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His Excellency: George Washington, by Joseph J. Ellis
Download PDF His Excellency: George Washington, by Joseph J. Ellis
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Review
" [Ellis has done it again. This is an important and challenging work: beautifully written, lively, serious and engaging.” —The Boston Globe “Absorbing. . . . An incisive portrait [that] eloquently conveys the magnitude of Washington’s accomplishments.” —The New York Times “Absolutely fascinating. . . . Underscores how extraordinary Washington’s accomplishments really were.” —The Christian Science Monitor “Lively and engaging. . . . An accessible portrait. . . . Ellis writes simply but eloquently. His prose is lucid, graceful and witty, his book is hard to put down. . . . Should be required reading.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review
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From the Inside Flap
The author of seven highly acclaimed books, Joseph J. Ellis has crafted a landmark biography that brings to life in all his complexity the most important and perhaps least understood figure in American history, George Washington. With his careful attention to detail and his lyrical prose, Ellis has set a new standard for biography. Drawing from the newly" catalogued Washington papers at the University of Virginia, Joseph Ellis paints a full portrait of George Washington's life and career-from his military years through his two terms as president. Ellis illuminates the difficulties the first executive confronted as he worked to keep the emerging country united in the face of adversarial factions. He richly details Washington's private life and illustrates the ways in which it influenced his public persona. Through Ellis's artful narration, we look inside Washington's" marriage and his subsequent entrance into the upper echelons of Virginia's plantation society. We come to understand that it was by managing his own" large debts to British merchants that he experienced firsthand the imperiousness of the British Empire. And we watch the evolution of his attitude toward slavery, which led to his emancipating his own slaves in his will. Throughout, Ellis peels back the layers of myth and uncovers for us Washington in the context of eighteenth-century America, allowing us to comprehend the magnitude of his accomplishments and the character of his spirit and mind." When Washington died in 1799, Ellis tells us," he was eulogized as "first in the hearts of his countrymen." Since then, however, his image has been chisled onto Mount Rushmore and printed on the dollar bill. He is on ourlandscape and in our wallets but not, Ellis argues, in our hearts. Ellis strips away the ivy and legend that have grown up over the Washington statue and recovers the flesh-and-blood man in all his passionate and fully human prowess. In the pantheon of our republic's founders, there were many outstanding individuals. And yet each of them-Franklin, Hamilton, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison- acknowledged Washington to be his superior, the only indispensable figure, the one and only "His Excellency." Both physically and politically, Washington towered over his peers for reasons this book elucidates. "His Excellency is a full, glorious, and multifaceted portrait of the man behind our country's genesis, sure to become the authoritative biography of George Washington for many decades. "From the Hardcover edition.
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Product details
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (November 8, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781400032532
ISBN-13: 978-1400032532
ASIN: 1400032539
Product Dimensions:
5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.3 out of 5 stars
496 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#84,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
I've only read to page 63 but I'm ready to put the book down. I have kept reading up until now because I've been waiting for it to get better. I want it to get better. I want Ellis to be done with putting George Washington down and looking at him through such a negative lens. I want him to prove that he really believes what he states on pg. 39: "Though he was still developing...the outline of Washington's mature personality was already assuming a discernible shape." I know some biographers either over-appreciate their subjects and others under-appreciate them. This author definitely is under appreciating his. After more than 20 pages I've seen no sign of Ellis viewing Washington's weaknesses and mistakes as indicators of a learning and growing process. Instead he seems to be openly judging him from a fixed mindset. By page 63, the picture of George Washington that is emerging from Ellis's pen is a selfish, two-faced, conniving man. He's shown as a fanatic who sees conspiracy where there is none. He weaves a plot that convicts Washington of developing into a conspirator. The author's word choices and assumptions of Washington's motivation seem to be revealing the author's own motives and character, rather than Washington's. Repeatedly, he draws unsupported conclusions about Washington's motivation. If I hadn't read another biography by William Roscoe Thayler, before this one, I would be of the opinion after reading Ellis's book that George Washington was a bad guy.Examples of this author's wording and conclusions:"In addition to his familiar themes--petitions were worse than worthless, abstract arguments must be accompanied by economic pressures--now he detected a full-blooded conspiracy against American liberty." pg. 62 Is conspiracy (a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful) not a good understanding of the entire relationship between America and Great Britain during this time period? There were secret plots on both sides because both had different goals and motives regarding the future of America. Why does Ellis mock Washington for seeing this conspiracy as if he were a fanatic?"(A Lukewarm Episcopalian, he never took Communion, tended to talk about 'Providence' or 'Destiny' rather than God, and--was this a statement?--preferred to stand rather than kneel when praying.)" pg 45 "was this a statement?" This is the author's insertion. Why lead the reader by the nose with the author's personal biases and conclusions?"...but nothing he ever did had a greater influence on the shape of his own life than the decision to marry Martha Dandridge Custis." pg 40 I was expecting to hear how her faith and goodness helped him develop his own. But the author proceeds to talk about all of her money.Ellis speaks of rumors about Washington's fidelity to his wife and then says they were never verified. pg 44 But in my opinion, even speaking about unfounded rumors and gossip is totally disrespectful to anyone, let alone to someone whom we Americans owe so much."For the rest of his life, all arguments based on the principle of mutual trust devoid of mutual interest struck him as sentimental nonsense." pg. 39 I totally disagree. Looking at his life as a whole, he sacrificed much more for his country than he ever received from them or from us, who are his beneficiaries, who enjoy the resultant freedom and order of this country."Two features of the emerging Washington personality come into focus here: first, a thin-skinned aversion to criticism, especially when the criticism questioned his personal motive, which he insisted were beyond reproach; second, a capacity to play politics effectively while claiming total disinterest in the game." pg. 29 "which he insisted" and "while claiming" Insinuating that Washington was deliberately dishonest and two-faced. Could Ellis not say instead, "It is evident that Washington was still struggling with his ability to take criticism. In all of his actions he strove to do what he believed and understood at that time to be right but he still was learning and growing. His efforts to make a difference in the political arena were motivated by a sincere belief that he knew what was best. As a Virginian land owner, he empathized with others land owners like him and in so doing learned over time to see his own needs and conflicts as similar to others'.""Finally, this is the kind of man who will regard any failure to meet his exacting standards as a personal affront and persistent failure as evidence of a conspiracy to deprive him of what is rightfully his. Pity the London merchant who has to deal with him." pg. 47"But while most outspoken opponents of the Stamp Act, those whom Washington called 'the Speculative part,' emphasized the constitutional argument, his response more directly reflected his personal experience with Cary & Company." pg 52 AND "Once again there was a personal edge to that conviction." pg. 58 These and other similar statements attribute Washington's motives for revolution as purely mercenary. Ellis doesn't choose to write with empathy: making a living and building security for posterity was and still is a large part of the American dream."HIs singular triumph, in fact the result of multiple efforts over thirteen years of complex negotiations, was largely a product of his status as a veteran of the French and Indian War." pg. 56 This is just one of many instances where Ellis attributes the cause of a result for us. He says Washington's singular triumph was largely a product of his status."Washington was relentless in pressing his claims..." pg 56 Ellis chooses the word "relentless" which, combined with the portrait he continues to paint of this man, makes us believe that he was not only selfish, but relentlessly and heartlessly selfish. Where is the growth mindset he promised us on page 39? It is only to be found in one or two sentences but the rest is negative, critical, and disrespectful. I don't recommend this book.I know people aren't perfect, especially those we revere. In fact I love them all the more when I see they weren't and then learn from their mistakes. I have no problem seeing weaknesses and mistakes in George Washington but this author is choosing not only to focus in with a high power microscope on all them but to attribute a bunch more that are based on his personal speculation. He does not allow the reader to make those attributions and assessments herself. He leads her by the nose to see things in the negative light that he sees them. He presents evidence with a slanted, biased view that prevents us from seeing the true character of George Washington.
At ~275 pages before the acknowledgements, this book naturally leaves one wanting for detail, but is enjoyable and a great introduction or summation of some of the key points in Washington's eventful life. Prior to picking a Washington bio (having been prompted by McCullough's 1776), I had considered just plunging into Chernow's Washington: A Life, but feeling 800+ pages a bit more than I had confidence to chew, I opted to ease into it with His Excellency, and found myself immediately ordering Washington: A Life upon finishing. I do not regret it, as I enjoyed the read, but would advise someone in a similar situation to just go ahead and read Chernow's take - I both prefer his style and find the subject of such interest that it requires the greater level of detail that is provided in Washington: A Life.It's a good little book (paperback) that is easy to throw in a bag and a quick read that I will likely return to from time-to-time, but I would recommend Chernow's or McCullough's works before it.
I really enjoyed this book. I had neglected our 1st President since high school and feel I learned a lot from this book. Looking for something more in depth, I am now reading "Washington, a Life" by Chernow. This is a more detailed look, but I might not have read it without starting on "His Excellency, George Washington." This book is an excellent place to start and an easy read. It is also about 1/2 the lengthj of the Chernow book, so start there.
Not having read any biographies specifically about our first president, I was impressed to find one that looked good without being over 500 pages. Ellis’ work came also with the promises attached to having won two Pulitzer Prizes for “Founding Brothers†and “American Sphinxâ€. I was not disappointed.Reading reviews, I noticed that more than one reviewer chastised Mr Ellis for “disrespect†and what amounts to negativism in regard to Washington. I always read negative reviews because I usually learn more about whether I will find the book interesting and worth my time by the kind of criticism it draws. Deciding to try it mostly because of this criticism, I decided I do not want a white-wash of any historical personage. I want an even handed presentation free from either animosity or excess kindness. I want the truth. Again, I was not disappointed. I find the criticisms completely without foundation. Yes, Mr Washington is presented as having romantic feelings for Mrs Fairfax, but just as truly, it is stated that he resisted all inclinations toward her. Rather than defaming the President, Mr Ellis made him more courageous and admirable. I found no slander in the book; I found no excess criticism or character assassination. Rather, I discovered a man who changed and matured over the early years of his life and learned to control his passions, make wise decisions, and who went on to become the most revered of our forefathers, simply because he WAS totally human and yet controlled himself as well as, if not better than, anyone else of whom I have read.I am most impressed with this presentation of George Washington. He is no longer a marble mystery shrouded in sweet-smelling words to me. He is a real, living human being. He is, in my opinion, the most impressive human being I have ever read about, other than the only human in history to actually be perfect, Jesus Christ. Please don’t misunderstand: I am not comparing him to the Lord. I am simply saying he is a most impressive man.As for the content of the book, Ellis says only a small amount about Washington’s youth, gives good coverage to his activities, finances, personality and thoughts during the period of the French & Indian War through the start of the American Revolution. Ellis’ discussion and analysis is logical, easy to follow and helpful. I would classify this biography as being one of the most thorough biographies I have read, yet did not find it tedious or laden with excessive irrelevance. I never got tired of the story or anxious to finish. As a result, I am thoroughly satisfied with this work.Thank you, Mr. Ellis, for introducing me to His Excellency, George Washington. I am even more indebted than I ever realized to our most illustrious forefather.This book is highly recommended.Five satisfied stars.
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