George Washington and the Founding of A Nation [Hardcover]

Albert Marrin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 29, 2001 | Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

A fascinating, fast-paced account of our first president's life and times Albert Marrin examines the "father of our country" from the perspectives of his character, military experience, and also his slaveholding, to assess Washington's role in our history. A born leader with a commanding physique, unwavering self-discipline, and an unconquerable will to succeed, he was also-as Lord Fairfax observed when Washington was only sixteen-"a man who will go to school all his life." Washington's schools were the rugged country of the French and Indian War, the misery-creating insolvency of the Continental Army, and the agrarian responsibility of his plantation in Mount Vernon. Neither a political theorist nor a firebrand, Washington embodied the virtues of fairness, restraint, and farsightedness that could hold the American colonies together-at least for a while. For, as he said near the end of his life and after two terms as president, "I can clearly foresee that nothing but the rooting out of slavery can perpetuate the existence of our union."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-This engaging biography presents a thorough look at the life of the first president as well as clear presentations of the people and events that shaped his world. A good portion of the text focuses on Washington's military career, including details of individual campaigns and battles. The general's courage, bravado, and intangible leadership qualities emerge through descriptions of his wartime actions and through the words of those who fought with and against him. The harshness of war comes through in sometimes gruesome detail, showing the cruelty that prevailed on both sides. Washington unhesitatingly orders the execution of mutineers from his own army, judging that a more merciful decision would have cost more in the long run. Marrin clearly admires his subject, yet carefully discusses his flaws and errors. The author raises questions and presents differing views without interrupting the flow of the narrative. Well-chosen quotations, many from Washington's own writings, enliven the text as well. Numerous historical drawings, paintings, and etchings help to bring the period alive. Milton Meltzer's George Washington and the Birth of Our Nation (Watts, 1986; o.p.) and Mary Pope Osborne's George Washington (Dial, 1991; o.p.) are equally fine biographies. Marrin's title offers a well-rounded portrait of a fascinating character, worthy of admiration despite his imperfections.-Steven Engelfried, Deschutes County Library, Bend, OR

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-12. Marrin writes that in this book he has set himself a "double task," presenting an account of Washington's life and of the colonies' fight for independence. He's taken on a third task, too: that of revealing the work of the biographer. Throughout the book, he notes plainly what we know, what we can infer, and what we can never know about our first president. In the end, he succeeds admirably on all three fronts, melting the marble of the Washington legend into something very near flesh and blood. He conveys his subject's strengths, fears, and complexities in a portrait that asks readers to consider the icon as a man. We see Washington as a youth hungry for adventure and prestige, as a general who's better at inspiring his men than at planning battle strategies, and as an aging leader who would like to retire but cannot refuse a call to serve as president. The most revealing segments deal with Washington's attitude toward slavery. Marrin neither exploits nor excuses Washington's ownership of slaves, instead portraying him as a man of his time, one who could never reconcile his public philosophy of freedom with his private actions. Notes and a bibliography are appended. Randy Meyer
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (January 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525464816
• ISBN-13: 978-0525464815
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > U. S. Presidents & First Ladies
  • #79 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( W ) > Washington, George

More About the Author

Albert Marrin is an award winning author of over 40 books for young adults and young readers and four books of scholarship. These writings were motivated by the fact that as a teacher, first in a junior high school in New York City for nine years and then as professor of history and chairman of the history department at Yeshiva University until he retired to become a full time writer, his paramount interest has always been to make history come alive and accessible for young people.

Winner of the 2008 National Endowment for Humanities Medal for his work, which was presented at the White House, was given "for opening young minds to the glorious pageant of history. His books have made the lessons of the past come alive with rich detail and energy for a new generation."

Dr. Marrin's numerous other awards include the Washington Post Childrens'Book Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, the James Madison Award for Lifetime Achievement, several Horn Book awards by the Boston Globe, consistently appearing on the best book of the year lists of the American Library Association, frequent recognition by Book Lists, and the Western Heritage Award for best juvenile nonfiction book presented at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame among others.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book about a great man!, August 22, 2003

By 

rvrinsea "rvrinsea" (Seattle, Wa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: George Washington and the Founding of A Nation (Hardcover)

Marrin's book is history at its most entertaining and enlightening! Although targeted at young adults, I would also recommend it to many adult readers.

As someone who has read numerous "serious" history books that are frequently so dry and obtuse as to be inaccessable to the average reader, I would suggest Albert Marrin's George Washington & the Founding of a Nation. At 257 pages, the book is an enjoyable week's read covering all of the basic points of Washington's life and times. At its core it is fundamentally entertaining and would compare favorably with a Clancy or Grisham novel.

Marrin's work takes Washington down off his pedestal and displays the full humanity of the man. His tremendous courage and bravery, his sharp opportunism and the moral dilemmas he faced by owing slaves.

Marrin served as a junior high history teacher before becoming a university professor and eventually heading the history department at Yeshiva University in New York City. Clearly this is a man who spent his life making history come alive for young minds and he succeeds in this work both for young adults and for other adults who are looking for a greater appreciation of one of the key founders of the United States.

A special note for parents considering the work for young adults. Marrin's work is clearly inappropriate for younger children, but would be a great book for the child beginning to enter the world of adult reading. In Marrin's book the world is a far more complicated place than the world as explained in elementary school history texts. All of the historical figures are displayed with empathy and with their humanity open for inspection. The book should probably be rated R for violence, battle scenes are discussed realistically, and without being gratuitous, the author vividly describes the horrors of battle.

A section dealing with Washington's ownership of slaves, while depicting Washington as a relatively kind slave owner explains the dilemmas Washington faced and his ultimate hypocrisy in keeping slaves. A brief segment on how some planation owners mistreated slaves is particularly harrowing and gruesome at times.

As for sexuality, the book should be rated PG-13 as many of the British officers fall victim to the lovely ladies of Philadelphia.

Overall I highly recommend this book to individuals interested in learning more about George Washington and to young adults who are starting to enter the world of books aimed at mature readers.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating History, March 24, 2003

By 

James P. Simmer (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: George Washington and the Founding of A Nation (Hardcover)

I had to write this review because this is a fantastic book and it deserves a better rating than it has. I have read just about all of Marrin's books. He is my favorite author of history books for young adults. The reading style is always appropriate for younger readers (age 12 and up), but usually Marrin's books are too long for this target audience, who often struggle at reading anything that takes more than hour. I've seen kids I tried to get to read this book get turned-off after raising and lowering it a few times to assess its weight. In my view every page of Marrin's "George Washington" is worth reading. Marrin often finds choice excerpts from the primary literature that give you the feeling that you're really getting to know Washington and his times. Disregard the last customer review about inaccuracy. Marrin is a true historian and even if one quote wasn't verbatim, he didn't change its meaning.

I also disagree with the School Library Journal review saying that Milton Meltzer's "George Washington and the Birth of Our Nation" and Mary Pope Osborne's "George Washington: Leader of a New Nation" are equally fine biographies. Marrin has them both beat by miles. The writing is faster paced, the illustrations are better, and the book takes the subject to a greater depth.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brings Washington to life for young readers, February 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: George Washington and the Founding of A Nation (Hardcover)

I'm using this book, among many others, in a homeschooling course on the American Revolution. There are many good illustrations, the language is simple and unpretentious, and the story is engaging my 13 year old -- in fact, it is often quite gory and graphic in its descriptions of wartime events! Beware if you're squeamish about war. But young lads will love it.