Kirkus, 8/15/09 andldquo;[A] cogent reexamination of a relatively neglected American iconandhellip;Unger makes a solid and cohesive argument for Monroeandrsquo;s importance in the early years of the United Statesandhellip;A worthy attempt to rescue Monroe from obscurity for a mainstream audience.andrdquo;
Library Journal, 9/1/09
andldquo;[A] well-written biographyandhellip;Unger presents the fifth president as a man of independence and initiative rather than merely a disciple of Jefferson, Madison, and John Quincy Adamsandhellip;Will appeal to a more popular audience, especially those who enjoy presidential history or studying the Founding Fathers. Historians and history students should read as well.andrdquo;
BookPage October 2009
andldquo;[A] compelling new biographyandhellip; Unger deftly guides us through Monroeandrsquo;s pre-presidential periodandhellip; Ungerandrsquo;s outstanding biography of Monroe is consistently illuminating and a fine introduction to the subject.andrdquo;
Internet Review of Books September 2009
andldquo;An excellent biography that sweepingly captures the grand life of this statesmanandhellip;A remarkably readable biography of a great statesman of the new nation. The book is in many ways worthy of its subject. The narrative has a smooth rhythm, blending the personal and the public man. The historical context of the times is nicely woven into the tapestry of the story and is rarely burdensome for the common reader and impressive for its scope.andrdquo;
The Washington Times, 9/27
andldquo;A workmanlike study of a workmanlike president.andrdquo;
Blogcritics.org, 9/26
andldquo;My lack of knowledge and interest in the first days of this great country have changed with the reading of The Last Founding Father. In the first five pages, I learned more about our fifth President, James Monroe, than I had learned in twelve years of schooling. Mr. Unger presents President Monroe in a way that makes him more real and accessible than high school textbooksandhellip;Mr. Unger has presented James Madison in the most human of waysandhellip;Monroe's story fills out our history. Mr. Unger has completed a well written biography of a most deserving subject.andrdquo;
Bookviews blog, October
andldquo;America was fortunate to have [Monroe] as president during a critical time of growth and readers are fortunate to have this extraordinary biography.andrdquo;
and#160;
Booklist Online, 9/28
andldquo;In the pantheon of our Founding Fathers, James Monroe is, at best, given a place in the second row by most historians and in public consciousness. As Unger illustrates, that is both unfortunate and unfairandhellip;[Unger] makes a strong case for an acknowledgement of Monroeandrsquo;s greatnessandhellip;This is a worthy reconsideration of the life and accomplishments of an outstanding American statesman.andrdquo;
The Oklahoman, 10/11
andldquo;Tells Monroe's story in a way that keeps the reader enthralledandhellip;It is a hard book to put down, and it flows extremely well.andrdquo;
Tucson Citizen, andldquo;Shelf Lifeandrdquo; blog, 10/11
andldquo;[Unger] has given Monroe the credit he richly deserves. The foundation of this book is bedrock solid, the narrative crisply written, and the research first rate.andrdquo;
Curled Up With A Good Book
andldquo;Extremely fascinating and entertaining for both the general reader and the scholar. The veteran author has done well in researching and writing this bookandhellip;A delight to read and highly recommended to those interested in either or both President James Monroe or early American history.andrdquo;
January magazine, 10/22/09
andldquo;Harlow Giles Unger is one of those authors with the talent and skill -- not to mention passionandmdash;to breathe life into historyandmdash;Unger builds a case for the importance of a vastly overlooked and underrated figure, Americaandrsquo;s fifth President, James Monroeandhellip;Unger delivers his material on a wave of adventure and a compelling sense of importance. You wonandrsquo;t ever see the early history of America in quite the same way.andrdquo;
Yale Alumni Magazine, November/December 2009
andldquo;Ungerandrsquo;s biography, written for a popular audience, tells the story of one of the less familiar founding fathers.andrdquo;
Augusta Metro Spirit, 11/4/09
andldquo;If there was ever a biography for American history, American politics, and American patriotism fans, this is itandhellip;An incredible journey through an incredible life at an incredible time in history...Unger takes readers on a detailed ride through the interactions often lost in textbook portraits and made-for-TV-moviesandhellip;Written with delicate prose and an easy to follow narrative, Ungerandrsquo;s portrait of Monroe would make a great gift for the history buff in the family.andrdquo;
Charlottesville Daily Progress, 11/15/09
andldquo;[A] fascinating bookandhellip;[that] has more to it than Ungerandrsquo;s meticulous accounting of accomplishments and events. There are wonderful maps and illustrations.andrdquo;
InfoDad blog, 12/3/09
andldquo;Monroe emerges as more than andlsquo;justandrsquo; a president: he comes across as a multifaceted human beingandhellip;Both Monroe and this period of United States history come alive.andrdquo;
San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Review, December 2009
andldquo;I appreciated Ungerandrsquo;s clarity of expression. His descriptions of the American and French Revolutions, the events surrounding the Louisiana Purchase, and the War of 1812 are among the most lucid Iandrsquo;ve read.andrdquo;
Richmond Times-Dispatch, 11/29/2009
andldquo;The Last Founding Father is compelling both as a biography of a fascinating, unfairly neglected politician and a swift-reading account of the founding of a nation.andrdquo;
Bookreporter.com, 12/11/2009
andldquo;Supremely well-written and enlighteningandhellip;Unger shows us much more than just a presidentandhellip;Unger goes a long way to opening up the eyes of a reader to the vast value Monroe had at the founding of our nation, and taking stock of all his achievements along the way brings a great sense of sadness that such a patriot should be so readily forgotten.andrdquo;
Boston Globe, 12/26/09
andldquo;Will do much to raise awareness of this accomplished statesmanandhellip;Ungerandrsquo;s skills as both a storyteller and political analyst enable him to convey the importance of the personalities and events of early-19th-century America in a detailed and enjoyable manner that will appeal to general readers.andrdquo;
Asbury Park Press, 12/20/09
andldquo;Those interested in a more thorough knowledge of the events and personalities that carried the nation through the early 19th century might well begin with Unger's lively portrait of the patriot of whom Thomas Jefferson said: andlsquo;A better man cannot be.andrsquo;andrdquo;
Smoke magazine, Fall 2010
andldquo;Acclaimed historian Harlow Giles Unger captures the magnitude of Monroeandrsquo;s contribution to the United States. The Last Founding Father traces the life of an extraordinary but often under-appreciated man who was born into the chaos of pre-revolutionary America but led it into its first period of peaceandmdash;nearly forty years after it declared its independence.andrdquo;
American History magazine, April 2010
andquot;Attempts to resuscitateandhellip;the last of the great men present at the creation of the republic.andrdquo;
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, 2/21/10
andldquo;Readers unfamiliar with the two presidentsandmdash;or those with a special interest in themandmdash;will be well rewarded by perusing these two well-crafted biographies.andrdquo;
Kick Ass Book Reviews, 5/6/10
andldquo;[A] fascinating bookandhellip;Monroe was just as important as any other founding father, and this biography will let you explore the reasons why.andrdquo;
Magill Book Reviews
andldquo;The engaging story of an important but neglected president...If public memory has unfairly ignored him, The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nationandrsquo;s Call to Greatness amply restores the deficit. This absorbing biography also generously details the early history of the nationandrsquo;s westward expansionandhellip;[A] highly readable history of a great American. A natural storyteller and appealing stylist, Unger skillfully interweaves his subjectandrsquo;s private and public lives. He captures the milieu of the early nineteenth century, conveying its broad influence upon succeeding eras.andrdquo;
Choice, July 2010andldquo;[Unger] sympathetically assesses all phases of [Monroeandrsquo;s] lifeandhellip;Particularly well written, this is a worthy successor to Harry Ammonandrsquo;s 700-page James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity (1971), which focuses less on the private and more on the public Monroeandhellip;Highly recommended.andrdquo;
Award-winning author Harlow Giles Unger recounts the life of James Monroe, who dedicated himself to serving his country and building Americaand#8217;s future.