"Grant" by Ron Chernow hasn't just made me a fan of Chernow as a historian but has made Ulysses S. Grant my favorite American president in history. Honestly, even if you read no other nonfiction/history book this year, you should read "Grant."
History is important. It tells where we've been, what we've done, and what we should have done. I don't respect opinions about policy and governance when the source of those opinions is ignorant about historical facts. That's my biggest problem with today's armchair politicians and, frankly, actual politicians. We've somehow swept back to the idea of loyalty to the individual over loyalty to the republic, and it absolutely boils my blood.
I talk about this book in greater detail in my full review here.
The last point I want to make here in this piece is, so far as I'm aware of, Ulysses S. Grant, like George Washington, is the last great American president called to the presidency and did not seek it on his own initiative. We've lost this quality in our modern politics, and we are poorer for it.
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Author's Website: https://ronchernow.com/
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