To the reader who inherited a marble Washington—and wants the man of fire, calculation, and self-command underneath — this is for you.** Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow** Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Biography From the author of *Alexander Hamilton*, a one-volume life of George Washington. Chernow takes Washington from a troubled boyhood through the French and Indian War, the making of Mount Vernon, the Continental Army, the Constitutional Convention, and the first presidency. The aim is a portrait as real and charismatic as the one his contemporaries saw—not the lifeless waxwork of later reverence. A laconic man of granite self-control, Washington often draws more respect than affection. Chernow works against that stereotype: a celebrated horseman and dancer, a man of fierce opinions and a guarded inner life, a complicated husband and slaveholder, and a canny political genius who gathered Hamilton, Madison, Adams, and Jefferson and shaped the new federal government. Based on massive archival research. A long book with a crisp pace. Buy links - Amazon (paperback): amazon.com/Washington-Life-P… - Amazon (hardcover): amazon.com/Washington-Life-R… - Amazon (Kindle ebook): amazon.com/Washington-Life-P… - Author site: ronchernow.com About the author Ron Chernow is the author of *The House of Morgan* (National Book Award), *Alexander Hamilton* (George Washington Book Prize; the book that inspired the musical), *Washington: A Life* (Pulitzer Prize), *Grant*, and *Mark Twain*. He received the National Humanities Medal in 2015.