One Nation Under Sex: How the Private Lives of Presidents, First Ladies and Their Lovers Changed the Course of American History

by Larry Flynt, David Eisenbach

Ben Franklin saved the American Revolution by seducing French Women. A gay love affair between President James Buchanan and Senator William King aided the secession movement. Woodrow Wilson’s girlfriend dictated his letters to the German Kaiser. And lesbian relationships inspired Eleanor Roosevelt to become a revolutionary crusader for equal rights. The colorful sex lives of America’s most powerful leaders have influenced social movements, government policies, elections and even wars, yet they are so whitewashed by historians that people think Thomas Jefferson and Abe Lincoln were made of marble, not flesh and blood.

But the truth is about to come out. In One Nation Under Sex, free speech activist and notorious Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt teams up with Columbia University history professor David Eisenbach to peek behind the White House bedroom curtains and document how hidden passions have shaped public life. They unpack salacious rumors and outright scandals, showing how private affairs have driven pivotal decisions—often with horrific consequences. Along the way, they explore the origins of America’s fascination with sex scandals and explain how we can put aside out political moralism and begin focusing on the real problems that threaten our nation.

 

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Sexuality, Sociology, Historical, Biography

304 pages, Hardcover

First published April 26, 2011

About the author

American Pornographer and Free Speech activist. Most known for publishing Hustler magazine.

Flynt has had several legal battles involving the First Amendment, and has run for public office a number of times.

He ran for president in 1984. He has bipolar disorder and is paralyzed from the waist down due to injuries sustained from an assassination attempt by an radical feminist.

Reviews

[Akemi G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need more books like this to flesh out our understanding of history. Well-researched. I especially enjoyed the part about the Kennedy family.
Oh, the author has a bad reputation? Innocent little me didn't know that. ^_^ In any case, I am evaluating the book, not the author.

[EowynRN · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway copy. I tend to enjoy all books having to do with sex, which you should assume this book is since it's authored by Larry Flynt of Penthouse fame. Although I read this book with Woody Haraldson's voice in my head, the book reads as informational history and sexual intrigue rather than a letter to the Penthouse forums.

You go on a journey from the founders of our country to the latest leaders such as Clinton and how their sexual conquests influenced and affected our country. From a health perspective where I understand sexual education and health, it comes to no surprise that the leaders of this country like sex as much as anyone else. When you think about it, we are all here because two people enjoyed sex. This book travels into depths of affairs, concubines and queer hookups for the presidents and other influential people.

I recommend this book for anyone who can enjoy a historical novel, and is open to reading about sexual history. You won't find smut scenes here, but some solid information about our nations history. A very respectable book by Larry Flynt.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought as a guilty pleasure to take my mind off my final film school project, this book proved deeply fascinating in a way i would have never expected. We're so used to viewing our country's Presidents (particularly Founding Fathers) as such one-dimensional granite statue figures that we forget that they actually lived and breathed as flesh and blood. So rather than scandalizing these politicians, this book actually served to humanize them, which was really interesting and cool and made me look at Franklin and Jefferson et al in a whole new way. Of course there are no shortage of great tidbits- some of the things the Founding Fathers said, on record, about their love lives and sexual inclinations are truly staggering. Also in a fucked-up way, this book showed how clever women in a very sexist world used the only means they had in those times, to secure great political influence. I had no idea, for example, that Woodrow Wilson's mistress-turned-wife effectively served as US President after her husband suffered a well-concealed stroke. Not literature by any means, but- especially given my low expectations- actually a pretty solid and illuminating read.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting read. The authors start with the founding of America and work through history up to the Clinton era to detail famous presidential sex scandals. I found that some of the arguments put forward (for example, that Lincoln was inspired to write the Emancipation Proclamation because he was allegedly homosexual) are a bit of a stretch, and consist of more hypothesis than fact. However, it was entertaining to read, and the authors make extensive use of primary sources (letters, diaries, etc) in their writing.

Flynt managed to turn his book into an anti-conservative dig at the end, and I wish he spent more time talking about another theme not treated as well as his argument that conservatives are hypocrites. Basically, we are all human, presidents included, and we all have base urges and desires. Should those base desires be included in political discourse? This is a question Flynt should've spent more time on, instead of arguing over the hypocrisy of conservatives (because I'm pretty sure liberals can be hypocrites too).

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. When there is no absolute proof sexual activity took place, it is pointed out to the reader to make up their own minds about the facts presented. Though Larry Flynt is often associated with the worst of the worst of sleaze, this book was well-researched and presented in an interesting manner. Nothing was overly perverted and the interesting inside information is presented to the reader in a way that makes for a fast-paced, fun and riveting read. Some of the most interesting parts of American history are left out of schoolbooks-it's hard to deny many of the points being made, this is a great read for those who are tired of Puritan values, for lack of a better word, perverting the American politics through history and present-day. Sex is not the perversion; the denying of our carnal nature and to have it pushed into the shadows, however, is. If you're a history and/or a scandal buff, either way this book should hold your interest.

[Belinda Hupp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Definitely stories not told in history class.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different look at American history! Glad to see that nothing has changed over the centuries, sex is the "downfall" for all man. An interesting read looking at the history of the presidents and the scandals that sometimes defined them, yet other times eluded the public eye.

[Ana Mardoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Nation Under Sex / 9780230120358

I didn't know quite what to expect going into this book -- I mean, the author is *Larry Flynt* and I wasn't exactly certain that it was going to be a bastion of high journalism. Well, you know what they say about assumptions; "One Nation Under Sex" is incredibly well-written, thoroughly documented, and utterly fascinating from start to finish.

"One Nation Under Sex" travels systematically through the sex lives of our nation's presidents, and uncovers quite a few interesting tidbits and stories along the way. Surprisingly, though, the sex itself is something of a tertiary focus: this book is, in many ways, really about how sex in high places has shaped the course of our country, and about the relationship between the press and the presidency. The result is a book that is fascinatingly historical and not just a "scandal for scandal's sake" gossip book, and it's impossible to not be drawn into the historical intricacies as they are explored.

One of the things I liked most about this book is that it presents everything very clearly and factually, with copious footnotes, but never with a forceful air. Even something as potentially surprising and political as the Abraham Lincoln chapter is laid out with the same candid "documentary" feel as the more tame chapters; Flynt merely lays out his viewpoint and his (compelling) evidence for Lincoln having same-sex relationships, and it's up to the reader to decide how they will personally reconcile the presented evidence with their own knowledge and beliefs. I like it a lot when a documentary lets the copious evidence speak for itself, and the entire book feels very candid -- as though the author is shooting straight and merely compiling history instead of "spinning" it.

I recommend this fascinating and engaging book for anyone. The clarity of the writing is commendable, and the decision to retain a scholarly tone instead of a "gossipy" one turns this book into a historical classic, perfect for any adult audience.

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine...but I liked the ARC so much, I bought the e-book version as well.

~ Ana Mardoll

[Ana Mardoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Nation Under Sex / 9780230120358

I didn't know quite what to expect going into this book -- I mean, the author is *Larry Flynt* and I wasn't exactly certain that it was going to be a bastion of high journalism. Well, you know what they say about assumptions; "One Nation Under Sex" is incredibly well-written, thoroughly documented, and utterly fascinating from start to finish.

"One Nation Under Sex" travels systematically through the sex lives of our nation's presidents, and uncovers quite a few interesting tidbits and stories along the way. Surprisingly, though, the sex itself is something of a tertiary focus: this book is, in many ways, really about how sex in high places has shaped the course of our country, and about the relationship between the press and the presidency. The result is a book that is fascinatingly historical and not just a "scandal for scandal's sake" gossip book, and it's impossible to not be drawn into the historical intricacies as they are explored.

One of the things I liked most about this book is that it presents everything very clearly and factually, with copious footnotes, but never with a forceful air. Even something as potentially surprising and political as the Abraham Lincoln chapter is laid out with the same candid "documentary" feel as the more tame chapters; Flynt merely lays out his viewpoint and his (compelling) evidence for Lincoln having same-sex relationships, and it's up to the reader to decide how they will personally reconcile the presented evidence with their own knowledge and beliefs. I like it a lot when a documentary lets the copious evidence speak for itself, and the entire book feels very candid -- as though the author is shooting straight and merely compiling history instead of "spinning" it.

I recommend this fascinating and engaging book for anyone. The clarity of the writing is commendable, and the decision to retain a scholarly tone instead of a "gossipy" one turns this book into a historical classic, perfect for any adult audience.

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine...but I liked the ARC so much, I bought the e-book version as well.

~ Ana Mardoll

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I labeled it for the "erotica and sensual" shelf because it deals with the topic of sex scandals, but it is not a risque book per se. As there are some mentions of gay and lesbian affairs, I labeled it for the "glbtq" shelf. Ok, now what we got that out of the way, let's look at the book itself.

Organized in chapters, the book provides a history of major scandals as well as affairs and peccadilloes of politicians and those who loved them. We go from colonial times to the Clinton era to our time as the conclusion does bring the book close to up to date. The only reason I gave it three stars is because the prose can be a little dry at times. It is not a bad book at all, and history trivia fans will probably like it. If you enjoy reading about sex scandals, you will probably like it as well.

In the book the authors make some key points:

*Politicians are human beings. This means they are sexual beings. You cannot really remove this from the equation.

*Honestly, making a big deal of a politician's sex life is kind of a wasted effort. However, it does (seem to) have an effective use to expose hyprocrites. This is particularly significant with the current political climate in the U.S. Historically, as in recent history, the GOP positioned itself as the party of morality. Now their sins and vices are coming back to haunt them. This leads to the next point.

*The louder a moralist yells, the more likely he or she has big, ugly skeletons in their closet. If they yell the loudest, you can bet there is some sexual issue hidden there. I would say that the classic definition of a conservative as someone who fears that someone else someplace and somewhere is having a good time is accurate.

*As a nation, we need to grow the fuck up. We need to have a more European maturity when it comes to sexual matters and the private lives of politicians. This is illustrated quite nicely in the early chapter on Benjamin Franklin, where he is contrasted to John Adams, who was a prude. Some food for thought there.

So overall, this is a book worth reading. And it is a book worth discussing. And for the love of cripe, if the fact Larry Flynt is a co-author bothers you, you need to grow the hell up.

[Jim Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up as a diversion, and came away with the affirmation that everything goes in cycles. During the 19th century, newspapers were openly affiliated with political parties, followed by a change in the early 20th century towards a more independent and objective media. Perhaps there's hope we'll get back to that point.

This was a fascinating read, one that shows that there really are no "good old days", and that every age has its share of political and sexual intrigue. Some of the conclusions are a bit tenuous, but many of the stories are well documented, just rarely talked about.

One of the more interesting conclusions is that the growing wealth gap in our current economic system can be attributed to the American people being distracted by debates about moral values (abortion, gay rights, sex education), while financial regulations from the Progressive Era and New Deal were dismantled by Republican leadership, despite the same kinds of things happening in the past, but with little spotlight on them.

Finally, I'll leave you with this excerpt from the end:

"Americans need to adopt one simple rule: Don’t trust anyone who dedicates his or her life to stomping out other people’s consensual sexual activities—it is pretty much guaranteed that lurking behind all the antisex zealotry are deep-seated sexual issues. What our straight readers need to do is follow the examples of Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy, who were both so secure in their heterosexuality that they did not discriminate against their openly gay friends."

[carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ben Franklin saved the American Revolution by seducing French Women. A gay love affair between President James Buchanan and Senator William King aided the secession movement. Woodrow Wilson’s girlfriend dictated his letters to the German Kaiser. And lesbian relationships inspired Eleanor Roosevelt to become a revolutionary crusader for equal rights. The colorful sex lives of America’s most powerful leaders have influenced social movements, government policies, elections and even wars, yet they are so whitewashed by historians that people think Thomas Jefferson and Abe Lincoln were made of marble, not flesh and blood.

But the truth is about to come out. In One Nation Under Sex, free speech activist and notorious Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt teams up with Columbia University history professor David Eisenbach to peek behind the White House bedroom curtains and document how hidden passions have shaped public life. They unpack salacious rumors and outright scandals, showing how private affairs have driven pivotal decisions—often with horrific consequences. Along the way, they explore the origins of America’s fascination with sex scandals and explain how we can put aside out political moralism and begin focusing on the real problems that threaten our nation." - review from product description

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this thoughtful and only occasionally salacious history of political sex scandals dating all the way back to Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Dolley Madison. Flynt and Eisenbach make two convincing arguments about our obsession with our leaders' private lives. First, as a nation that elects its leaders (rather than inheriting them), we judge each man and woman on the basis of what we know, and one's moral character often heavily weights that decision. To follow that argument to its conclusion, we reach the second point: that our judgmental Puritanical natures lead us to conflate one's private life and public comportment, making it difficult to believe that a man who has oral sex with an intern can also be a strong leader - which THEN leads to public outcry over scandals that grossly inflate the actual issue to the point of distraction from, oh, the business of governance.

On the way to making this point, however, you learn about Buchanan and Lincoln's relationship(s) with men, the affairs of BOTH JFK and Jackie O, and Dolley Madison's prominent bosom, among other interesting tidbits. On the whole, a great summer read, striking just the right balance between expose and argument.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historian David Eisenbach and Hustler publisher Larry Flynt teamed up to catalog what most of us already knew - men ambitious enough to make it to the presidency most likely have powerful sex drives too. Put that together with the fact that power is attractive to a lot of women, and it becomes clear that faithfulness, as seemingly found with W and Obama, is the presidential exception rather than the rule.

So now that Eisenbach and Flynt have made it abundantly clear that founding fathers, presidents, and other politicians have sex, from Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln, James Buchanan, FDR, both JFK AND Jackie, and, of course, Bill Clinton, no doubt we'll be able to set aside the whole issue, along with the gotcha journalism and partisan attacks that helped derail the country in the otherwise glorious 90s.

What? You don't think so? Then what's the point of this book? Just titillation? Ya think?

Well, Flynt does go into a bit of a tub-thumping attack on the hypocrisy of it all, but the truth is, that's the least enjoyable part of this easy-to-read history. Nothing wrong with a little titillation with your history, after all. Might get more kids to pay attention.

Thanks to Firstreads for my copy.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun and interesting book! I always knew about some of the sex scandals surrounding our presidents, but I had no idea how extensive it was. This book brings to light some very interesting scandals involving our commanders in chief, going back to the founding fathers.

Some gems: President James Buchanan was gay and in love with a slave owner from the south and this relationship hastened the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln had a history of sharing his bed with men. Dolly Madison was the nation's first slut. Both Franklin Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt had female mistresses that lived in the White House! John F. Kennedy slept with hookers and famous women on a regular basis...he slept with Jackie's sister Lee...both he and Bobby slept with Marilyn Monroe...Bobby slept with Jackie after JFK was killed...Ari Onasis slept with both Jackie and Lee. It goes on and on. And of course, we learn more of the sordid details of the Clinton affairs.

Say what you like about Larry Flynt, but this book is a great read and he really puts America's current obsession with morality into a new light. Very enjoyable read.

[EowynRN · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway copy. I tend to enjoy all books having to do with sex, which you should assume this book is since it's authored by Larry Flynt of Penthouse fame. Although I read this book with Woody Haraldson's voice in my head, the book reads as informational history and sexual intrigue rather than a letter to the Penthouse forums.

You go on a journey from the founders of our country to the latest leaders such as Clinton and how their sexual conquests influenced and affected our country. From a health perspective where I understand sexual education and health, it comes to no surprise that the leaders of this country like sex as much as anyone else. When you think about it, we are all here because two people enjoyed sex. This book travels into depths of affairs, concubines and queer hookups for the presidents and other influential people.

I recommend this book for anyone who can enjoy a historical novel, and is open to reading about sexual history. You won't find smut scenes here, but some solid information about our nations history. A very respectable book by Larry Flynt.

[Resonance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly good, fair, and thorough work. I half expected it to be a lurid expose of sexual hypocrisy among our elected officials, dragging everyone through the mud with every rumor ever shared about them. Instead it turned out to be pretty even handed and had a LOT of interesting data. I won't spoil it, but some of it was completely new to me. The author's aim throughout the work hasn't been 'oh, look who knocked boots in the White House' or 'Moral Majoritarian by day, sexual athlete by night' but has instead been to point out the various effects that certain scandals, coverups, liaisons, and so on have had on many American presidencies. The more recent ones have more currency obviously but some of the earliest ones were the most illuminating -- for those who think that back in the day, the press didn't cover our leaders' indiscretions, you're due for a bit of a shock.

The only reason I can think of that this book didn't get more play is that the author is, at least in theory, Larry Flynt, and probably a lot of other people just chose to skip it as a result. Their loss.

[Jarrod Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a first reads giveaway. I felt a little deceived by the title. I actually thought that the stories within the book were going to refer to decisions and policies that were shaped by the sex lives or sex scandals of our leaders past and present. Instead it was mainly about the sex lives of leaders and how those leaders dealt with the populous and press in regards to their own scandals.
The book was well written, and it was nice to get some new information not taught in history class. I was glad that the author waited till the end to give a political commentary, I am always hesitant to read a book like this for fear that it will just be a lot of "I hate this party or person". Most of the book seems to be well documented and sourced, but I did look up a few of the sources just to get more information and found that they were just opinions/conjecture in the first place.

I would recommend this book to just about anyone, although I really don't think that it can be taken too seriously.

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written entirely, I assume, by David Eisenbach, the Columbia University professor who shares the author billing with Larry Flynt, this doesn't dish up the most elegant prose. It does dish a wide variety of dirt on American political luminaries ranging from Ben Franklin to George HW Bush, much of which I didn't know. Perhaps most scandalous to me was the breadth and depth of information supporting the case that Abraham Lincoln was gay, and the depth of J. Edgar Hoover's depravity. I also knew little about Jackie Kennedy's affair with RFK. Some of the detail about figures such as Andrew Jackon got a bit tedious. But overall, I agreed with the book's main thrust and justification: namely that American political life might be saner if the sexual foibles of its leaders were better known, rather than suppressed.

[Travis Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. I never really thought about the sex lives of presidents before and how it really can affect history. Some of the things are somewhat hard to believe and I’m not sure I fully do believe them now but it is something to think about. The book is well researched and has plenty of supporting evidence. Towards the end with the Clinton scandal I got a little bored it didn’t feel like to me it was written the same as the rest of the book, but other then that I really enjoyed this book and would say that anyone that like history or sexuality readings would like this book.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book although I was embarrassed to be reading something with such a salacious sounding title, particularly by a notoriously known author, Larry Flynt. I was impressed with his co-author, David Eisenbach, when I heard him on TV, however, and found the book to be well written and engaging. It is nicely documented with many notes and I found it to be a real eye opener. The lesson learned is one that young people would be well to heed, choices you make have impacts in many different areas of your life.

[Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book full of interesting, informative, and often hilarious historical anecdotes. Overall it appeared very thoroughly researched and provided some amazing background on American history. The only downside was in the closing chapters when Larry Flynt, as always, felt the need to pontificate and throw his personal agenda in to the mix for no reason. Aside from the detour from facts an interesting and engaging read.

[Joyce M. Tice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is essential reading for any historian. Most of the chapters in this book are known to many of us but almost never to the full extent. It is very revealing how the personal lives of leaders affected national and world events from the beginning of our political system to the present. We make heroes of our leaders and leaders of our heroes, and they are all just ordinary people after all. Excellent book.

[Terry Perrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yep. A book by Hustler founder, Larry Flynt AND a historian from Columbia University. If you want a book to take to sperm donation, this one won't do it for you. If you want to understand how flings and flames and their repercussions affected key actions taken by U.S. Presidents and the history of the U.S., read this. I learned more history from these pages than the sum total of el-hi, college and postgrad classes that skipped Warren Harding and James Buchanan.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was excellent. it is entertaining, but really does show how not understanding the sex lives of the presidents and first ladies does not give you a complete picture of history. im sure it could make some kids feel better to know that at least 2 presidents were gay. Flynt does kinda go overboard about his role in history at the end though. i had no idea Harding was such a pimp.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book Bill Bryson might write if Bill Bryson were a total horndog.* I enjoyed getting a new perspective on American history. The claims seem to be well-researched, although in a few cases, the authors might have confused smoke with fire. Some of the writing was salacious in tone and overly reliant on italics, but what do you expect?

*Bryson horndog levels are currently unknown.

[Arlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on presidential and American history I have ever read. When I teach history some day this will be on my required reading list. It isn't just random comments. The book is researched and footnoted with source documents. Excellent read for any history fan or American wanting to see that BOTH parties are guilty of scandals involving sexuality.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and interesting. I'm not Larry Flynt's target audience for most of his publications, but I was intrigued by this book when I first heard about it. It exceeded all of my expectations.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book. Lots and lots of information about presidential infidelities an peccadilloes. The book is heavily researched but you would have to go to primary sources
To check all facts out. The chapters on JFK and Jackie and FDR and Eleanor are quite fantastic.

[Jakenv · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one surprised me as not as offensive as one might expect from Flynt. Glad I took the time to read. Historical perspective makes for interesting read. Some readers might be offended so you of delicate nature take note.