I received a free Kindle copy of The Three Lives of James Madison by Noah Feldman courtesy of Net Galley and Random House, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review to Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Plus pages.
I requested this book as I have read a number of biographies on American Presidents which included Madison as a participant, but I have not read one devoted to James Madison. It is the first book by Noah Feldman that I have read.
This book is well researched and well written. The title is accurate in that besides displaying Madison as a genius, partisan and President it also breaks into three parts. The first part covers his birth up to the ratification of the Constitution. The second part of the book covers his participation in the Continental Congress and his influence as Secretary of State. The final part is devoted to his presidency and his role afterwards.
In many mentions of Madison he is unfortunately only remembered as the President who was in office when the White House was burned down and the many items that were rescued by his wife Dolley. The biography also clearly displays the influence that Mdison had on the other founding fathers and clearly outlines his role in the early development of our country.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Presidental biographies and in learning more about one of our founding fathers.
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