Democracy's Big Day : The Inauguration of Our President 1789-2009

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and unusual events connected with this centuries-old institution. Bendat details various parts of the inauguration day, beginning with the morning when the outgoing president has coffee with his successor, proceeding to the U.S. Capitol for the ceremony, and continuing with the afternoon parade and the Inaugural Ball in the evening. He shares historic and amusing vignettes about past presidents that illustrate how inauguration day has evolved from 1789 to the present. Finally, Bendat recounts the quiet inaugurations of nine presidents after the unexpected demise of their predecessors. Complete with a map of the parade route and an inauguration chart from George Washington to George W. Bush, this concise and lively book is a remarkably comprehensive history of our nations fascinating inauguration festivities. "There is quite possibly no single event that better symbolizes the democratic idealism of the United States than the appointment of the president to office, yet very little has been written on the subject. At first glance, any book attempting to cover such a brief historical event would appear to be either trivial, unbearably dull or a mixture of both. Bendat, however, resists the urge to offer a boring textbook or tedious academic treatise, instead providing a detailed yet lighthearted approach to the material. His prose engages readers with short, extremely readable snippets, highlighting only the most entertaining facts and quotes. The author has an eye for humor, but he writeswith a reverence for bipartisan patriotism that keeps the book from becoming a Washington gag reel. By resisting the urge to inject a personal agenda or use dense, flowery language, the author presents an accurate record of American history with a document that has mass appeal." Kirkus Discoveries