You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington

Alexis Coe examines our first in a genre that is in dire need of change and discovers he's not nearly the man we remember.

Raised by a poor single mother, young George Washington made demands for military promotions, pursued wealthy young women, started a global scandal, and never gave up—not even when his dysentery forced him to ride with a cushion on his saddle.

But everything changed when he wed Martha. Washington turned into the kind of man who detested leaving his house and gave his dog the name Sweetlips. Even though he lost more wars than he gained, he only took up arms against the British when there was no other option. Coe concentrates on his non-combat efforts, including as propaganda and espionage.

Washington surprised the world by resigning from office after the Revolutionary War, but he later found out that his fellow citizens would not allow it. Twice, the founders forced him to become president. He constructed long-lasting conventions, but he left office distraught over the partisan mess his dishonest cabinet had brought about.

Before he was brutally murdered back on his plantation, the man who had battled for liberation faced his greatest hypocrisy: what to do with the hundreds of men, women, and children he owned.

By utilizing a combination of meticulous investigation and frank narrative, Alexis Coe successfully breaks down the myth around the man.