Meticulously researched and written by Nancy Todd Engler, ’More Than Presidents: the Personal Lives of the Men Who Shaped a Nation’ chronicles the ‘ordinary’ sides of forty four true American heroes. Fusing insightful, inspiring and sometimes poignant vignettes with a series of bold color photographs of presidential statues, Engler transcends history itself to prove that the Commander-in-Chief is also a real human being. Many of the stories shared parallel those in the headlines today, making Engler’s book 176 pages of history that deserve a place on every coffee table.
Rapid City, SD -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/03/2014 -- Nobody sits on a pedestal quite like the President; often enigmatic individuals whose reputations are driven through manipulative media and fierce opponents. Having been heavily invested in Rapid City’s ‘The City of Presidents’ project, to establish bronze statues of all former Presidents on downtown corners, Nancy Todd Engler’s research led her to identify common threads in the personal lives of former Commanders-in-Chief.
Passionate about displaying the real men behind the Resolute Desk, Engler has compiled a compelling book that chronicles the personal life of every former President. ‘More Than Presidents: the Personal Lives of the Men Who Shaped a Nation’ is the missing pages from America’s history book.
Synopsis:
More than Presidents gives an inside look at the personal lives of the men who shaped this nation. Learn about the childhood experiences of ordinary men from diverse backgrounds who went on to become Presidents of the United States. The stories are personal insights, sometimes amusing, often poignant, into our nation’s leaders.
A book to inspire readers of any generation, More than Presidents demonstrates how one person can make a difference. Full color photographs and unique presidential biographies fill this beautiful 176-page commemorative book. More than history, more than biography, More than Presidents reveals the true men behind the legends.
“While conducting my research I became acutely aware that all former Presidents strongly valued family, hard work, religion and service. They had also experienced somewhat similar tragedies, triumphs and defeats. I realized that there was so much we didn’t know about the men behind their title. Therefore, this is a totally new and refreshing snapshot of U.S. history.”
Continuing, “These men are the sum total of many parts, and these parts make up the book. For example, did you know that a young Bill Clinton would take himself to church when his mother was at the racetrack? Or that George W. Bush was escorted out of town by the local police when he helped tear the goalposts down when Yale beat Princeton on the road in a football game? Equally, I bet you had no idea that Andrew Johnson was illiterate until the age of 17, when his 16-year-old wife taught him to read! And General Eisenhower sewed all of Mamie’s maternity clothes.”
“Each president’s biography is accompanied by a stunning full-color photograph of their bronze statue in Rapid City; icons funded entirely through citizens and corporations, with donations topping $2.4M. Not everyone can visit them, so this book is for them. For those who can, this commemorative volume will bring the statues to life in a way never seen before,” she adds. Engler sees her work as a direct extension of ‘The City of Presidents’ project.
Reviews for the book have been overwhelmingly positive. For example, Neysa comments, “Quality writing, scholarly research and personality for each president. A great tool for teaching American history.” Glorine H. Former Superintendent of Schools wrote, “This book is researched well and thoroughly vetted making the lives of our past presidents truly come to life. Nancy Todd Engler tells the biography of each president through story telling. This method does well to inspire an interest in our American history. As I progressed through the book I realized that this would be a great research tool for children in the classrooms by introducing them to American history and the men who helped shape this nation. The facts are pertinent and narrative presents personal glimpses into the lives of great men. Please consider placing this book in your classrooms to help inspire and invigorate young children throughout their American history courses.”
‘More Than Presidents: the Personal Lives of the Men Who Shaped a Nation’ is available now. For more information or to order an autographed copy, visit: http://morethanpresidents.com.
About Nancy Todd Engler
Nancy Todd Engler autographs her book beginning with “Always follow your dream!” which is her personal story for others. Nancy has been a free lance writer for many years, working in her pre-retirement years as Director of Marketing at the Historic Alex Johnson Hotel, Executive Director of Hill City SD Chamber of Commerce, sitting on the boards of the Historic Hotels of the Rocky Mountains West and The City of Presidents of Rapid City, SD. After retirement, Nancy became very active in The City of Presidents project, researching the personal lives of all 43 US Presidents to be shared as part of this project. In studying these unique presidential stories, Engler realized that there was a wealth of untold information of the men who would go on to shape the American history landscape. At the age of 74, Nancy followed her own dream. Encouraged by her husband and daughters, she wrote her first book and it has become successful even beyond her dreams. Engler lives with her husband of 55 years in the Black Hills of South Dakota and are proud parents of three grown daughters, 8 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.