This is a fine biography of an enigmatic American president. Enigmatic may not be the precisely accurate word. Coolidge was plain-spoken, but spoke little. The slightly humorous image of him as "Silent Cal," the man few people could get more than two words out of, turns out to be a fitting one. Over and over throughout the book are examples of Coolidge refusing to state a position, refusing to let even his closest associates know his thoughts, refusing to intervene in pressing issues unless he felt he could actively influence those issues. As a president, Coolidge must be considered a failure, his laissez-faire attitude guiding the U.S. through a period of extraordinary prosperity but landing it shortly after he left office on the unforeseen shoals of the Great Depression. Donald McCoy's research is meticulous and the book is a very good reading experience, even in light of its subjects determined inactivism. ( )

3403. Calvin Coolidge: The Quiet President, by Donald R. McCoy (read 9 Feb 2001) I did not need to read this in relation to my project to read a bio of each President, since I read William Allen White's bio of Coolidge, but that was back on May 5, 1947, so I thought I would read this 1967 work. I had to laugh aloud many times, sometimes with Coolidge and often at him. His life is remarkable--his rise to the Presidency, considering what an odd duck he was, is truly an instance of great luck. I enjoyed this book very much. ( )