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A review by ravenwolf_waf
Young Washington: How Wilderness and War Forged America's Founding Father by Peter Stark
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.