Review of "Uncle Bert: A Biographical Portrait of Herbert Hoover," by Hulda Hoover McLean

Review of

Uncle Bert: A Biographical Portrait of Herbert Hoover, by Hulda Hoover McLean

Four out of five stars

 As the title implies, this short work was written by a niece of President Herbert Hoover. As one would expect given the familial ties, the coverage of Hoover is extremely positive. That is not to say that it is all dull though, some of the points made about Franklin Roosevelt and his unwillingness to work with the outgoing Hoover administration to alleviate some of the worst of the Great Depression are spot on.

 Given the context, there are a few points made in the 43 pages that only a family member could make. Which is a high point of the book and consistent with what other works have said about Herbert Hoover the man. In many ways he was the most accomplished person to ever be the American President, his work in famine relief saved tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people from death by starvation. If you accept the concept of the authorship of a niece with no grudge, then this is a good book.