Lafayette

De: Harlow Giles Unger

Narrado por: Matthew Boston

In this gripping biography, acclaimed author Harlow Giles Unger paints an intimate portrait of the heroic young French soldier who, at 19, renounced a life of luxury in Paris and Versailles to fight and bleed for liberty - at Brandywine, Valley Forge, and Yorktown. A major general in the Continental army, he quickly earned the love of his troops, his fellow commanders, and his commander in chief, George Washington, who called him his "adopted son".

Unger follows Lafayette from the battlefields of North America to the palace of Versailles, where the marquis won the most stunning diplomatic victory in world history - convincing the French court to send the huge military and naval force needed to win American independence. He then returned to America to lead the remarkable guerrilla campaign in Virginia that climaxed with British surrender at Yorktown.

Lafayette's triumph turned to tragedy, however, when he tried to introduce American democracy in his native land. His quest for a constitutional monarchy unwittingly set off the French Revolution and plunged Europe into more than a decade of slaughter and war. Declared an enemy of the state, Lafayette fled France only to be imprisoned for five years in an Austrian dungeon, while his wife, Adrienne, and her family festered in prison, awaiting the cruel blade of the guillotine.

©2002 Harlow Giles Unger (P)2021 Tantor

Lafayette has taught me about patriotism

This book has been life changing for me. Thank you, Mr. Unger for your care and love of the Marquis and his dear wife and family. This story is touching at every stage. It is so well told, it survives one of the worst narrators I've heard. I BEG the publishers to re-record this. The narration is so bad, you will think it is AI, except that AI can pronounce words correctly.

How is this man not known more?

An absolutely amazing man. One of the greats of history! As always, Unger does fantastic job with Layfeyette and his research and insight is amazing.
Read this book! NOW!

The Greatest American Ever Born, was French

With over 24 years in service to the US, as a Marine and DoD civilian, this is the biography of the single greatest American and one of the most important proponents of liberty, self determination, and the rights of all men. I'm saddened and shocked I didn't fully understand or appreciate the impact of his life on the entire modern world. HIGHLY recommend everyone invest the time for this book.

This is how history should be narrated

So good I gave this to my 12-year old daughter to convey what values such as courage and principles mean in the context of the men and women who crafted the Independence of the US.

A French hero who makes America's greatness more clear

Having read only the most cursory references to Lafayette, this biography brought out the true nobility of Lafayette. A young man of 19 came to help the American Revolution and he excelled at it. He was truly selfless and he became enamored of Americans and their democracy.
Tragically, his attempts to bring American democracy to France failed because it's people could not understand or accept it. In France his efforts were gallant but frustrated. This history is worth deeper study and this book inspires it.