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Sex with Presidents: The Ins and Outs of Love and Lust in the White House – A Shocking History of Presidential Scandal, Power, and Character
In this fascinating work of popular history, the New York Times bestselling author of Sex with Kings and The Royal Art of Poison uncovers the bedroom secrets of American presidents and explores the surprising ways voters have reacted to their leaders’ sex scandals.
While Americans have a reputation for being strait-laced, many of the nation’s leaders have been anything but puritanical. Alexander Hamilton had a steamy affair with a blackmailing prostitute. John F. Kennedy swam nude with female staff in the White House swimming pool. Is it possible the qualities needed to run for president—narcissism, a thirst for power, a desire for importance—go hand in hand with a tendency to sexual misdoing?
In this entertaining and eye-opening book, Eleanor Herman revisits some of the sex scandals that have rocked the nation's capital and shocked the public, while asking the provocative questions: does rampant adultery show a lack of character or the stamina needed to run the country? Or perhaps both? While Americans have judged their leaders' affairs harshly compared to other nations, did they mostly just hate being lied to? And do they now clearly care more about issues other than a politician’s sex life?
What is sex like with the most powerful man in the world? Is it better than with your average Joe? And when America finally elects a female president, will she, too, have sexual escapades in the Oval Office?
While Americans have a reputation for being strait-laced, many of the nation’s leaders have been anything but puritanical. Alexander Hamilton had a steamy affair with a blackmailing prostitute. John F. Kennedy swam nude with female staff in the White House swimming pool. Is it possible the qualities needed to run for president—narcissism, a thirst for power, a desire for importance—go hand in hand with a tendency to sexual misdoing?
In this entertaining and eye-opening book, Eleanor Herman revisits some of the sex scandals that have rocked the nation's capital and shocked the public, while asking the provocative questions: does rampant adultery show a lack of character or the stamina needed to run the country? Or perhaps both? While Americans have judged their leaders' affairs harshly compared to other nations, did they mostly just hate being lied to? And do they now clearly care more about issues other than a politician’s sex life?
What is sex like with the most powerful man in the world? Is it better than with your average Joe? And when America finally elects a female president, will she, too, have sexual escapades in the Oval Office?
408 pages, Paperback
First published September 22, 2020
308 people are currently reading
5888 people want to read
About the author
Eleanor Herman
16 books1,024 followersNew York Times best-seller Eleanor Herman's new non-fiction book, The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul, is set to come out in June 2018. Think royal palaces were beautiful places to live? Think again!
Herman offers a rare combination of skills for a historian – her research is intensely scholarly, yet she writes the story in a colorful, witty manner. “History is so fascinating that it never has to be presented in a boring way,” she explains. “These were flesh and blood people, just like you and me, facing war and plague, falling in love, living among splendid art and gut-wrenching poverty. Sometimes people ask me if I plan to write novels. And I say, with all the things that really happened, who needs to make stuff up?”
Reviewers agree. The New York Times Book Review wrote that Eleanor writes “enlightening social history that is great fun to read.”
The Boston Globe wrote, “Herman’s writing sparkles off the pages.”
The Washington Post called Eleanor Herman “A lot more fun than Danielle Steel or Dan Brown.”
Eleanor, a New York Times bestseller, has also written Sex with Kings (a history of royal mistresses), Sex with the Queen (a look at queens' love affairs), Mistress of the Vatican (a biography of an influential papal mistress), and a four-part YA fantasy series on Alexander the Great, called The Blood of Gods and Royals.
Eleanor is a frequent commentator in the media about royal scandals, and has hosted episodes for The History Channel, the National Geographic Channel, and America: Fact vs. Fiction. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Eleanor graduated with a degree in journalism from Towson University, studied languages in Europe, and for thirteen years worked for NATO’S Nations & Partners for Peace magazine. She is married and lives in McLean, VA with four very demanding cats
.
Herman offers a rare combination of skills for a historian – her research is intensely scholarly, yet she writes the story in a colorful, witty manner. “History is so fascinating that it never has to be presented in a boring way,” she explains. “These were flesh and blood people, just like you and me, facing war and plague, falling in love, living among splendid art and gut-wrenching poverty. Sometimes people ask me if I plan to write novels. And I say, with all the things that really happened, who needs to make stuff up?”
Reviewers agree. The New York Times Book Review wrote that Eleanor writes “enlightening social history that is great fun to read.”
The Boston Globe wrote, “Herman’s writing sparkles off the pages.”
The Washington Post called Eleanor Herman “A lot more fun than Danielle Steel or Dan Brown.”
Eleanor, a New York Times bestseller, has also written Sex with Kings (a history of royal mistresses), Sex with the Queen (a look at queens' love affairs), Mistress of the Vatican (a biography of an influential papal mistress), and a four-part YA fantasy series on Alexander the Great, called The Blood of Gods and Royals.
Eleanor is a frequent commentator in the media about royal scandals, and has hosted episodes for The History Channel, the National Geographic Channel, and America: Fact vs. Fiction. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Eleanor graduated with a degree in journalism from Towson University, studied languages in Europe, and for thirteen years worked for NATO’S Nations & Partners for Peace magazine. She is married and lives in McLean, VA with four very demanding cats
.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews
June 16, 2021
"Astonishingly, the founding strain of puritanism brought to Massachusetts by a few dozen bleak souls in 1620 exited until quite recently in the American character . . . despite the American reputation for prudery, many of our leaders have had a colorful sexual past." -- author excerpts from pages 2 and 4
Author Herman - who previously wrote Sex with Kings and Sex with the Queen, both unread by me - now takes aim at those who occupied (with a few notable exceptions) the Oval Office in Sex with Presidents. She walks a somewhat tricky line here - over the course of a dozen chapters (starting with founding father extraordinaire Thomas Jefferson and later wrapping things up with Donald Trump) she throws a fair amount of researched history at the reader, but yet at the same time it wasn't boring at all and it was occasionally livened up by a witty or irreverent line. So some may call it trash, but at least I found it was well-written trash that was entertaining and (gasp!) even a little bit educational. Also, there were two notable and noteworthy exceptions to the 'president' label - the first chapter focuses on our inaugural treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton (arguably the first U.S. politico to have his high hopes for commander-in-chief ascendancy torpedoed by an unwise extramarital affair), and then one the final sections discusses presidential candidate Senator Gary Hart (as press coverage on politicians' love lives notably and irreversibly changed - for better or worse - after the discovery of his 'monkey business' fling with Donna Rice in 1988). To no one's surprise both John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton get a substantial amount of page time for their well-documented amorous activities, but Herman also delves into some of the less-remembered POTUS office-holders like Grover Cleveland and Warren Harding. It may boast an embarrassing-sounding title - the kind of thing you'd perhaps cringe at telling your family that you were reading -but it was often a rather sobering account on the risky or even troubling behavior of these elected officials.
Author Herman - who previously wrote Sex with Kings and Sex with the Queen, both unread by me - now takes aim at those who occupied (with a few notable exceptions) the Oval Office in Sex with Presidents. She walks a somewhat tricky line here - over the course of a dozen chapters (starting with founding father extraordinaire Thomas Jefferson and later wrapping things up with Donald Trump) she throws a fair amount of researched history at the reader, but yet at the same time it wasn't boring at all and it was occasionally livened up by a witty or irreverent line. So some may call it trash, but at least I found it was well-written trash that was entertaining and (gasp!) even a little bit educational. Also, there were two notable and noteworthy exceptions to the 'president' label - the first chapter focuses on our inaugural treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton (arguably the first U.S. politico to have his high hopes for commander-in-chief ascendancy torpedoed by an unwise extramarital affair), and then one the final sections discusses presidential candidate Senator Gary Hart (as press coverage on politicians' love lives notably and irreversibly changed - for better or worse - after the discovery of his 'monkey business' fling with Donna Rice in 1988). To no one's surprise both John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton get a substantial amount of page time for their well-documented amorous activities, but Herman also delves into some of the less-remembered POTUS office-holders like Grover Cleveland and Warren Harding. It may boast an embarrassing-sounding title - the kind of thing you'd perhaps cringe at telling your family that you were reading -but it was often a rather sobering account on the risky or even troubling behavior of these elected officials.
September 15, 2020
I got through chapter 3 and stopped. The idea of describing the consistent rape of Sally Hemmings (which is rape, she was enslaved to Jefferson and was the result of the rape of her mother by Jefferson's father in law) as a torrid love affair is obscene and harmful. How dare the author try to make justifications that she may have loved him when he lied about going to free their children and enslaved her until she died. There is a difference between reporting history and glazing over barbarities for a ridiculous and inflammatory chapter.
March 22, 2020
Came for the sex, stayed for the history!
April 2, 2021
Yikes
This author is racist.
She refers to an enslaved woman having the nerve to not be monogamous for her rapist as 'cheating/unfaithful' but doesn't refer to the slave captor as a 'rapist'.
She pretends like Sally Hemings not staying in France in the middle of a revolution at the expense of ever seeing her family, friends or home again while possibly pregnant is 'choosing to return to slavery'.
She barely bothers calling out the hypocrisy of Jefferson writing that 'all men are created equal' while owning human beings.
She dismisses the fact that Jefferson profited off of the labor of his own children, each of them worked for 7 yrs for their freedom which she acknowledges he didn't give when he agreed to.
Its a mess.
Also she ignores that every single slave owning president raped enslaved Black women. Many of them have rumored Black descendants, including George Washington.
Trump doesn't 'dislike' Obama and birtherism is open racism.
This author tries to pretend like Trump just accused the first Black president of being not from the USA because he 'dislikes' him.
Also she ignores the blatant racism that occurred during his campaign and term of office.
This kinda racist white washing of history is dangerous and feeds fascism.🤷🏾♀️
This book is awful
This author is racist.
She refers to an enslaved woman having the nerve to not be monogamous for her rapist as 'cheating/unfaithful' but doesn't refer to the slave captor as a 'rapist'.
She pretends like Sally Hemings not staying in France in the middle of a revolution at the expense of ever seeing her family, friends or home again while possibly pregnant is 'choosing to return to slavery'.
She barely bothers calling out the hypocrisy of Jefferson writing that 'all men are created equal' while owning human beings.
She dismisses the fact that Jefferson profited off of the labor of his own children, each of them worked for 7 yrs for their freedom which she acknowledges he didn't give when he agreed to.
Its a mess.
Also she ignores that every single slave owning president raped enslaved Black women. Many of them have rumored Black descendants, including George Washington.
Trump doesn't 'dislike' Obama and birtherism is open racism.
This author tries to pretend like Trump just accused the first Black president of being not from the USA because he 'dislikes' him.
Also she ignores the blatant racism that occurred during his campaign and term of office.
This kinda racist white washing of history is dangerous and feeds fascism.🤷🏾♀️
This book is awful
January 3, 2021
I read this because, like most people, I love trash and smut. I read Sex with Kings maybe 15 years ago and enjoyed it. I'm not sure what my opinion of it would be if I read it now based on how I feel about Sex with Presidents. All in all, I'm not a fan.
Sex with Presidents is a fun enough read -- who doesn't enjoy reading about the private sex lives of other people? I definitely do. This was like reading a tabloid, and I don't mean that to sound insulting because I find those entertaining as well. Again, trash, I love it. The writing is accessible and very easy to read, which is more than many other history or non-fiction books can claim. It keeps your attention, I remember Sex with Kings doing the same.
My problem with this book is that it's not always clear where the information is sourced from, and a lot of the content is sexist. There's the fact that the author, who claims to be a historian, doesn't explicitly call Thomas Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings rape, but rather entertains the notion that Hemings may have been in love with Jefferson... the man who enslaved her and kept their children as property. This is NOT complicated. I lost all of the respect I may have had for the publication or the author in that chapter. This is a book published in 2020. Get your shit together.
Beyond that, the author loved to detail how "attractive" or "unattractive" a President's wife or mistress was or wasn't, or how they were a good wife or a bad wife or a dull wife (perhaps implying some may have deserved the treatment they were subjected to by their husbands). The author equated LBJ's abusive treatment of his wife as a "loving" relationship despite it... actually being an abusive relationship? "He was abusive to her, but was still actually super in love with her. You know, if you can ignore the abusive aspects of the relationship." I cringed. This is such a toxic and common belief within romantic (especially heterosexual) relationships. Strong pass.
How I would love to read these historical stories written by someone with a solid understanding of race, gender, and sexuality studies. The author seems to lack the necessarily understanding of these areas, and certainly the compassion needed to tell these stories well and with some depth of humanity. The whole vibe felt strange and off putting for me... it all felt so cheap. I enjoy books about sexuality, trashy romance novels... the TV show Harlots is a great example of smut done well. It's bawdy and fun and loud, and yet it still manages to treat its characters with dignity. I don't get that same vibe here. I don't think that will bother all readers, but it did for me.
For most of the individuals mentioned in this book I hold very little judgement (aside from rapists such as Jefferson & Cleveland, etc, obviously), and I'm not offended by the sexual acts themselves or the infidelity detailed in the book. It's the way they're told by the author. It feels cheap like clickbait, or simply a project that serves as an easy way for the author to make money off of salacious stories. Which like... fair enough, I can understand that. I just expected better.
Anyway, this book was trash (not in the good sense, as I was hoping). I don't recommend anyone waste their money on it. You can find much of the same content online or on Wikipedia, and it may even be less offensively written?
Thanks to #NetGalley and HarperCollins for sharing a copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.
Sex with Presidents is a fun enough read -- who doesn't enjoy reading about the private sex lives of other people? I definitely do. This was like reading a tabloid, and I don't mean that to sound insulting because I find those entertaining as well. Again, trash, I love it. The writing is accessible and very easy to read, which is more than many other history or non-fiction books can claim. It keeps your attention, I remember Sex with Kings doing the same.
My problem with this book is that it's not always clear where the information is sourced from, and a lot of the content is sexist. There's the fact that the author, who claims to be a historian, doesn't explicitly call Thomas Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings rape, but rather entertains the notion that Hemings may have been in love with Jefferson... the man who enslaved her and kept their children as property. This is NOT complicated. I lost all of the respect I may have had for the publication or the author in that chapter. This is a book published in 2020. Get your shit together.
Beyond that, the author loved to detail how "attractive" or "unattractive" a President's wife or mistress was or wasn't, or how they were a good wife or a bad wife or a dull wife (perhaps implying some may have deserved the treatment they were subjected to by their husbands). The author equated LBJ's abusive treatment of his wife as a "loving" relationship despite it... actually being an abusive relationship? "He was abusive to her, but was still actually super in love with her. You know, if you can ignore the abusive aspects of the relationship." I cringed. This is such a toxic and common belief within romantic (especially heterosexual) relationships. Strong pass.
How I would love to read these historical stories written by someone with a solid understanding of race, gender, and sexuality studies. The author seems to lack the necessarily understanding of these areas, and certainly the compassion needed to tell these stories well and with some depth of humanity. The whole vibe felt strange and off putting for me... it all felt so cheap. I enjoy books about sexuality, trashy romance novels... the TV show Harlots is a great example of smut done well. It's bawdy and fun and loud, and yet it still manages to treat its characters with dignity. I don't get that same vibe here. I don't think that will bother all readers, but it did for me.
For most of the individuals mentioned in this book I hold very little judgement (aside from rapists such as Jefferson & Cleveland, etc, obviously), and I'm not offended by the sexual acts themselves or the infidelity detailed in the book. It's the way they're told by the author. It feels cheap like clickbait, or simply a project that serves as an easy way for the author to make money off of salacious stories. Which like... fair enough, I can understand that. I just expected better.
Anyway, this book was trash (not in the good sense, as I was hoping). I don't recommend anyone waste their money on it. You can find much of the same content online or on Wikipedia, and it may even be less offensively written?
Thanks to #NetGalley and HarperCollins for sharing a copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.
November 14, 2025
"Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac "
What an interesting book, I can't wait for her to drop a part 2 because I know that she has more than enough material. I need to know just how presidents knowingly slept with foreign spies.
Political sex scandals started at the beginning of the founding of the nation. Alexander Hamilton (say his name without singing it..i dare you) was the first. He may have been very smart but brain smarts don't help when you're thinking with you weedwacker.
I don't think I ever needed to know what various presidents called their dick...but I now have that information for life..and so do you:
Harding: Jerry
Johnson: Jumbo
Clinton: Willard
YOU'RE WELCOME
Men are gross and the more powerful and rich they are the more gross they become. Far too many of these men either forced sex on women or used their power to obtain sex. It's gross and not at all surprising and it continues until today(Epstein anyone?)
Sex and the sexual lives of our leaders is actually important. I think I need to read about Harding, he was a mess. Pundits actually thought he won the presidency because women were horny for him. The Teapot Dome Scandal which wrecked Harding's presidency and legacy can be tied directly back to his inability to keep it in his pants. When I was in elementary school the Clinton impeachment was all the rage.
To use a great quote from a great man as a jumping off point maybe don't have sex with that woman.
A must-read.
What an interesting book, I can't wait for her to drop a part 2 because I know that she has more than enough material. I need to know just how presidents knowingly slept with foreign spies.
Political sex scandals started at the beginning of the founding of the nation. Alexander Hamilton (say his name without singing it..i dare you) was the first. He may have been very smart but brain smarts don't help when you're thinking with you weedwacker.
I don't think I ever needed to know what various presidents called their dick...but I now have that information for life..and so do you:
Harding: Jerry
Johnson: Jumbo
Clinton: Willard
YOU'RE WELCOME
Men are gross and the more powerful and rich they are the more gross they become. Far too many of these men either forced sex on women or used their power to obtain sex. It's gross and not at all surprising and it continues until today(Epstein anyone?)
Sex and the sexual lives of our leaders is actually important. I think I need to read about Harding, he was a mess. Pundits actually thought he won the presidency because women were horny for him. The Teapot Dome Scandal which wrecked Harding's presidency and legacy can be tied directly back to his inability to keep it in his pants. When I was in elementary school the Clinton impeachment was all the rage.
To use a great quote from a great man as a jumping off point maybe don't have sex with that woman.
A must-read.
January 23, 2021
I read this faithfully through Woodrow Wilson, but I started skimming through the rest of it. Her source material is lacking-to-questionable, and when I've googled for more information, I've found that she hasn't gone much deeper than any Wikipedia article on whatever subject. It's just not that good.
Also, she really seems to diminish the wives of the various philanderers. Eliza Hamilton (yeah, not a president, but I'm sure she's going for musical-based popularity) was much less pretty and vivacious than her worldly sister, and unwitting when he messed around with a trollop who later blackmailed him.
None of Sally Hemings's letters exist, nor is there mention of her in extant correspondence, but she was 3/4 white and they had six children, so of course she loved him, right? And surely his daughters burned all evidence of their torrid love affair because it would have caused a scandal. Anyway, maybe she was just sleeping with all of those *other* Jefferson relatives who dropped by Monticello from time to time.
Grover Cleveland raped a woman and sired a child with her, then refused to marry her and had the child adopted by the obstetrician who delivered the baby, but because he never denied it and was great at tackling corruption in public office, the world turned a blind eye, and anyway, it was her fault for spending time with him without a chaperone. Author didn't even do a double-take at him marrying his ward.
I was really bothered by her portrayal of Ellen Wilson as a boring, depressive, and joyless woman, and not a great beauty (as surmised by the author; to me she sounded humble and selfless, caring for many of her family members as well as the down-and-out in Washington DC), and though Wilson loved her and mourned greatly during her illness and death, the author makes it clear that she was simply NOT ENOUGH OF A WOMAN for the President. He screwed around with a married-but-eventually-divorced woman for years in Bermuda, and the grass hadn't grown over her grave before she was in bed with a wealthy well-connected widow, whom he married 15 months after Ellen's passing. This woman's great legacy is the 25th Amendment.
Warren Harding had sex with every woman who crossed his path but his wife was ambitious, domineering, and not pretty, so that was ok. Eleanor Roosevelt objected to his hot mistress but didn't mind the more plain-looking one, partly because he'd already had polio and partly because she had her own dalliances. Ike was too impotent to consummate his relationship with his driver (his first love being the US Army, and Mamie being #2). JFK was a selfish lover and a minuteman, and Jackie had affairs as passive-aggressive revenge. LBJ was wildly insecure, crude, probably bipolar, and abusive to his wife, but she was strong enough not to mind. Gary Hart (who?) torpedoed his presidential ambitions by messing around with some Other Woman, and journalists followed him around to get dirt. Author speculates that GOP operatives were behind the whole thing. Hillary Clinton ignored Bill's infidelity because they both aspired to the presidency. Trump is a small man who takes what he wants and cannot lose.
Citations in this book are lacking to non-existent, and I am very disappointed in her selection of images for the plates. They're woefully incomplete, and if you accuse a spouse of being ugly or a lover of being beautiful, why not include an image of her instead of her husband? There are no images more recent than from the JFK era.
Also, she really seems to diminish the wives of the various philanderers. Eliza Hamilton (yeah, not a president, but I'm sure she's going for musical-based popularity) was much less pretty and vivacious than her worldly sister, and unwitting when he messed around with a trollop who later blackmailed him.
None of Sally Hemings's letters exist, nor is there mention of her in extant correspondence, but she was 3/4 white and they had six children, so of course she loved him, right? And surely his daughters burned all evidence of their torrid love affair because it would have caused a scandal. Anyway, maybe she was just sleeping with all of those *other* Jefferson relatives who dropped by Monticello from time to time.
Grover Cleveland raped a woman and sired a child with her, then refused to marry her and had the child adopted by the obstetrician who delivered the baby, but because he never denied it and was great at tackling corruption in public office, the world turned a blind eye, and anyway, it was her fault for spending time with him without a chaperone. Author didn't even do a double-take at him marrying his ward.
I was really bothered by her portrayal of Ellen Wilson as a boring, depressive, and joyless woman, and not a great beauty (as surmised by the author; to me she sounded humble and selfless, caring for many of her family members as well as the down-and-out in Washington DC), and though Wilson loved her and mourned greatly during her illness and death, the author makes it clear that she was simply NOT ENOUGH OF A WOMAN for the President. He screwed around with a married-but-eventually-divorced woman for years in Bermuda, and the grass hadn't grown over her grave before she was in bed with a wealthy well-connected widow, whom he married 15 months after Ellen's passing. This woman's great legacy is the 25th Amendment.
Warren Harding had sex with every woman who crossed his path but his wife was ambitious, domineering, and not pretty, so that was ok. Eleanor Roosevelt objected to his hot mistress but didn't mind the more plain-looking one, partly because he'd already had polio and partly because she had her own dalliances. Ike was too impotent to consummate his relationship with his driver (his first love being the US Army, and Mamie being #2). JFK was a selfish lover and a minuteman, and Jackie had affairs as passive-aggressive revenge. LBJ was wildly insecure, crude, probably bipolar, and abusive to his wife, but she was strong enough not to mind. Gary Hart (who?) torpedoed his presidential ambitions by messing around with some Other Woman, and journalists followed him around to get dirt. Author speculates that GOP operatives were behind the whole thing. Hillary Clinton ignored Bill's infidelity because they both aspired to the presidency. Trump is a small man who takes what he wants and cannot lose.
Citations in this book are lacking to non-existent, and I am very disappointed in her selection of images for the plates. They're woefully incomplete, and if you accuse a spouse of being ugly or a lover of being beautiful, why not include an image of her instead of her husband? There are no images more recent than from the JFK era.
January 23, 2021
“Florence Harding?” said one Marion lady. “Runs her house, runs the paper, runs Warren; runs everything but the car, and could run that if she wanted to.”
Okay, Florence Harding is now one of my favorite historical figures. Pregnant, abandoned, cut off by her father, she set her sights on Warren Harding, a newspaper owner and unstoppable sex machine. She was five years older and not the most beautiful woman in town. But she pursued him and described all the things she would do to make his business run better. Also her estranged dad was the richest man in town, so she miiiiiight inherit that money.
So Warren married Florence! At their wedding she told everyone that she would make him president. AND SHE DID. But it took many years. First she took over the business, doing everything from pioneering new marketing techniques to hiring female reporters to learning to fix the printing press. Warren played poker and drank a lot and fucked everything that moved. Teenage girls, widows, married ladies, didn't matter. He rose through the ranks of local and statewide and national politics.
"[S]he asked a senator, 'Who was the most successful First Lady of the Land?' 'Mrs. Cleveland or Dolley Madison, I suppose,' he replied. 'Watch me,' Florence rejoined."
Did Florence love being first lady? Oh yes. In one day she shook the hands of more than 6,000 people. Many Americans considered her a beloved suffragette auntie, friendly and unpretentious and practical.
Did Warren love being president? He hated it. So many ladies blackmailed him that he had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes that rich friends provided him. (It didn't help that he continued to write 50-page love letters to some of the women who blackmailed him. They were excellent love letters, BTW.) He rewarded those rich friends with important government positions, which they promptly used for kickbacks and extortion, thus destroying Harding's presidency. One of the White House servants found the president sobbing on the lawn, wailing that he hated his life because people followed him every minute of the day, which meant he couldn't have any affairs.
Did Florence kill Warren when it became apparent his presidency was in shambles and he was going to be booted out of office? MAYBE.
Anyway this whole book is lively and intriguing and makes me grateful that I have far more protections and options than most of these women did. My only quibble is that the author uses the phrase "wheelchair-bound," which is outdated and inaccurate. The wheelchair is the thing that helps you get around, not the thing that confines you.
Okay, Florence Harding is now one of my favorite historical figures. Pregnant, abandoned, cut off by her father, she set her sights on Warren Harding, a newspaper owner and unstoppable sex machine. She was five years older and not the most beautiful woman in town. But she pursued him and described all the things she would do to make his business run better. Also her estranged dad was the richest man in town, so she miiiiiight inherit that money.
So Warren married Florence! At their wedding she told everyone that she would make him president. AND SHE DID. But it took many years. First she took over the business, doing everything from pioneering new marketing techniques to hiring female reporters to learning to fix the printing press. Warren played poker and drank a lot and fucked everything that moved. Teenage girls, widows, married ladies, didn't matter. He rose through the ranks of local and statewide and national politics.
"[S]he asked a senator, 'Who was the most successful First Lady of the Land?' 'Mrs. Cleveland or Dolley Madison, I suppose,' he replied. 'Watch me,' Florence rejoined."
Did Florence love being first lady? Oh yes. In one day she shook the hands of more than 6,000 people. Many Americans considered her a beloved suffragette auntie, friendly and unpretentious and practical.
Did Warren love being president? He hated it. So many ladies blackmailed him that he had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes that rich friends provided him. (It didn't help that he continued to write 50-page love letters to some of the women who blackmailed him. They were excellent love letters, BTW.) He rewarded those rich friends with important government positions, which they promptly used for kickbacks and extortion, thus destroying Harding's presidency. One of the White House servants found the president sobbing on the lawn, wailing that he hated his life because people followed him every minute of the day, which meant he couldn't have any affairs.
Did Florence kill Warren when it became apparent his presidency was in shambles and he was going to be booted out of office? MAYBE.
Anyway this whole book is lively and intriguing and makes me grateful that I have far more protections and options than most of these women did. My only quibble is that the author uses the phrase "wheelchair-bound," which is outdated and inaccurate. The wheelchair is the thing that helps you get around, not the thing that confines you.
July 13, 2025
Sex scandals and politics are such close bedfellows in today's media that it's hard to imagine that it was not always the case. However, as Herman shows in the relation of presidential affairs from the very founding of the nation, how they were viewed by the public and how they influenced politics have varied more than one might expect.
A entertaining counterpoint to Herman's previous work Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge, which I read recently. Of course one expects the public's attitudes toward the mistresses of kings to be quite different from that of the mistresses of politicians, but it was interesting to see how it changed over the years, including quite a long period of 'The private lives of politicians are not our business!'
Some were consensual affairs, some even romantic, while others reeked of exploitation or even full on sexual assault. As one might guess, the men generally shook off the consequences much easier than the women did.
A entertaining counterpoint to Herman's previous work Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge, which I read recently. Of course one expects the public's attitudes toward the mistresses of kings to be quite different from that of the mistresses of politicians, but it was interesting to see how it changed over the years, including quite a long period of 'The private lives of politicians are not our business!'
Some were consensual affairs, some even romantic, while others reeked of exploitation or even full on sexual assault. As one might guess, the men generally shook off the consequences much easier than the women did.
May 2, 2021
It needs to be explicitly stated that sally hemmings could not be in a consensual relationship as she was a slave and he was a slave owner. The imbalance of power prevents her from consenting. Honestly she needed to be left out entirely as she was raped.
RAPES SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED!
Cleveland is trash. His victim should have been left out as well. If I’m remembering correctly, he raped her, impregnated her, had her declared mentally ill and had her institutionalized and then took her baby (the product of his rape) from her.
Edited to add: I went back and edited my notes and rating
RAPES SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED!
Cleveland is trash. His victim should have been left out as well. If I’m remembering correctly, he raped her, impregnated her, had her declared mentally ill and had her institutionalized and then took her baby (the product of his rape) from her.
Edited to add: I went back and edited my notes and rating
January 11, 2021
What a ride! Just the perfect amount of actual political information and salacious gossip for my tastes, it is only getting a 3 star review to its lack of citations. Also cause it focuses just a little too much on the women’s appearances, being very unflattering for no reason I could see.
Hamilton, Jefferson, Garfield, Buchanan, Cleveland, Wilson, Harding, FDR, JFK, LBJ, Clinton, Trump, Gary Hart, this is a real treasure trove of information! Obviously the stories are all a little hard to read but Jefferson, Cleveland, Clinton, and Trump are more difficult to get through than the others.
Hamilton, Jefferson, Garfield, Buchanan, Cleveland, Wilson, Harding, FDR, JFK, LBJ, Clinton, Trump, Gary Hart, this is a real treasure trove of information! Obviously the stories are all a little hard to read but Jefferson, Cleveland, Clinton, and Trump are more difficult to get through than the others.
January 2, 2021
Why, hello there, first book of 2021. Got to start the new year off as salaciously as possible.
So yes, I spent a little of my birthday reading about the sex lives of US presidents. Anyone who wishes to consult with me further on the matter is welcome to- I know it's not an ordinary choice. This book covers a fascinating gamut, and included a lot of details that I had no idea about, however, it does get some things wrong. Most specifically, Sally Hemings and her story is wildly misconstrued, which is what has knocked this down from a four star for me. There needed to be less of the hopeless romance story pushed here- more of the horrific rape story that actually happened.
The bulk of the other information is reasonably stable and certainly interesting. There's a lot of detail about the rotten underbelly of the US presidential image, specifically regarding those lovely 'family values' conservatives. It's a wild ride, and well worth a read if you can deal with just how salacious the details get at times.
So yes, I spent a little of my birthday reading about the sex lives of US presidents. Anyone who wishes to consult with me further on the matter is welcome to- I know it's not an ordinary choice. This book covers a fascinating gamut, and included a lot of details that I had no idea about, however, it does get some things wrong. Most specifically, Sally Hemings and her story is wildly misconstrued, which is what has knocked this down from a four star for me. There needed to be less of the hopeless romance story pushed here- more of the horrific rape story that actually happened.
The bulk of the other information is reasonably stable and certainly interesting. There's a lot of detail about the rotten underbelly of the US presidential image, specifically regarding those lovely 'family values' conservatives. It's a wild ride, and well worth a read if you can deal with just how salacious the details get at times.
January 3, 2021
Poorly-researched book filled with the author's unsubstantiated assumptions, summarizing how 11 presidents were serial womanizers and at times rapists. No surprise that most of these were Democrats, but the writer then ridiculously overpraises the public policies of those cheating Democrats, talks about their amazing charisma, and downplays any accomplishments by the few Republicans in the book. Add to that a short conclusion that women in politics don't have this problem and if more women were elected we wouldn't have political sex scandals, and what you have is one really bad book.
The main problem is the lack of original research. All the author does is pull quotes from other books and treat them like facts. Just because someone writes a memoir that doesn't mean what's contained within it is factual, whether that be a politician or a sex partner of a politician. There are many times in the book where Herman claims to not know whether something is true, but she never does any actual research to discover the truth. So the book is filled with possible lies and gossip that might be fun to see as a summary but there's no sense of what's accurate and what's innuendo.
Add to that her silly opinions mixed within the facts she claims to be sharing. She uses the word "probably" a lot and other opinionated guessing words, which means she is drawing a conclusion based on her hunches and not facts.
I did like that she didn't pull punches when it came to some of the wives involved--insulting the looks of Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton--and there's speculation about the sexual orientation of some, but again no depth or specific evidence. Other inadequate asides are about JFK's ties to the Mafia and the late Vince Foster's mysterious death after he got "too close" to Hillary, but where are the stories about the many others that died or disappeared after knowing too much about the affairs of JFK, LBJ, Clinton, and other presidents?
While she pulls a quick feminist conclusion, insulting our intelligence by stating that we wouldn't have these problems with female politicians, she fails to state the obvious--Democrats in particular are horrible at keeping commitments and stating the truth. They often bed anything they can get their hands on, often putting national security at risk or becoming close with criminals.
Sexual trysts are just indication of what lousy men were elected to office because if they'll cheat on their wives they'll cheat on the rest of America with all sorts of political issues. For her to praise LBJ, JFK, and Clinton (just about the three worst cheaters in the history of our country, at least two that demanded their lovers get abortions and lied under oath) makes the entire book lack credibility. Then she tries to make Donald Trump look really bad, using tabloid observations about him at the beginning and end of the book, when in truth he looks like a middle school rookie compared to the "hundreds" (her word) of women bedded by Kennedy, Cleveland, Clinton, and Roosevelt.
Try as hard as she can, the conclusion is clear--the Democrats elected to office are cheaters, liars, manipulators, and will stop at nothing (including the deaths of others) in order to cover their infidelities. How sad for our country that we don't stand up against this. Instead, as she correctly pointed out, Clinton's popularity numbers peaked at 76% approval the week he was impeached for lying about having sex in the Oval Office. Disgusting. Why are we refusing to trust leaders (particularly Democrats but Republicans are guilty too) who say one thing but do another thing? What this book uncovers is that our political leaders are players that think they can get away with anything...and that voters are letting them do it.
The main problem is the lack of original research. All the author does is pull quotes from other books and treat them like facts. Just because someone writes a memoir that doesn't mean what's contained within it is factual, whether that be a politician or a sex partner of a politician. There are many times in the book where Herman claims to not know whether something is true, but she never does any actual research to discover the truth. So the book is filled with possible lies and gossip that might be fun to see as a summary but there's no sense of what's accurate and what's innuendo.
Add to that her silly opinions mixed within the facts she claims to be sharing. She uses the word "probably" a lot and other opinionated guessing words, which means she is drawing a conclusion based on her hunches and not facts.
I did like that she didn't pull punches when it came to some of the wives involved--insulting the looks of Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton--and there's speculation about the sexual orientation of some, but again no depth or specific evidence. Other inadequate asides are about JFK's ties to the Mafia and the late Vince Foster's mysterious death after he got "too close" to Hillary, but where are the stories about the many others that died or disappeared after knowing too much about the affairs of JFK, LBJ, Clinton, and other presidents?
While she pulls a quick feminist conclusion, insulting our intelligence by stating that we wouldn't have these problems with female politicians, she fails to state the obvious--Democrats in particular are horrible at keeping commitments and stating the truth. They often bed anything they can get their hands on, often putting national security at risk or becoming close with criminals.
Sexual trysts are just indication of what lousy men were elected to office because if they'll cheat on their wives they'll cheat on the rest of America with all sorts of political issues. For her to praise LBJ, JFK, and Clinton (just about the three worst cheaters in the history of our country, at least two that demanded their lovers get abortions and lied under oath) makes the entire book lack credibility. Then she tries to make Donald Trump look really bad, using tabloid observations about him at the beginning and end of the book, when in truth he looks like a middle school rookie compared to the "hundreds" (her word) of women bedded by Kennedy, Cleveland, Clinton, and Roosevelt.
Try as hard as she can, the conclusion is clear--the Democrats elected to office are cheaters, liars, manipulators, and will stop at nothing (including the deaths of others) in order to cover their infidelities. How sad for our country that we don't stand up against this. Instead, as she correctly pointed out, Clinton's popularity numbers peaked at 76% approval the week he was impeached for lying about having sex in the Oval Office. Disgusting. Why are we refusing to trust leaders (particularly Democrats but Republicans are guilty too) who say one thing but do another thing? What this book uncovers is that our political leaders are players that think they can get away with anything...and that voters are letting them do it.
April 18, 2021
Don’t read this book if you’re a traditionalist when it comes to sex.
It’s a very irreverent, bawdy look into the illicit sex lives of not just American Presidents, as the title suggests, but American politicians in general, starting with Alexander Hamilton all the way up to Donald Trump.
Most of the sex scandals the author mentions I knew about, but some I didn’t. One thing is for sure: she had plenty of examples to choose from.
Eleanor Herman examines how the American public’s reaction to political sex scandals has gradually changed from outrage to resignation:
She also shows us how the press coverage of political sex scandals has evolved from full exposure of sexual wrongdoing, to a “gentleman’s agreement” not to mention Presidents’ sex lives, to a return to relentless adversarial coverage:
Herman has a very witty, almost gossipy writing style, which some readers may think is out of place for the sexual misbehaviors she describes, so be forewarned.
She also goes into salacious detail (almost too much at times), and much of her research tends to rely on the “kiss-and-tell” memoirs of Presidential mistresses, which may be biased or embellished (not to mention being atrociously written).
An interesting, sometimes fun read if you take this book for what it is.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
It’s a very irreverent, bawdy look into the illicit sex lives of not just American Presidents, as the title suggests, but American politicians in general, starting with Alexander Hamilton all the way up to Donald Trump.
Most of the sex scandals the author mentions I knew about, but some I didn’t. One thing is for sure: she had plenty of examples to choose from.
Eleanor Herman examines how the American public’s reaction to political sex scandals has gradually changed from outrage to resignation:
Personal morality, Americans of the 1990s figured out, had little to do with leadership capability. It was as if the American public were becoming French.
We are exhausted. Numb. Desensitized. We are now a very hard nation to shock, and sexual assault claims have become business as usual. . .
She also shows us how the press coverage of political sex scandals has evolved from full exposure of sexual wrongdoing, to a “gentleman’s agreement” not to mention Presidents’ sex lives, to a return to relentless adversarial coverage:
By 1987, the history of political sex scandal coverage had come full circle: from the muckraking rags of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries screaming out headlines about Hamilton’s adultery, Thomas Jefferson’s enslaved mistress, and Grover Cleveland’s illegitimate child, to the dignified, sedate press of the first decades of the twentieth century, right back into shrill muckraking.
Herman has a very witty, almost gossipy writing style, which some readers may think is out of place for the sexual misbehaviors she describes, so be forewarned.
She also goes into salacious detail (almost too much at times), and much of her research tends to rely on the “kiss-and-tell” memoirs of Presidential mistresses, which may be biased or embellished (not to mention being atrociously written).
An interesting, sometimes fun read if you take this book for what it is.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
April 12, 2020
Thanks to the publisher for my e-galley! I was so excited to see that Eleanor had more of her "Sex with..." books. I read both Sex with Queens and Sex with Kings. These have all of the ingredients for a perfect nonfiction read for me. They have salacious details, fascinating insight into the past and amazing facts. I now know that LBJ called his penis "Jumbo". This book includes the well known love affairs of FDR, JFK and Thomas Jefferson but still includes alot of elements I was not aware of. I did not realize the degree of interest JFK had for sex workers. I did not realize just how miserable and heartbreaking a marriage FDR and Eleanor had. The biggest surprise was the emotional affair Ike Eisenhower had with a female driver during WWII. That story was fascinating and so extraordinarily sad for both parties. Herman does these exposes well because she brings humanity and compassion to to those who deserve the empathy. It is never easy to be standing next to a person in power with despicable behavior and keep your head held high. I credit Jackie Kennedy and Lady Bird Johnson with maintaining dignity and grace despite the actions of their husbands. Both turned the other way while their husbands carried on with affair after affair. If you find yourself captivated by the lives of public figures...the good, the bad and the ugly...then this is the book for you!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2020
Sex with Presidents
was an eye-opening and engrossing read about the lives of some of our Presidents.
Some presidents were players (not surprisingly); yet others were a surprise to me.
You really can't judge a book by its cover.
I'm not a young ingenue who believes all men (and women) are faithful, and though I'm no prude, some of these stories were icky.
And by icky I mean heinously unhygienic.
For example: when the author recaps how JFK's staff were forced to pick out every stray blond hair from the marital bed, yet why not change the sheets instead?
Seriously, I barfed a little in my mouth.
It does not surprise me that these men (regardless if they were president or not) were never held accountable for the terrible things they did to these women.
Society will continue to ostracize and shame women (whether they are sexual assault survivors or enjoy affairs of their own) and men will be lauded for their prowess, virility and masculinity.
Some presidents were players (not surprisingly); yet others were a surprise to me.
You really can't judge a book by its cover.
I'm not a young ingenue who believes all men (and women) are faithful, and though I'm no prude, some of these stories were icky.
And by icky I mean heinously unhygienic.
For example: when the author recaps how JFK's staff were forced to pick out every stray blond hair from the marital bed, yet why not change the sheets instead?
Seriously, I barfed a little in my mouth.
It does not surprise me that these men (regardless if they were president or not) were never held accountable for the terrible things they did to these women.
Society will continue to ostracize and shame women (whether they are sexual assault survivors or enjoy affairs of their own) and men will be lauded for their prowess, virility and masculinity.
April 5, 2022
dnf'd at 70%
some of the tidbits are interesting but i can't get past the sexist tone, as well as the "we can imagine/picture [insert totally made up scenario]". the latter happened a lot.
like a lot of readers, the Sally Hemings stuff really bothered me. she doesn't outright say that Hemings was in love w Jefferson but she implies that we can't rule it out. as Hemings was an enslaved teenager and Jefferson was her owner who was in his 40s - we can go ahead and rule it out, Eleanor. i gave it 2 stars because the premise sounded interesting and even fun! but so much of it didn't sit right with me.
some of the tidbits are interesting but i can't get past the sexist tone, as well as the "we can imagine/picture [insert totally made up scenario]". the latter happened a lot.
like a lot of readers, the Sally Hemings stuff really bothered me. she doesn't outright say that Hemings was in love w Jefferson but she implies that we can't rule it out. as Hemings was an enslaved teenager and Jefferson was her owner who was in his 40s - we can go ahead and rule it out, Eleanor. i gave it 2 stars because the premise sounded interesting and even fun! but so much of it didn't sit right with me.
May 21, 2020
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.
I found this book quite titillating in its salacious details about the sexual adventures of our nation's presidents from our founding fathers to the Donald. Eleanor Herman is quite adept at working in some legitimate history content amongst the tawdry details, much like sneaking vegetables to a picky child. She also has a dry sense of humor that includes some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. There was a bit of repetition, particularly in regards to Trump's escapades, but overall it kept my interest and was fun read.
I found this book quite titillating in its salacious details about the sexual adventures of our nation's presidents from our founding fathers to the Donald. Eleanor Herman is quite adept at working in some legitimate history content amongst the tawdry details, much like sneaking vegetables to a picky child. She also has a dry sense of humor that includes some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. There was a bit of repetition, particularly in regards to Trump's escapades, but overall it kept my interest and was fun read.
February 2, 2021
4 stars
Eleanor Herman has done it again: Sex with Presidents is a delightful look into the private assignations of the most powerful men in our history.
I had read Herman's previous books in this loose series (Sex with the King and Sex with the Queen) a few years ago and absolutely loved them. This newest addition retains both her razor wit and dedication to research with the added bonus of being immensely topical. There were moments when my jaw hit the floor and moments when I laughed out loud. This is non-fiction at its best.
My only complaint about this book is completely out of Herman's hands: it made me so sad for the women of this country. This book shows how from its inception, our country's leaders have failed 50% of its population by continually treating them like objects. There are certainly instances in this book of deep love between a president and his mistress, but for the most part, it was love em and leave em. Herman does inspire some hope at the end with the fact that more women are seeking political office and her belief that this will hopefully change things for the better. That is a hope that I cling to these days.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!
Eleanor Herman has done it again: Sex with Presidents is a delightful look into the private assignations of the most powerful men in our history.
I had read Herman's previous books in this loose series (Sex with the King and Sex with the Queen) a few years ago and absolutely loved them. This newest addition retains both her razor wit and dedication to research with the added bonus of being immensely topical. There were moments when my jaw hit the floor and moments when I laughed out loud. This is non-fiction at its best.
My only complaint about this book is completely out of Herman's hands: it made me so sad for the women of this country. This book shows how from its inception, our country's leaders have failed 50% of its population by continually treating them like objects. There are certainly instances in this book of deep love between a president and his mistress, but for the most part, it was love em and leave em. Herman does inspire some hope at the end with the fact that more women are seeking political office and her belief that this will hopefully change things for the better. That is a hope that I cling to these days.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!
February 3, 2022
This book is entertaining at best, salacious at worst. Sources are not discussed so it is hard to take the material seriously. One interesting point the book makes is how the media has shifted its coverage of presidents' personal lives. Throughout history until LBJ-ish, the romantic details of a president's life were not deemed ethically newsworthy. That ended with the adultery scandal of candidate Gary Hart, and since then, the public has become very aware of the sexual promiscuities of presidents (Bill Clinton comes to mind).
RIYL You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington.
tl;dr it seems that one must have two traits to be elected president of the United States: narcissism and a sex addiction
RIYL You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington.
tl;dr it seems that one must have two traits to be elected president of the United States: narcissism and a sex addiction
March 21, 2020
Sex With Presidents by Eleanor Herman is a nonfiction book that is a collection of different Presidents and leaders (mostly US, however a few scandals were added at the end featuring other naughty men from other countries) that dabbled in controversies and liaisons. It was interesting to read the behaviors one next to another, and to see depending on the time, person, and what current events that were occurring at said time, how the public viewed and responded to the acts. It was surprising, yes I must be naive, to see how many men were involved. Some I knew about, sadly some I did not.
Definitely interesting. The author clearly did her research in compiling this collection. Its sad that she had so much material to choose from.
4/5 stars
Thank you EW and William Morrow/ HarperCollins for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
Definitely interesting. The author clearly did her research in compiling this collection. Its sad that she had so much material to choose from.
4/5 stars
Thank you EW and William Morrow/ HarperCollins for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
February 27, 2022
An interesting look into the lives of some of the Presidents through our history. It was very interesting to read how times have changed on how the Press handles stories of infidelity and sexual misconduct regarding candidates & Presidents. Some Presidents may never have been elected years ago if women would have had the right to vote from the beginning.
Many of the stories are well known: Jefferson, Kennedy, Clinton & Trump, but there were still some parts that were surprising to read about. I definitely think that if more about Kennedy was known from the beginning, his picture would not have been hanging in so many Catholic homes! A few I was surprised about: Cleveland, Harding, Wilson & Eisenhower. How the First Ladies handled and accepted many of the indiscretions was confusing at times. To some it was more important to keep their husband in the White House.
Many of the stories are well known: Jefferson, Kennedy, Clinton & Trump, but there were still some parts that were surprising to read about. I definitely think that if more about Kennedy was known from the beginning, his picture would not have been hanging in so many Catholic homes! A few I was surprised about: Cleveland, Harding, Wilson & Eisenhower. How the First Ladies handled and accepted many of the indiscretions was confusing at times. To some it was more important to keep their husband in the White House.
August 14, 2020
This was such an interesting read! Full review to come!
March 3, 2021
Category: Fiction and Gossips
February 16, 2022
Fabulous. Started off very slow and dry with unnecessarily complex vocabulary every other word, but push through the first two or three chapters and you will be rewarded. Amazing accounts. Learned a lot!!!
August 28, 2024
Good starting point if you’re interested in the topic. A lot of unsubstantiated claims that are suspect. Rather than “there is evidence to suggest that perhaps…”, a theory is stated as fact. Take everything with a grain of salt, and look into things for yourself.
September 1, 2022
I'm so frustrated with this book. On the one hand, the writing (technically) is very readable and entertaining. However, as a work of nonfiction, it is lacking. In Herman's efforts to cliff-note certain historical events, at times I felt the history wasn't even being portrayed correctly, let alone well, and her murky sourcing left me adrift. Throughout the book, when possible, she quotes at length from things like tell-all books and treats their words as fact--I'm not saying those women are wrong about their stories, but to treat them as the sometimes singular factual basis for a chapter seems weird. I also felt very queasy about how women were described in this book. Without fail, the wife was often described as dowdy in some way and so (obviously, I guess?) the president in question was enamored with the buxom beauty(s) he cheated on her with. Reducing many of these women to physical descriptions was not great. The book claims to explain why some women would sleep with a married president and why some wives would go along with it, but the interior explanation of their actions was often lacking with the detail and nuance I wanted. Secondly, the way this book is constructed, it presents equivalencies between people like FDR and his many willing paramours and Grover Cleveland, who was accused of rape. Herman seems to be making the larger point that America is more obsessed with the sex lives of its leaders than many other nations, but (while I support neither) I think there is a HUGE gap between a politician with a mistress and a politician accused of sexual assault. I understand that Herman could not make her larger point (a tracing of how presidential sex scandals have been handled from Alexander Hamilton to Trump) without touching on the #MeToo movement, for example, but (to me) the inclusion was just not handled well at all. I listened to the entire thing because I was deeply confused about where the conclusion was going to go after all this, and it did not finish that strong at all either. This book is certainly salacious (Warren Harding wrote VERY explicit love letters, for example), but between the poorly handled comparison of infidelity and sexual assault, the historical generalities, and the general treatment/description of some of the women, I don't think I can recommend this book.
January 5, 2021
I've read several of Eleanor Herman's books. I've read The Royal Art of Poison, Mistress of the Vatican and Sex With Kings. I REALLY enjoyed Sex with Kings. Mistress of the Vatican was also pretty good. Royal Art of Poison was a good Uncle John reader. It was very superficial but fun to read. I don't mind a good Uncle John book. They're fun to read in the bath when you don't want to think too hard/are anxious/whatever. The problem is I wanted Sex with Presidents to be more like Sex With Kings, which (unless my memory of Kings is really wrong) was more of a serious book. While it was fun, it also had some depth to it and was very engaging. Sex with Presidents.... was not that. I read the first chapter about Alexander Hamilton and then decided life is too short. It's very.... well it's an Uncle John book but I wanted more this time. I felt pandered to and like this time around, the author didn't think very highly of her audience. So I gave up at page 44. I really wish there was a separate category from Read, Currently Reading and Want to Read to put the did not finish books. I feel like cheating having it count as read towards my end of the year goal! I just don't want these books to stick around my currently reading shelf, or even worse yet, want to read shelf.
November 18, 2021
Eleanor Herman’s “Sex with Presidents: The Ins and Outs of Love and Lust in the White House” is a delightfully funny, shocking, and enlightening read.
I guess it’s not much of a surprise that many of the 45 men who served as this nation’s commander in chief – most of whom have suffered from some kind of combination of hubris syndrome, bipolar disorder, and narcissistic disorder – would be so enthralled by power they’d seek so much sex outside of their marriage. What was a clear revelation in this book, however, was the active role the press played in covering up all of these affairs and abuses of power between the Grover Cleveland years and the Gary Hart scandal, and just how accepting of these trysts many of the first ladies were (if only, for some, to maintain their seats so close to power). Considering how much the world knows about the sex lives of Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, it’s just amazing how much of these other sex scandals aren’t common knowledge to the majority of the public, even so many years later.
Anyway, this is a quick, light, informative read that I highly recommend!
I guess it’s not much of a surprise that many of the 45 men who served as this nation’s commander in chief – most of whom have suffered from some kind of combination of hubris syndrome, bipolar disorder, and narcissistic disorder – would be so enthralled by power they’d seek so much sex outside of their marriage. What was a clear revelation in this book, however, was the active role the press played in covering up all of these affairs and abuses of power between the Grover Cleveland years and the Gary Hart scandal, and just how accepting of these trysts many of the first ladies were (if only, for some, to maintain their seats so close to power). Considering how much the world knows about the sex lives of Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, it’s just amazing how much of these other sex scandals aren’t common knowledge to the majority of the public, even so many years later.
Anyway, this is a quick, light, informative read that I highly recommend!
September 26, 2020
3.5 stars.
Having such fond memories of Herman’s Sex with Kings and Sex with the Queen, I was thrilled to see a new book in the series. Granted, it’s been years since I read those books, but I remember how fun they were, and how witty Herman’s writing was.
Sex with Presidents is undoubtedly a fun read. Herman is quite witty, and an excellent storyteller. But, her research is a bit sketchy. She relies heavily on our presidents’ mistresses’ memoirs and shocking tell-all books as sources. These may be historically reliable, but it’s reasonable to read them with a grain of salt. When writing of an affair with the most powerful man in the world, isn’t there an incentive to embellish? To curate the narrate? Regardless, she also relies on letters, eyewitness accounts, and other historians’ work.
Fun to read, but felt a bit lacking in places. I honestly skimmed the Trump chapter, because I know the story all too well. For what it is, this is an enjoyable book, and I would recommend it to those who enjoyed Herman’s precious books, but take it with a grain of salt.
Having such fond memories of Herman’s Sex with Kings and Sex with the Queen, I was thrilled to see a new book in the series. Granted, it’s been years since I read those books, but I remember how fun they were, and how witty Herman’s writing was.
Sex with Presidents is undoubtedly a fun read. Herman is quite witty, and an excellent storyteller. But, her research is a bit sketchy. She relies heavily on our presidents’ mistresses’ memoirs and shocking tell-all books as sources. These may be historically reliable, but it’s reasonable to read them with a grain of salt. When writing of an affair with the most powerful man in the world, isn’t there an incentive to embellish? To curate the narrate? Regardless, she also relies on letters, eyewitness accounts, and other historians’ work.
Fun to read, but felt a bit lacking in places. I honestly skimmed the Trump chapter, because I know the story all too well. For what it is, this is an enjoyable book, and I would recommend it to those who enjoyed Herman’s precious books, but take it with a grain of salt.
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