George Washington and the Founding of a Nation (PB) (Paperback)

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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.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (January 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525470689
• ISBN-13: 978-0525470687
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,479,382 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 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.

7 of 8 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)

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.

4 of 4 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.