U. S. Grant

There are so many fantastic new biographies of Ulysses S. Grant. U.S. Grant is particularly good for a one-volume biography. It’s an incredibly fair treatment and does a great job of showing Grant’s cultural importance as a symbol for national reunification after the war. Waugh also demonstrates why Grant has been underappreciated by previous historians and generations, and why he deserves more recognition.

Grant has a host of outstanding modern biographers, among them Brooks D. Simpson, Ron Chernow, and Jean Edward Smith. While not a full-scale life study, Joan's book is indispensable. A rich blend of biography and cultural history, it imaginatively integrates Grant’s military and political careers and offers a timely and provocative treatment of the man’s image and memory. A pleasure to read, it is vivid, concise, and alive with fresh thinking. If you’re approaching Grant for the first time, read his Memoirs and then pick up a copy of Waugh’s outstanding book.