Grant

By: Ron Chernow

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 23 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

The number one New York Times best seller and New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2017.

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, and Wall Street Journal.

©2017 Ron Chernow (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

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

“A stupendous new biography ... Fascinating and immensely readable ... uncommonly compelling and timely .... Chernow’s biography is replete with fascinating details and insight­ful political analysis, a combination that brings Grant and his time to life ... put Grant on your must-read list.” (BookPage)

“The definitive biography for the foreseeable future.” (Publishers Weekly")

Fantastic!

I consider myself to be a relatively decent student of History.... I had no idea the impact and importance of this man .... very well done;

One of the Best Audible Books Ever

Narrator is perfect. Story is remarkable. I learned things about Grant and the Nation that I never knew. Absolutely worth the 60 hours of listening.

Long overdue.

Mr. Chernow does America proud. As a baby boomer, there is scarcely a man or role model to point at that I could pass along to my son and feel this good about. I’ll smoke a cigar this afternoon accompanied by a dram of Kentucky bourbon, toast U S Grant and reflect on your book. Thank you. JAC 8-2020

The Right Place and ti

Outstanding General only because he had unlimited material and soldiers. No where the General that Lee was. Certainly not the man, Grant went back to worthless after the War.
Grant dies of cancer of the oropharnyx from smoking cigars.

every chapter is informative and even gripping.

I did not think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. The research is meticulous and uncovers many details previously unknown. I don't recall a historical book being so gripping.

One of America’s greatest people

How Ulysses S Grant is not on mount Rushmore I do not know. God bless this man.

Terrific book in every way

Great story of real events and a great person. Great writing by Chernov and great reading by Bramhall. Listened to it twice, which is rare for me to do.

5 stars in all categories

Excellent read. 5 stars in every way. Amazing to read about “great” people. No surprise that they all had blind spots in life just like the rest of us. Grant, tho had a huge heart to match his military brilliance.

an underappreciated President

Terrific biography of an underappreciated President. Grant suffers from the financial scandals that seemed to find him but his accomplishments were so much more important. If only his successors were so dedicated to securing the rights of the freed people.

Amazing book

This is my third Ron Chernow book and this was my favorite. The way he juggles telling you the highs and lows of this great man’s journey through life is unmatched.