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| Grant (Chernow biography) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Grant |
| Author | Ron Chernow |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Genre | Biography |
| Publisher | Penguin Press |
| Pub date | 2017 |
| Pages | 944 |
| Isbn | 9781594204844 |
Grant (Chernow biography)
Ron Chernow's Grant is a comprehensive biography of Ulysses S. Grant, the nineteenth-century American general and president. The book traces Grant's life from his upbringing in Ohio through his military leadership in the Mexican–American War, the American Civil War, and his two terms in the White House, situating his career within the politics of Reconstruction and the diplomacy of the Gilded Age. Chernow employs archival research and narrative scholarship to reassess Grant's legacy in light of recent historiography and public memory.
Chernow wrote Grant after prior biographies of figures such as George Washington (Chernow biography), Alexander Hamilton (Chernow biography), and Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.. He undertook research in repositories including the National Archives and Records Administration, the Library of Congress, the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, and the Smithsonian Institution. Chernow consulted collections of letters and manuscripts from the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, the Illinois State Historical Library, the New-York Historical Society, and university archives at Columbia University and Harvard University. The author examined primary sources such as Grant's own memoirs, including the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, correspondence with figures like William T. Sherman, Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford B. Hayes, Schuyler Colfax, and communications with diplomats such as Hamilton Fish. Chernow also reviewed secondary scholarship by historians including Doris Kearns Goodwin, James M. McPherson, Eric Foner, Sean Wilentz, and Jon Meacham. The composition balanced narrative biography with contextual analysis of events like the Battle of Vicksburg, the Appomattox Campaign, the Crédit Mobilier scandal, and the Panic of 1873.
Published by Penguin Press in 2017, Grant was released in hardcover, audiobook, and paperback editions. The first edition appeared with marketing aligned to the sesquicentennial commemorations of Civil War battles such as Gettysburg and Shiloh. Audiobook versions featured narration by professional readers and were distributed by major platforms including Audible and Penguin Random House Audio. Subsequent paperback and international editions were issued by imprints in the United Kingdom, Canada, and translations appeared in languages used in France, Germany, Japan, and China. Special hardcover printings included forewords and supplemental maps of campaigns like the Vicksburg Campaign and the Overland Campaign. Library of Congress cataloging classified the work under nineteenth-century American biography and presidential studies, placing it alongside biographies of Andrew Johnson, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Chernow organizes Grant chronologically, beginning with Grant's boyhood in Point Pleasant, Ohio, his education at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and early service in the Mexican–American War. Subsequent chapters detail Grant's struggles with civilian life in Galena, Illinois, his sobriety, and his ascendance during the Civil War as commander at engagements including Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, and the Overland Campaign. Chernow explores Grant's relationship with presidents and politicians—most notably Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Grant's own administration—and evaluates policy decisions such as enforcement actions against the Ku Klux Klan, support for the Fifteenth Amendment, and civil rights prosecutions. The biography covers controversies including the Whiskey Ring scandal, the Indian Wars, the Treaty of Washington (1871), and Grant's post-presidency world tour. Chernow gives weight to Grant's late-life financial collapse with businessman Ferdinand Ward, his composition of memoirs with Mark Twain, and his death and burial at the General Grant National Memorial.
Reviews of Grant appeared in outlets such as the New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, The Economist, and Time (magazine), with commentators praising Chernow's synthesis of military history and presidential analysis. Historians including Doris Kearns Goodwin and James M. McPherson lauded the book's archival depth and narrative clarity, while some critics debated Chernow's interpretations of Grant's fiscal policies and Reconstruction strategy. Coverage in academic journals and periodicals compared Chernow's portrayal to earlier biographies by William S. McFeely and Jean Edward Smith, assessing its contribution to reassessing Grant among scholars of Reconstruction and nineteenth-century American politics.
Grant won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2018 and received nominations for other literary prizes such as the National Book Award longlist and the Goodreads Choice Awards. Chernow was awarded honors by institutions including Columbia University and the New-York Historical Society for his contributions to biographical literature. The book topped bestseller lists like The New York Times Best Seller list and earned critical accolades from prize committees recognizing historical scholarship and narrative nonfiction.
Chernow's Grant contributed to a resurgence of public and scholarly interest in Ulysses S. Grant, influencing curricula at universities such as Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University and shaping museum exhibitions at the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site and the National Museum of American History. The biography informed media portrayals in documentaries broadcast by PBS and influenced debates in civic forums about memorialization related to figures like Robert E. Lee and institutions including the United States Senate. Chernow's reframing of Grant's record on civil rights, diplomacy with Great Britain, and fiscal conduct has become a touchstone for subsequent biographies, articles in journals like Civil War History, and public commemorations marked by historical societies and veteran organizations.
Category:2017 books Category:Biographies Category:Ulysses S. Grant