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== Background ==
== Background ==


{{Quote box|width=250px|align=left|quote=“After ‘Lindbergh,’ my publisher asked whom I wanted to write about next,” Berg recalled. “I said, ‘There’s one idea I’ve been carrying in my hip pocket for 35 years. It’s Woodrow Wilson.’” - A. Scott Berg<ref name="Princeton">{{cite web|url=http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pwb/08/0218/berg/|publisher=princeton.edu|title=Illuminating lives|accessdate=23 September 2013}}</ref>}}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."<ref name="VanityFair">{{cite web|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/08/woodrow-wilson-biography-excerpt|publisher=vanityfair.com|title=A League of His Own|accessdate=23 September 2013}}</ref> But there were personal reasons, as well. 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<ref name="WashingtonTimes">{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/8/book-review-wilson|publisher=washingtontimes.com|title=Washington Times BOOK REVIEW:‘Wilson’|accessdate=26 September 2013}}</ref> and his "budding obsession" has grown ever since.<ref name="VanityFair"/> At 15, he put a picture of Wilson on his bedroom wall.<ref name="NewsMax"/>
{{Quote box|width=250px|align=left|quote=“After ‘Lindbergh,’ my publisher asked whom I wanted to write about next,” Berg recalled. “I said, ‘There’s one idea I’ve been carrying in my hip pocket for 35 years. It’s Woodrow Wilson.’” - A. Scott Berg<ref name="Princeton">{{cite web|url=http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pwb/08/0218/berg/|publisher=princeton.edu|title=Illuminating lives|accessdate=23 September 2013}}</ref>}}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."<ref name="VanityFair">{{cite web|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/08/woodrow-wilson-biography-excerpt|publisher=vanityfair.com|title=A League of His Own|accessdate=23 September 2013}}</ref> But there were personal reasons, as well. 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<ref name="WashingtonTimes">{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/8/book-review-wilson|publisher=washingtontimes.com|title=Washington Times BOOK REVIEW:‘Wilson’|accessdate=26 September 2013}}</ref> and his "budding obsession" has grown ever since.<ref name="VanityFair"/> At 15, he put a picture of Wilson on his bedroom wall.<ref name="NewsMax"/>, a campaign poster given to him by his brother, Jeff<ref name="LAMag">{{cite web|url=www.lamag.com/features/2013/09/10/the-life-of-a-scott-berg/|publisher=lamag.com{title=The Life of A. Scott Berg|accessdate=30 September 2013}}</ref>


The author had four heroes when he was in high school: [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]], [[Adlai Stevenson]], [[Woodrow Wilson]], and [[Don Quixote]].<ref name="Q&A Berg">{{cite web|url=http://paw.princeton.edu/issues/2013/09/18/pages/2881/index.xml|publisher=paw.princeton.edu|title=Q&A: A. Scott Berg ’71 on Woodrow Wilson 1879|accessdate=26 September 2013}}</ref> The fact that the first three went to Princeton 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.<ref name="library"/>
The author had four heroes when he was in high school: [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]], [[Adlai Stevenson]], [[Woodrow Wilson]], and [[Don Quixote]].<ref name="Q&A Berg">{{cite web|url=http://paw.princeton.edu/issues/2013/09/18/pages/2881/index.xml|publisher=paw.princeton.edu|title=Q&A: A. Scott Berg ’71 on Woodrow Wilson 1879|accessdate=26 September 2013}}</ref> The fact that the first three went to Princeton 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.<ref name="library"/>

Revision as of 15:05, 30 September 2013

Wilson
AuthorA. Scott Berg
LanguageEnglish
SubjectBiography
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherPutnam Publishing Group
Publication date
September 10, 2013
Publication place United States
Media typeHardcover
Pages832
ISBNISBN 0399159215, ISBN 9780399159213 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character
Preceded byKate Remembered 

Wilson is a 2013 biography of the 28th President of the United States Woodrow Wilson by Pulitzer Prize-winning author A. Scott Berg. The book is a New York Times Best Seller.[1]

Background

“After ‘Lindbergh,’ my publisher asked whom I wanted to write about next,” Berg recalled. “I said, ‘There’s one idea I’ve been carrying in my hip pocket for 35 years. It’s Woodrow Wilson.’” - A. Scott Berg[2]

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."[3] But there were personal reasons, as well. 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[4] and his "budding obsession" has grown ever since.[3] At 15, he put a picture of Wilson on his bedroom wall.[5], a campaign poster given to him by his brother, Jeff[6]

The author had four heroes when he was in high school: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Adlai Stevenson, Woodrow Wilson, and Don Quixote.[7] The fact that the first three went to Princeton 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.[8]

Berg began researching Wilson in 2000: "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".[8] “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.”[9] "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."[7]

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. "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."[10]

Berg was the first allowed access to the correspondence of the President's daughter Jessie,[7] as well as the papers of his close friend and doctor, Cary T. Grayson.[11] Berg worked alone, without researchers or secretaries, for the thirteen-year research/writing process.[12]

Summary/Content

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," "Resurrection." Each chapter begins with a Bible quote, pointing to Wilson's devout faith.[13][14]

Contents

Part One

Chapter One - "Ascension." Mark, XVI:19
Chapter Two - "Providence." Romans, VIII:28
Chapter Three - "Eden." Genesis, XII:1,2
Chapter Four - "Sinai." Psalms, CVII:4
Chapter Five - "Reformation." Romans, XII:2
Chapter Six - "Advent." I Corinthians, X:13

Part Two

Chapter Seven - "Paul." Acts, IX:3

Part Three

Chapter Eight - "Disciples." John, XII:12-14
Chapter Nine - "Baptism." Matthew, III:16
Chapter Ten - "Ecclesiastes." Ecclesiastes, III:1-8
Chapter Eleven - "Deliverance." Daniel, VI:20
Chapter Twelve - "Armageddon." Revelation XI:18

Part Four

Chapter Thirteen - "Isaiah." Isaiah, LXI:1
Chapter Fourteen - "Gethsemane." Matthew, XXVI:36 and Luke, XXII:44
Chapter Fifteen - "Passion." Matthew, XXVII, 30-31
Chapter Sixteen - "Pieta." John, XIX:40
Chapter Seventeen - "Resurrection." Matthew, XXVIII:20

Reception

Reviewers, such as Bruce Ramsey, have sought to compare Berg's book with other biographies of Wilson: "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)."[15]

Several reviewers compare Berg's telling unfavorably to John M. Cooper's. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "He brings nothing new to the conventional evaluation of Wilson the president (for the best treatment, read John M. Cooper's 2009 "Woodrow Wilson")."[16]Publishers Weekly also makes this comparison: "This won’t replace John Milton Cooper Jr.’s superb 2009 biography..."[17] Bob Blaisdell writing for The Christian Science Monitor goes further: "He (Berg) lacks what Cooper repeatedly credits Wilson with having: boldness" and "Given a choice of reading, take Cooper’s fine and authoritative "Woodrow Wilson: A Biography," which is still in print.".[18]

The reviewer in Publishers Weekly also questions the use of Biblical chapter titles: "...Berg’s likening of Wilson’s life to biblical stages is overkill."[17]Walter Stahr also questions these appellations. For example, the chapter "Passion," covering the debate in the Senate over the Versailles Treaty, begins with “And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.” Stahr asks "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?"[19]

Martin Rubin writes in The Washington Times 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."[20]

Film version

Warner Bros. is negotiating the movie rights to the biography, with Leonardo DiCaprio to star in the title role, as well as serve as producer.[21]

Current politics

In an op-ed months before the book's release, Berg enters the current political discourse with the following advice: "All sides should remember Wilson and the single factor that determines the country’s glorious successes or crushing failures: cooperation."[22]
During interviews following the release of the book, Berg compared Wilson's diplomacy to current President Obama's handling of the Syria crisis: “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."[23] Berg was quoted as telling Obama to "Be more like Wilson."[5] 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..."[24]

Reviews

References

  1. ^ "Best Sellers". nytimes.com. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  2. ^ "Illuminating lives". princeton.edu. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  3. ^ a b "A League of His Own". vanityfair.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Washington Times BOOK REVIEW:'Wilson'". washingtontimes.com. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Pulitzer-Winning Biographer to Obama: 'Be More Like Woodrow Wilson'". newsmax.com. Retrieved 30 September. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ . lamag.com{title=The Life of A. Scott Berg [www.lamag.com/features/2013/09/10/the-life-of-a-scott-berg/ www.lamag.com/features/2013/09/10/the-life-of-a-scott-berg/]. Retrieved 30 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ^ a b c "Q&A: A. Scott Berg '71 on Woodrow Wilson 1879". paw.princeton.edu. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  8. ^ a b Greenstein Altmann, Jennifer. "Illuminating lives: Berg researches Wilson biography while teaching ‘Life Writing’", Princeton Weekly Bulletin, 18 February 2008. Retrieved on 23 September 2013.
  9. ^ "BEA 2013: A. Scott Berg: On the Emotional Side of Wilson". publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  10. ^ "The Places that Shaped Woodrow Wilson". blog.preservationnation.org. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  11. ^ "Woodrow Wilson Brought New Executive Style To The White House". npr.org. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  12. ^ "National Book Festival Finds Perfect Audience in D.C.'s Literary Set". rollcall.com. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  13. ^ a b "A. Scott Berg's portrait of Woodrow Wilson". miamiherald.com. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  14. ^ "Woodrow Wilson was thwarted in peace goals". dispatch.com. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  15. ^ "Wilson: Scott Berg's life of an academic turned war president". seattletimes.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  16. ^ "A. Scott Berg's 'Wilson': a presidential moralist with a romantic streak". post-gazette.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Publisher's Weekly". publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  18. ^ "A. Scott Berg's biography of Woodrow Wilson pales next to a recent work by John Milton Cooper, Jr". http://www.csmonitor.com. Retrieved 26 September 2013. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ a b "Washington Independent". washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  20. ^ "The Washington Times review". washingtontimes.com. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  21. ^ "Leonardo DiCaprio to Produce, Star in Woodrow Wilson Biopic". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  22. ^ "Wilson to Obama: March Forth!". nytimes.com. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  23. ^ "Motivation brings life to Woodrow Wilson in A. Scott Berg's new biography". kansascity.com. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  24. ^ "Inside The New York Times Book Review: A. Scott Berg's 'Wilson'". tunein.com. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  25. ^ a b "Publisher's Official Page". us.penguingroup.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  26. ^ "Jeff Shesol, Opinions". articles.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  27. ^ "Kevin Baker, NY Times". nytimes.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  28. ^ "Book Reporter Review". bookreporter.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  29. ^ "KIRKUS REVIEW". kirkusreviews.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  30. ^ "Fort Worth Star-Telegram". yorkblog.com. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  31. ^ "Library Journal Review". catalog.library.washco.utah.gov. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  32. ^ "History Book Club". historybookclub.com. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  33. ^ "Negotiating world peace". economist.com. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
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