A Treasury Of Great American Scandals (2003) - Plot & Excerpts
Well, it's American history, so obviously there's a level of dryness you can't get around, but the author writes in a very witty, sometimes sarcastic manner that amuses me. Educational little bits of stuff you won't find in history books. I definitely learned stuff I didn't know about and I think it was worth the read almost just for the more in-depth story on the Salem witch trials (oh my god I didn't know a bunch of jerk-ass kids were the cause of it, augh, what a messed up town.) I only recommend it for people who actually have a slight interest in history though, otherwise I would recommend you try some of the other funnier books such as his first one, A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories of History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors, which has more debauchery because it spans an earlier time, or Napoleon's Privates: 2,500 Years of History Unzipped, which is similar but has different stories. This book of course is only recent history, starting at the American Revolution, and spanning to 1980, and which can get a little more boring. But I still enjoyed it and came out learning several new things.One of the most interesting stories I found was this: A congressman in 1859 shot another important man dead in front of the white house because he was sleeping with his wife. At his murder trail, the entire jury acquitted him, citing that they would do the same thing. A parade was held in his honor, the murderer, that is. Everyone loved him. Then, he returned to his wife. Everyone suddenly hated him, because he was returning to a 'polluted woman.' Oh. Okay. So murder is okay, but reconciling with your wife is disgusting and vile. Okay people of 1859. I see.
With the exception of about 3 stories, this book will definitely keep your interest. It has some tantalizingly scandalous stories. It’s as if TMZ, WikiLeaks, and Dennis Miller decided to join forces and journeyed into the past just to gather dirt on past Presidents, Congressional leaders, Generals, and their families. :) There are many juicy stories in this book; some of which are very short (1 page long). My 2 fav stories of the book were: “The Case of the Cuckolded Congressman” and “LBJ vs. RFK.”
What do You think about A Treasury Of Great American Scandals (2003)?
Michael Farquhar is an author I first heard about on NPR. This is the second of his books I have read. They all follow a similar format. The author will take a topic (here American scandals) and write in a series of short essays (from 1 to 15 pages) on each one. The result is an easy, humorous read about history. And you get to learn a bit along the way. Since each essay is a stand alone, it is like reading short stories. Great for reading as a break from another book, while standing in line somewhere, etc. Thoroughly entertaining to read.
—David Szatkowski
I've read this, and the Royal Scandals book and I think I like this one even better. I was so disappointed to find out that Ben Franklin was a horrible father, but not so surprised that Nixon was an anti-Semite on top of everything else. I loved the catty sexual scandals, like the Peggy Eaton affair too. It just goes to show that fact is sometimes crazier than fiction and people love to create soap operas to make their boring lives interesting. Farquhar's style is fantastic. Using a quote someon
—Jillian
I enjoyed this book, a dollar find at a YMCA book sale. While some of the scandals were familiar, others were shocking. I loved seeing the legends debunked. Benjamin Franklin, so famous for his lightning experiment, actually let his son run around in the field during the storm, while he watched from the shelter of a barn. Reading about all the hijinks and misbehavior of our country's leaders did renforce to me that we have invented nothing. Like it says on the back cover of the book, we just have better media coverage.
—Lavonne
