Young Washington

March 19, 2018
Stark (Astoria) puts his background as an adventure writer to good use, bringing thrilling immediacy and literary flair to George Washington’s youthful exploits as a Western surveyor and eventual participant in the French and Indian War. Tracing Washington’s development from ambitious young soldier to disciplined military leader, Stark treats his subject’s life as an opportunity to delve into the customs of colonial society, America’s involvement in global power struggles between the French and English, and complex negotiations between colonists and Native Americans. The young Washington, inexperienced and fueled by an intense desire to make a name for himself, finds himself at the heart of these conflicts: in his eagerness to expand British holdings by evicting the French from the Ohio territory, he makes rash decisions that escalate fighting between France and England, as well as between colonial and British officers. Stark narrates Washington’s move toward greater self-control in three major sections, each of which focuses on a particular episode of the French and Indian War. While Stark did not conduct significant original research and often turns to imaginative speculation about Washington’s thoughts, his novelistic account is sure to entertain readers interested in the backstory of America’s first president.

April 15, 2018

In 1753, George Washington delivered a message from the British lieutenant-governor of Virginia to the French commander at Fort Le Boeuf, near Lake Erie, to contest possession of the Ohio territory. The inexperienced 21-year-old was self-absorbed--consumed with advancing his career, designing his public image, and being accepted in aristocratic circles. Stark (Astoria) chronicles in detail Washington's experiences throughout the events of the following five years (including his part in an attack that probably instigated the French and Indian War), illustrating their decisive influence on Washington's developing character. Despite serious blunders and periods of ineffectual performance, Washington gradually learned from his and others' mistakes. Through ordeals in the wilderness, in battle, as a troop commander, and an obsession with protecting his reputation, he evolved from an ambitious, impulsive, hot-tempered, glory-hungry young man into an increasingly mature and just adult who eventually became a revered military and political leader. VERDICT In the style of an adventure story, with vivid descriptions and detailed explanations, this book is fully supported by letters, journal entries, and military documents. For Washington enthusiasts and general readers interested in French and Indian War campaigns.--Margaret Kappanadze, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2018
As a young man, the eminent Founding Father was impetuous, thin-skinned, and prone to anger and paranoia."Perhaps the strongest feature in his character was prudence," Thomas Jefferson remarked about the venerable Washington (1732-1799). Abigail Adams described him as "dignity with ease," and her husband, John Adams, noted his "great self-command." But as Outside correspondent Stark (Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival, 2014, etc.) portrays him in his lively, well-researched biography, Washington in his 20s was far different: "ambitious, temperamental, vain," and stubborn. "When thwarted," he was quick to erupt in "explosive anger." Acutely sensitive to any "threat to his honor or pride," his first reaction was to quit. Born into a family that never rose above "the second tier" of Virginia society, Washington coveted status and wealth, looking to military command as a way to gain acceptance by the Colonial elite. His goal--never realized--was to be awarded a commission by the king. Stark follows Washington's career as he rose from part-time junior officer, serving Virginia Gov. Robert Dinwiddie, to colonel, overseeing motley, undisciplined, underfunded soldiers. The author conveys in gritty detail the challenges of 18th-century conflict: an untamed frontier, violent Indians, chigger attacks, torrential rains, lack of food and arms, dysentery, and deserters. Tasked with preventing the French incursion into the Ohio Valley, Washington failed spectacularly; inexperienced in military strategy, he "watched dumbfounded in horror" as Indians who agreed to aid his troops fell murderously upon French soldiers, slicing off their scalps as trophies. The bloody massacre, Stark asserts, led to the protracted French and Indian War. Nevertheless, in 1755, after he bravely aided a wounded British general, Washington earned a reputation as a fearless hero. Just as significant, he came to believe that he was protected by divine forces, "for some greater purpose." Gradually realizing his responsibility to protect vulnerable settlers, he grew in empathy, selflessness, and determination to serve others.A discerning history of pre-Revolutionary America and the man who shaped its future.

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