"Chester A. Arthur, who knew? Scott Greenberger redeems our most forgotten president from the margins of history with verve and narrative skill. Arthur lived a life full of twists. His biography is a story of a moral tumble and a brave quest for redemption. Greenberger propels us towards his subject, finding the pathos in his fascinating life, and quietly demands that we give him his proper due."--Franklin Foer, former editor of The New Republic and author of World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Techand How Soccer Explains the World —-
"Shipwrecks. A crazed assassin. The frantic machinations of a deadlocked political convention. In this penetrating tale of madness, blundering, intrigue, and corruption at the height of the Gilded Age--that era that helped mold our own--Scott Greenberger gives us a keen and vivid portrait of President Chester Arthur, the most accidental of American chief executives, and the remarkable turns of fate that brought him to the White House."--John A. Farrell, author of Richard Nixon: The Life —-
"Scott Greenberger's sparkling narrative brings to life Chester Arthur's remarkable journey from lighthearted and cynical scion of New York's potent Republican machine to probity-minded president focused on the national interest. It's a poignant tale, as well as an important historical one, and it is captured here in vivid prose that dances upon a foundation of probing research."--Robert W. Merry, author of A Country of Vast Designs —-
"Scott S. Greenberger has crafted a riveting tale of nineteenth-century history from what others have skipped over as a mere historical curiosity. Crisply written and richly evocative, The Unexpected President is an inspiring account of how a political hack was transformed in meeting the expectation of the presidency and rendered a virtuous service to the nation. This is a remarkable work of historical discovery about a forgotten politician whose rise above the politics of his time could be a model for our age."--James McGrath Morris, author of Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power —-
"[Greenberger's] vibrant narrative and fetching personal profiles transform a biography about a largely overlooked political figure into a suspensefully, well, unexpectedly gratifying read."
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Sam Roberts, New York Times,
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"An entertaining, illuminating biography of the 21st president and the political world in which he lived."
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Wall Street Journal,
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"A great historical read and a great glimpse of a colorful, pivotal, oft-overlooked, slice of U.S. history."
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Austin American-Statesman,
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"Greenberger has done a fine job with what will likely be the definitive book on the 21st president."
—Houston Press, -
"Thoroughly accessible to lay readers and scholars alike...highly recommended."
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Midwest Book Review,
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"Richly researched, sourced and annotated, this book principally reveals a neglected president's varied career."
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Washington Times,
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"By sheer authorly enthusiasm, [Greenberger] manages to rescue Arthur from his own reputation as an obscure placeholder and put him before readers as a man who came abruptly into his own best convictions."
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Christian Science Monitor,
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"A solidly researched and fast-paced monograph that reminds us that there was more to Arthur than the sideburns."
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The Weekly Standard,
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"Greenberger convincingly presents a machine politician transformed by the responsibility of high office."
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Boston Globe,
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"An excellent page-turning biography."
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The Bowery Boys
"Greenberger employs his reportorial talent to tell a story with a strong narrative arc and makes Chester Arthur come alive on the page."
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The Bennington Banner
"[The Unexpected President] reminds readers of the importance of the choice for this office."—Choice