Carol Josel will join us on Tuesday, June 24th at 7:00 PM to read and sign her book Out of the Tub: President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft.
About the Book
Say the name William Howard Taft, and those who recall him at all will say he was the fat president who got stuck in a tub. But did that even happen? More importantly, how did his need for approval and pleasing others propel him first into a legal career, and then, despite hating politics, pull him into the White House and beyond? Find out, too, about the three most influential people in his life: his strict, legal-minded father Alphonso, ambitious wife Nellie, determined to one day be First Lady, and closest friend of all, Theodore Roosevelt, who ultimately mocked and betrayed him.
At its heart, Out of the Tub is a story of great love, conflict, sacrifice, and service, a personal, behind-the-scenes look at "Big Bill" whose goodwill, hearty laugh, and good humor endeared him to the public, the many events and choices that shaped his life. Both progressive and conservative in his thinking, he stood firmly behind the Constitution and the rule of law, earning him both applause and criticism. Admittedly thin-skinned, the many harsh words hurled his way, hurt deeply but didn't stop him. No wonder, then that, in the end, The New York Times described him as "the most human President who ever sat in the White House."
About the Author
Thanks to my Agatha Christie-loving mother and my father, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, reading and history came together for me, one story after another. This journey ultimately led me to a fulfilling career as a middle school reading teacher and learning specialist, where I taught 8th graders everything from study strategies and writing techniques to morphology, the Black experience, and the lessons of the Holocaust. A natural outgrowth, writing.
I hold a B.A. in English from the University of Maine, an M.Ed. in reading, and principal certification from Arcadia University. My professional path includes 27 years with the Methacton School District in Pennsylvania and service as a student teacher supervisor and mentor at Ursinus College.
And throughout my career, authorship, beginning with ESL Activities for Every Month of the School Year, then Getting School-Wise: A Student Handbook and Otherwise, and School-Wise: A Parent Guidebook. My most recent book, Out of the Tub: President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft, a biography for middle schoolers and beyond, sheds light on this man of service, too often only remembered as the fat president who got stuck in a tub—a myth. Once called "the most human President who ever sat in the White House" by The New York Times and the only person in history to serve as both President and Chief Justice of the United States, his story was one I just had to tell.