YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST, A Biography of George Washington | Alexis Coe | Viking Press, 261p
If you need an incredibly accessible survey of George Washington’s life, look no further. Coe delivers a quick read with quality insights into the life and times of America’s First President, his family, relatives, and attendant slaves.
Readers shouldn’t be put off by the political correctness or virtue signaling with which the author introduces her work. Stripped of its wrapping, the book's meat stands as a fresh and quality perspective of Mr. Washington.
His life story, in short, per Coe: Survived 67 illnesses, was raised by a single mother, married for money, fought for promotions, caused an international incident, lobbied hard for command of the revolutionary forces, and won the war mostly through the arts of espionage, was a successful first term President, tanked in his second term and retired attempting to avoid the spotlight.
Interestingly, Washington traveled to the Caribbean in his ’20s - his only non-domestic travel - to inoculate himself from Smallpox. As Revolutionary Commander, he required the entire army to undergo “inoculation” for Smallpox, putting each affected person out of commission for three weeks but preserving the nation's struggle.
Coe also supplies readers with the recipe and baking instructions for Washington’s favorite breakfast - hoecakes swimming in butter and honey.
As noted, regardless of its introduction, the book nicely outlines Washington’s life without (obviously) anything new or controversial but touches Washington's “whole life” fairly objectively.