Point Books To Washington: The Indispensable Man
| Original Title: | Washington: The Indispensable Man |
| ISBN: | 0316286168 (ISBN13: 9780316286169) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | George Washington |
James Thomas Flexner
Paperback | Pages: 423 pages Rating: 4.1 | 5393 Users | 166 Reviews
List Based On Books Washington: The Indispensable Man
| Title | : | Washington: The Indispensable Man |
| Author | : | James Thomas Flexner |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 423 pages |
| Published | : | February 22nd 1994 by Back Bay Books (first published 1974) |
| Categories | : | Biography. History. Nonfiction. Politics. Presidents. North American Hi.... American History. Military History. American Revolution |
Relation Toward Books Washington: The Indispensable Man
After more than two decades, this dramatic and concise single-volume distillation of James Thomas Flexner's definitive four-volume biography "George Washington," which received a Pulitzer Prize citation and a National Book Award for the fourth volume, has itself become an American classic. Now in a new trade paperback edition, this masterful work explores the Father of Our Country - sometimes an unpopular hero, a man of great contradictions, but always a towering historical figure, who remains, as Flexner writes in these pages, "a fallible human being made of flesh and blood and spirit - not a statue of marble and wood... a great and good man." The author unflinchingly paints a portrait of Washington: slave owner, brave leader, man of passion, reluctant politician, and fierce general. His complex character and career are neither glorified nor vilified here; rather, Flexner sets up a brilliant counterpoint between Washington's public and private lives and gives us a challenging look at the man who has become as much a national symbol as the American flag.Rating Based On Books Washington: The Indispensable Man
Ratings: 4.1 From 5393 Users | 166 ReviewsCritique Based On Books Washington: The Indispensable Man
This was required reading for a history course that I was enrolled in a few years back, but I ended up dropping the course and never sold the texts back. It is an interesting and relatively short biography on George Washington; at 400 pages, it is MUCH shorter than Flexner's FOUR VOLUME long version. The writing was very dry at points, and I really had to stay focused or I'd find myself "reading" pages without really reading them. Still, it is a thorough account of a fascinating man and a veryWashington looms over the life of the nation that he did so much to found. As general, as constitutionalist, as president, he set the tone and the standard for all others in American life to follow. Indeed, without George Washington it is impossible to imagine the United States of America growing, thriving, and prospering in a spirit of republican democracy the way it has for over 200 years. And therefore, how appropriate it is that biographer James Thomas Flexner gave this 1974 biography of
This was a readable, brief biography of Washington.Other reviewers have done a good job summarizing the book's merits -- if you're interested in learning something about the 'father' of our country, this is a good place to start.I wanted to note a couple of insights that emerged for me.The first is that the many wars in Europe helped inform the founders' notion that we needed a 'union' of all of the British colonies so as to both present a larger diplomatic face to European powers and as a way
I read this book back during my college days and watched the miniseries which was based on the book (starring Barry Bostwick as George Washington) and it was a joy to read it again. The author has written a longer, multi-volume series upon which this book is based, but unless you strive to be a George Washington scholar, this book will suffice for most. The author's contention is that George Washington was the one man able to lead the colonies to victory against Great Britain (despite not really
Deeply interesting, if not entertaining, history of the man behind the myth. Full of his blunders and failures, strength, feeling, humility and even petty pride, Washington is portrayed ultimately as deeply human and often noble.
I have set a goal of reading a single volume, well regarded biography of each US president in order. This was my first installment.-1 and +1 for readability. This book was laid out like a text book, large format, multiple columns of text, and graphical and textual asides inserted into the text in boxes. I find this a frustrating format. The inserts are distracting and often do not fall into logical breaks in the text. The larger form factor is also a problem as I often read on the go, this book
I loved getting to know the personality of the father of our country! He was disciplined, kind, generous, and loved living elegantly. This book was well written and intellectually stimulating -(I picked up many new vocabulary words.) I discovered President Washington was preserved by God on numerous occasions to lead our country. I learned that while he was remarkable, he was not perfect and yet he is someone that Americans can be proud of!
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