I would have given this book 4.5 stars, but that was not a choice so I decided to go up, not down.
It really is a magnificent work. I learned so much about the Founders that I never knew and had to re-evaluate many. I was able to see the complexity of Constitutional issues in a new way and appreciated seeing the situation as the Founders saw it, not as we see it with perfect hindsight. I like that the author challenges the reader to find mistakes. I also liked the way he translated things into contemporary English.
The deficits were simply the size and prolixity. Sometimes the author went too deep into the weeds for my liking. And I have no way to know if his portrayals are accurate. But still, very well worth the time.
I respect the author's intelligence and commitment to Israel. What I found lacking in this book was clarity. Stories were told without an obvious conclusion. It would have really helped if he had made a bullet list at the end of each chapter or the end of the book and listed his points.
I also don't think his reading list was wide enough. I would have recommended “The Chosen Few” by Botticini and Eckstein. In my opinion. Jewish continuity is driven by two things: Education and Observance
It was great getting to know George Washington and I would have given this book 5 stars, but there was too much personal information about the author. Also, why can't he use the perfectly acceptable word “slave”? He always calls them “enslaved persons”. Would you call workers “employed persons”? Or walkers “mobile persons”? Makes no sense