Scan barcode
kitkaty731's review against another edition
2.0
Breathless, nationalistic, racist claptrap. Stark should write novels, he has a good turn of phrase, but the “history” here is just propaganda
amarj33t_5ingh's review against another edition
5.0
The difference between great men and your usual run-of-the-mill 9-5 dad body Tom, Dick and Harry is nothing more than the distance between learning from your mistakes and ignoring your mistakes. 'Young Washington' is not as much a narrative but a detailed exegesis of young George Washington's transgressive early days. Who would have known? USA's primary founding father was also the unwitting catalyst behind the first pre-20th century world war; the French and Indian War. A gangly youth aspiring to greater prominence than was his due, young Washington nonetheless established the necessary foundations for the disciplined characteristics which allowed him to annihilate the British from the United States later in life and lead republican America. If you want to understand Washington in totality, then read his youth for this was the epoch in which the Washington of monotony died and the Washington of history was born.
shannasbooksnhooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very fun read. Honestly, I had kind of been avoiding reading it initially because I had US history literally pounded into my brain in school (thank you, US schools, for the unnecessary amount of US history you pounded into my brain). Honestly, I’m not opposed to learning about US history; it’s my home, and I should know what I can about it…but I’m not here to critique the school system. This book was a fun read, and it has a lot of good, interesting points that weren’t taught in any of my classrooms. I highly recommend this as a read.
ravenwolf_waf's review against another edition
4.0
On the whole, I enjoyed it and I loved hearing about places that I've been but never fully grasped the historical significance. It really put into context the events that happened at places like Fort Necessity, Fort Niagara, Fort Cumberland and all the locations in between. Having spent years in the DC area and visiting very nearly all the places George Washington trekked, names like Fairfax, Belvoir, Custis, Williamsburg, Fredericksburg, etc. brought back many memories. It also made me view Mount Vernon and Washington's birthplace in a slightly different light.
You don't hear much about Washington's early life other than in summary. I knew he was a teenage surveyor and that his father died when he was young. I knew his family came from England where they built a name for themselves and that they were working to do the same in 'The New World'. But what I didn't know was that Washington was ambitious, egotistical, and sensitive. I wasn't aware of his relationship with Sally Fairfax or how much of this early period shaped who we know as the Father of America. At first I couldn't believe that this was the same stoic and deliberate man we grew up learning about. Images of him perched on a horse during the snowy winter of Valley Forge or crossing the Delaware... Him standing tall and proud among the other Founding Fathers... Him working with members of his Culpepper Ring to outsmart the British... That's what I picture when I think of George Washington. Not this brash and, at times bratty, spectacle the author puts before us. But then I reminded myself that he was, at this time, in his early '20s. Times may change but people don't and it's not surprising that he'd act in this manner. Many young men out to prove themselves make similar mistakes. It was fascinating to be shown this different lens.
However, I did feel the author droned on about certain details. For example, I lost interest when he started to describe the hardships of building Braddock's road. I don't mind learning how momentous that task was being emphasized (I've driven parts of it and it is a difficult path) but I think he went into too much detail. He also repeated himself and after a while, I lost patience with that. It's because of these two reasons, I took a star off my review.
You don't hear much about Washington's early life other than in summary. I knew he was a teenage surveyor and that his father died when he was young. I knew his family came from England where they built a name for themselves and that they were working to do the same in 'The New World'. But what I didn't know was that Washington was ambitious, egotistical, and sensitive. I wasn't aware of his relationship with Sally Fairfax or how much of this early period shaped who we know as the Father of America. At first I couldn't believe that this was the same stoic and deliberate man we grew up learning about. Images of him perched on a horse during the snowy winter of Valley Forge or crossing the Delaware... Him standing tall and proud among the other Founding Fathers... Him working with members of his Culpepper Ring to outsmart the British... That's what I picture when I think of George Washington. Not this brash and, at times bratty, spectacle the author puts before us. But then I reminded myself that he was, at this time, in his early '20s. Times may change but people don't and it's not surprising that he'd act in this manner. Many young men out to prove themselves make similar mistakes. It was fascinating to be shown this different lens.
However, I did feel the author droned on about certain details. For example, I lost interest when he started to describe the hardships of building Braddock's road. I don't mind learning how momentous that task was being emphasized (I've driven parts of it and it is a difficult path) but I think he went into too much detail. He also repeated himself and after a while, I lost patience with that. It's because of these two reasons, I took a star off my review.
More...