Quotes
"The conflict between work and family is the American story, but it is nowhere else so complex as it is when the job is the presidency. In First Dads, Joshua Kendall gives us a window into the many challenges the role includes, and shows how some men have succeeded in balancing love of family and love of country, while others have tripped over the joint role. It is an engaging book, presenting the most human face that can be given to great power."—Andrew Solomon, National Book Award-winning author of Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity
"Joshua Kendall's First Dads vividly brings the personal histories of the presidents to life from a new angle - their experiences as fathers. With meticulous research, he draws connections between presidential parenting styles and governing policies. First Dads is a fresh and engaging take."—Jay Winik, New York Times bestselling author of April 1865: The Month That Saved America and 1944: FDR and the Year that Changed History
"Engaging...Kendall writes movingly and effectively about the parenting skills of the 43 men who have served as president."—USA Today
"Anecdote-packed...Provides delightful peeks at life inside the White House...Kendall is good at linking a president's strengths or failures as a parent to his success or failure at governing...FIRST DADS provides a valuable reminder that while an American president may have the clout to launch spaceships and end world wars, that doesn't mean he can get his children to behave, be happy or even return his phone calls. In fact, when it comes to parenthood--that great, humbling equalizer--the most intelligent and powerful men on earth seem to flounder and fail even more than the rest of us."—New York Times Book Review
"In FIRST DADS, Joshua Kendall opens a window into the inner lives of our presidents in ways that tell us a lot about both their approach to parenting and their approach to the presidency. The view is often moving and always illuminating."—The Washington Times
"Kendall takes readers behind the scenes to reveal their private parenting techniques, using interviews, letters, and diaries to access a world that few have seen...Kendall's research puts all the presidents and their parenting practices in perspective, giving readers great insight into these men and their children. Rich in detail, this informative book gives new understanding to our nation's leaders and their offspring."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Fascinating...This inspiring title is likely to appeal to many different readers. History buffs, U.S. presidential scholars, and Dad on Father's Day will all relish this walk though time and the shared experience of parenting."—Library Journal
"What kind of a father is a man? The question is so basic and potentially revealing of character, yet most presidential biographers barely discuss it. With insight, grace, and wit, Josh Kendall delves deeply into the fascinating and often fraught relationships of presidents and their progeny. An illuminating and highly readable book."—Evan Thomas, New York Times bestselling author Being Nixon and Ike's Bluff
"Josh Kendall's First Dads is a fascinating look at how U.S. presidents were influenced-for better or worse-by their experiences as a father. Kendall has a gift for writing lively anecdotes, which keeps his narrative hopping. It's an indispensable book...Highly recommended!"—Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of Cronkite and The Wilderness Warrior
"Joshua Kendall's First Dads is a comprehensive and always entertaining guide to a little noticed aspect of the American presidency-the family lives of our founding and presiding fathers. Based on extensive research, including interviews with surviving daughters and sons, which reveals a link between parenting and governing styles, First Dads is bound to influence the conversation during this election year. In our age of helicopter parenting, it's both refreshing and instructive to follow Kendall's parade of presidential dads who often coaxed their kids to march to the beat of their own unbridled ambitions."—Megan Marshall, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Margaret Fuller: A New American Life
