The Unexpected George Washington: His Private Life

In this latest biography of the founding father, Unger uses Washington's personal letters, diaries and ""little notes to himself"" to provide an intimate view of the American hero who managed to follow his ambitions to great power without being disdained for them. The legendary leader, Unger reveals, was a successful farmer who spent as much as, and often more than, he made, was generous with his wife and children and had to settle for the title of ""adopted father"" because of his inability to have children of his own. Skirting the cliched category of ""renaissance man,"" Unger presents Washington as an early American prototype: the prescient and competent leader of men, who has taste, intellect and a strong conscience-traits which would ultimately be coaxed to action by John Adams. His love and care for Martha is resolute, and his friendship with the Marquis de Lafayette is revealed as sentimental and fatherly and without a shred of ceremonial stiffness. Unger's effort adds up to an engrossing and enjoyable read that allows the more well-known aspects of Washington's achievements to serve as context for his personal life. The famous Peale portrait may depict a stoic, even morose man, reflecting the leader of legend, but Unger's Washington is refreshingly romantic, a devoted husband and father who just happened to find success as a general and a president.