Poetry and the American Presidency

Ferlazzo (American literature, N. Arizona U.) considers the impact of poetry on the presidency from George Washington to Obama. He not only considers the personal impact reading poetry has on presidents, but also how presidents have viewed the importance of poetry to the country. Surprisingly, many have authored poems. The work is divided into chapters each examining a particular president, 18 of them, with significant portions devoted to the examination of poetry in the exercise of power. Annotation 穢2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)