Dark History of the American Presidents: Power, Corruption, and Scandal at the Heart of the White House

A Dark History Series

by Michael Kerrigan

Detailing the disgraces of all 44 Presidents, from sexual skirmishes to CIA cover-ups, Dark History of the American Presidents covers every dirty deed committed behind the White House fence, from financial profiteering and insider trading to illicit bugging of the opposition. The book also tells the story of a nation s advancement: from post Revolutionary days of anti-monarchy and slavery, through the bitter strife of internal wars, reconstruction, boom and the Depression, to the United States' emergence onto the world stage as a superpower. Using reproductions of portraits in oil, period caricature and cartoons, as well as telling photojournalism, this book reveals the true face behind the most powerful job in the world."

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Presidents, Biography, Politics

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 2011

About the author

Michael Kerrigan is a seasoned freelance writer and editor with over thirty years of experience across a wide spectrum of publishing work, from advertising and catalogue copy to book blurbs and specialist nonfiction. A prolific author, he has written around sixty full-length books on subjects ranging from ancient warfare and Slavic myth to modern architecture and the science of consciousness, all aimed at a general readership. He contributed a weekly Books in Brief column to The Scotsman for two decades and has reviewed extensively for the Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, and Financial Times.

Reviews

[Chase Parsley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this one. Maybe I am taking this book too seriously but there is just too much to question. Nothing is cited, there is one dubious conspiracy theory presented after another, and some of the stuff is flat out incorrect. For example, on page 25, the first sentence reads, "America's first four Presidents had all been signatories to the Declaration of Independence in 1776." (Washington and Madison did not)! Also, there is very little context given. It is as if Kerrigan dug up the most embarrassing/politically incorrect thing possible, and then that was it. Since every President from Washington to Bush II was discussed, and many entries are quite short. There was definitely some fun and learning to be had, but by reading this book, one might think that every US president was either a buffoon, crook, or both! I didn't like it.

For the record, I *loved* the other Kerrigan book I read about the Roman emperors. It was a tour de force of debauchery, scandal, and even history. So until someone convinces me that his Roman book was garbage, I would say that Kerrigan is 1 for 2 for me.

[LuluReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Abuse of power is as old as the United States, corruption as American as Apple pie”

This book is a summary of public scandals from each President up until Obama.

Basically the US has never had “good” President & when we do it’s an illusion. Every single one is a coward. If they aren’t making shady deals with China or the Middle East they are cheating on their wives, playing golf, or have a secret addiction. Campaigns on both sides are funded by corrupt politicians, lobbying is a multibillion dollar industry rich ppl just buy the legislation they want.

Even if the President is a decent person the people behind him are not. Old mafia bosses, CIA, & media have messed things up even further creating chaos.

Also how have the Clintons been able to avoid over 20 murder accusations…

[Patrick Bair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but not substantive. Author exercised total license over what constitutes a "scandal," and spent way too much time on the First Ladies (sorry, ladies). Deep dive on some things, barely touching the surface on others.

[B K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite the page-turner, this book stands as a useful anthology for the political nerd. A strong 3.5. But sadly, as the title implies, it is a rather deceitful and cynical depiction of US politics (if not unfortunately all too realistic) to the political newcomer.

[Steven Gerrard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Kerrigan presents the dark side of 43 presidents of United States. It's fun to see these powerful people as human with flaws and dark side.

[Heri · Rating 2 out of 5]

dari semua seri sejarah gelap yang sudah saya baca, sejarah gelap presiden AS adalah yg terburuk dari segi terjemahan dan kualitas kata. banyak kata-kata yang membingungkan dan istilah-istilah yang sulit dimengerti kalau tidak mencari definisi dan penjelasannya lewat kamus atau internet. sepertinya dari penulis - michael kerrigan - juga ditulis dengan gaya tulisan yang sulit dipahami awam. terjemahan indonesia menjadikan isinya susah dipahami dengan banyak istilah serta susunan kalimat yang kacau. selain itu, banyak informasi reputasi para presiden yang tidak detil atau tidak jelas ditambah banyak kalimat yang susah dimengerti. buku ini yang terburuk dari seri sejarah gelap

[Gary Mendelblatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Dougie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing you didn't already know. However, this is a handsome book beautifully illustrated. A great gift for presidential buffs.

[Pieter Voorwinden]

Interesting, though bit staccato read by an AI voice un the audio book version. Interesting to read / hear about well known presidents and where they fell short of the mark.

[Paul Lunger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Michael Kerrigan's "Dark History of the American Presidents" is a book that means well, but doesn't succeed in what it tries to do. The premise behind the book is to look at all 43 (at the time) Presidential administrations and find the darker history which seems like an all right idea. Where Kerrigan strays is that with the examination of all 43 administrations, he goes in some cases too far in revealing things that may be contradictions or even conspiracy theories involving especially parentage of some figures in history (Martin Van Buren being the illegitimate son of Alexander Hamilton) or the stretches of the extend of the sexual encounters (both heterosexual & homosexual) of these individuals (most famously James Buchanan). The other issue with this book is that he almost seems disappointed that he can't find a scandal involving a president or one that's so minor it's not an issue. The even mention of our 9th President (William Henry Harrison) almost seems unnecessary & certain presidents (Benjamin Harrison among them) get kind of glossed over as if they weren't that important at all.

For the casual reader, this book will reveal some things that they may not know about the presidents of the US. For conspiracy theorists, there's not a lot to get excited about nor for the casual historian. Read this book to gain an understanding of what facts are presented about our nation's presidents, skip it if you're looking for more reasons to think negatively about them.

[Eva Siagian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saya membaca yang terjemahan Indonesianya.
Tidak seperti review yang lain saya tidak memiliki masalah terhadap terjemahannya karena mungkin bahasanya tidak sulit/berbelit-belit, jadi tidak masalah.

Menurut saya buku ini bukan terjemahannya yang jelek. Memang ketika membaca ada yang rancu seperti: tidak nyambung kalimat atas dan bawah seakan ada baris yang hilang, ada juga kalimat pindah halaman tidak nyambung. Kalau dari sisi seperti ini edit nya yang kacau, tulisan banyak yang salah/hilang.

Dan masih ada kemungkinan memang sudah dari sananya, maksud saya gaya bahasa si penulis yang tidak berkesinambungan. yah siapa yang tahu. kenapa menurut saya demikian? karena isi buku tidak dalam dan terasa klise, ah ditambah dari biografi penulis. terkadang dari hal umum seperti ini kita dapat mengasumsikan sesuatu (meski tidak akurat tapi cukup memadai).

namun untuk saya pribadi, saya menerima dengan baik karena saya sendiri nol besar tentang presiden2 amrik jadi buku ini memberi sedikit ikhtisar utk pengetahuan saya. jika dianggap kontradiktif tidak apa, setidaknya saya cukup senang membaca buku ini :D

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book. Much of it was based on hearsay, which is not surprising coming from a Brit writing about American presidential history. Even worse, and the reason I could not finish, was the factual inaccuracy in the Lincoln section. The author states that Willie Lincoln died before the first shots of the Civil War. Willie died in February of 1862, well after the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter.

[Raden Bima Drian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Translate-nya jelek banget, membuat gw muak karena antara satu kalimat dengan kalimat lain gak nyambung. bertambah pusing jadinya kalo dibaca terus - terusan. harus di revisi nih edisi yang ini. kacau banget soalnya. gw masih terhibur dengan gambar - gambar di buku ini yang sangat menambah pengetahuan baru soal amerika serikat.

tapi overall mengecewakan sekali bukunya.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beli yang indo,terjemahannya kayak pake google plus ,jadi bingung baca nya,isinya juga ga bagus bagus amat.. bahasan ama judulnya emang menggairahkan banget .. tapi ternyata oh ternyata isinya ... not recommended

[M. Gary Berg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok, nothing really new to most of us history buffs.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bland history with no sources.

[Romario Riskitala · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good summary of U.S. presidential history from a controversial view.