1.0Eva Seylerhttps://www.evaseyler.comEva Seylerhttps://www.evaseyler.com/index.php/author/aakq8ixsak/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="jQAGbgAqvl"><a href="https://www.evaseyler.com/index.php/2019/08/15/eva-reads-about-george-washington/">Eva Reads About George Washington</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.evaseyler.com/index.php/2019/08/15/eva-reads-about-george-washington/embed/#?secret=jQAGbgAqvl" width="600" height="338" title="“Eva Reads About George Washington” — Eva Seyler" data-secret="jQAGbgAqvl" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> Some time ago (I don’t want to think about how long ago, exactly) a friend of mine mentioned a very ambitious but intriguing idea she had: what if she read a biography about each United States president? My curiosity was instantly piqued, for the simple reason that I love history AND I know appallingly little about most of the presidents, even the more famous ones. I’ve only just begun to embark on this massive undertaking, so this post will be a curation of all George Washington-related books I have ever read, with brief remarks thereon, subject to update as I read more. *** Blooding at Great Meadows: Young George Washington and the Battle That Shaped the Man Alan Axelrod This was an in-depth look at Washington’s early life (inasmuch as can be discovered about it) and his first military campaign, which I’d known basically nothing about. Parts of the book were a little tedious, but I’m glad I listened. *** George Washington Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire I’ve read this to my children many times. I love the artwork, and although the text is a little on the simplistic/hero-worshippy side, it’s not too terrible of an overview of the life of Washington. Some of what is presented as fact about his childhood/youth is up for debate, according to some of the other books on this list. The fact is, we really just don’t know much about those years. *** George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger Spy stories are always fun, and I found it really interesting to learn how spying worked and how ignominious spies were considered in those days. I did not care much for the audiobook reader; he was a bit overzealous in his presentation. But the content was great. *** George Washington’s World Genevieve Foster Okay, so I haven’t read this one since I was 13 or 14 and my mom and I read it for school, but I do have a copy in anticipation of reading it with my own kids in a few years. I love the illustrations AND I love that it takes you to all kinds of places and weaves together what else was happening in the world during the span of Washington’s life. I really enjoyed reading it as a teen. *** In the Hurricane’s Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown Nathaniel Philbrick Philbrick’s writing is great, and the audio is read by Scott Brick, who is a favourite reader of mine. I zoned out some of the time, because technicalities of battle are a little much for me at times, but I enjoyed how this book tied together so much about the Revolutionary War in general as well as Washington’s role in it. *** Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution Nathaniel Philbrick As with In the Hurricane’s Eye, this was good but a trifle tedious at times for me. But it was great to finally learn what exactly it was that Benedict Arnold DID, which has always been a little fuzzy for me. *** Washington: A Life Ron Chernow Also read by Scott Brick (yay!) this was just under 42 hours long and, I believe, the longest audiobook I’ve ever listened to. It was intense, but honestly, I loved every minute of it. Particularly (since the Revolution and his early life was already covered in several of the above books in this post) I enjoyed the last third or so that talked about his terms as President, of which I knew literally nothing before. Highly recommend. And, whether it was intentional or not, I find it very satisfying that Chernow divided this book into 67 chapters, since Washington lived 67 years.http://evaseyler.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Screen-Shot-2019-08-15-at-19.04.29-196x300.png