You Never Forget Your First

I was largely disappointed with this new biography of George Washington. The author asserts that this book was needed, because there are very few biographies of Washington that were authored by a woman, and she claims that the most recent one of note was written more than 40 years ago. She claims that her work is important because it approaches the topic from a female perspective, rather than a male one. What she does, however, is prove the gender of the author is not as important as the accuracy of the work, which in this case, has at least a couple of glaring errors. (Example: There were plans to entomb Washington’s body under the Capitol Building, not the Washington Monument as stated by the author. Construction of the Washington Monument did not even begin until almost 50 years after his death.) The author suggests that her version of Washington’s life will reveal things that are absent from other important works on his life, in no small part because now the topic is being handled by a woman rather than a man. She falls far short of this goal. Her book contains no revelation of the man’s life, and at times reads like a middle-school child’s bed-time story. The author criticizes the work of other biographers for drawing conclusions from small pieces of evidence, and then proceeds to engage in the same tactic herself. She chose a silly title for her work, “You Always Remember Your First”. But the book would have more accurately been titled, “Washington’s Slaves”, because the work is obsessed with the fact that he indeed did own slaves. It is clear that her measure of the quality of the man is made through the lens of modern times, and modern values, rather than the cultural norms and standards of his time. This seems to be a standard (and abhorrent, in my opinion) practice of some biographers today. It is a practice that marginalizes many historic figures who were once considered great (and should be, still). Any person who is evaluated by the standards of another time is likely to fall short of greatness. For many people, this may be the only work on Washington they ever read. Such an unfortunate truth! If you want to read about George Washington, apply your money and time toward much better works, such as: “His Excellency: George Washington” by Joseph J. Ellis; “1776” by David McCullough; “George Washington and Benedict Arnold: A Tale of Two Patriots” by Dave Richard Palmer; Or even “Washington: The Indispensable Man” by James Thomas Flexner. 57 people found this helpful

The author Alexis Coe seems hell bent on making George Washington look bad, he as a slave owner (we heard that a million times), he was under educated, He was sterile, etc., The bottom line is that he dedicated his adult life to the service of our country, over and over he was called upon and he answered every single time and always to his personal expense. He was a good husband, a good step father, a hard working man who like most of us was always looking to get ahead. Yes, he was a slave owner but it wasn\’t like he was the only one, he didn\’t initiate slave ownership and he was raised in a family who already owned slaves, it was part of what he knew. If George had lived to an age of enlightenment or if he had been successful in selling some of his land (as he tried to do), he may have emancipated his slaves, we will never know. However, what we do know is that as an average Joe, he bravely answered the many calls for duty and he was an amazing First President of the United States. 36 people found this helpful

Too many passive aggressive blows at the \”white male\”. I want to read an interesting bio on George Washington without the author\’s underlying opinion. Her entire intro/preface criticizes past biographers of doing just what she does. Also, the narrator\’s voice sounds too sarcastic and opinionated as well. Calm down. Do not recommend if you just want a biography with facts. Too bad because many parts were well done. 25 people found this helpful

As the Audible History editor, I have a bias toward lively historical narrative, especially when it\’s richly detailed, and this audio fits the bill. Drawing on her skills as a researcher, Alexis Coe unearthed the minutiae of George Washington\’s daily life (his aches, his pains, his likes and dislikes); her irreverent yet evenhanded prose brings him to life. (So does Brittany Pressley\’s narration of the meat of the audio!) Alexis Coe is the Snopes of general history, in my opinion, as she approaches her subject from the angle of: what do we believe and is it true? (Spoiler alert: he lost more battles than he won.) She knows which facts to curate to make listeners feel the heft of reality, too — check out the recipe for hoecakes and consider how much (enslaved) labor George Washington\’s favorite breakfast required. I hope listeners embrace this audio, not just as a trove of gem-like detail, but also as a way of looking at the totality of America\’s origin story. In the quest for a more perfect Union, it\’s History to the rescue…again! 13 people found this helpful

I read Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar, before listening to this. Together with this book, it creates a complicated picture of George Washington. As Alexis Coe spells it out, this was a man who saw no inconsistency in fighting for principles of freedom and owning people. While enjoyed the book, I was disappointed by the performance, particularly with the reading of the lists at the start of some chapters. I found the cadence of the reading didn’t really illuminate the writing. 4 people found this helpful

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