Celebrate the recent publication of Michael Gerhardt's new book, "The Forgotten Presidents: Their Untold Constitutional Legacy,"
just out from Oxford University Press. Prof. Gerhardt will be reading from and signing copies of his new book at Flyleaf Books, 752 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill, from 4 - 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 13.
In "The Forgotten Presidents" Gerhardt surveys thirteen administrations in chronological order, from Martin Van Buren to Franklin Pierce to Jimmy Carter, distinguishing political failures from their constitutional impact. Again and again, he writes, they defied popular opinion to take strong stands. Incisive, myth-shattering, and compellingly written, this book shows how even obscure presidents championed the White House's prerogatives and altered the way we interpret the Constitution.