Claude R. Marx

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Hissing Cousins: The Untold Story of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt Longworth’

Even though the United States fought the British in part over the supremacy of dynastic rule, American voters have been more than willing to elect multiple members of the same family to high office. While no Roosevelts have held office for some time, the family continues to cast a long shadow. They, along with the Adams, Bush and Harrison families, are the only ones to have each produced two presidents Published April 27, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Return of George Washington: 1783-1789’

While George Washington is one of the most written about of our presidents, the books tend to focus heavily on either his military leadership or his presidency. Published February 16, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: ‘You Can’t Make This Up: Miracles, Memories and the Perfect Marriage of Sports and Tele

The advent of ESPN and other sports-focused cable networks coupled with the rise of the Internet have created endless opportunities for fans to indulge in their games of choice and become expert analysts in their own right. Published January 11, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Kid’

Biographers all too often either fall in love with their subject or wind up hating the person so much that the book becomes a difficult-to-read hatchet job. Balance and nuance are increasingly rare commodities in contemporary nonfiction, and for that matter in society overall. That's why "The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams" is such a delight. Published January 7, 2014

BOOKS: ‘The President’s Team’

As one of the signature events in college sports, the annual football game between Army and Navy often has a significance that far exceeds the details of any one particular contest. That was especially the case in the 1963 game, which was held two weeks after the assassination of one of Navy's biggest fans, President John F. Kennedy. Published December 6, 2009

BOOKS: ‘Remaking the Presidency’

With a few notable exceptions, presidents who served in the 19th century had a rather limited view of the office's powers and of their ability to reshape the nation. Then we entered a new century, and along came Theodore Roosevelt. Published November 24, 2009

BOOKS: ‘When the Game Was Ours’

It's easy to forget that at one time the NBA had such a meager following that its championship games were televised on tape delay at 11:30 p.m. because their ratings weren't strong enough to warrant prime time coverage. Then Larry Bird and Magic Johnson came along. Published November 8, 2009