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James Madison
- A Life Reconsidered
- Narrated by: Eliza Foss
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
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Publisher's summary
A major new biography of the fourth US president, from New York Times best-selling author Lynne Cheney.
James Madison was a true genius of the early republic, the leader who did more than any other to create the nation we know today. This majestic new biography tells his story.
Outwardly reserved, Madison was the intellectual driving force behind the Constitution. His visionary political philosophy - eloquently presented in the Federalist Papers - was a crucial factor behind the Constitution’s ratification, and his political savvy was of major importance in getting the new government underway. As secretary of state under Thomas Jefferson, he managed the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the United States. As president, Madison led the country in its first war under the Constitution, the War of 1812. Without precedent to guide him, he would demonstrate that a republic could defend its honor and independence while remaining true to its young constitution.
Critic reviews
“With this compelling, elegant, original biography, Lynne Cheney brings the great, elusive James Madison back to life, reminding us of how powerfully this brilliant founder’s political and intellectual leadership has shaped the course of American history. In this era in which Madison is too often eclipsed by more histrionic founders, Cheney shows us his crucial, fascinating relationships with Dolley, Thomas Jefferson and an all-star cast, and lets us witness the growth of a world-changing political philosopher. Her book demonstrates why Madison deserves to stand near the center of our early American firmament.” (Michael Beschloss, author of The Conquerors and Presidential Courage)
“Lucidly written... this is probably the best single-volume bio of Madison that we now have.”(Gordon Wood, New York Times Book Review)
“The book is a lovingly researched tribute to an often-underestimated man. It does not explicitly refer to modern controversies. But present-day politics intrudes.” (The Economist)
“[A] meticulously researched, richly detailed look at the life and times of Madison. Former Second Lady Cheney fleshes out the achievements and struggles of this American founding father.... [A]uthoritative, conversational, certainly confident in its analysis.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
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Although Washington is often overlooked in most accounts of the period, this masterful new history from Pulitzer Prize winner Edward J. Larson brilliantly uncovers Washington's vital role in shaping the Convention - and shows how it was only with Washington’s support and his willingness to serve as President that the states were brought together and ratified the Constitution, thereby saving the country.
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A readable history
- By Jean on 10-21-14
By: Edward Larson
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Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
- By: Jon Meacham
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann, Jon Meacham
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of American Lion and Franklin and Winston brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era.
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A Man and Biography Relevant to Our Day
- By Darwin8u on 11-14-12
By: Jon Meacham
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The Summer of 1787
- By: David O Stewart
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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David O. Stewart presents this well-researched account of the U.S. Constitution's creation not as a dry analysis of events, but as a high-powered narrative filled with dramatic intensity and larger-than-life historical figures.
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Very well done!
- By Alan on 04-20-17
By: David O Stewart
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Washington's Circle
- The Creation of the President
- By: David S. Heidler, Jeanne T. Heidler
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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In Washington's Circle, David and Jeanne Heidler introduce not just the president but the group of extraordinary men who advised him. The familiar names are here, like the often irked and occasionally irksome John Adams, the scheming Alexander Hamilton, and the prodigiously talented James "Jemmy" Madison, but so are the lesser known Edmund Randolph, John Jay, and Gouverneur Morris. Washington's choices of whom to listen to, for better and sometimes worse, were as consequential as the advice his cabinet gave.
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Very Enlightening
- By Morgan on 06-04-18
By: David S. Heidler, and others
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Patrick Henry
- Champion of Liberty
- By: Jon Kukla
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Born in 1736, Patrick Henry was an attorney and a planter and an outstanding orator in the movement for independence. A contemporary of Washington, Henry stood with John and Samuel Adams among the leaders of the colonial resistance to Great Britain that ultimately created the United States. The first governor of Virginia after independence, he was reelected several times. After declining to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Henry opposed the Constitution, arguing that it granted too much power to the central government.
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Long awaited biography of Patrick Henry
- By GallowsJudge on 11-18-17
By: Jon Kukla
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Alexander Hamilton
- By: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 35 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Historians have long told the story of America’s birth as the triumph of Jefferson’s democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power.
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An Outstanding & Riveting Book!
- By Kevin on 03-04-05
By: Ron Chernow
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The Three Lives of James Madison
- Genius, Partisan, President
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 34 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Over the course of his life, James Madison changed the United States three times: First, he designed the Constitution, led the struggle for its adoption and ratification, then drafted the Bill of Rights. As an older, cannier politician, he cofounded the original Republican party, setting the course of American political partisanship. Finally, having pioneered a foreign policy based on economic sanctions, he took the United States into a high-risk conflict, becoming the first wartime president and, despite the odds, winning.
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Cogently organized, meticulously balanced
- By Diana Black Kennedy on 06-15-18
By: Noah Feldman
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Andrew Jackson
- His Life and Times
- By: H.W. Brands
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 25 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The most famous American of his time, Andrew Jackson is a seminal figure in American history. The first "common man" to rise to the presidency, Jackson embodied the spirit and the vision of the emerging American nation; the term "Jacksonian democracy" is embedded in our national lexicon. With the sweep, passion, and attention to detail that made The First American a Pulitzer Prize finalist, historian H.W. Brands shapes a historical narrative that's as fast-paced and compelling as the best fiction.
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Very Thorough
- By Eric on 02-07-06
By: H.W. Brands
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Washington and Hamilton
- The Alliance That Forged America
- By: Stephen F. Knott, Tony Williams
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In the wake of the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers faced a daunting task: overcome their competing visions to build a new nation, the likes of which the world had never seen. Washington and Hamilton chronicles the unlikely collaboration between two conflicting characters working together to protect their hard-won freedoms. Yet while Washington and Hamilton's different personalities often led to fruitful collaboration, their conflicting ideals also tested the boundaries of their relationship - and threatened the future of the new republic.
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Biography
- By Emily on 06-14-18
By: Stephen F. Knott, and others
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John Marshall
- The Man Who Made the Supreme Court
- By: Richard Brookhiser
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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The life of John Marshall, founding father and America's premier chief justice. In 1801, a genial and brilliant Revolutionary War veteran and politician became the fourth chief justice of the US. He would hold the post for 34 years (still a record), expounding the Constitution he loved. Before he joined the Court, it was the weakling of the federal government, lacking in dignity and clout. After he died, it could never be ignored again.
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Excellent Biography
- By Jean on 12-14-18
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James Madison
- America's First Politician
- By: Jay Cost
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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How do you solve a problem like James Madison? The fourth president is one of the most confounding figures in early American history; his political trajectory seems almost intentionally inconsistent. He was both for and against a strong federal government. He wrote about the dangers of political parties in the Federalist Papers and then helped to found the Republican Party just a few years later. This so-called Madison problem has occupied scholars for ages.
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Good listen
- By James Shannon on 06-27-22
By: Jay Cost
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James Madison
- A Biography
- By: Ralph Ketcham
- Narrated by: Bill Burrows
- Length: 38 hrs and 4 mins
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The best one-volume biography of Madison’s life, Ketcham’s biography not only traces Madison’s career, it gives listeners a sense of the man. As Madison said of his early years in Virginia under the study of Donald Robertson, who introduced him to thinkers like Montaigne and Montesquieu, "all that I have been in life I owe largely to that man." It also captures a side of Madison that is less rarely on display.
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Narrator Too Robotic
- By Anonymous User on 09-20-21
By: Ralph Ketcham
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James Madison
- By: Richard Brookhiser
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Eminent historian Richard Brookhiser presents a vivid portrait of James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution” and one of America's greatest statesmen.
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OK book but not a biography
- By Joel Mayer on 08-05-12
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The Three Lives of James Madison
- Genius, Partisan, President
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 34 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Over the course of his life, James Madison changed the United States three times: First, he designed the Constitution, led the struggle for its adoption and ratification, then drafted the Bill of Rights. As an older, cannier politician, he cofounded the original Republican party, setting the course of American political partisanship. Finally, having pioneered a foreign policy based on economic sanctions, he took the United States into a high-risk conflict, becoming the first wartime president and, despite the odds, winning.
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Cogently organized, meticulously balanced
- By Diana Black Kennedy on 06-15-18
By: Noah Feldman
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The Last Founding Father
- James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness
- By: Harlow Giles Unger
- Narrated by: Michael McConnohie
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In this lively and compelling biography, Harlow Giles Unger reveals the dominant political figure of a generation. A fierce fighter in four critical Revolutionary War battles and a courageous survivor of Valley Forge and a near-fatal wound at the Battle of Trenton, James Monroe (1751 - 1831) went on to become America's first full-time politician, dedicating his life to securing America's national and international durability.
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Readable, but more hero worship than history
- By Elaine Martin on 12-22-10
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The Virginia Dynasty
- Four Presidents and the Creation of the American Nation
- By: Lynne Cheney
- Narrated by: Nan McNamara
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
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A vivid account of leadership focusing on the first four Virginia presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe - from the best-selling historian and author of James Madison.
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Captivating
- By Jean on 11-19-20
By: Lynne Cheney
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James Madison
- America's First Politician
- By: Jay Cost
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
How do you solve a problem like James Madison? The fourth president is one of the most confounding figures in early American history; his political trajectory seems almost intentionally inconsistent. He was both for and against a strong federal government. He wrote about the dangers of political parties in the Federalist Papers and then helped to found the Republican Party just a few years later. This so-called Madison problem has occupied scholars for ages.
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Good listen
- By James Shannon on 06-27-22
By: Jay Cost
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James Madison
- A Biography
- By: Ralph Ketcham
- Narrated by: Bill Burrows
- Length: 38 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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The best one-volume biography of Madison’s life, Ketcham’s biography not only traces Madison’s career, it gives listeners a sense of the man. As Madison said of his early years in Virginia under the study of Donald Robertson, who introduced him to thinkers like Montaigne and Montesquieu, "all that I have been in life I owe largely to that man." It also captures a side of Madison that is less rarely on display.
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Narrator Too Robotic
- By Anonymous User on 09-20-21
By: Ralph Ketcham
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James Madison
- By: Richard Brookhiser
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Eminent historian Richard Brookhiser presents a vivid portrait of James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution” and one of America's greatest statesmen.
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OK book but not a biography
- By Joel Mayer on 08-05-12
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The Three Lives of James Madison
- Genius, Partisan, President
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 34 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Over the course of his life, James Madison changed the United States three times: First, he designed the Constitution, led the struggle for its adoption and ratification, then drafted the Bill of Rights. As an older, cannier politician, he cofounded the original Republican party, setting the course of American political partisanship. Finally, having pioneered a foreign policy based on economic sanctions, he took the United States into a high-risk conflict, becoming the first wartime president and, despite the odds, winning.
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Cogently organized, meticulously balanced
- By Diana Black Kennedy on 06-15-18
By: Noah Feldman
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The Last Founding Father
- James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness
- By: Harlow Giles Unger
- Narrated by: Michael McConnohie
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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In this lively and compelling biography, Harlow Giles Unger reveals the dominant political figure of a generation. A fierce fighter in four critical Revolutionary War battles and a courageous survivor of Valley Forge and a near-fatal wound at the Battle of Trenton, James Monroe (1751 - 1831) went on to become America's first full-time politician, dedicating his life to securing America's national and international durability.
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Readable, but more hero worship than history
- By Elaine Martin on 12-22-10
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The Virginia Dynasty
- Four Presidents and the Creation of the American Nation
- By: Lynne Cheney
- Narrated by: Nan McNamara
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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A vivid account of leadership focusing on the first four Virginia presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe - from the best-selling historian and author of James Madison.
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Captivating
- By Jean on 11-19-20
By: Lynne Cheney
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James Monroe
- A Life
- By: Tim McGrath
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 28 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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The extraordinary life of James Monroe: Soldier, senator, diplomat, and the last Founding Father to hold the presidency, a man who helped transform 13 colonies into a vibrant and mighty republic.
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Large and inconsistent, much like Monroe himself.
- By Kindle Customer on 01-31-21
By: Tim McGrath
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John Quincy Adams
- Militant Spirit
- By: James Traub
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 25 hrs and 44 mins
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John Quincy Adams was the last of his kind - a Puritan from the age of the Founders who despised party and compromise yet dedicated himself to politics and government. The son of John Adams, he was a brilliant ambassador and secretary of state, a frustrated president at a historic turning point in American politics, and a dedicated congressman who literally died in office - at the age of 80, in the House of Representatives, in the midst of an impassioned political debate.
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Best narrator of all the audio books I've listened
- By grimm79 on 12-12-17
By: James Traub
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John Quincy Adams
- American Visionary
- By: Fred Kaplan
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 27 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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In this fresh and lively biography rich in literary analysis and new historical detail, Fred Kaplan brings into focus the dramatic life of John Quincy Adams - the little known and much misunderstood sixth president of the United States and the first son of John and Abigail Adams - and persuasively demonstrates how Adams's inspiring, progressive vision guided his life and helped shape the course of America.
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Destined by birth, mentored by greats...
- By Jonathan Love on 03-04-16
By: Fred Kaplan
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American Lion
- Andrew Jackson in the White House
- By: Jon Meacham
- Narrated by: Richard McGonagle
- Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, Andrew Jackson was an orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy. Jackson's election in 1828 ushered in a new and lasting era in which the people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics. Democracy made its stand in the Jackson years, and he gave voice to the hopes and the fears of a restless, changing nation facing challenging times at home and threats abroad.
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Unlikable Old Hickory
- By John M on 01-05-09
By: Jon Meacham
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Jefferson
- Architect of American Liberty
- By: John B. Boles
- Narrated by: Michael Johnson
- Length: 24 hrs and 11 mins
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From an eminent scholar of the American South, the first full-scale biography of Thomas Jefferson since 1970. Not since Merrill Peterson's Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation has a scholar attempted to write a comprehensive biography of the most complex Founding Father. In Jefferson, John B. Boles plumbs every facet of Thomas Jefferson's life, all while situating him amid the sweeping upheaval of his times. We meet Jefferson the politician and political thinker - as well as Jefferson the architect, scientist, bibliophile, paleontologist, musician, and gourmet.
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Makes Jefferson Human
- By MichaelBuffalo on 06-23-20
By: John B. Boles
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Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
- By: Jon Meacham
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann, Jon Meacham
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of American Lion and Franklin and Winston brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era.
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A Man and Biography Relevant to Our Day
- By Darwin8u on 11-14-12
By: Jon Meacham
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Mr. Jefferson's Hammer
- William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy
- By: Robert M. Owens
- Narrated by: Doug McDonald
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Often remembered as the president who died shortly after taking office, William Henry Harrison remains misunderstood by most Americans. Before becoming the ninth president of the United States in 1841, Harrison was instrumental in shaping the early years of westward expansion. Robert M. Owens now explores that era through the lens of Harrison’s career, providing a new synthesis of his role in the political development of Indiana Territory and in shaping Indian policy in the Old Northwest.
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Title = Truth in Advertising
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By: Robert M. Owens
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The First Populist
- The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson
- By: David S. Brown
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- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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A timely, “solidly researched [and] gracefully written” (The Wall Street Journal) biography of President Andrew Jackson that offers a fresh reexamination of this charismatic figure in the context of American populism—connecting the complex man and the politician to a longer history of division, dissent, and partisanship that has come to define our current times.
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Evan's Review
- By Evan on 03-08-23
By: David S. Brown
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Wilson
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A hundred years after his inauguration, Woodrow Wilson still stands as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, and one of the most enigmatic. And now, after more than a decade of research and writing, Pulitzer Prize-winning author A. Scott Berg has completed Wilson - the most personal and penetrating biography ever written about the 28th President. This is not just Wilson the icon - but Wilson the man.
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Well Written & Narrated But Too Much Hero Worship
- By Nostromo on 11-17-13
By: A. Scott Berg
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American Sphinx
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- Length: 15 hrs
- Unabridged
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For a man who insisted that life on the public stage was not what he had in mind, Thomas Jefferson certainly spent a great deal of time in the spotlight. Historian Joseph J. Ellis sifts the facts shrewdly from the legends and the rumors, treading a path between vilification and hero worship in order to formulate a plausible portrait of the man who still today "hover[s] over the political scene like one of those dirigibles cruising above a crowded football stadium, flashing words of inspiration to both teams".
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So: they did the DNA and … time to change appendix
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By: Joseph J. Ellis
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A Man of Iron
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Grover Cleveland’s political career—a dizzying journey that saw him rise from obscure lawyer to president of the United States in just three years—was marked by contradictions. A politician of uncharacteristic honesty and principle, he was nevertheless dogged by secrets from his personal life. A believer in limited government, he pushed presidential power to its limits to combat a crippling depression, suppress labor unrest, and resist the forces of American imperialism.
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Worth the Wait!
- By Brian S Cunningham on 09-21-22
By: Troy Senik
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Coolidge
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- Length: 21 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Calvin Coolidge, president from 1923 to 1929, never rated highly in polls, and history has remembered the decade in which he served as an extravagant period predating the Great Depression. Now Amity Shlaes provides a fresh look at the 1920s and its elusive president, showing that the mid-1920s was in fact a triumphant period that established our modern way of life: The nation electrified, Americans drove their first cars, and the federal deficit was replaced with a surplus.
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Silent Cal
- By Jean on 02-19-13
By: Amity Shlaes
What listeners say about James Madison
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- NDFletch
- 06-13-15
Great man, great ideas, muddling book
I so wanted to like this book. I am a fan of the Ms Cheney's father, as he's one of the few contemporary GOP members that evokes any of Mr Madison's thought. Unfortunately, the book is bogged down with irrelevant minutia and trivialities, and spend far too little time with the formation of Mr Madison's brilliant philosophies.
The narrator, Eliza Foss, has a wonderful voice - but not for a historical biography. Her rather sing-songy read compounds the lack of substance. At least this is true for the first half of the book, which is where I gave up.
After reading Jefferson: The Art of Power, Washington: A Life, John Adam, and The Bully Pulpit: Roosevelt & Taft (all spectacular books) A Life Reconsidered was a major disappointment.
My apologies the the author and narrator, as they obviously put much effort into this book. I just did not find compellingly constructed.
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16 people found this helpful
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- Teresa
- 06-12-14
Nice history of the early national period
I was expecting something more like Ron Chernow's biographies of Washington and Hamilton. This book seems more like a history of the early national period. Madison was certainly a major part of that period but in this book he just seems like a character in the larger story rather than the center of attention. It's fine, but I wish I had picked one of the older Madison biographies on audible.
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16 people found this helpful
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- MAGJAG
- 06-30-15
Lynne Cheney Ain't No David McCullough
Would you try another book from Lynne Cheney and/or Eliza Foss?
NO.
What could Lynne Cheney have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Rely more on factual events and writings rather than speculating or "imagining" what it must have been like during the course of the events written about.
Would you be willing to try another one of Eliza Foss’s performances?
It would depend on the subject of the book.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Disappointment. A waste of my time. I expected a better narrative of one of the most influential and fascinating people in U.S. history.
Any additional comments?
While it usually doesn't matter to me whether a book is narrated by a man or woman as long as the performance is good, I must say that the choice of narrators here was not a good one. I have encountered many female narrators who have done an excellent job "voicing" the men in a book but that was not the case here. This book seemed to need a man's voice considering virtually all the individuals quoted or referred to are men, or at least a better female narrator. Foss sounded like a 2nd grade school teacher and an uninspired one at that. In addition to a poor choice in narrators, Cheney's book itself was not satisfying. I barely got 1/3 of the way through before I had to give it up and it was a struggle to stick with it that long. I cannot count how many times Cheney relies on speculation of facts or "imagining" what it must have been like to fill out her narrative. Isn't there plenty of factual evidence on which the narrative can rely without retreating to inferring, guessing or imagining? Cheney's attempts to be folksy or familiar with her subject also falls flat. I just do not find her to be a good writer. I do not recommend this book at all on any level.
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14 people found this helpful
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- Jean
- 05-21-14
Excellent
“James Madison: A Life Reconsidered” by Lynne Cheney surprised me with new facts and perspectives, I was previously unaware of. The biography traces the entire life, but it is at its most absorbing in the retelling of Madison’s epic efforts from 1785 through the ratification of the Bill of Rights in December 1791. Madison worked with Jefferson to write the Virginia Constitution, Madison was drafting the blue print that would later become the U.S. Constitution, including the important tenet for religious liberty. A diligent member of the Continental Congress, he along with Alexander Hamilton, proposed a state’s revenue to pay the new county’s debts and promoted Jefferson as a peace negotiator in Paris. Cheney portrays Madison as a brilliant, shrewd statesman who, more than anyone else was responsible for writing the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Cheney devotes substantial space to new information about Madison’s physical maladies, especially a syndrome involving attacks akin to those of epilepsy. Cheney makes clear that Madison was a practical politician. “He was capable not only of deeply creative thinking,” she writes, “but of turning his thoughts into reality.” Cheney primarily portrays Madison in a favorable light but did point out he was capable of changing his mind, for example, during the debates over the Constitution and designing the government, Madison disagreed with Hamilton about the need for a federal bank. Hamilton won the point and developed a federal bank which was dissolved later on. When Madison became President he fought to have the Bank reinstated as he said that the government could not function without a federal bank just as Hamilton had advocated. The author provides the reader with considerable amount of detail about Dolly Madison. She was not only a great hostess but was helpful to Madison in politics and later with managing his papers. I learned from a side note by Cheney that the Republican Party of Madison and Jefferson was actually known as the Democratic-Republican party and had nothing to do with the current day Republican GOP Party which was established just prior to the Civil War. The author goes into a significant amount of detail, such as, Madison’s boarding bill in Philadelphia, the purchasing of table setting from James Monroe, and to Dolley’s knee abscess this all contributes to the richness of the biography. I believe one must read more than one source about a person or topic to obtain a more complete picture of the person or situation. The books I have read about Monroe are an excellent example, because each has provided a different picture of Monroe and his life. I read “James Madison: the Founding Father by Robert Allen Rutland published in 1997 and James Madison: A Biography by Ralph Ketcham published in 1971. Compared to the above books Cheney provided far more insight into Monroe’s personal life and that of Dolley Madison. The biography is well written and Cheney clearly brings to life the character and personality of James and Dolley Madison. Lynne Cheney is the wife of Dick Cheney the former vice President of the United States. I must admit the reason I bought the book was just to see what she had to say and if she was able to write. I am glad I decided to give Cheney a chance as she has turned out to be a good historian. Eliza Foss did an excellent job narrating the book.
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12 people found this helpful
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- ckllp
- 08-21-16
Too much suggestion instead of reality
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
I am not a historian but have listened now to a dozen or more books on presidents and those connected to the presidency. This book stands out from the rest with the amount of guess work included. So many sentences started with probably, possibly, likely... and then would make a statement that yes, could be true, but there is no evidence of it. I don't mind inferences being drawn from pieces of information, but stating what someone probably thought when hearing or reading something; or saying that probably one person visited another when in the same town, etc. is not allowing me to finish this book, especially with the frequency that it occurs - I made it to chapter 8. I also don't watch Oliver Stone movies for this reason. I don't want to have to sort thru in my memory what was fact.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Anne D. Christensen
- 07-16-14
Madison's viewpoint of familiar history
Is there anything you would change about this book?
I would change the reader who although easy to understand might better suited to read children's books.
What was one of the most memorable moments of James Madison?
I was most interested in his medical trials, especially what appears to be lifelong psychomotor seizures.
How could the performance have been better?
There is no sense of command to Eliza Foss's reading. Where moments are solemn it is best not to end a sentence with an upward inflection
Do you think James Madison needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No. Subject adequately covered
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4 people found this helpful
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- Julie
- 10-22-16
Terrible narrator
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
I love biographies of Presidents. This was very uninteresting, felt the author was just reciting Madison's accomplishments. Never got to know him personally, which is what a great biography should do.I don't think this book is a listen, at all!
Has James Madison turned you off from other books in this genre?
No, maybe this author and narrator
How did the narrator detract from the book?
She was terrible. Her narration did not jibe with the story. It's like someone told her to vary her voice which she does, but at completely inappropriate times. Like her voice will go up when it should go down. It made it very boring and irritating to listen to. I actually stopped mid-book which is a pity!
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from James Madison?
Don't know.
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2 people found this helpful
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- The Texas Firefly
- 02-11-15
Madison the Supporting Actor
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
I enjoyed the book but felt like the vast majority of it was an overview of early American history rather than a biography of Madison. Madison is really relegated to a supporting character as the book focuses on the birth and early days of the nation. The book lacked the focus that other historical biographers typically have. I almost felt like Madison was just the hook to retell some of Cheney's favorite stories from early American history.
Did Eliza Foss do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
Goo reading, clear and easy to understand.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Nolkat
- 06-04-15
Ok.
The book was sold but a little lighter than I would have liked. Compared to other presidential biographies, I feel like I know Madison less as a human being than I do his earlier and more famous predecessors.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Nathan Franzen
- 03-03-24
Truly one of the great founding fathers!
Well written. Enjoyed learning more about James Madison. Pleasant surprise was be reminded of how special Dolly Madison was.
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