Grant
Ratings37
Average rating4.5
15
Ratings37
Average rating4.5
Grant is a 2017 biography of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, written by American historian and biographer Ron Chernow. Grant, a Union general during the Civil War, served two terms as president, from 1869 to 1877. Chernow asserts that both Grant's command of the Overland campaign and his presidency have been seen in an undeservedly negative light.
Reviews with the most likes.
Grant is the most underrated president of the 19th century. This book helps to keep him alive in the memory of 21st century readers :-)
Listened to this as an audio book, and I would have loved to have had the hard copy of the book to flip back to from time to time to keep track of some names. I think I would have loved the hardback better. But while I didn't think it was an enthralling as Hamilton, it did change my perspective of Grant and of the Reconstruction. It was informative and interesting but did drag a little.
This was the first biography I had read in years. It did not disappoint. Chernow's writing offered a connection with the subject, and he made Grant seem like someone who would sit next to you in the quiet corner of a library and narrate some of his more harrowing experiences. I appreciated the detailed exploration of more than just his Civil War and Presidency periods. The chapters discussing the Mexican War and his travels abroad following his presidency were interesting and worthy inclusions.
While any biography of Grant would be incomplete without reference to his drinking, Chernow takes an almost obsessed approach to highlighting Grant's triumph over the vice, and he uses the alcohol rumors to nearly vilify Grant's opponents. The tone of the drinking refrains grew more didactic and gruff as the narrative progressed. In some instances, the return to drinking stories jarred the flow of the tale.
A little too apologetic for Grant's (few) failures with Reconstruction and Native American policies, but otherwise as good as advertised.
