...I feel I need to remind him, there's "nothing in the middle of the road but yellow lines, and dead armadillos". Giving the news to you straight, and without judgement does have it's merits, however, it also leaves you with a feeling that the job is half-done. Just reporting the facts is only half the job, IMHO. Without any kind of analysis, you are left wondering where the author stands, although I think I have a good idea about that. This tome is sort of a reflection of the times, where outrageous things are essentially given a pass because we don't want to appear too judgmental. And I really tried to view all this history with an unjaundiced eye; but by the time we got to Clinton and Obama, I just couldn't hang. And then I was highly disappointed with the "afterword" on Trump and Biden. I mean this was why I slogged though all these presidents in the first place; to see where they would end up, in comparison to all the others. But the authors deemed it "too soon" to pass judgement, leaving me feeling like I got taken for a ride. Like one of those "fun houses" where they promise you a good time, but it turns out to be a damp squid. Now I frequently watch O'Reilly on You Tube. And I like his commentary on things, even when his "no spin" approach grates on me. But I expected he would at least bring some of his commentary to this book, instead of playing it meticulously straight up the middle. I could grudgingly buy that, right up to Obama, but past that, things get so radical that just "reporting the facts" without comment, becomes some kind of denial of reality. And his "co-writer" seems diametrically opposed to O'Reilly's own beliefs, so much so that the afterword comes across as a very inconclusive finish, which can't decide what to say about Trump or Biden. While I commend the authors for attempting this "unified" approach to our history, I think that ship has sailed; we are as strongly divided as we were before the Civil War. Seemingly pretending this is not so, or trying to play this down, does not work, at least in my case. If this was their intent, I commend them, however, I don't need to wait for the "verdict of history" to know what to think about current affairs. Fair and balanced does not mean ignoring the reality of these outrageous times.

Fantastic read. I learned something on almost every page. Reviews saying it’s a “cliff notes” version are ridiculous. The book would be longer than a Stephen King novel if all 45 President’s were covered in great detail. I got a very good handle on each President and I read it almost in one sitting. Only putting it down because I had to get some sleep! Highly recommended.

Bill O’Reilly should be ashamed to put his name on this book that not only has glaring errors ( see attached picture), but does not live up to the promise of insight into each president and their administration. At best it is a cursory recap of each president’s major accomplishments. So light on detail, I doubt someone not well schooled in American history ( today’s kids) will be able to follow the chronological events mentioned. If you want to know more about any, or all, of the presidents there are many better offerings. As a Bill O’Reilly fan I’m very disappointed in this effort. Save your money. Confronting will be available for a buck from plenty of used book sellers very soon.

If you want history brought to life, this book is for you. So readable, so interesting, so factual. It belongs in every classroom. Especially relevant with 2024 election coming up. Seriously, recommend for all history teachers - use this book and your students won't fall asleep or skip.

Ordered it as soon as possible. Received it on 9/10. Can't put the book down. Since history is slowly being eliminated by the current generation, this book is a must read for all generations if you are interested in our presidential history. Very well laid out, interesting and gives such a great understanding of the victories, failures, obstacles and habits of each president

I am a presidential historian. In fact, I am the Founder of the Society of Presidential Historians in Academia (SOPHIA). sophiascholars.com Many historians might thumb their nose at this book, deeming it not "scholarly," but I don’t share that view. Confronting the Presidents is historically accurate, eminently engaging, refreshingly objective, and highly entertaining. Far too many scholarly history books are written to preserve the historical record, and that’s important. But consequently, they contain painstakingly dry and often excruciatingly boring detail. But this book is chock full of information that's easy to digest, so the reader's eyes can easily glide from page to page. Bill O'Reilly (assisted by Martin Dugard) devotes a chapter to each president, from Washington to Obama, understandably omitting Trump and Biden, who at the time of writing were running for president again; O'Reilly focuses only on presidents who were done. O'Reilly engages the reader in dramatic fashion with chapter-openers such as: "George Washington is mad as his mother" (p. 3, describing a longstanding feud between the two), "The Executive Mansion [now the White House] is ablaze" (p. 33, when the British invaded and set fire to Washington, DC during the War of 1812), "Franklin Pierce needs a drink" (p. 108, explaining that president's propensity to consume large amounts of alcohol), and "The President of the United States is stuck" (p. 215, referring to William Howard Taft's large 350-pound body being stuck in the tub during his baths). I knew all of those things ahead of time, as well as most of the numerous other fascinating facts O'Reilly describes, because presidential history is my field. But I learned some new interesting tidbits too, such as: A few years before becoming president and leader of the Confederate Army, respectively, Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee worked together to coordinate incoming President Zachary Taylor's inauguration festivities (p. 98), that Taylor and his running mate Millard Fillmore never met face-to-face until after they won the election (p. 104), that Gerald and Betty Ford were the first president and first lady to sleep in the same bedroom in the White House (p. 333), and that Barack Obama is fluent in Indonesian (p. 383). The book is remarkably objective until the Afterword, when O'Reilly and Dugard show their hand and tell us what they think of Trump and Biden, and we finally learn that Dugard, who's been collaborating with O'Reilly on books for years and years but has mostly remained in the shadows, in contrast to the conservative-minded (but registered independent) O'Reilly, is a liberal! That in my mind adds gravitas to their work, as they can assess matters from varying perspectives. The only disappointment I have with a book this rich in presidential anecdotes is that there aren't any cited sources. Oh, it's not that I doubt the information's veracity (like I said, I already knew most of it and have no doubt to believe that any of it is inaccurate); it's just that footnotes/endnotes are helpful to those interested in further reading. What may seem like frivolous presidential trivia to some is in my view what makes this book so valuable: that George Washington didn't attend his mother's funeral (though, in fairness, it's been said that the news didn't get to him in time) and never had a headstone put on her grave (no excuses for that one). It's important because we tend to vilify our modern-day presidents, yet we all but declare holy those on Mount Rushmore. But here we learn how the "Father of our Country" treated his mother's memory, and hopefully it reminds us that history has a tendency to wash away or galvanize a president's image, and that all of the presidents - every single one of them - had good points and bad points. This is great read in language simple enough for novices but informative enough even for those of us who've made presidential history a life's work.