SPEAKING OF AMERICA

From George Washington to Joe Biden, Cohen unpacks a pithy quote from each U.S. president in succession.

Some of the author’s choices resound down the years—“We hold these truths to be self-evident…” “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”—and most still carry some relevance even when they focus on issues more of the day than of all time. Some, such as Andrew Jackson’s crowing over the “happy consummation” of the Indian Removal Act and Donald Trump’s “Make America great again,” are enduringly wince-worthy, and in his accompanying commentary for each selection, Cohen tersely but clearly explains why. Other selections point to historical achievements or failures that the author likewise analyzes with a reasonably even hand. His broader, context-setting notes for each entry are less well considered, though; despite them all being titled “The World in [date],” most focus on events in the United States. Some of Shih’s digitally rendered images are somewhat off the mark, such as a misleading picture of breaking chains representing the ineffectual Millard Fillmore’s anti-slavery views. Still, if the woodenly posed figures in her group scenes aren’t individualized, they are generally racially diverse. Overall, Cohen’s chosen quotes offer useful perspectives on the tumultuous history of the United States.

A perceptive, if occasionally parochial, overview.