American Ulysses
by Ronald C. White Jr.
American Ulysses is a biography of fascinating U.S. president, Ulysses Grant.
Ronald White recounts the president’s life chronologically, drawing upon personal correspondence, newspaper articles, reports, and other biographies and memories to inform his work.
As an audiobook, the piece flows easily. One can follow the narrative and get a feeling for the principal figures without strain. For the chapters dedicated to the civil war a map could be useful. In that way, the audiobook may compare unfavorably to the printed version (assuming there are some maps there.) I say this because I’m not a civil war buff and the litany of battles from more than 150 years ago went in one ear and out the other. Even if consulted infrequently, a map would have helped me take more of the content away.
Otherwise, I did grasp much of Grant’s life and times. He was a humble man who came from the people, and Grant’s personality is easy to imagine. I feel like I have known men like him in my own life. However, Grant’s times were so full of opportunity and change that he was forced into situations of extreme difficulty and responsibility, unlike the men in my own life :/
Some things that surprised me were:
- Grant’s love for horses
- how much Grant detested his family’s tanning business
- how poorly people viewed West Point before the Mexican-American war
- Grant’s inability to thrive as a farmer and his difficult years after leaving the army
- that Grant married into a family of slave holders and that he once owned a slave himself
- that Grant’s inaugural address was so focused on treating Native Americans and African Americans well
- Grant’s naivety in financial affairs even into old age
- Grant’s positive reception abroad during his world tour
- How Mark Twain championed the former president and helped him with his memoirs
American Ulysses is a suitable book for learning about such a decisive period of American history. And Grant is an impressive man. To study his life and personality is worthwhile. Since the United States is again extremely polarised to look for guidance from this transformative and bloody period of American history can’t be a waste.
Those who would gain most from White’s biography are those interested in American history yet who aren’t already well-versed in the details and figures of the civil war and reconstruction.
Did you read American Ulysses? What did you think? Would you recommend any other Civil War themed books for me to read?