Written by Jon Meacham
I finally got around to reading this — waiting until it arrived in affordable paperback. One 48 hour reading session later, American Lion provoked a number of reactions…the most prominent being disappointment.
The oddest reaction…and for a number of reasons. I was (irrationally, perhaps) disappointed it wasn’t an epic on the scale of Team of Rivals, which is to history what Gone with the Wind is to film. It certainly covered a great deal of ground, but it seems almost paltry, in comparison to that earlier, titanic work.
I was disappointed that the book seemed to concentrate on so much Washington social gossip and bickering between kin. In some respects, it was necessary, but as I trudged through these chapters, I couldn’t help but think “when do we get back to the good stuff?”
I was disappointed with the brevity…and I NEVER believed I would say or write such a thing. Brevity and the ability to be concise are highly prized characteristics in my view of the literary universe, but some of the chapters and issues explored in this book deserve — even demand — FAR MORE examination than we are given…especially in regards to the national bank and the removal of the natives. This book is TOO concise for its own good.
That said, as a work that examines why Andrew Jackson can be seen to be the most powerful & influential father of modern American politics & the imperial presidency, it succeeds beyond the shadow of a doubt. It demonstrates a key transformation within American society, from post-colonial elitism to modern electoral populism, and it shows how Jackson was the eye of the cyclone that brought about this transformation.
I simply wish there had been a deeper, more exacting, more intense examination that what Jon Meacham provides. But we can’t have everything in this world, and I’ll certainly be content with American Lion…until something more epic comes along.
