Books for Presidents’ Day

By Coll Rowe | February 11 2026 | General

For Presidents’ Day on February 16th, we are sharing books by and about United States presidents to educate on the history and influences their roles have on current day politics.

Presidents at War
Presidents at War
How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents, from Eisenhower and JFK through Reagan and Bush
Steven M. Gillon
9780593183137
Steven Gillon, New York Times bestselling author of America’s Reluctant Prince, returns with the story of how WWII shaped the characters and policy of six American presidents.
$35.00 US
Feb 18, 2025
Hardcover
528 Pages
Dutton
Citizen
Citizen
My Life After the White House
Bill Clinton
9780525521440
A powerful, candid, and richly detailed memoir from an American icon, revealing what life looks like after the presidency: triumphs, tribulations, and all.
$38.00 US
Nov 19, 2024
Hardcover
464 Pages
Knopf
Reconsidering Reagan
Reconsidering Reagan
Racism, Republicans, and the Road to Trump
Daniel S. Lucks
9780807002902
A long-overdue and sober examination of President Ronald Reagan's racist politics that continue to harm communities today and helped shape the modern conservative movement.
$18.95 US
Jun 22, 2021
Paperback
352 Pages
Beacon Press
Differ We Must
Differ We Must
How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America
Steve Inskeep
9780593297889
A compelling and nuanced exploration of Abraham Lincoln’s political acumen, illuminating a great politician’s strategy in a country divided—and lessons for our own disorderly present.
$20.00 US
Feb 11, 2025
Paperback
352 Pages
Penguin Books
Dinner with the President
Dinner with the President
Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House
Alex Prud'homme
9780525433033

A wonderfully entertaining, often surprising history of presidential taste, from the grim meals eaten by Washington and his starving troops at Valley Forge to Trump’s fast-food burgers and Biden’s ice cream—what they ate, why they ate it, and what it tells us about the state of the nation.

$26.00 US
Feb 20, 2024
Paperback
528 Pages
Vintage
The Last American President
The Last American President
A Broken Man, a Corrupt Party, and a World on the Brink
Thom Hartmann
9798890571847
Trump didn't break American democracy—he revealed how broken it already was.
$24.95 US
Sep 23, 2025
Paperback
224 Pages
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
2024
2024
How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America
Josh Dawsey, Isaac Arnsdorf, Tyler Pager
9780593832530
The definitive, inside story of the most tumultuous and consequential presidential campaign in our history.
$32.00 US
Jul 08, 2025
Hardcover
416 Pages
Penguin Press
Our Ancient Faith
Our Ancient Faith
Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment
Allen C. Guelzo
9780593534441

An intimate study of Abraham Lincoln’s powerful vision of democracy, which guided him through the Civil War and is still relevant today—by best-selling historian and three-time winner of the Lincoln Prize.

$30.00 US
Feb 06, 2024
Hardcover
272 Pages
Knopf
Midnight on the Potomac
Midnight on the Potomac
The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America
Scott Ellsworth
9780593475614
From the author of the National Book Award longlisted title The Ground Breaking, a riveting new look at the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, replete with evidence pointing to a much larger Confederate conspiracy.
$32.00 US
Jul 15, 2025
Hardcover
336 Pages
Dutton
Tags:

Related articles

A Queer History of the United States
FROM THE PAGE: Read an excerpt from Michael Bronski’s A Queer History of the United States
May 21 2026 | General

In this new edition of A Queer History of the United States, Michael Bronski’s classic book now covers 500 years, bringing queer history into the 21st century and further illuminates how profoundly the LGBTQ+ life and people have shaped America.   From Chapter 3: Imagining a Queer America Writing a New National Culture: The East Paradoxically,

Read more
A Queer History of the United States

FROM THE PAGE: Read an excerpt from Michael Bronski’s A Queer History of the United States

General
FROM THE PAGE: Read an excerpt from Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon’s The Future Is Peace
FROM THE PAGE: Read an excerpt from Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon’s The Future Is Peace
May 21 2026 | General

Two lifelong peace activists and guides to Israel/Palestine, both of whom have lost family in the conflict, take readers on a revealing life-changing journey across this holy, bloodstained land and discover the mythic, political, and personal history that divides but also binds them and their peoples.   Day 1 Origins and Aftermath Western Negev נגבמערבי

Read more
FROM THE PAGE: Read an excerpt from Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon’s The Future Is Peace

FROM THE PAGE: Read an excerpt from Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon’s The Future Is Peace

General