Ike's Bluff (Evan Thomas, 2012)

Evan Thomas is always a good bet, so I had no problem getting him into my US history reading queue as I progressed chronologically through the 20th century. This isn't a straight-up Eisenhower biography, but more focused on the foreign-policy aspects of his presidency. Although most Eisenhower books have already made it clear that he was not the same man as the image cultivated by the media and his own handlers, Thomas focuses specifically on the "bluff": his outward assertion of willingness to use nuclear weapons, while internally abhorring ever pursuing such a course. Thankfully for the world, the bluff wasn't called, though things were not easy during the 1950's Cold War. I saw Thomas at a booksigning event last year and he teased that his next book would center around Nixon and Vietnam, so I am looking forward to that story.

Here are the US History books read in 2014, stretching over about 90 years:

• Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard: Probably the best book about President Garfield out there, centered on the dark comedy of errors that ultimately led to his death.
• The Greater Journey by David McCullough: An unusual topic for the famed biographer, tracing the experience of Americans in Paris, mostly during the latter half of the 19th century.
• A Fierce Discontent by Michael McGerr: A good overview of the still not well-explored Progressive Era.
• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson: Fantastic look at a truly misunderstood chapter of American history, the "great migration" of African-Americans from the South to the North.
• Ike's Bluff by Evan Thomas: see above!