Ron Chernow - Grant (2017)
After four months, I just finished this epic biography. It’s one of a handful of books that changed my views both of American history and of human nature.
Grant is not a quick read, topping out near 1,000 pages plus footnotes. But Chernow has an engaging style that breathes life into Ulysses, wife Julia, Abraham Lincoln (whom autocorrect keeps insisting is LinkedIn), and a host of other figures.
Grant managed to triumph in spite of personal shyness, crippling migraines, alcoholism, and a horrific last illness. His military record shows him to be perhaps the most adept general in American history at strategizing for huge numbers of troops over a gigantic geographic area. In the process, he developed a close friendship with Lincoln.
After the Civil War, Grant became a vociferous advocate for Lincoln’s key goals: the civil rights of African Americans and reunification of the nation, two virtually irreconcilable objectives. In a lesser known sidelight, he tried unsuccessfully for years to annex the Dominican Republic in order to provide a new home for freed slaves safe from prejudice and violence.
After his second term, Grant toured the world, the first ex-president to speak for America to thousands of people, rich and poor. In the process, he developed late in life a profound gift for oratory.
When he returned, Grant fell victim to the Bernie Madoff of his day. To save his family from ruin, after contracting excruciatingly painful tongue cancer, he wrote in longhand a 330,000 word memoir that is still considered a literary masterpiece. He died a few weeks after completing it.
I will never view the Reconstruction Era in the same light, nor will I underestimate the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Despite its length, this book a a real page turner. Highest recommendation.
