Fraternity: A Journey in Search of Five Presidents

by Bob Greene

What if you set off on a vacation trip in search of history—and your destination was the men who had been president? Asking himself that tantalizing question, bestselling author Bob Greene embarked on a long journey across the nation, hoping to spend time with Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George Bush and Ronald Reagan. The result of his odyssey is Fraternity .

This extraordinary book is rich with the sounds of the presidents’ own from Nixon explaining the reasons for his solitary walks through New York City streets at 5:30 every morning to Carter recalling the sting of his family’s being mocked for their rural Southern heritage, even after he had won the White House. Dramatic, funny, surprising and unforgettable, Fraternity reveals the human side of men who made history, along with the dreams of a nation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Biography, Presidents

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Robert Bernard Greene, Jr., who writes as Bob Greene, is a journalist.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Anthony Bergen · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Review originally posted at Dead Presidents)

Fraternity: A Journey in Search of Five Presidents
By Bob Greene
Hardcover. 2004. 284 pp. Crown Publishers

Since I was a child, the Presidents have always fascinated me. I don't know what triggered my affinity for the Presidents and the Presidency, but it happened at a fairly early age and from that point forward, I've done my best to read anything and everything that I can get my hands on regarding those subjects. As a U.S. history buff, I, of course, enjoy learning about events during the administrations of the Presidents, their policies, their leadership style, and the way each President used the Presidency while in office, no matter what political party they represented.

What interests me more, however, is the personalities of our nation's Chief Executives. I am captivated by learning about what they were like as people -- what they were like as sons, husbands, fathers, and friends. Reading and picturing how our Presidents thought, how they were raised, how they interacted with regular people, what they did in retirement, and how they faced death is my main focus in learning about what Bob Greene calls "the smallest and most exclusive fraternity in the world".

Fraternity is the result of a series of trips that journalist Bob Greene (longtime Chicago newspaper reporter and New York Times bestselling author) made over a period of several years. Greene wasn't sure exactly when or why he decided to make the journey, but his goal was to visit and speak with each of the former Presidents of the United States who were still alive. The "fraternity" that Greene writes about can be defined as either the exclusive group of 42 men who have served as President since 1789, or the even more exclusive group of Presidents who had served their terms and returned to private life as a citizen. At the time of Greene's journey, five former Presidents were still living -- Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George Herbert Walker Bush. Greene didn't have a specific reason for making the visits, nor was he entirely sure of what he wanted to ask them. However, no President declined his request.

Greene is a master of asking questions that are not hard-hitting, but exceedingly interesting. In his books about Michael Jordan (Hang Time and Rebound), Greene traveled with and had frequent meetings with the basketball great, observed how he lived, interacted with fans, and moved around in public, and asked Jordan to try to explain his massive and uncontrollable fame. In Fraternity, Greene deploys a similar strategy -- asking Nixon who calls him by his first name (the answer: nobody -- not even his closest friends); asking Carter who his closest friend among the Presidents is (answer: Ford); surprising Bush when he mentioned that Nixon never took his suit jacket off in the Oval Office -- even while alone; and asking Ford what he did on his first night sleeping in the White House ("...we wandered around").

Greene's questions aren't precision strikes, hitting the Presidents where it hurts, or focusing on scandals or election losses. Rather, they are intimate questions that break apart the mythology painting these men as people who were once the most powerful person in the world. If not a window to the soul, Fraternity offers a peek into thoughtful, brilliant, ambitious men -- all of whom cared deeply about their country and realized their ambition by overcoming obstacles on the way up and often had a long, painful fall back to Earth. An interesting thing about Presidents is that no one who holds the office -- not a single occupant -- does so because they want to tear their country apart. Each of these men believed that they were the best person in the world for the job, and no matter what their political ideology, they truly felt that they did the best that they could in order to better the United States.

Beautifully written, the book is impossible to put down once you begin reading. Preconceived notions about the former Commanders-in-Chief quickly take a backseat to a wonderment about what it must be like to sit in the Oval Office and have the fate of 300 million Americans resting on the decisions you make. Nixon is candid and thoughtful, Ford is warm and reflective, Carter is intense and uninterested in retirement, and Bush is surprisingly down-to-earth and funny. Unfortunately for Greene (and for the reader), Reagan announced that he had Alzheimer's Disease shortly before Greene's planned visit. Attending a large dinner party that Reagan had originally been scheduled to attend, Greene points out the power of the Presidency as he describes how heavily the former President's personality hovered throughout the ballroom, even in his absence.

It is a credit to Greene's ability as a journalist and as a writer to somehow introduce us to five men who we know better than any other of our famous Americans. A President holds a place within us that an actor or athlete or musician can't reach. What the President does effects all of us -- sometimes forever. It's impossible to watch television or read a newspaper with seeing the President's picture, hearing the President's name, or reading what the President has done. The President is almost always visible. We know where he is at all times. He lives in a home that we pay for and visit. He attempts to fix the problems that face all of us, and, yes, at times he causes them. We hire them, we can fire them, and, ultimately, we join together as a nation and bury them when they die. Fraternity brings us closer to these men and does so from a different angle than we've ever approached them before.

Half of the books in my personal library are either about individual Presidents, a specific group of Presidents, or all of the Presidents collectively. I've probably read 95% of those 200+ books so far, and am constantly adding to my collection. Out of all of those books, Bob Greene's Fraternity is, without a shadow of doubt, easily my favorite. It is the book I would bring with me if trapped on a desert island. It is one of the only books that I will regularly re-read over-and-over again. Only five Presidents are included in the book, but Greene's visits with these men dig deeper than any other attempts at biography. Fraternity is the definitive book on the Presidential personalities and one of the only books to ever come close to making you understand the burden and the triumph of being the most powerful man in the world.

After reading Fraternity, it is impossible to ever think of Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and G.H.W. Bush as anything less than genuine patriots who make mistakes, sometimes break the law, often are despised by half of the public at any given time, and who are at the mercy of our votes, the media's coverage, and the Secret Service's protection. Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican or an Independent, if you are an American, Fraternity helps you understand these men and, for nearly 300 pages, you forget about politics and campaigns and scandals and legacies. Reading this book is like sitting down with the subjects, drinking a beer with them, and asking them all of the little things that White House journalists never imagine, but which regular Americans always wonder. Within the pages of Fraternity, "Mr. President" becomes "Dick", "Jerry", "Jimmy", "Ron", and "Poppy" and while simplicity and informality never displace awe and respect for the office -- they illuminate aspects of the lives of the individuals that politics tends to either cloak in darkness or invincibility . The Fraternity is theirs, but the paternal feeling that we get -- regardless of political party -- is not an act or a ploy, it's human nature. And that is the most important thing that Greene reveals to us -- all of these men are human.

Highest recommendation and, undoubtedly, my favorite book about Presidents ever.
A+

[Stormi · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5/5 Rating

There was nothing particularly wrong book, at times I even found myself moved by the words and emotions of our former Presidents. The problem I had with it is that this book didn't have a set goal or theme to me. There was nothing consistently substantive about his conversations with the Presidents. A lot of the interactions seemed almost superficial. My favorite section ended up being Nixon because it provided the most interesting insight of the bunch.

I just wish it had done more. I wish he would have asked more, that he would have included more of the conversations, that he had spent more time building up these great men from history. Nothing spectacular happened in here, but I definitely still enjoyed it and am glad that I read it.

[Nate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had hoped that this book would have some deep insights into the lives of Presidents and show the behind the scenes story of the presidency. But, instead it answered questions on how the President gets his groceries, and what name his friends call him by. I think the most annoying thing was listening to the inane questions the author asked. When I found that I had mistakenly returned the last disk before I listened to it, I didn't feel any loss and gladly set it aside.

[Ken Heard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob Greene meets with five former presidents -- well, four, because just as he made it to California to talk with Ronald Reagan, Reagan announced he was dealing with Alzheimer's and cancelled the interview.

This is not your typical history book. There's not a lot of policy stuff or reviews of what each president did during his term. Instead, it's a look at their impressions of being president, the reflections about losing either a re-election bid or, in the case of Ford, his first run after being appointed president in Nixon's resignation wake.

It's good stuff and it, as always, has the behind the scenes and brilliant observations that Mr. Greene has made a career of. He interviews Nixon, Carter, Ford, George H.W. Bush and Reagan's people. In my opinion, it's not his best work only because it's limited to five people and he's fantastic at meeting lesser known folks and reporting on their lives. Still, it's a great read.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Not sorry I read this but can’t recommend. Interesting, if brief, conversations with former presidents, who would forever afterwards be name-dropped as the author’s besties. I could have done without the extra padding of his pseudo-philosophical musings, but then the book would have been only the length of an long article and who would pay for that?

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Greene is one of the columnists from my childhood newspaper. I have been reading through his body of work. This time, he sought out former presidents to see how they spent their lives after leaving the White House. Review to come.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book with insights into the presidents personal lives after the presidency. Couldn't help but think how their thoughts would have changed with current times.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

#96 of 120 books pledged to read in 2017

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, "dishy" read about our Presidents from Nixon to G.H.W. Bush. Nothing particularly noteworthy...it is simply a bit of the humanity of the men who have been President.

[Lupe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a historical biography but instead, a more personal reflection of Greene’s perception of the Presidents. I found it to be interesting.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read. The author went and visited with Pres Nixon, Carter, Bush, Ford & Reagan individually, which took a couple of decades to do. He was able to get personal access to the men who are part of the most exclusive Fraternity on earth - those who were President of the United States.

It was interesting learning things about these men that we in the public never see. Things like Pres. Ford's favorite movie is Mrs. Doubtfire and he took his first trip to Washington because he was voted the most popular high school student in his city. These are regular men that made their way to the most powerful position on earth.

[Mychal V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explains one of the most limited fraternities in the world: The United States Presidency. It is an easy read with quite a bit of fluff. It left me liking each President. I don't think this would be the case had someone met the Presidents in a real-life situation. They all seemed very down to Earth, even Nixon. I was quite surprised by who ended up being my favorite...Gerald Ford

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great complement to Hidden Power. Very interesting look back from former presidents into their time in the White House and beyond. Because the interviews occured over several decades, made for a thoughtful book from the author, Bob Greene.

[Bob Koelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, slightly interesting. The Nixon part is a retread of an article Greene wrote before, and the rest is not all that insightful. The best was about Carter, where he gets a look at how politics continues in Carter's life, because he's actually still involved in policy-making.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty amazing concept. Setting off to find the last of the living presidents and how history has shaped them post Presidency. Adolescently written, but reveals and interesting side to otherwise off-limits public officials.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be quite an enjoyable book. The author interviews the last 5 presidents (starting with Nixon). For me this book provided some wonderful insight into the men that were latest to sit in/on one of the highest seats of power.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happened to find this on the shelf and thoroughly enjoyed Bob Greene's interviews and thoughts about 4 living ex-presidents. Reagan had already passed into Alzheimer's so he spent a day each with elder Bush, Carter, Nixon and Ford.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, especially the section on Richard Nixon.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I look at the president and decisions that are made through an entirely different lens. This should be part of high school US History curriculum.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of feel cheated that he didn't actually meet and talk to Reagan. Otherwise this is great. So easy to read and truly humanizes all of the presidents he did talk to. Definitely read if you can.

[Marti]

Not as good as I had hoped. That's what I get for reading non-fiction by a male author, huh?

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of slow at times but, because these are five presidents I remember well, it was full of little known history (small h).

[Christine Schmidt]

A bit long at places, but worth the read. Carter was no surprise. George Bush Sr's kindness is well known.

[Toesnorth's mom]

interesting