Shelly's Book Journal

This is the story primarily of Andrew Jackson's presidency - the things he battled and stood for. Meacham does include a brief history of Old Hickory, enough to link together some of the reasons why Jackson stood for what he did. Jackson faced a number of challenges during his 8 years in office - some of it his own making. His stand for the Union perhaps most memorable, but also the Petticoat Wars, his battle with the Bank of the United States among others. While I enjoyed learning more about Jackson and his time in office, I was a bit disappointed in this book. I've read a number of Presidential bios this year, and I just didn't feel like I got to "know" Jackson as much as other Presidents (including Thomas Jefferson in Meacham's own Art of Power.) Although the people's president, he didn't seem like he had much interaction beyond the Donelsons and his own immediate cabinet. It was a fairly short read, however, (At leas as far as this kind of book goes) and increased my overall knowledge of this president.