''Wilson'' is a 2013 biography of
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
, the 28th
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
, by the
Pulitzer Prize-winning author
A. Scott Berg
Andrew Scott Berg (born December 4, 1949) is an American biographer. After graduating from Princeton University in 1971, Berg expanded his senior thesis on editor Maxwell Perkins into a full-length biography, ''Max Perkins: Editor of Genius'' (1 ...
. The book is a
''New York Times'' Best Seller.
Background
When asked why he spent the last thirteen years writing a biography of Wilson, Berg replied: "The simple answer is that he was the architect of much of the last century and re-drew the map of the world."
There were also personal reasons. Berg was given a copy of Gene Smith's ''When the Cheering Stopped: The Last Years of Woodrow Wilson'' when he was in the 11th grade,
and his "budding obsession" has grown ever since.
At 15, he put a picture of Wilson on his bedroom wall, a campaign poster given to him by his brother, Jeff.
The author had four heroes when he was in high school:
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
,
Adlai Stevenson,
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
, and
Don Quixote
is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...
.
The fact that the first three went to
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
helped induce Berg to enroll. Berg spent his college years at Princeton, the college Wilson was president of, graduating in 1971. He also taught a class in biography writing while there doing research for the book.
Berg began researching Wilson in 2000. In 2008, he said: "I have an image of him in my mind that is unlike any picture I have seen anywhere else, based on material at Princeton and 35 years of researching and thinking about him."
[Greenstein Altmann, Jennifer]
"Illuminating lives: Berg researches Wilson biography while teaching ‘Life Writing’"
Princeton Weekly Bulletin, 18 February 2008. Retrieved on 23 September 2013. In 2013, he commented: "When most people think of Woodrow Wilson, they see a dour minister's son who never cracked a smile, where in fact he was a man of genuine joy and great sadness. I did not write a diplomatic history or a history of foreign affairs in his life. I wanted the reader to walk through his life and see it with his eyes."
He added: "It takes a certain amount of egotism for a biographer to think he has something new to add to the record, and I believe I do."
Berg hesitated before writing the biography, saying: "Yet I'd been afraid of writing about him all my life because I held him so high and he was so overwhelming a figure."
Berg visited many of Wilson's homes during his research, including his birthplace, his childhood homes, and the
Woodrow Wilson House in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
He said: "Getting a sense of place is extremely important to me as a biographer. And I make a point, as I have in all of my books, to visit as many of the places in the lives of my subjects as possible."
Berg purchased a set of
Arthur A. Link's 69-volume compilation of "Wilson's greatest hits" (that Link spent 40 years collecting) as part of his research. He explored other libraries, such as the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
and the
Princeton Library for documents not in Link's collection.
Berg was the first allowed access to the correspondence of the President's second daughter
Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre
Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre (August 28, 1887 – January 15, 1933) was a daughter of US President Woodrow Wilson and Ellen Louise Axson. She was a political activist, worked for women's suffrage, social issues, to promote her father's call for ...
,
found when her son died a few years ago,
as well as the papers of his close friend and doctor,
Cary T. Grayson.
Berg described the Grayson discovery, found in Grayson's garage, as "trunk loads" of papers.
Berg found that Grayson kept "meticulous" notes, covering years of contact with Wilson, especially the last years of his presidency.
He said: "You have no idea what a thrill that was, quite wonderful."
Berg worked without researchers or secretaries for the thirteen-year research/writing process.
''Wilson'' was always intended to be a single-volume. Berg said: "There are several multi-volume
ilson biographies and that's the last thing I wanted to do ... I wanted to write a page-turner, and I think it is."
Summary
The biography is divided into four parts, and then into chapters. Each chapter title is intended to draw a Biblical reference, such as "Ascension", "Baptism", and "Resurrection", using the
King James Bible.
Each chapter begins with a Bible quote, pointing to Wilson's devout faith.
Contents
Part One
* Chapter One – "Ascension." Mark, XVI:19
Wilson departs New York on December 4, 1918, on the first European trip by a U.S. President.
* Chapter Two – "Providence." Romans, VIII:28
Wilson is born, December 28, 1856.
* Chapter Three – "Eden." Genesis, XII:1,2
Wilson enters Princeton.
* Chapter Four – "Sinai." Psalms, CVII:4
Wilson graduates from Princeton.
* Chapter Five – "Reformation." Romans, XII:2
Wilson joins the faculty at Princeton.
* Chapter Six – "Advent." I Corinthians, X:13
Wilson becomes President of Princeton.
Part Two
* Chapter Seven – "Paul." Acts, IX:3
Wilson becomes Governor of New Jersey.
Part Three
* Chapter Eight – "Disciples." John, XII:12-14
Wilson is elected President of the United States.
* Chapter Nine – "Baptism." Matthew, III:16
Wilson begins his first term as President.
* Chapter Ten – "Ecclesiastes." Ecclesiastes, III:1-8
Europe moves towards war.
* Chapter Eleven – "Deliverance." Daniel, VI:20
Wilson honeymoons with his second wife, Edith.
* Chapter Twelve – "Armageddon." Revelation XI:18
The U.S. enters the war.
Part Four
* Chapter Thirteen – "Isaiah." Isaiah, LXI:1
The Great War ends.
* Chapter Fourteen – "Gethsemane." Matthew, XXVI:36 and Luke, XXII:44
Wilson returns to Europe.
* Chapter Fifteen – "Passion." Matthew, XXVII, 30-31
Wilson delivers the Treaty of Versailles to the Senate.
* Chapter Sixteen – "Pieta." John, XIX:40
Wilson convalescences from a major stroke.
* Chapter Seventeen – "Resurrection." Matthew, XXVIII:20
Wilson leaves the White House.
Reception
Reviewers, such as
Bruce Ramsey
Bruce Ramsey is an American journalist and editorial writer for the ''Seattle Times'', as well as contributing editor to ''Liberty'' magazine.
Personal
Ramsey is a native to Seattle and grew up in Edmonds. He obtained his degree from the Universi ...
, have sought to compare Berg's book with other biographies of Wilson. For ''
The Seattle Times
''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington ...
'', Ramsay wrote: "Berg's biography has a fine feeling for Wilson and the story of his life, but he does present Wilson mostly from Wilson's point of view. For a more critical look at the 20th century's first war president, the reader will have to look elsewhere, such as
Thomas Fleming's 'The Illusion of Victory' (2003)."
In ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'',
Michael Kazin wrote that "Berg uncovers few significant details that previous biographers—the best of whom are Arthur Link and John Milton Cooper, Jr.—neglected."
Several reviewers compare Berg's telling unfavorably to
John M. Cooper's. The ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...
'' said: "He brings nothing new to the conventional evaluation of Wilson the president (for the best treatment, read
John M. Cooper's 2009 "Woodrow Wilson")."
''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' also makes this comparison, with the reviewer stating: "This won't replace John Milton Cooper Jr.'s superb 2009 biography ... ."
Bob Blaisdell writing for ''
The Christian Science Monitor
''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles in electronic format as well as a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper ...
'' goes further, arguing that Berg "lacks what Cooper repeatedly credits Wilson with having: ''boldness''", and comments: "Given a choice of reading, take Cooper's fine and authoritative 'Woodrow Wilson: A Biography,' which is still in print."
In ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'',
Jill Lepore
Jill Lepore is an American historian and journalist. She is the David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and a staff writer at ''The New Yorker'', where she has contributed since 2005. She writes about American ...
writes: "A sharp, subtle, and more squarely political biography is ''Woodrow Wilson'' by American historian
John M. Cooper.
When asked about Cooper's book, Berg admitted he had not read it but did glance at it long enough to ensure that the two books began and finished differently.
The reviewer in ''Publishers Weekly'' questions the use of Biblical chapter titles, saying that "Berg's likening of Wilson's life to biblical stages is overkill."
Walter Stahr also questions these appellations. For example, the chapter "Passion", covering the debate in the Senate over the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
, begins: "And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head." Stahr comments that "Berg apparently wants us to view Wilson as Jesus, reviled and beaten by the Roman soldiers. Does he want us to think that Wilson was the divine Christ?"
Jeff Shesol
Jeffrey Allen Shesol (born August 6, 1969 in Columbus, Ohio, USA) is an American historian, speechwriter, and comic strip author. He served as a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and is now a partner at West Wing Writers, a speechwriting ...
asks a similar question, writing: "Berg's decision to endow each chapter with a biblical title and a passage of scripture raises the question of whether he sees Wilson as a Christ figure or merely as a man with a Christ complex ... ."
Martin Rubin writes in ''
The Washington Times
''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...
'' that Berg "succeeds magnificently in elucidating Woodrow Wilson the man" but "as I read on, I felt increasingly that the further Mr. Berg moved from Wilson himself into the wider world, the less satisfying his portrait."
Stephen Loosley writes in ''
The Australian
''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' that "at times Berg's obvious affection for his subject causes him to be a little too generous."
Jeff Shesol
Jeffrey Allen Shesol (born August 6, 1969 in Columbus, Ohio, USA) is an American historian, speechwriter, and comic strip author. He served as a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and is now a partner at West Wing Writers, a speechwriting ...
agrees, arguing that "Berg is simply too enamored of Wilson to provide a balanced appraisal."
In an essay written specifically in answer to the biography, noted Wilson biographer John Milton Cooper offers his perspective, including this overarching comment: "The quality of the writing in the book, the pleasure in reading it, and the warm human impression it leaves of its subject are the good news. The bad news is that the book leaves out much that it ought to include and includes some that it ought to leave out."
As an example of what he felt should have been included, Cooper says: "In spite of the book's strength in depicting Wilson's family life, it is also oddly unsatisfactory about one of its most important figures: his father."
As another example, Cooper states: "Equally glaring is the lack of attention to Wilson's thought."
Cooper questions Berg's inclusion of the memories of Wilson wife by saying that "Kristie Miller's excellent biography of Wilson's two wives could have raised red flags about Edith's memory."
Cooper not only disputes Berg's framing of Wilson's racism but also his religious perspective, calling into question the use of Bible quotations at the beginning of each chapter. He writes: "Other reviewers have found this practice tiresome; I found it unenlightening and strange."
Cooper ends by saying: "To sum up, this biography has much to recommend it, especially the pleasure it affords in reading it. Its shortcomings make it far from balanced or comprehensive, much less "definitive."
''Wilson'' was missing from the longlist for the 2013
National Book Awards
The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors.
The Nat ...
.
Current politics
In January 2013, Berg approached ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' offering to write a column for the 100th anniversary of Wilson's inauguration and to "contemporize this story and really make it reverberate by writing a kind of open letter to President Obama."
In the op-ed, Berg offered the following advice: "All sides should remember Wilson and the single factor that determines the country's glorious successes or crushing failures: cooperation."
During interviews following the release of the book, Berg compared Wilson's diplomacy to then President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
's handling of the
Syrian civil war, saying: "Over the last few weeks, Obama has been addressing the crisis in a very Wilsonian manner, raising the question of whether the United States was meant to be the policeman of the world."
In another interview, Berg said that "Wilson is a real model for Obama."
When asked during an interview to compare the two Presidents, he says: "Certainly they're both considered rather aloof, they both come out of academia, they're both Constitutional scholars ...."
Berg admitted that on some days he wrote the book as if it was about Obama. He said: "As I was writing, there were literally days I would say, 'I'm going to forget the name is Wilson. I'll pretend it is Obama. And I will write it as though it is Obama.'"
Barrie Dunsmore
Barrie Dunsmore (1939 – 26 August 2018) was a Canadian journalist who covered foreign affairs for ABC News, the American television network, for 30 years.
Dunsmore was born in 1939 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. From 1965 to 1995, Dunsmore r ...
sees parallels as well, arguing that "Berg told NPR this past week, 'I found during my research there were documents in which Lodge and other Republicans were talking about opposing any peace that Wilson brought back from Paris, no matter what it was.…so whatever Wilson had, was not going to fly.' Sound familiar?"
Reviews
* ''
Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' – "Berg gives Wilson a fresh look, restoring him to the place he occupied — the idealist in politics."
* ''
Miami Herald'' – "Berg is a masterful biographer ...
ilson isabsorbing."
* ''
The Washingtonian'' – "Marvelously detailed."
*
Jeff Shesol
Jeffrey Allen Shesol (born August 6, 1969 in Columbus, Ohio, USA) is an American historian, speechwriter, and comic strip author. He served as a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and is now a partner at West Wing Writers, a speechwriting ...
, ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' – "... in the end, 'Wilson,' despite its scope, fails to convey the lessons it most wishes to impart."
*
Kevin Baker, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' – "A. Scott Berg tells the story of Wilson, the man, very well indeed."
* ''Book Reporter'' – "Exhaustively researched and wonderfully written."
* ''
Kirkus Reviews'' – "Readable, authoritative and, most usefully, inspiring."
* ''
The Washington Times
''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...
'' – "The fact is that, for all Mr. Berg's diligent research and revelations about Wilson the man, the biography falls between two stools: too detailed to be introductory, yet not really definitive where it counts most."
* ''
Washington Independent Review of Books'' – "The problem is not only that Berg praises Wilson: he does not question Wilson."
* ''
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company.
History
In May 1905, Amon G. Carter ...
'' – "An enthralling biography of Woodrow Wilson."
* ''
Library Journal'' – " ... a thorough, entertaining account ... ."
*
Geoffrey Wawro
Geoffrey Wawro (born 1960) is an American Professor of Military History at the University of North Texas, and Director of the UNT Military History Center. His primary area of emphasis is modern and contemporary military history, from the French Re ...
, ''
History Book Club
Bookspan LLC is a New York–based online bookseller, founded in 2000.
Bookspan began as a joint endeavor by Bertelsmann and Time Warner. Bertelsmann took over control in 2007, and a year later, sold its interest to Najafi Companies, an Arizon ...
'' – "Berg's book is enlightening, colorful and a good read."
* ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...
'' – " ... a detailed account lionising the man ... ."
* ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' – " ... there's no modern lesson in 'Wilson,' other than maybe try to get A. Scott Berg as your biographer."
* ''
The Philly'' – "Berg's study should remain the standard biography of this tragic figure for a long time."
* ''
Richmond Times-Dispatch'' – "Berg has produced an insightful and intimate work that is likely to stand as the definitive biography of one of the nation's most consequential leaders."
* ''
Barnes & Noble'' – "Berg has brought Wilson to life."
* ''
The Oregonian
''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...
'' – "Berg rehabilitates Woodrow Wilson."
*
Michael Kazin, ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'' – " ... his
erg'stalent as a biographer tends to overwhelm his desire to be a historian."
* ''
Dallas News
''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galveston ...
'' – " ... Berg presents a sympathetic but penetrating portrait that is essential reading for anyone interested in Wilson and his times."
* ''
Biographile'' – " ... Berg has illuminated this influential man like no other biographer before him."
* ''
Buffalo News
''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by W ...
'' – "This fine piece of writing is not only highly entertaining, it fills a void in the history of the U.S. presidency and may well become the definitive Wilson biography of our era."
* ''
The Australian
''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' – " ... the best single-volume presidential biography since
David McCullough
David Gaub McCullough (; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States ...
's
Truman."
*
Héctor Tobar
Héctor Tobar (born 1963, Los Angeles) is a Los Angeles author and journalist, whose work examines the evolving and interdependent relationship between Latin America and the United States.
Life
Tobar is the son of Guatemalan immigrants. His long ...
, ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' – "Magisterial."
Film version
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
is negotiating the movie rights to the biography, with
Leonardo DiCaprio to star in the title role, as well as serve as producer.
Notes
References
External links
Official Penguin siteC-SPAN Q&A interview with Berg on ''Wilson'', September 8, 2013
{{A. Scott Berg
2013 non-fiction books
American biographies
Books about Woodrow Wilson
G. P. Putnam's Sons books