You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington – Alexis Coe
To paraphrase the Frank Harte quote, “those in power write the history…” so it’s not surprising, then, that most biographies of Founding Fathers have been written by white men.
But as readers, what do we lose by having history viewed through a single lens? Enter Alexis Coe, who becomes only the third woman to write a biography of the Revolutionary War general and fabled first president of the United States.
Coe sought to present a perspective on George Washington different from “the thigh men” — her phrasing for previous biographers (i.e. Chernow and Meltzer) — who often focused on his virility (even though he had no children of his own) and strength while minimizing the role women and slaves played in his successes.
That narrative isn’t as tidy, but that doesn’t make it any less essential.
Within the first 20-minutes, it’s clear this isn’t your typical biography. Coe speeds through “at a glance” myths and facts about Washington — such as “Lies We Believe About the Man Who Could Not Tell Them” and “Diseases Survived” — to start the reader with a clean, foundational slate.
Yes, we hear about his famous wooden teeth (spoiler: they weren’t) and personal obsessions (bison and mules), his rapid (but not desired) ascent in politics and general fun facts (Barbados was his only overseas trip, and he caught smallpox there) before settling into the more traditional biography format.
Still, the chapters are short, the writing is snappy and Coe does a good job of distilling decades worth of personal and political history into less than 300-pages, however it still felt a tad long when all was said and done.
This is largely a Cliff’s Notes view of the American Revolution and fledgling democracy, which is honestly the right amount for most readers, while focusing on subjects often overlooked — Washington’s propaganda machine, political enemies, women and slaves.
Those last two topics, explored from various angles, amplified the complicated and often revisionist approach taken by some biographers. While many disregard his mother Mary as a shrew, she was essential to him securing early wealth and influence. He often spoke of the importance of freeing slaves but he and Martha didn’t practice what they preached.
To be honest, I never had strong positive or negative feelings towards George Washington — he always seemed mythological rather than real — and after finishing “You” I feel much the same way. Coe’s writing and research didn’t always feel impartial, which was off putting, and it minimized my view of what was presented. If nothing else, there was comfort in how she showed that politics has always been a circus.
Pick this up for the snackable facts, but recognize that what you’re getting is hyper-focused and watered down history. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s akin to watching a film adaptation instead of reading the source material.
A pleasant surprise was the audiobook narrated both by the author (introduction) and Brittany Pressley, one of my favorite thriller narrators, who brought a lot of gusto to some generally dry information.
Not enough nonfiction leverages professional narrators, but it can really be the difference between merely enjoying a book and actively disliking it. If you decide to pick this up, the audiobook is a good way to go.
Rating (story): 3.5/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3/5 stars
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: March 21 – March 26, 2023
Multi-tasking: Good the go. The writing is easy to follow, and the narration is professional, making this easy to read while cooking, cleaning and exercising.
