Hail to the chiefs

Tomorrow is President’s Day and if you are fortunate enough to have

the day off, you have George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (and by

extension, all the former Presidents of the United States) to thank.

The Oval Office has been filled by great and not-so-great leaders

of the past, but even the lesser of them have held an office of

incredible power and borne the burdens that go with that power. And

although we are grateful to them all, it’s still a holiday, so let’s

take a “lighter” look at the Presidency, as seen through some of the

books available at the library.

“Hail to the Chiefs: Presidential Mischief, Morals & Malarkey from

George W. to George W,” by Barbara Holland, takes a look at the

all-too-human side of our illustrious chief executives in a breezy,

but informative look inside the various administrations. Ms. Holland

takes you from the truth about Washington’s dentures to the fact that

if you added up all the days that Lincoln actually spent in school it

wouldn’t equal a year. She also debunks a lot of our cherished myths,

but that’s part of the fun.

Helen Thomas, former dean of the White House press corps, covered

nine presidents during her tenure. In “Thanks for the Memories, Mr.

President: Wit and Wisdom from the Front Row at the White House,” Ms.

Thomas reviews the different styles of the presidents, all of whom

didn’t really savor talking to the press. From Kennedy’s sparring

with the press to George W-isms, it is a delightful and revealing

read from the lady we all will remember for the closing of the press

conferences with her trademark, “Thank you, Mr. President.”

Some of the lighter reflections on the presidency take a definite

sporting slant. One of these is “First Off the Tee: Presidential

Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters, from Taft to Bush,” by Don Van Natta,

Jr., a correspondent for the New York Times. Since Taft, all the

presidents except Hoover, Truman and Carter were known to sneak off

to the links. And though it is not an in-depth look at their

ideologies or methodologies, information about who cheats, who

bullies, who hides his talent, and who plays the most under crisis is

very revealing.

The same goes for “Fishing with the Presidents,” by Bill Mares.

From Jimmy Carter, who loved fishing even as he referred to himself

as “piscatorially retarded,” to George Washington, who was a

commercial fisherman for a time, it offers an unusual and insightful

look at our presidents.

Did you know that the Reagans actually had a “First Goldfish” in

the White House? This amusing tidbit and other hilarious animal

stories can be found in several books, like “Wackiest White House

Pets,” a children’s book by Kathryn Gibbs Davis; “Presidential Pets,”

by Niall Kelly; and “First Dogs: American Presidents and Their Best

Friends,” by Roy Rowan and Janis Brooke. Each contains great

anecdotes and charming pictures that reveal another side of our

Commanders in Chief.

Add Margaret Truman’s “The President’s House: A First Daughter

Shares the History and Secrets of the World’s Most Famous Home” to

the list and you have a host of wonderful, intimate stories about the

presidents, their children, their pets and their staffs.

So you see, even a solemn sounding holiday like President’s Day

need not be filled with dry history and boring speeches.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Sara Barnicle. All titles may be

reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at

https://www.newportbeach library.org. For more information on the

Central Library or any of the branch locations, please contact the

Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.