Reviews

Washington by Ron Chernow, Ron Chernow

bookiesanta's review

5.0

When Washington died at the end of this book, I was hit with a wave of melancholy. Joe, as my record-keeper of historical feelings (an important, if unpaid, job), pointed out that I was also sad when Lincoln died while reading Team of Rivals. That is true, but the emotions came from different places. When reading Lincoln's death, I couldn't help thinking about how much he went struggled, how many people were against him at various points of his presidency, and then how his life was ripped away right when all the work was finally paying off. Washington's passing, on the other hand, came when the job was essentially done, as far as George went. No, my sadness at the passing of the father of our country was because, as another Washington reader told me a few months ago, "I didn't want the book to end. " I have read so much about Washington, by many other authors, but Chernow's book is the first to humanize George, to get through the "myth', and present him as the ambitious, type-A leader who could have been King in everything but name. He had the popular support AND the support of the army, and though that would have diminished had he attempted a monarchy/dictatorship, it's not hard to think of that movement succeeding. And he rejected it, didn't even give it a second thought. There are not many men who would have lived juggling supreme popularity with the difficulties of birthing a new government and not made a powergrab at some point. To his everlasting reputation, George Washington did everything he thought necessary, with as much of a sense of fairness and propriety as he could, and when it was time to step down....he stepped down. He wanted to step down. Do not belittle that, because there are not many people who could do the same, who could do the work until, and not before, it was done, and then stop at the right time. Honestly, I can't even tell you Lincoln would have done that, not with any conviction.

John Elway did, though. And that's pretty heady company to be in.