Washington: A Life (udgave 2011)

A badly-needed history of Washington, and the only one I've read that made him seem human.

I was particularly impressed with Chernow's handling of Washington's role as a slaveholder. Most takes on Washington minimize and excuse the president's incredible moral failing by making him 'a man of his time' or selectively editing history to make Washington appear as benign as possible.

Chernow looks at Washington's contradictory and opinions on the issue and the way he evolved during the last decades of his life. He also presents the issue from the points of view of Washington's slaves, dozens of whom escaped. Washington's conversion to abolition clearly comes far too late in life.

That Chernow is able to do this while also clearly showing the heroic sides of Washington's nature and his indispensability in the larger story of America and liberalism is a rare and worthy accomplishment. ( )

A complete, excellent history of Washington's life. It does not veer more than necessary into the times, sticking as closely as possible to the subject. While it is impossible to talk about Washington without talking about the historical period, the focus is always on Washington, his words and his relationships with others. I thought this was engaging and well written. It was complimentary and critical, as necessary, without being overly opinionated in either direction. ( )

I had to resort to audio in the end. Love Chernow, but Washington doesn't have Hamilton's extreme charisma, which I need to get through 800-odd pages, apparently. ( )

This must be the longest book I've ever read.

A stunningly in depth chronicle of the first u.s. president which examines every aspect of his life in compiling a full profile of this mythical figure. I feel rather like I could psychoanalyze him frankly, that's how much this book seems to get inside his head. By the end though, I was rather wishing he would just die already; easily a hundred pages could have been excised from this weighty tome without effecting it's quality in the slightest.

Exhaustively researched and very detailed history of our first US president. Chernow doesn't want you to miss anything, so you get it all in a little over 800 pages. So, this book is for a serious presidential scholar, or at least a rapidly curious fan of our first president. If you are one of those, you will get satisfaction for your efforts! ( )