Thursday, June 28, 2012

The President is a Sick Man

The President is a Sick Man:
Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survived a Secret
Surgery at Sea and Vilifies the Courageous Newspaperman who Dare
Expose the Truth
Matthew Algeo
Chicago Review Press
ISBN 13: 978-1-56976-350-6
$ 24.95
Hardcover
255 pages

Whenever someone reads a non-fiction novel that is as engaging as
fiction, that is obviously a worthwhile novel to read. Added to that
is the fact that this particular book also teaches history and makes
economics easy to understand, even engaging to the average person,
that is definitely a book to notice and read. That book is The
President is a Sick Man.

Grover Cleveland is the only U.S. President to serve two non-consecutive
terms. During this time, he was well-known as being an honest man
even when being accused of having a son out of wedlock and openly
providing for the boy even though it was questionable if he was the
father. This was a President who truly thought about the financial
difficulties of his country and he frequently vetoed bills from Congress
that were spending money in what he viewed as wasteful during this
time of economic strife.

What is unusual about this historical novel is that the author goes
beyond just telling the story. He successfully writes about the
surrounding events and happenings which allow the reader to better
comprehend the actual event and circumstances of the time.
At first this seemed like unrelated sidebars, but was masterfully
woven to assist the reader to better understand the circumstances
and the far-reaching effects of the decisions of the time.

The President is a Sick Man is an easily read historically accurate
perspective of an event, but more importantly a time that had different
procedures and technology than today and these influences during this
period. From the perspective of the vice president to the economy
with the feuding factions of silver and gold based monetary
systems, to the outlook of cancer at the time, to the press, to political
honesty, this viewpoint is informative and allows each reader to make
their own judgments based on the facts as presented by the author.

Matthew Algeo is a noted journalist and author. He previously has
written two novels. Last Team Standing: How the Pittsburgh
Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles - - "The Steagles" Saved Pro
Football During WWII and Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure - The
True Story of a Great American Road Trip were his two most recent
novels. He is currently residing in Mongolia while his wife works
as a Foreign Service officer.

During our country's present economic challenges, it is refreshing
to read about a similar, but earlier time, with the very decisive
President Grover Cleveland.

Definitely read The President is a Sick Man.



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