James Madison: by Garry Wills

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a rather brief book that is useful for getting some context about the Madison presidency, but is a lot less biographical than it ought to be. One does not get much of a sense of the man or even of his presidency (aside from the fact that it was somewhat dysfunctional).



Most of the discussion is understandably focused on the War of 1812, but in so doing the focus is less on the President at war as it is simply on the war itself. Indeed, there are some relatively lengthy segments that describe naval (and other) battles.



I liked it enough to give it three stars, but the fact that I bought the book off of a clearance table likely enhances my overall view of it, as it wasn’t worth paying full price.


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2 Responses to “Review of Wills’ James Madison”

1. Ratoe Says:
   July 29th, 2025 at 1:43 pm

   I’m a big fan of Wills’ essays in the New York Review of Books, but have never gotten around to reading any of his books. I’ve been wanting to read his book on Augustine.

2. mbailey Says:
   August 2nd, 2025 at 7:34 pm

   i used to think wills was the real deal. now i think that he takes shortcuts at every turn (is that a mixed metaphor?), and he’s coasting on his once well-deserved reputation.