His Excellency: George Washington - A Review

I've made a vow to myself this year to read more books, but not just books in general -- a specific kind of book. Namely: historical biographies. I kicked off my new goal with His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis. Although I've studied Washington before, I focused more on what he did rather than who he was. This biography certainly filled in the gaps and gave me tremendous insight into Washington's personality and character.

The more I read, the more I started to understand the man behind the wooden teeth (which, by the way, are a myth). Before reading this book, my perception of Washington was that he was a brilliant, rather unemotional, focused man. Of course, this idea was based purely on the facts of history and the stoic pictures we see of him (many of which, by the way, are grossly inaccurate). Ellis uses Washington's personal and public correspondence to create a vivid picture of a man who was passionate, socially savvy, respected and determined.

It's funny because we are constantly hearing about how polarized this country is and how explosive the political scene is today. But, Washington was faced with the seemingly impossible challenges of defeating the greatest military power in the world with a rag-tag militia, creating a viable government when every leader seemed to have a different idea of how things should be and staying true to his truly independent point of view when political parties were just beginning to surface. It seems Washington's time was just as contentious and ours (maybe more so).

This book is extremely readable and not at all intimidating as many historical biographies can be. In a time when the freedoms and essence of this country are at risk, tapping into Washington's vision for the United States helps put it all in perspective....so go read it. :-)