Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington

by Peter R. Henriques

Book Overview

In Realistic Visionary the renowned George Washington scholar Peter Henriques seeks to humanize the first president without diminishing him. Henriques's Washington makes mistakes, is sensitive to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813925479
• ISBN13: 9780813925479
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Ten Essays on Ten Points About Washington

A kind of a biography, but with a difference. There have been quite a number of excellent biographies published down through the years, but that has not reduced the level of interest in the country. This book starts with the assumption that you know quite a bit about Washington's life, it then has ten essays that open almost as many questions as it answers about Washington as a man. Perhaps the most interesting is the chapter on religion. It seems that every religion seems to want to gain some kind of historic acceptance by claiming Washington was of their faith. This includes Roman Catholics , Mormons (a religion which hadn't been invented then, but which allows posthumous conversion), Presbyterians, Baptists and more. Perhaps the strongest claiments are the evangelical Christians who assertain that the founders of the country were creating a Christian nation (in spite of the First Ammendment), especially Washington. The author discusses Washington's letters where he mentions religion, and comes to the conclusion that as Washington himself said, his 'tenets are few and simple.' -- Kind of strange, I had always thought Washington was a Deist (The belief, based solely on reason, in a God who created the universe and then abandoned it, assuming no control over life, exerting no influence on natural phenomena, and giving no supernatural revelation.) as apparently were Jefferson and John Hancock. Anyway, that's the tone of the book. Ten points worthy of discussion on ten subjects, well backed up by Washington's writing.

A Realistic Portrayal of GW

I have researched George Washington for years and suffered the frustration of myths, legends, and misinterpreted facts. It's almost impossible to get close to the father of our country because he became such a hero and larger-than-life character. A little flap called the American Revolution propagandized Washington beyond all reason. Peter Henriques starts from scratch. He assumes nothing, relies on the written record, and paints a fascinating flesh-and-blood portrait of the real GW, Master of Mount Vernon and master of himself. Henriques takes us through the various aspects of Washington's life analytically, dispelling myths, shining light on character strengths and flaws. It makes for a compelling read in many ways. Henriques comes across as a master sleuth who delights in revealing his subject layer by layer until the gentleman, like the biography, is complete.

Insightful Analysis

This book takes a positive but realistic approach to Washington. Rather than a birth to death chronology, the book focuses on particular subjects. I particularly liked the chapters on Washington's relationships with Jefferson (strained) and Hamilton (productive) and the balanced treatment of Washington and religion. There are abundant references to other works and viewpoints. Henriques provides a greater understanding of the man who served as our first president.

Keeping GW real for 21st century readers

Is George Washington really that big a deal? What kind of a guy was he anyway? I find variants of these two questions to be among the most frequent ones asked by the teenagers sitting in my government and American history classes. Peter Henriques supplies a highly readable response to their concerns in his new book "Realistic Visonary." Despite the plethora of recent books on Washington, Henriques has managed to produce a work that fills in a gap in the literature on our most consequential American. The book consists mainly of ten essays by Henriques that evaluate either important aspects of Washington's career and policies (his military career, presidency,etc.) or interesting aspects of Washington's character and beliefs (his religious beliefs, marriage and love life, etc.). Some readers may find the focus on Washington's personal life and personality out of place, but I'd suggest those readers consider the two questions my students like to ask. Washington is a big deal because his actions and policies were decisive in creating and sustaining the American republic. But how and why Washington went about making the decisions he made is a function of his personality and character. As the title of the book suggests, Henriques offers a "portrait" of Washington that helps the reader appreciate both Washington's objectives, as well as the characteristics that made him so successful. The only serious criticisms of "Realistic Visionary" I would expect will come from writers and historians who feel like Henriques has too favorable an evaluation of Washington. To his credit, Henriques cites the work of a number of other scholars who don't share his views and gives the reader a very good sense of the range of opinion on Washington. I happen to largely share the author's opinion of his subject, so my only criticism is that in a few of the chapters, particularly "Taking Command," Henriques compresses extremely complicated subjects into 20-25 page essays. This has the benefit of allowing the reader to learn about many serious issues while keeping the book a reasonable length. But it may mean that readers occasionally have to consult other sources to gain an appreciation of some of the events discussed. Henriques states that he intends to "make this remarkable man accessible to a wider readership." The book succeeds superbly in this regard. Henriques reminds us that Washington was not only America's most important leader, but that he remains one of the most fascinating and complicated personalities in American history. "Realistic Visionary" illuminates Washington's character and rewards the history buff as much as it will challenge historians of the period to think harder about the preeminent Founder. Matt McGuire Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies Richmond, Virginia

Excellent, thoughtful book

This is an excellent book about Washington that tackles many difficult and intriguing aspects of his life. I particularly like how the author uses actual quotes from Washington but fits them into the prose so you get a sense that Washington is saying these things and not just the author. This book is extremely well researched and points out logical explanations to help you understand perhaps the most important man in our nation's history. If you want to learn about the real Washington, then get this book. I hope it becomes required reading for most college courses on the subject.