Herbert Hoover: Forgotten Progressive

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I'm reading a bio of each President and was actually excited to get to Hoover. I figured he couldn't be nearly as bad as his reputation and there might be some insight as to how he was so successful in most of his life, but failed so miserably as president. Alas, there is not. The book seems well-researched, but there is a stunning lack of personal detail. Almost nothing other than Hoover's offical writings are cited. No anecdotes from friends. No personal correspondance. Before he went into government, he spent most of his adult life overseas. Surely there would be some interesting tales from those adventures, I thought. None. If you have to do research on Hoover, I suppose this is a fine place to start. However, if you're a bio fan and looking for some insight into the man and the times, don't bother. To be fair, such a book may not exist or even be feasible with Hoover. This one definitely isn't it.