Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents: What Your Teachers Never Told You About the Men of the White House by Cormac O'Brien (Author) and Monika Suteski (Illustrator)

Have you ever wondered what various presidents called their privates? How about which ones had affairs? Or what were those alleged tunnels under the White House really used for?

If you're a fan of silly trivia about some of history's most powerful men, Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents: What Your Teachers Never Told You About the Men of the White House by Cormac O'Brien  and illustrated by Monika Suteski is for you.

O'Brien gives an overview of the wildly inappropriate men who have been president. And, yes, all of them have done or at least believed some wild things (see: mole people). In the version I read, O'Brien had gone up to George W. Bush, but there is a newer edition that also covers Barack Obama. As far as I know, there is no version covering Joe Biden and Donald Trump, but I suppose there is still time!

Suteski's lighthearted illustrations help readers picture the off-the-wall events that are often only documented in private diaries or illicit letters, adding greatly to the humor of the book.

I firmly believe that we need to recognize all historical figures as real people--not just people to be put on a pedestal or condemned to Hell. So, I really enjoyed Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents because it helped me realize that these leaders were just humans--some worse than others--with human flaws, quirks, and occasional batshit beliefs.

Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents: What Your Teachers Never Told You About the Men of the White House by Cormac O'Brien (Author) and Monika Suteski (Illustrator), Quirk Books