AMERICAN LION Andrew Jackson in the White House

John Mayer's warm, deep voice and unhurried pace are pleasantly lulling as he reads Meacham's exquisitely constructed narrative on the life of our seventh president, Andrew Jackson. Mayer effectively uses a mild Southern accent when he reads quotations from Jackson, who was born in the Carolinas. While Jackson's story is complex, Mayer's smooth narration and Meacham's deft storytelling make listening almost effortless. Meacham portrays Jackson as a pivotal figure whose decisions preserved the Union and ensured that it would develop as a nation that answers to ordinary people rather than elites. While Jackson clung to slavery and treated Native Americans harshly, his legacy also includes transforming the presidency into the center of American politics. E.D.R. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2009]