Why read The Passions of Andrew Jackson?

Book cover of The Passions of Andrew Jackson

Book description

Most people vaguely imagine Andrew Jackson as a jaunty warrior and a man of the people, but he was much more—a man just as complex and controversial as Jefferson or Lincoln. Now, with the first major reinterpretation of his life in a generation, historian Andrew Burstein brings back Jackson with…

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American history

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Passions of Andrew Jackson as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Sean Patrick Adams

Author

If you find Schlesinger’s account a bit troubling, this book is your antidote. Burstein engages in a blistering account of Andrew Jackson’s turbulent life; his personalization of political conflicts, his propensity for violence, and his cultivation of populist politics. In the end, the Jackson that emerges is a great deal less heroic than most accounts; certainly more psychotic than earlier ones. That said, Burstein’s book is a great read and shows up on this list because it is a great way to understand how many Americans regard Andrew Jackson these days.

From Sean's list on The best books about Andrew Jackson’s bizarre, violent, divisive – but still very significant – life.