A man who possessed a singular talent for making war and being duped.

Grant

By: Ron Chernow Published: 2017 1104 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

A biography of Ulysses S. Grant, the greatest general of the Civil War, but also simultaneously one of the most guileless individuals ever profiled by a biographer.

What's the author's angle?

Chernow clearly thinks that Grant has been unfairly maligned as a corrupt drunkard, and this book is going to set the record straight. In Chernow's telling, Grant was the best general of the war, one of the better presidents, and overall a very honorable man whose only fault was that he was far, far too trusting. I'm not saying that Chernow is wrong about any of this, merely that there is a touch of the hagiographic to this book.

Who should read this book?

I've thoroughly enjoyed every Chernow book I've ever read. They're long, but they go down pretty easy. (Though reading about the brutality of reconstruction—i.e. the original Klu Klux Klan and its offshoots was extremely sad and painful.)

Specific thoughts: How can someone be so good at fighting enemies on the battlefield and so bad at detecting treachery in those closest to him?