Grant

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Pulitzer Prize winner and biographer of Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, and John D Rockefeller, Ron Chernow returns with a sweeping and dramatic portrait of one of America s most complicated generals and presidents, Ulysses S Grant.Ulysses S Grant s life has typically been misunderstood All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and inept businessman, fond of drinking to excess or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War or as a credulous and hapless president whose tenure came to symbolize the worst excesses of the Gilded Age These stereotypes don t come close to capturing adequately his spirit and the sheer magnitude of his monumental accomplishments A biographer at the height of his powers, Chernow has produced a portrait of Grant that is a masterpiece, the first to provide a complete understanding of the general and president whose fortunes rose and fell with dizzying speed and frequency.Before the Civil War, Grant was flailing His business ventures had been dismal, and despite distinguished service in the Mexican War, he ended up resigning from the army in disgrace amid recurring accusations of drunkenness But in the Civil War, Grant began to realize his remarkable potential, soaring through the ranks of the Union army, prevailing at the Battle of Shiloh and in the Vicksburg campaign and ultimately defeating the legendary Confederate general Robert E Lee after a series of unbelievably bloody battles in Virginia Along the way Grant endeared himself to President Lincoln and became his most trusted general and the strategic genius of the war effort His military fame translated into a two term presidency, but one plagued by corruption scandals involving his closest staff All the while Grant himself remained or less above reproach But, importantly, he never failed to seek freedom and justice for black Americans, working to crush the Ku Klux Klan and earning the admiration of Frederick Douglass, who called him the vigilant, firm, impartial, and wise protector of my race After his presidency, he was again brought low by a trusted colleague, this time a dashing young swindler on Wall Street, but he resuscitated his image by working with Mark Twain to publish his memoirs, which are recognized as a masterpiece of the genre With his famous lucidity, breadth, and meticulousness, Chernow finds the threads that bind these disparate stories together, shedding new light on the man whom Walt Whitman described as nothing heroic and yet the greatest hero His probing portrait of Grant s lifelong struggle with alcoholism transforms our understanding of the man at the deepest level This is America s greatest biographer, bringing movingly to life one of America s finest but most underappreciated presidents The definitive biography, Grant is a grand synthesis of painstaking research and literary brilliance that makes sense of all sides of Grant s life, explaining how this simple Midwesterner could at once be so ordinary and so extraordinary. Free Read [ Grant ] author [ Ron Chernow ] – kino-fada.fr This book requires a serious time commitment Grant lived 132 years ago, not so long in the course of things Much had been written about him at the time, and much after He himself wrote memoirs that are highly regarded and that showed his intelligence and shrewdness His mother in law Dent, Julia s mother, noticed that although he had failings alcohol and could sometimes get off track career wise an inability to make money as an independent entrepreneur , he had a fine political mind That This book requires a serious time commitment Grant lived 132 years ago, not so long in the course of things Much had been written about him at the time, and much after He himself wrote memoirs that are highly regarded and that showed his intelligence and shrewdness His mother in law Dent, Julia s mother, noticed that although he had failings alcohol and could sometimes get off track career wise an inability to make money as an independent entrepreneur , he had a fine political mind That his mother in law, a...he was nothing heroic.and yet the greatest heroWalt Whitman of Ulysses S GrantA blue ribbon historical biography by Ron Chernow, who is one of the only historical biographers in recent years to gain some public notoriety, from his Alexander Hamilton serving as the basis and inspiration for the still SRO Hamilton on Broadway.We read biographies, it seems to me, to remind us that the individual can matter and to learn what came to make the individuals who have mattered most On both poihe was nothing h...A mere ten years ago this would have been my Book of the Year But I m a different reader now Not necessarily a better or smarter reader, just different So I pause when I read a sentence like As ever, his whole physiology sprang into action. Where is the editor to ask Ron, do you really mean his whole physiology Because that would be all the functions of a living organism, which is, you know, a whole lot of physiology And, Ron, as ever Do you really mean every single time And, Ron, I m g A mere ten years ago this would have been my Book of the Year But I m a different reader now Not necessarily a...When did Grant ever turn back He was not that sort he could noturn back than timeWalt Whitman, quoted in Ron Chernow, GrantRon Chernow delights in writing about complicated American Icons and money men It might seem odd that Chernow would chose Grant after writing about Washinton, Hamilton, John D Rockefeller, the Morgans and the Warburgs, but Chernow also loves rehabilitative writing Just look at what his biography of Hamilton did helped out mightily by Lin Manuel Miranda GWhen did Grant ever turn back He was not that sort he could noturn back than timeWalt Whitman, quoted in Ron Chernow, GrantRon Chernow delights in writing about complicated American Icons and money men It might seem odd that Chernow would chose Grant after writing about Washinton, Hamilton, John D Rockefeller, the Morgans and the Warburgs, but Chernow also loves rehabilitative writing Just look at what his biography of Hamilton did helped out mightily by Lin Manuel Miranda Grant is a great subject to write about He is a compli...Recently Ron Chernow was asked on the CBS morning news program if his new biography, GRANT could become a Broadway musical as his previous book HAMILTON had His response was clearly no, but he left open the possibility of a movie Whatever the case, Chernow has written the most comprehensive biography of the man ...4.5 starsI was torn between 4 stars or 5 stars for this outstanding biography and decided to split the difference giving it 4.5 stars The only demerits being that at times when it delved into politics I found it a little dry but that is probably me and has nothing to do with the authors writing talent I read one other book by Ron Chernow, that being Alexander Hamilton The research that went into this narrative is outstanding and the author s writing style is such that you feel as though you k 4.5 starsI was torn between 4 stars or 5 stars for this outstanding biography and decided to split the difference giving it 4.5 stars The only demerits being that at times when it delved into politics I found it a little dry but that is probably me and has nothing to do with the authors writing talent I read one other book by Ron Chernow, that being Alexander Hamilton The research that went into this narrative is outstanding and the author s writing style is such that you feel as though you know the person He was not j...The sheer popularity of Ron Chernow, now known as the source of the most popular musical in the history of ever, ensures that both his new biography and its subject are going to be taken seriously in national conversation The re evaluation of Grant and Reconstruction that Chernow offers has been in progress for several decades among historians and experts But Chernow is q...I have read a number of biographies of both Ulysses Grant and his wife, Julia Chernow s is by far the most detailed and documented I have always enjoyed Chernow s biographies even if they are very long Chernow always presents a rich sensitive portrait of his topic, in this case, Ulysses S Grant.The book is well written and meticulously researched I was impressed how thoroughly he investigated the claims of Grant s alcoholism He pointed out what might have been true or false claims of his p I have read a number of biographies of both Ulysses Grant and his wife, Julia Chernow s is by far the most detailed and documented I have always enjoyed Chernow s biographies even if they are very long Chernow always presents a rich sensitive portrait of his topic, in this case, Ulysses S Grant.The...Rehabilitating Ulysses Grant has become a cottage industry among biographers in the past sixteen years alone, we ve seen formidable studies by Jean Edward Smith, H.W Brands, Brooks Simpson and Ronald C White showing us that Grant, far from the drunken butcher general and terrible president caricatured throughout the years, was a shrewd military leader and a well intentioned, if not always effective Chief Executive Ron Chernow s latest book covers little new ground, but a solid biography by a Rehabilitating Ulysses Grant has become a cottage industry among biographers in the past sixteen years alone, we ve seen formidable studies by Jean Edward Smith, H.W Brands, Brooks Simpson and Ronald C White showing us that Grant, far from the drunken butcher general and terrible president caricatured throughout the years, was a shrewd military leader and a well intentioned, if not always effective Chief Executive Ron Chernow s latest book covers little new ground, but a solid biography by a talented historian is always worth checking out Chernow provides the detailed yet accessible, humanizing style which made his earlier works especially Alexander Hamilton so enjoyable He charts the familiar ...4,6 5I looooove biiiig books and I really like Grant apparently and I admire Chernow s writing style and yeah I loved pretty much everything about this

Grant
  • English
  • 13 July 2017
  • Hardcover
  • 1074 pages
  • 159420487X
  • Ron Chernow
  • Grant