A review by neglet
Grant by Ron Chernow

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Those is an exhaustive but readable biography that very persuasively argues that US Grant has been seriously underrated as a president. The historical emphasis on the corruption within his administration--something played up by his opponents, who disagreed with this fierce defender of Reconstruction--overlooks how Grant himself was never personally involved in any of the scandals, only frequently misled. And we understand why it happened, because Chernow details how Grant's trusting nature led him to repeated financial failings in his younger days, and he only found success when he became a military commander during the Civil War. (Btw, if you love Civil War history, you'll get detailed accounts of his campaigns as well. If you don't, it might feel like the war will never end, just like Lincoln might have felt in 1864.) I'm coming to the end of this biography with a new appreciation of Grant's career--particularly his unstinting devotion to civil rights--while also feeling like I understand him a bit as a person.