Grant

By: Ron Chernow

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 48 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

The #1 New York Times bestseller and New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2017

“Eminently readable but thick with import . . . Grant hits like a Mack truck of knowledge.”—Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic

Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Chernow returns with a sweeping and dramatic portrait of one of our most compelling generals and presidents, Ulysses S. Grant.

Ulysses S. Grant's life has typically been misunderstood. All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and an inept businessman, or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War. But these stereotypes don't come close to capturing him, as Chernow shows in his masterful biography, the first to provide a complete understanding of the general and president whose fortunes rose and fell with dizzying speed and frequency.

Before the Civil War, Grant was flailing. His business ventures had ended dismally, and despite distinguished service in the Mexican War he ended up resigning from the army in disgrace amid recurring accusations of drunkenness. But in war, Grant began to realize his remarkable potential, soaring through the ranks of the Union army, prevailing at the battle of Shiloh and in the Vicksburg campaign, and ultimately defeating the legendary Confederate general Robert E. Lee. Along the way, Grant endeared himself to President Lincoln and became his most trusted general and the strategic genius of the war effort. Grant’s military fame translated into a two-term presidency, but one plagued by corruption scandals involving his closest staff members.

More important, he sought freedom and justice for black Americans, working to crush the Ku Klux Klan and earning the admiration of Frederick Douglass, who called him “the vigilant, firm, impartial, and wise protector of my race.” After his presidency, he was again brought low by a dashing young swindler on Wall Street, only to resuscitate his image by working with Mark Twain to publish his memoirs, which are recognized as a masterpiece of the genre.

With lucidity, breadth, and meticulousness, Chernow finds the threads that bind these disparate stories together, shedding new light on the man whom Walt Whitman described as “nothing heroic... and yet the greatest hero.” Chernow’s probing portrait of Grant's lifelong struggle with alcoholism transforms our understanding of the man at the deepest level. This is America's greatest biographer, bringing movingly to life one of our finest but most underappreciated presidents. The definitive biography, Grant is a grand synthesis of painstaking research and literary brilliance that makes sense of all sides of Grant's life, explaining how this simple Midwesterner could at once be so ordinary and so extraordinary.

Named one of the best books of the year by Goodreads • Amazon • The New York Times • Newsday • BookPage • Barnes and Noble • Wall Street Journal

©2017 Ron Chernow (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“This is a good time for Ron Chernow’s fine biography of Ulysses S. Grant to appear . . . As history, it is remarkable, full of fascinating details sure to make it interesting both to those with the most cursory knowledge of Grant’s life and to those who have read his memoirs or any of several previous biographies . . . For all its scholarly and literary strengths, this book’s greatest service is to remind us of Grant’s significant achievements at the end of the war and after, which have too long been overlooked and are too important today to be left in the dark . . . As Americans continue the struggle to defend justice and equality in our tumultuous and divisive era, we need to know what Grant did when our country’s very existence hung in the balance. If we still believe in forming a more perfect union, his steady and courageous example is more valuable than ever.”—Bill Clinton, New York Times Book Review

“Grant is vast and panoramic in ways that history buffs will love. Books of its caliber by writers of Chernow’s stature are rare, and this one qualifies as a major event . . . . Chernow is clearly out to find undiscovered nobility in his story, and he succeeds; he also finds uncannily prescient tragedy. There are ways in which Grant’s times eerily resemble our own . . . Indispensable.”—The New York Times

“Chernow tells all this rapidly and well; his talent is suited to Grant’s story . . . He is extraordinarily good on what could be called, unpejoratively, the Higher Gossip of History—he can uncannily detect the actual meaning beneath social interactions . . . Fluent and intelligent.”—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker

Exceptional

I have read a number of biographies of both Ulysses Grant and his wife, Julia. Chernow’s is by far the most detailed and documented. I have always enjoyed Chernow’s biographies even if they are very long. Chernow always presents a rich sensitive portrait of his topic, in this case, Ulysses S. Grant.

The book is well written and meticulously researched. I was impressed how thoroughly he investigated the claims of Grant’s alcoholism. He pointed out what might have been true or false claims of his periodic drinking. Mostly the book is unbiased. The author covers the entire life of Grant with a more in-depth look at his military career and the Civil War. He reports on Grant’s mistakes as well as the accomplishments. Chernow documents how Grant helped the slaves during the Civil War and after as president. Grant wanted to see them educated and obtain the vote. Grant helped pushed through the 15 Amendment to the Constitution. Chernow paints a picture of Grant as an advocate for civil rights after the War. Chernow shows how Grant’s trust of people had always caused him problems particularly when he was president. The author reviews in detail the various scandals of Grant’s presidency. I found the section of Andrew Johnson’s presidency and his attempts at blocking reconstruction post-Civil War most interesting. I know I have read about this before, but I think it meant more to me now because of the current political turmoil. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and learned more about Grant and his time.

The book is just over forty-eight hours or 1020 pages. Mark Bramhall does an excellent job narrating the book. Bramhall has won twelve Earphone Award.

Riveting

The broad strokes of the high school rendition of civil war history are fleshed out with tantalizing detail. Many longtime truisms are overturned. The traditional dry, cardboard image of Grant is replaced with a human being: marvelous, flawed, remarkable and mysterious. Also, in the current era of racial tension and violence, it is enlightening to be reminded of the long, bitter and unfinished history of violence between those determined to oppress an underclass of color, and others committed to the necessity to heal the rift and celebrate a union of rich diversity.

Great insight into Grant

Detailed treatment of Grant and his service to the nation. Well documented. Provides one insights to current society.

Fabulous

V45 hours of spellbinding presentations
Unbelievable great story and presentation
Sorry book ended o k

Pure Genius

This work is so compelling, Grant leaps from the pages fully formed, with all his strengths, weaknesses, failures, and triumphs.

Fantastic biography on one of America's greatest

Grant is one of the best biographies ever to discuss the long-time evil history of the United States Democrat Party. Listening to this exceptional biography of one of America's greatest heroes & men will remind readers that the Democrat Party has been a Satanic death cult for at least the lasy 150 years.

Excellent and impressive, but probably too long

This book is an amazing achievement. It covers a true American icon in exhaustive detail with careful effort to leave nothing out. That being said, even for an unabridged historical biography, this book is LONG, probably longer than it really needs to be. While leaving every detail in is important to biographers and readers of biographies, I do think the book suffers as an audiobook simply because of its gargantuan length. Several sections of the book become dry simply because of how long it takes to get through them, and I think this could have been avoided with a little conciseness.

That being said, the performance is lively and entertaining, and absolutely helps to keep the story moving. Bramhall has recognizable voices for each person he imitates, which helps the listener understand exactly what is happening during the detailed descriptions of Washington intrigue, battlefield maneuvering, etc.

All in all, this book is worth every penny and should be listened to. Just be prepared to get bored during parts of it. 1.5x speed is a must.

Excellent biography about President Grant

I greatly enjoyed listening to this book on Audible. It is extremely long but Ron Chernow has a very nice writing style that is straight forward. The book covers the life and times of Grant. He struggled greatly during his lifetime with a drinking problem and he was often times taken advantage by others. I loved reading this book and will look towards other books by this author.

Awesome

Loved it. I am a trucker and I thoroughly enjoyed this long listen.It was also a history lesson.

Another brilliant Chernow historical biography

Washington, Hamilton `and colleagues are brought to humanity by this master. I hooe his Lincoln dies not end in this book.