Washington: A Life

2.5 stars. The problem with biographies about “great men” is that their stories are actually far less great than legends have made them out to be. Chernow is an overrated biographer.

As I restart my journey through Presidential biographies, I re-read this book. Man, is it so good. Comprehensive, well-written, authoritative, etc. However, on this second reading I realized how much I had forgotten about Washington's life, only two years since my first reading. This being the longest non-fiction book I've ever read, I'm unsure how reasonable it is to think this about a book of such breadth, but I feel it should be possible for a written work to stick with you more than this did–if written well enough. I feel what sticks with you is not the overall contours and story of Washington's life as much as an intuitive sense of the man himself and some notable anecdotes. Maybe that ought to be the highest goal of a good biography–to capture the subject's essence, even at the expense of clarity regarding the events of his life. But I do wish that my mental picture of his life were more whole; something about this book and how it's written loses me in its forest in its emphasis on the trees. But still, it is a book worth reading, with meaning lessons on leadership, history, politics, and culture. It does not avoid the unflattering parts of Washington, nor is it a hit piece. Chernow obviously cares for this man deeply, and respects him profoundly, but not to the point of clouding his assessment of him. In short, it's a fantastic, wonderful book that all should read–even if they have little hope of retaining every specific part.

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.

Excellent biography, engaging throughout. Predictably, the parts about the war were the best, but the real interesting sections are during the presidency.

Highlights: He started the 7 Years War!

What I Took Away:
Poor; terrible weird relationship to mother
Hung out with his social superiors, learned from them - manners, self-control - schmoozed quite a bit as a young man
all his life felt he had missed out on getting a proper education (unlike Jefferson/Hamilton/Madison/Adams etc)
QUITE the ladies' man (very flirtatious)
Not adaptable - if a battle plan went awry, he didn't quite know what to do. Not good at off-the-cuff speeches.
Extremely good at hearing what everybody had to say, didn't surround himself with “yes-men” - listened to all the point of view and then came to a conclusion. But once conclusion was reached, was very difficult to change his mind.
His value as a general was not as a tactician, but as a figurehead - everybody looked up to him, he held the army together for 8 years.
Was greatly concerned with his reputation, with his contemporaries and with “posterity” (e.g. great care he took in preserving his letters)

Was very conscious that what he did as President was precedent-setting - formation of cabinet, State of the Union address, down to little details of how he was to be addressed in conversation. As a consequence, was very careful and methodical about those precedent-setting actions.

Selection of future capital on Potomac (in Chernow's view) opened Washington to criticism for the first time - broke the dam.

Support of Hamiltonian national bank was a great step in keeping the new country going - possibly the single most important?

When did idea of being “an American” take shape? GW's disgust at war profiteers and others who sold food/goods to British instead of to Continental Army was very great - why did people do that? At what point did a Virginian or a Pennsylvanian begin to consider himself an American? (did it take until after the Civil War?)

(must look up history of money/credit/finances - how did people function being in debt their whole lives?)
(must also read Federalist Papers)