Drinkers, cowboys, nerds

America has always been “great”. It is not only today that men with sometimes very unusual biographies make it into the White House. We encounter the only president who shot another man by his own hand (Jackson), a bookworm who turned himself into a cowboy (Roosevelt) and a man who failed professionally and suddenly has to decide on the use of the atomic bomb (Truman).

In an entertaining and informative way Ronald D. Gerste sheds light on an unknown side of US history: the lives of remarkable, quirky and also tragic presidents – who acted far from the usual type of politician and were sometimes very successful. At the same time he gives surprising insights into little-known sides of the most important office in the world.

Barley is a doctor and historian. He has lived in Washington D.C. for many years; he writes for the FAZ, the NZZ and the magazine Damals, among others.