It is important to keep in mind that this is not a biography of Adlai, the most famous of Stevensons. Baker examines his family and his place within that family's development...as well as his place within the American political system. I grew up in Chicago in a family of Democrats who adored FDR and, later, Adlai Stevenson. (They really didn't know quite what to make of Truman nor, for that matter, did Truman know quite what to make of Stevenson.) I begn to follow Stevenson's career when he was governor of Illinois, delighted by his dry wit. Unlike Lincoln's, his career did not lead from Springfield to the White House. His manner was that of a patrician and his demeanor that of an intellectual. (Eisenhower once called him an "egghead.") On occasion, he seemed to lack an appetite for politics or at least for campaigning for public office. Thanks to Baker, I now have a much better understanding of his Scottish ancestry, of his youth, and of the formative years preceding his governship. Contrary to what the elders in my family firmly believed, Stevenson was no saint. For me, that makes him all-the-more interesting. Perhaps his finest moment in public life occurred when, as our ambassador to the U.N., he challenged the ambassador from the U.S.S.R. to admit that it had deployed missiles in Cuba. That took courage and eloquence which Stevenson possessed in abundance. So many fine books have been written about the Kennedys, the Rockefellers, and the Roosevelts. Another family, the Stevensons, has now received the attention it deserves.

"The Stevensons" is a sweeping story of the American experience, a story of a great American family.

Jean Baker begins the story of the Stevenson saga with Adlai Stevenson II's 1948 campaign for governor in Illinois. As the popular governor is about to run for the presidency in 1952, the author takes readers back to governor's ancestors, following the family's migration to America - moving from Pennsylvania to the Carolinas, on to Kentucky and eventually to Bloomington, Illinois -- a sweeping and inspiring journey.

While the book's focus is Adlai Stevenson II, two time Democratic presidential candidate in 1952 and 1956, the family biography thoroughly recounts the life and political career of his famous grandfather, Adlai Stevenson I (1835-1914), a Democratic Party icon in 19th century Illinois politics.

Of special interest to those who remember Adlai Stevenson II's two campaigns for the presidency and his tenure as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, the book presents the complexities of the personality of probably the best known liberal of the post-World War II era.

The only missing link in the story is the period between 1956 and 1960.

Among all the tragic figures in this saga, Adlai Stevenson II, although flawed, shines with a luster that will be remembered as a liberal statesman head and shoulders above his contemporaries.

The author lists 35 interviews and has included 74 pages of bibliographic

Jean Baker's chronicle of the Stevenson family contains Baker's usual hallmarks-- thought-provoking sagacity, a remarkable ability to objectively look at all issues from all angles, and research that in its scope and accuracy is second to none. The Stevensons should be required reading for all Americans who care about postwar American politics and culture. An excellent piece of work by one of America's outstanding biographers.

Adlai Stevenson, remembered chiefly as the Democratic presidential candidate who lost to Dwight David Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, lead a fascinating and eventful life. It is the sort of life that might inspire a great biography, throwing a lot of light upon his nation and his times.

Unfortunately this book, thoroughly researched and competently written though it seems, is not that book. McKeever slides too quickly over crucial points, such as the Little Rock, Arkansas school desegregation crisis and Stevenson's equivocations.

Read this book if you are interested in its subject, but supplement this "liberally" (if I may intrude a political pun) with the work of other scholars.

Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965), has long been regarded as one of the most beloved liberal politicians of modern times. To the liberal wing of the Democratic Party in the 1950's and 1960's, Stevenson was a heroic figure, an eloquent and brilliant statesman who had the courage to criticize demagogues such as Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon when few other Democrats were willing to do so. In his two failed presidential campaigns against the popular Republican President, Dwight Eisenhower, in 1952 and 1956 Stevenson became known internationally for his moving oratory and quick wit (Example - when Eisenhower criticized Stevenson in 1952 for not being serious enough, Stevenson, noting Eisenhower's refusal to take on right-wing zealots like Joe McCarthy, jabbed back: "The General is worried about my funnybone, but I'm worried about his backbone"). In this moving and eloquent biography - written in a style that Stevenson himself probably would have admired, Porter McKeever, a close friend of Stevenson and a strong admirer - has penned an excellent look at his hero's life and times. Stevenson came from a distinguished political family in Illinois - his grandfather and namesake was the U.S. Vice-President under Grover Cleveland - and so he came naturally to politics as a career. Curiously, although he is known as a great intellectual, he did poorly in school and college (he went to Princeton) and even flunked out of law school, mainly because he found the law boring (however, he later did get a law degree and opened his own law firm). In the 1930's and 1940's he worked at various government jobs, winning the respect of his superiors and even catching the eye of President Franklin Roosevelt himself. In 1948 he wanted to run for the US Senate in Illinois, but instead the infamous Democratic "machine" in Chicago, led then by Jacob Arvey, convinced him to run for Governor. He won the election easily and immediately became the leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1952. In part this was due to his friendships with many famous journalists and newspaper columnists, who relentlessly pushed his name forward as a candidate. Yet Stevenson himself was remarkably ambivalent about running for President, and when President Truman tried to convince him to run in early 1952 he refused, thereby making a lifelong enemy of him. Unlike most major politicians, Stevenson wasn't afraid to be modest and admit to his inner "doubts" that he had the skills to be President - which only served to further endear him to the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. Over his objections, his name was put forward by various prominent Democrats and he was nominated. Although he lost to Eisenhower in the fall of 1952 (and, again, in 1956) he did inspire many younger liberals to enter and participate in politics - many of these people would later serve in the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations. Despite his sophistication and highly idealistic views of what America should be, Stevenson did have his problems - his childhood was traumatized by his parent's constant bickering and fighting, and by the fact that as a young boy he accidentally shot and killed a girl while playing with what he thought was an unloaded rifle. His marriage, to Ellen Borden, was extremely rocky - she later developed mental problems and became resentful and angry at her husband's success and popularity - and they were divorced in the late 1940's. Stevenson did have a number of affairs with other women - this biography includes a number of romantic and eloquent love letters to his lady friends - yet he never remarried. Stevenson's last years were rather sad - in 1960 several of his friends tried, against his express wishes, to get the Democrats to nominate him for President for a third time - but he was trounced by the Kennedy brothers, who ever after resented what they felt was his "indecisiveness" and "weakness". Although Stevenson desperately wanted to be Secretary of State, JFK deliberately bypassed him and instead offered him a lesser job as the US Ambassador to the United Nations. The Kennedy brothers routinely left Stevenson "out of the loop" in their decision-making, and even sometimes enjoyed making his life miserable "just to see how much old Adlai will take". As it turned out, he would take quite a lot, and he served as our UN Ambassador until his sudden death from a heart attack in 1965. Although this biography is a tribute to a man the author greatly admired, it is surprisingly objective and McKeever is not afraid to point out his hero's weaknesses. To this day many liberals still look to Stevenson as a model of statesmanship and idealistic politics - and that makes this well-written biography well worth reading.