Wm Cole

You Never Forget Your Worst

Revisado: 02-27-20

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.

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Columbus

Revisado: 11-05-19

It was entertaining. But a silly story. Still, it is worth a listen. Not a waste of time.

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Hero worship

Revisado: 04-22-19

If you are looking for a book that worships a man whether he does bad things, or good things, then this book is for you. In one chapter you hear a puff piece about how Hamer, the man with “oak-like thighs” subdues someone by hitting him over the head with his gun - repeatedly. In the next chapter you hear a story of how Hamer was a calm man who would never do something like that - and that his mere presence would bring peace to a lawless community. Yet you’ve already heard that he was criminally charged for excessive force.
The author appears to have an unwavering obsession with Hamer, that boarders on love. The story is told in a manner that reminds one of the crush a starry-eyed school girl would have on the football quarterback.
If you love cops, especially cow-boy style Texas Ranger cops; if you watch movies like Dirty Harry, and believe that the best cops operate the way he does; if you go through life asking people, “do you feel lucky, punk” just before you shoot them in the head; then this book is for you!
This is a novel, whose main character is the fictionalized version of Frank Hamer - or, as the author calls him, “The Greatest Lawman of the Twentieth Century”.
If you’d like a fact-based, unbiased biography, then you will be terribly disappointed. I know I was.

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JR

Revisado: 04-04-18

It seems that most motorcycle journey books are written by a guy who likes to ride, and then tries to write about it. This book is written by a writer who decided to take a motorcycle journey. That formula is superior. Best motorcycle book I’ve read.

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For some, stand up > writing

Revisado: 11-20-17

This book is proof that a funny guy on stage does not guarantee a funny guy on paper.

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Not his best

Revisado: 06-12-17

This is not Kurt Vonnegut's best work. And the worst narration I've heard to date.

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Save some time

Revisado: 02-02-17

If you get this book (not recommended), listen to the first 15 minutes, and the last 15 minutes. That will give you the entire storyline of the book. The 5 or so hours you save can be spent listening to a good book.

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