Book review - "1920 - The Year of the Six Presidents"

I just finished reading another book (six so far this year!). It was "1920 - The Year of the Six Presidents" by David Pietrusza. This book tells the story of the 1920 presidential election and the six former or future presidents who played roles in this election. The presidents are:

1. Theodore Roosevelt, who previously served as president from 1901-1909. After a failed third party run in 1912, he was considered the front-runner for the 1920 Republican nomination. However, he died in 1919, throwing the process into turmoil (TR's death means that technically, the book is misnamed. But I guess six is more dramatic than five.)
2. Woodrow Wilson, the current president, who was considering a run for an unprecedented third term. However, poor health (which was mostly hidden from the public) prevented this.
3. Warren Harding (SPOILER ALERT), who won the 1920 election.
4. Calvin Coolidge, Harding's running mate (ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT) who became president upon Harding's death in 1923.
5. Herbert Hoover, who did great work as part of the Wilson administration; administering aid to war-torn Europe.
6. Franklin Roosevelt, who ran for Vice President as James Cox's running mate for the Democratic party.

The first several chapters focus on short biographies of each of the above men. Then we move to the primaries and the campaign. I was amazed at how much politics have changed in the past 90 years. These were the days of the "smoke-filled rooms", where deals were cut to determine who the candidates would be. The candidates did very little campaigning; Harding spent most of the time at home in Ohio, giving speeches from his front porch to those who came to see him. The major issues of the day included Prohibition, voting rights for women, and whether the US should join the League of Nations (Wilson's forerunner of the United Nations).

The book was well-written. Even though the results are already known, there was an air of suspense to the narrative. I also found some interesting insight to the lives of these men who each played major roles in the shaping of America in the first half on the 20th century. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in American politics and elections or this period of history.