.
Cleveland rant aside (just skip it if it gets too be too lengthy for you, and move on to Taft 😂), I really enjoyed the stories and the message this book sends. 4 stars.
February 11, 2024
I read a pre-release copy of Jared Cohen's Life After Power and as someone who THOUGHT he knew a lot about presidential history I came out of the experience reading this book educated, enlightened and entertained. Cohen's storytelling brings well-known figures like Thomas Jefferson to life in a way that they were not known before while also bringing lesser known Presidents (Grover Cleveland and Howard Taft) into a dimensional political and psychological study that is much more interesting than the grey, dusty histories that usually define them. His study of more contemporary Presidents (Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush) are especially acute, going into the minds and motivations of these men. More than anything else, Cohen knows how to write history in a way that makes it entertaining and relevant in 2024. He is a gifted writer who knows how to draw out the comical (while still relevant) moments in our histories and he has written something that anyone (even non Presidents) will find relevant as they think about second or third acts in their lives. This book is 5 stars!
April 4, 2024
Wow - I didn't expect to like this as much as I did! This is broken up into 7 chapters, each dedicated to the life of each President after leaving office.
1. Thomas Jefferson
2. John Quincy Adams
3. Grover Cleveland
4. Howard Taft
5. Herbert Hoover
6. Jimmy Carter
7. George W. Bush
I literally knew next to nothing about Cleveland, Taft, and Hoover prior to this book and learned so much about each man and the Zeitgeist they lived in. I was very appreciative of the objective criticisms of Jimmy Carter, because I see the man with rose tinted glasses. His meddling into international affairs post-Presidency, even though well-intentioned, exposed me to a hubris I was likely blinded to by my own personal feelings about Carter (I love him).
If you are at all interested in presidential history, you'll be happy reading this super entertaining book.
Cohen's concluding remarks: "The presidency has guardrails against excess and egregious behavior: a system of checks and balances and of the separation of powers that is meant to limit what one person can do in office. There are no such guardrails on former Presidents, other than the two-term limit. What power they have relies on the consent of other people, not on the power of any office. Citizens give former Presidents power by listening to what they say. By paying to support whatever they do next. And by voting. For those wondering where the institution of the post-presidency goes from here, that's up to the American people to decide. It's up to them to choose wisely."
Power to the people, y'all.
“Democracy is a harsh employer.” - Herbert Hoover
1. Thomas Jefferson
2. John Quincy Adams
3. Grover Cleveland
4. Howard Taft
5. Herbert Hoover
6. Jimmy Carter
7. George W. Bush
I literally knew next to nothing about Cleveland, Taft, and Hoover prior to this book and learned so much about each man and the Zeitgeist they lived in. I was very appreciative of the objective criticisms of Jimmy Carter, because I see the man with rose tinted glasses. His meddling into international affairs post-Presidency, even though well-intentioned, exposed me to a hubris I was likely blinded to by my own personal feelings about Carter (I love him).
If you are at all interested in presidential history, you'll be happy reading this super entertaining book.
Cohen's concluding remarks: "The presidency has guardrails against excess and egregious behavior: a system of checks and balances and of the separation of powers that is meant to limit what one person can do in office. There are no such guardrails on former Presidents, other than the two-term limit. What power they have relies on the consent of other people, not on the power of any office. Citizens give former Presidents power by listening to what they say. By paying to support whatever they do next. And by voting. For those wondering where the institution of the post-presidency goes from here, that's up to the American people to decide. It's up to them to choose wisely."
Power to the people, y'all.
“Democracy is a harsh employer.” - Herbert Hoover
July 24, 2025
If you are curious about history, presidents and what they do after they leave office, Jared Cohen's book, Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House has your name on it. I enjoy history with a particular interest in presidents and there time in the White House and after, so it was a perfect fit for me.
Cohen details the lives of 7 presidents and focuses in particular what they did after leaving the presidency. His choices were in sequential order, Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Cleveland, Taft, Hoover, Carter and George W. Bush.
The book was published in 2024, so at the time it was written Cleveland was the only president to serve non-sequential terms.
I was impressed by how much I learned from reading this book. I will say that I have adjusted my view of Hoover since reading this. Also I enjoyed reading about how Bush took up painting and his journey in that.
I think that any student of history would love this.
Cohen details the lives of 7 presidents and focuses in particular what they did after leaving the presidency. His choices were in sequential order, Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Cleveland, Taft, Hoover, Carter and George W. Bush.
The book was published in 2024, so at the time it was written Cleveland was the only president to serve non-sequential terms.
I was impressed by how much I learned from reading this book. I will say that I have adjusted my view of Hoover since reading this. Also I enjoyed reading about how Bush took up painting and his journey in that.
I think that any student of history would love this.
September 3, 2024
The “Afterlife” of Seven Presidents
Don’t be fooled by the 500+ pages of this ebook. It’s an easy read and if you’re a speed reader as I am, you will finish the book in no time. If you are a liberal, this book is right up your alley; a conservative, not so much. However, it is an interesting read how these seven presidents coped with life after the White House without their hold on power.
Don’t be fooled by the 500+ pages of this ebook. It’s an easy read and if you’re a speed reader as I am, you will finish the book in no time. If you are a liberal, this book is right up your alley; a conservative, not so much. However, it is an interesting read how these seven presidents coped with life after the White House without their hold on power.
March 18, 2024
I just finished reading a very interesting and very detailed book about how seven men who became president of the United States and how they went into private life and how they achieved success among their peers.
March 17, 2024
3.5 stars rounded down. Cohen chooses 7 US presidents to profile for their notable personal and professional journeys after leaving the Oval Office -- ranked in order from most interesting to least interesting (in my opinion):
Very interesting:
John Quincy Adams -- Cohen successfully argued that his post-presidential career in Congress was more influential than his time in office
Interesting:
Herbert Hoover -- also explored in Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World
William Howard Taft -- though I agree with other reviewers that his work as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court isn't fully explored (he helmed the Supreme Court during Buck v. Bell, for instance -- see Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck)
Not very interesting:
Grover Cleveland
Thomas Jefferson
Shouldn't have been included (recency bias):
Jimmy Carter
George W. Bush
Very interesting:
John Quincy Adams -- Cohen successfully argued that his post-presidential career in Congress was more influential than his time in office
Interesting:
Herbert Hoover -- also explored in Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World
William Howard Taft -- though I agree with other reviewers that his work as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court isn't fully explored (he helmed the Supreme Court during Buck v. Bell, for instance -- see Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck)
Not very interesting:
Grover Cleveland
Thomas Jefferson
Shouldn't have been included (recency bias):
Jimmy Carter
George W. Bush
August 27, 2024
I guess I'm in a presidential books' phase? I enjoyed this! I liked to hear about all the different paths presidents have taken after they leave the presidency, how someone with so much power comes back to regular life. They all have different causes they take up, and many of them redeem themselves with the public years after being president. I particularly liked the part on George Bush as he's the first president I have clear memories of being president and am conscious of his post-presidency. He left it all behind and moved on from politics and took up painting.
Jared Cohen is quite the writer and his research and knowledge on presidents is astounding. I would recommend both his books for those casually interested in the presidents, you will learn a lot.
Jared Cohen is quite the writer and his research and knowledge on presidents is astounding. I would recommend both his books for those casually interested in the presidents, you will learn a lot.
March 30, 2024
A fantastic read on multiple presidents and their post presidential lives. The book had several details on these presidents that I, a frequent reader of all presidential biographies, never knew. The book discusses the diversity of fortunes for these men and humanizes them quite well, especially in the cases of recent presidents Carter and W. This is an excellent read for those who love history and the presidency, and fully deserves the high ranking.
October 9, 2024
interesting book but didn’t rock my world. feel like i did learn a lot from it tho!
January 15, 2024
Seems fabulous!
March 21, 2024
After listening to the author talk about his most recent book on Sharon McMahon’s podcast, I was so intrigued that I immediately pre-ordered the Audible version. Having finished it and enjoyed it so much, I am now considering reading the print version as well to better savor the bounty of information that the author included. The idea of those who lived their lives in such a way that being president of the United States was not the most fulfilling or even most significant accomplishment of their lives is fascinating to me. The author does an excellent job of weaving details of the various presidents’ pre-office years, their actual presidency and then their post office activities; presenting an overview into their character, values, ambitions, impact and influence both at home and throughout the world. The narrator did an excellent job and I was surprised by how engaging and interesting these biographies and commentaries have all been. This is a book I will be recommending and one all fans of politics or US history should add to their must-read lists.
August 6, 2024
Covers Jefferson, Quincy Adams, Cleveland, Taft, Hoover, Carter and G.W. Bush.
The book is written very smoothly and is very readable, but some chapters appear to have needed a deeper dive:
- A lot of praise is heaped upon Jefferson's effort to found the University of Virginia, but no mention that at the time Virginia was more in need of primary education than of a university, or, even worse, that the money used to build the university was taken from that set aside for primary education.
- Repeats the claim that Jackson won the popular vote in 1824, which is very misleading since six states, including the most populous one (New York) didn't even hold a popular vote in that year. Moreover, had they, Adams almost certainly would have won New York and thus the popular vote.
Some chapters appear to have needed a shallower dive:
- The first two chapters properly covered only the post-presidential careers, but with Cleveland it's a bio of his entire life, with only skimpy coverage of his later years. One picks up a book based on its title and promise, but here it was broken. Many of us already know Cleveland's life story and did not particularly need to spend time with it again.
- Cleveland is not the last case of this either. Perhaps the author thinks we could just skip such chapters, but on an audio book, not so much.
George W. Bush is a pick that doesn't seem to fit in very well with the others, for one because he is still alive and active, for another because he does not seem to have done all that much with his retirement. Could it be that he's here because he was the only former president willing to be interviewed?
There never seems to be much negative said about the seven presidents chosen, though that rule doesn't seem to apply for other presidents. Given the pattern established here, if the book were discussing Hitler it would say something like "Adolf Hitler led his country to an economic and military resurgence, though some of his other actions were more controversial" and that would be it. In what are basically mini-bios, doesn't the reader want to see an objective portait rather than these puff pieces?
The book is written very smoothly and is very readable, but some chapters appear to have needed a deeper dive:
- A lot of praise is heaped upon Jefferson's effort to found the University of Virginia, but no mention that at the time Virginia was more in need of primary education than of a university, or, even worse, that the money used to build the university was taken from that set aside for primary education.
- Repeats the claim that Jackson won the popular vote in 1824, which is very misleading since six states, including the most populous one (New York) didn't even hold a popular vote in that year. Moreover, had they, Adams almost certainly would have won New York and thus the popular vote.
Some chapters appear to have needed a shallower dive:
- The first two chapters properly covered only the post-presidential careers, but with Cleveland it's a bio of his entire life, with only skimpy coverage of his later years. One picks up a book based on its title and promise, but here it was broken. Many of us already know Cleveland's life story and did not particularly need to spend time with it again.
- Cleveland is not the last case of this either. Perhaps the author thinks we could just skip such chapters, but on an audio book, not so much.
George W. Bush is a pick that doesn't seem to fit in very well with the others, for one because he is still alive and active, for another because he does not seem to have done all that much with his retirement. Could it be that he's here because he was the only former president willing to be interviewed?
There never seems to be much negative said about the seven presidents chosen, though that rule doesn't seem to apply for other presidents. Given the pattern established here, if the book were discussing Hitler it would say something like "Adolf Hitler led his country to an economic and military resurgence, though some of his other actions were more controversial" and that would be it. In what are basically mini-bios, doesn't the reader want to see an objective portait rather than these puff pieces?
June 17, 2025
A good overview of some little-known stories from American history
December 31, 2024
I learned a lot from this essentially “history” book. It basically cemented my perceptions of and feelings for all of them.
Jefferson was revealed as even more of a distasteful cad than I originally viewed him. That he didn’t make provisions in his will for his black mistress’ freedom was totally abhorrent! (She became his mistress in her early teens and bore him many children who he did free).
After reading this book, I thought Cleveland and Hoover were “poor misunderstood me” whiners.
I also didn’t like that a man (Taft) who was completely controlled by his wife and other family members became president because that’s what they wanted— not a good enough reason for taking America’s highest office).
I never liked Jimmy Carter and was deeply disappointed when he beat Gerald Ford by flaunting his Christianity. I think that time and history has proven Ford to be the better man though more “under the radar” and overlooked. This book deepened that belief and deepened my dislike of Carter.
The two presidents I already liked and admired were John Quincy Adams and George W Bush. This book supported those feelings.
I listened to most of it, but ran out of time with the Libby audio and had to actually read about Carter and Bush. For these type of nonfiction “history” books, I much prefer listening. Honestly, I would not have stuck with it if I had had to read it all. But that’s just me.
I think it is well-written and worth the time.
Jefferson was revealed as even more of a distasteful cad than I originally viewed him. That he didn’t make provisions in his will for his black mistress’ freedom was totally abhorrent! (She became his mistress in her early teens and bore him many children who he did free).
After reading this book, I thought Cleveland and Hoover were “poor misunderstood me” whiners.
I also didn’t like that a man (Taft) who was completely controlled by his wife and other family members became president because that’s what they wanted— not a good enough reason for taking America’s highest office).
I never liked Jimmy Carter and was deeply disappointed when he beat Gerald Ford by flaunting his Christianity. I think that time and history has proven Ford to be the better man though more “under the radar” and overlooked. This book deepened that belief and deepened my dislike of Carter.
The two presidents I already liked and admired were John Quincy Adams and George W Bush. This book supported those feelings.
I listened to most of it, but ran out of time with the Libby audio and had to actually read about Carter and Bush. For these type of nonfiction “history” books, I much prefer listening. Honestly, I would not have stuck with it if I had had to read it all. But that’s just me.
I think it is well-written and worth the time.
June 16, 2024
Seven presidents: Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Grover Cleveland, Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush. One chapter is devoted to each former President.
Have previously read of Thomas Jefferson's life (and various interests and activities). Cohen has not unearthed new to me, but other readers may find this chaper fascinating.
John Quincy Adams, Grover Cleveland and Howard Taft have been in my "blind spot" for unknown reasons. Thoroughly enjoyed the updates on these men and their part in our Presidental history.
Have read so much on Herbert Hoover and his activities. What a dangerous man in such high places. Still don't comprehend how he was elected President . . . but the naive R's of that time did it! My parents probably innocently voted R during those years, too. (big sigh) Another frightening time in US history may repeat itself in 2024 . . . be very careful. Vote BLUE for honesty and integrity in November 2024!
Enjoyed the author's writings on both Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush. Both men were not particularly good Presidents, but redeemed themselves following their time in office with outstanding character and as contributing citizens who donated their time, efforts and money for others throughout the remainder of their lives. Both were ahead of their time in humanity efforts before and after their Presidency years.
Jared Cohen has researched an excellent book on seven former Presidents which is well worth the read.
Have previously read of Thomas Jefferson's life (and various interests and activities). Cohen has not unearthed new to me, but other readers may find this chaper fascinating.
John Quincy Adams, Grover Cleveland and Howard Taft have been in my "blind spot" for unknown reasons. Thoroughly enjoyed the updates on these men and their part in our Presidental history.
Have read so much on Herbert Hoover and his activities. What a dangerous man in such high places. Still don't comprehend how he was elected President . . . but the naive R's of that time did it! My parents probably innocently voted R during those years, too. (big sigh) Another frightening time in US history may repeat itself in 2024 . . . be very careful. Vote BLUE for honesty and integrity in November 2024!
Enjoyed the author's writings on both Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush. Both men were not particularly good Presidents, but redeemed themselves following their time in office with outstanding character and as contributing citizens who donated their time, efforts and money for others throughout the remainder of their lives. Both were ahead of their time in humanity efforts before and after their Presidency years.
Jared Cohen has researched an excellent book on seven former Presidents which is well worth the read.
August 11, 2024
Life After Power tracks the lives of seven former US presidents, describing their activities following one of the most powerful jobs in the world. Thomas Jefferson focused on establishing the University of Virginia. John Quincy Adams moved into the House of Representatives after his presidency. It's hard to imagine any of our recent presidents migrating to Congress, but Adams used his power and exclusive perspective to advantage. William Howard Taft eventually served for ten years on the Supreme Court after his presidency; it was a job he wanted for many years. I found Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush most interesting for different reasons. Carter seemingly didn't leave the job. He continued meddling in foreign affairs after leaving office to the detriment of current office holders. And Bush took the opposite approach, embracing a hands-off attitude. (Cleveland and Hoover are the remaining of the seven presidents discussed.) Jared Cohen writes with detail and passion. This book gave me hope for the upcoming election cycle. I don't like any of the options available, yet after reading this book, I think it will be okay. We can survive four years with someone I don't like at the helm.
June 18, 2024
I don’t usually pick this type of book but the topic intrigued me so I thought I’d give it a try. It focuses on seven former presidents and what they did with their lives after their terms were over. It was extremely interesting and informative and I learned things that I never knew before such as, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the exact same day only a few hours apart, Herbert Hoover was wealthy in his own right, and Taft never wanted to be president but was pushed into the job by his wife and brothers. I did take off one star because the author (obviously) focused heavily on politics, so there were parts that I did skim over. I don’t consider myself a history buff but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I plan on reading others by this author.
April 28, 2024
Seven presidents who post presidency did more. For some the presidency was to be discarded and forgotten and was the lowest point of their lives. Cohen writes well and is engaging. No dryness here.
1. Jefferson- University of Virginia consumed him.
2. JQ Adams - made his mark as a congressman and abolitionist.
3. Cleveland - the gold standard bearer.
4. Taft- finally got his life’s dream to be Chief Justice SCOTUS at age 63.
5. Hoover- the Great Humanitarian remembered for only the Depression.
6. Carter- a self righteous interfering diplomat with an aversion to using force.
7. Bush- total walk away with art consuming him.
1. Jefferson- University of Virginia consumed him.
2. JQ Adams - made his mark as a congressman and abolitionist.
3. Cleveland - the gold standard bearer.
4. Taft- finally got his life’s dream to be Chief Justice SCOTUS at age 63.
5. Hoover- the Great Humanitarian remembered for only the Depression.
6. Carter- a self righteous interfering diplomat with an aversion to using force.
7. Bush- total walk away with art consuming him.
September 26, 2024
I listened to this on audiobook and it was generally enjoyable. I liked the narrator a lot — he had good pacing and a pleasant voice. It did seem a little biased, though. I also thought it was going to be only about what these presidents did after leaving office, and it was for the most part, but it did have some parts mixed in about when they were in office. The author also goes on lots of tangents and it’s easy to get sidetracked or confused. I learned some new information, particularly about Taft and George W.
In general I do recommend it if you’re interested in presidential history or American politics.
In general I do recommend it if you’re interested in presidential history or American politics.
October 22, 2025
This was so interesting! I find the topic itself fascinating- what do you do after being president?? Talk about a transition!!
This book examines the lives of 7 presidents spanning from Thomas Jefferson to George W Bush, and looks at how they handled life after power. Honestly I only knew things about a couple of the presidents the author chose, so I learned a lot haha.
This book is *long* and probably not as interesting to someone who doesn’t love to nerd out on US history or presidential history. But if you love reading presidential memoirs like I do, then this is for you!! The chapter on George W Bush was my favorite.
This book examines the lives of 7 presidents spanning from Thomas Jefferson to George W Bush, and looks at how they handled life after power. Honestly I only knew things about a couple of the presidents the author chose, so I learned a lot haha.
This book is *long* and probably not as interesting to someone who doesn’t love to nerd out on US history or presidential history. But if you love reading presidential memoirs like I do, then this is for you!! The chapter on George W Bush was my favorite.
October 19, 2024
A fascinating look at what various presidents have done and how they have found purpose after having the biggest, most important job in the world. Cohen tries to make a personal connection to what former presidents go through leaving office to what we might experience in our lives like losing a job or finishing a big project. The comparison falls pretty flat for me because what could honestly compare to one day being the leader of the free world and the next you’re just joe citizen again. It has to be trippy.
March 6, 2025
This is a very readable way for me to both enjoy revisiting historical characters from an overarching theme. Cohen writes about seven very different former US Presidents and provides interesting insights into their personalities and lives. The thematic binder is the lens of what these men (yes, all men) did after leaving office - giving up power. Their choices and circumstances allows for personal reflection for anyone facing retirement - what next? For me, I learned surprising new insight about two lower profile Presidents - Taft and Hoover. My only criticism is that the book's length became a bit wearying.
November 2, 2024
My metamorphosis into History Dad is nearly complete
This book honestly would’ve been a 5/5 for me, but it kind of overstays its welcome in its last chapter on George W. Bush while also painting him (see what I did there?) in way too positive a light while his story is still being told
This book honestly would’ve been a 5/5 for me, but it kind of overstays its welcome in its last chapter on George W. Bush while also painting him (see what I did there?) in way too positive a light while his story is still being told
November 4, 2025
This was a really easy and breezy read and I enjoyed it more than I'd expected to. The chapter on my favourite president, JQA, was what drew me to the book and I did like that chapter but Herbert Hoover's was perhaps the one I liked most.
November 27, 2025
I love how the book is structured. It gives very good insight into what a post-presidential life can look like. Jared Cohen picked a wide variety of Presidents to depict all for different reasons. Every President has a distinctly different journey in their post presidency some of which I did not know about before reading this book.
February 28, 2024
Entertaining and informative description of the post-presidential careers of seven very different presidents. Best story - John Quincy Adams. Least interesting - George W. Bush. But all seven were well chosen for their variety of themes.
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November 23, 2024I've been a biography fan since childhood so this is my kind of book. Gained new appreciation for Herbert Hoover and George W. Bush in their post presidential years.
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