Young Washington : how wilderness and war forged America's founding father

Title:

Author:

Stark, Peter, 1954- author.

Summary:

A new, brash, and unexpected view of the president we thought we knew, from the bestselling author of Astoria. Two decades before he led America to independence, George Washington was a flailing young soldier serving the British Empire in the vast wilderness of the Ohio Valley. Naive and self-absorbed, the twenty-two-year-old officer accidentally ignited the French and Indian War--a conflict that opened colonists to the possibility of an American Revolution. With powerful narrative drive and vivid writing, Young Washington recounts the wilderness trials, controversial battles, and emotional entanglements that transformed Washington from a temperamental striver into a mature leader. Enduring terrifying summer storms and subzero winters imparted resilience and self-reliance, helping prepare him for what he would one day face at Valley Forge. Leading the Virginia troops into battle taught him to set aside his own relentless ambitions and stand in solidarity with those who looked to him for leadership. Negotiating military strategy with British and colonial allies honed his diplomatic skills. And thwarted in his obsessive, youthful love for one woman, he grew to cultivate deeper, enduring relationships. By weaving together Washington's harrowing wilderness adventures and a broader historical context, Young Washington offers new insights into the dramatic years that shaped the man who shaped a nation.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

xiii, 514 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates ; illustrations (some color), maps ; 24 cm

Genre:

Biographies.

Personal Subject:

Washington, George, 1732-1799.

Subject Term:

Presidents -- Biography.

Geographic Term:

United States -- History -- French and Indian War, 1754-1763 -- Biography.

Publisher:

Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Publication Date:

2018

ISBN:

9780062416063

9780062416070

Publication Information:

New York : Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers [2018]

Call Number:

923 WASHING

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003316059	Adult Nonfiction	923 WASHING	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

FINALIST FOR THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BOOK PRIZE

A new, brash, and unexpected view of the president we thought we knew, from the bestselling author of Astoria

Two decades before he led America to independence, George Washington was a flailing young soldier serving the British Empire in the vast wilderness of the Ohio Valley. Naïve and self-absorbed, the twenty-two-year-old officer accidentally ignited the French and Indian War--a conflict that opened colonists to the possibility of an American Revolution.

With powerful narrative drive and vivid writing, Young Washington recounts the wilderness trials, controversial battles, and emotional entanglements that transformed Washington from a temperamental striver into a mature leader. Enduring terrifying summer storms and subzero winters imparted resilience and self-reliance, helping prepare him for what he would one day face at Valley Forge. Leading the Virginia troops into battle taught him to set aside his own relentless ambitions and stand in solidarity with those who looked to him for leadership. Negotiating military strategy with British and colonial allies honed his diplomatic skills. And thwarted in his obsessive, youthful love for one woman, he grew to cultivate deeper, enduring relationships.

By weaving together Washington's harrowing wilderness adventures and a broader historical context, Young Washington offers new insights into the dramatic years that shaped the man who shaped a nation.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Stark (Astoria) puts his background as an adventure writer to good use, bringing thrilling immediacy and literary flair to George Washington's youthful exploits as a Western surveyor and eventual participant in the French and Indian War. Tracing Washington's development from ambitious young soldier to disciplined military leader, Stark treats his subject's life as an opportunity to delve into the customs of colonial society, America's involvement in global power struggles between the French and English, and complex negotiations between colonists and Native Americans. The young Washington, inexperienced and fueled by an intense desire to make a name for himself, finds himself at the heart of these conflicts: in his eagerness to expand British holdings by evicting the French from the Ohio territory, he makes rash decisions that escalate fighting between France and England, as well as between colonial and British officers. Stark narrates Washington's move toward greater self-control in three major sections, each of which focuses on a particular episode of the French and Indian War. While Stark did not conduct significant original research and often turns to imaginative speculation about Washington's thoughts, his novelistic account is sure to entertain readers interested in the backstory of America's first president. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

In 1753, George Washington delivered a message from the British lieutenant-governor of Virginia to the French commander at Fort Le Boeuf, near Lake Erie, to contest possession of the Ohio territory. The inexperienced 21-year-old was self-absorbed-consumed with advancing his career, designing his public image, and being accepted in aristocratic circles. Stark (Astoria) chronicles in detail Washington's experiences throughout the events of the following five years (including his part in an attack that probably instigated the French and Indian War), illustrating their decisive influence on Washington's developing character. Despite serious blunders and periods of ineffectual performance, Washington gradually learned from his and others' mistakes. Through ordeals in the wilderness, in battle, as a troop commander, and an obsession with protecting his reputation, he evolved from an ambitious, impulsive, hot-tempered, glory-hungry young man into an increasingly mature and just adult who eventually became a revered military and political leader. VERDICT In the style of an adventure story, with vivid descriptions and detailed explanations, this book is fully supported by letters, journal entries, and military documents. For Washington enthusiasts and general readers interested in French and Indian War campaigns.-Margaret Kappanadze, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.