Gerald R. Ford: The 38th President, 1974-1977

This is a good book. It makes you realize that Ford was really a hard working, intelligent, well qualified person at the time that he was selected to be Vice President. It also brings to life, the 70's. As the country gets ready to celebrate another birthday, we can also celebrate the persons who have been willing to get involved in service to their country.

My dad enjoyed Gerald Ford as President because of his honesty, integrity, and rare human quality.

The American Presidents Series is a wonderful way to learn about each of the presidents in little time. This bio is very timely after the death of Ford. Brinkley is a great writer and brings the life of Ford to the readers in a flowing narrative. Brinkley also shows what a nice, honest, great man Ford was, as well as shows how Ford's accomplishments are being viewed in a different and better light later in history. Highly recommended

The American Presidents series, snapshot biographies of most of our presidents, is a great addition to our knowledge of this small number of men who have been our nation's Chief Executive. With the recent publication of Douglas Brinkley's book on Gerald Ford the series has just gotten even better. The timeliness of the book's release, so soon after President Ford's death, (not to mention the passing of Arthur Schlesinger, general editor of the series) is particularly welcome. Ford's growing popularity, as witnessed not only by Brinkley's offering but also by the former president's funeral, adds to the luster of a president who, during his tenure at the White House, was considered either a buffoon or just simply not up to the job. Brinkley stresses Gerald Ford's midwestern roots, his service to the country during World War II and his ascension through the Republican ranks in the House of Representatives to become that party's Minority Leader. Politically ambitious, Brinkley recalls that Ford's wish was to become Speaker of the House. How things changed for him almost overnight! When Nixon needed a new Vice President after the disgraced Spiro Agnew resigned, there was really only one man who was acceptable...Jerry Ford. His 896 days as president had some notable achievements, our extrication from Vietnam and the Helsinki Accords to name just two, but the pardon of Nixon....always the pardon...came around to haunt Ford for years. Fortunately, for those of us who were outraged at Ford for doing so at the time, now see the wisdom of his decision and Brinkley balances this nicely with other aspects of the Ford administration. The assessment of President Ford's performance in office is far from complete but his personal attributes of honesty and integrity will only help to reinforce a rising look at Gerald Ford as a man and as a president. Douglas Brinkley has done an excellent job of reminding us what a good man President Ford was and how he helped get us through the aftermath of our "long, national nightmare".

Brinkley's account of the underappreciated Presidency and life of Gerald R. Ford was a fast and informative account of our 38th President. Though a biographer of Jimmy Carter, Brinkley gives Ford his due credit, but also manages to draw attention to Ford's mistakes, such as jettisoning Rockefeller from the Vice Presidency. Brinkley's 2003 interviews with Ford also provide rich background to a book that one can easily read in a single day. Since his death, the public adoration for Ford has been deafening. This biography hit the shelves only 6 weeks after his death, which is included in the book. As a public school Social Studies teacher, I would highly recommend this book!