I just want to say that this book is absolutely riveting. Chernow covers Washington’s life in amazing detail and leaves the reader stunned at what Washington was able to accomplish and sets him apart from the rest of the founding fathers in his importance to the nation. It’s a phenomenal biography and amongst the best I’ve read in the category. This is a must read for anyone with an interest in American history. Even if you aren’t particularly interested in history you might find yourself surprised at how much you enjoy the book.
by HighFastStinkyCheese
2 Comments
Yes! This book is on my top ten books of all time list. I read one biography of every president, and this one stood out as the best by far. I genuinely felt like I knew who George Washington was as a person at the end of the book, something that I can’t say for any other bio.
I enjoyed the biography as well. To me what’s most interesting about Washington is that he wasn’t really a genius in any field, as a general or a politician, but something about him commanded near-unanimous respect. And of course there’s the fact that he could easily have sabotaged democracy, but instead set a high bar for the Commander in Chief, the role of the U.S. military, and the Office of the President.
On Goodreads’ ranking of presidential biographies, *Washington: A Life*, by Ron Chernow, is number three after David McCullough’s *John Adams* and Doris Kearns Goudwin’s *Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln*. It’s partly about the quality of the biography, but also about the importance of the person.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7572.Best_Presidential_Biographies_nonfiction_