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This is the amazing true story of a real-life superhero who wore no cape and possessed no special powers—yet changed the world forever. It’s a story about a man whose life reads as if it were torn from the pages of an action novel: Bullet holes through his clothing. Horses shot out from under him. Unimaginable hardship. Disease. Heroism. Spies and double-agents. And, of course, the unmistakable hand of Divine Providence that guided it all.
Being George Washington is a whole new way to look at history. You won’t simply read about the awful winter spent at Valley Forge—you’ll live it right alongside Washington. You’ll be on the boat with him crossing the Delaware, in the trenches with him at Yorktown, and standing next to him at the Constitutional Convention as a new republic is finally born.
Through these stories you’ll not only learn our real history (and how it applies to today), you’ll also see how the media and others have distorted our view of it. It’s ironic that the best-known fact about George Washington—that he chopped down a cherry tree—is a complete lie. It’s even more ironic when you consider that a lie was thought necessary to prove he could not tell one.
For all of his heroism and triumphs, Washington’s single greatest accomplishment was the man he created in the process: courageous and principled, fair and just, respectful to all. But he was also something else: flawed.
It’s those flaws that should give us hope for today. After all, if Washington had been perfect, then there would be no way to build another one. That’s why this book is not just about being George Washington in 1776, it’s about the struggle to be him every single day of our lives. Understanding the way he turned himself from an uneducated farmer into the Indispensable (yet imperfect) Man, is the only way to build a new generation of George Washingtons that can take on the extraordinary challenges that America is once again facing.
About the Writing of This Book ix
Author's Note xi
Introduction: Had I Not Been Witness 1
1 Victory or Death 11
2 The Harder the Conflict, the More Glorious the Triumph 21
3 When None Expected Much, He Did the Unexpected 35
4 A Valley Forged of Despair 49
5 A Good General, a Great Author 67
6 Whom Can We Trust Now? 81
7 A Tale of Two Founders 103
8 The War Turns at Yorktown 115
9 Yorktown Falls 131
10 The World Turned Upside Down 143
11 Gray in Your Service 155
12 A Moment of Crisis, a Lifetime of Preparation 173
13 To Please All Is Impossible 183
14 Little Short of a Miracle 199
15 A Final Farewell 213
16 A Humble Agent of Heaven 237
Conclusion: True Greatness Dwells in the Soul 249
Glossary 253
Cast of Characters 255
Timeline 265
George Washington, in His Own Words 277
Anonymous
Posted November 23, 2011
This book is not like most non-fiction books, it is told like a novel; making it extremely hard to put down. By the way,reviews are for your opinion of the book, not the your opinion on the author.
37 out of 39 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 22, 2011
I cannot put this down! What an inspirational, entertaining, thought-provoking work! (Please develop this into a series on all the Founding Fathers... or at least Thomas Jefferson!) Fascinating! Bravo! ;)
32 out of 34 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 19, 2011
Big fan of of Glenn's books. Got a feeling this one will rock! Lets be the change in America.
11 out of 30 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 28, 2011
I have only read a couple of pages, but before you purchase this for your nook, you should know that it has a black background with white text, making it hard to read ... I had to enlarge the text to extra large font ... I normally read with a medium sized font.
9 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 16, 2011
At times I felt I was there with George Washington. A very moving true history that I wish all Americans could read.
I loved it, I cried for our country then and now.
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 30, 2011
This book was not what I thought it was going to be. It is deep and shows use how human and how great G. Washington was. And I am not a fan of Glen Beck. Thank Glen for writing this. Great book
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 3, 2011
generic and poorly written
3 out of 29 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 7, 2012
It is so obvious that you have never read his books or you simply cannot read as your reviews do not even reflect what the book was about. Once again your hatred of glenn beck and conservatism is shining through with intellectual dishonesty.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 5, 2012
Everyone should read this book to be reminded of the values that started our country.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.great read with mostly unknown details, at least to me, about a great man with honor. Glenn did a good job with this one.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 26, 2011
I found this book to be well written, very interesting and thought provoking. I did not want to put it down, George Washington was a man of honor and principles. I highly recommend this book.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 20, 2012
This book was really well written and it kept me hooked. I learned more about George Washington through this book than through any other history book. Good job, Mr. Beck.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 17, 2012
I just finished reading this book and recommend it to all Americans. It orovides wonderful new insites into the great life of our first President and Commander of our Military during our revolution.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 14, 2012
Sat down, started reading this book and held it in hands for many hours. This is the first Glenn Beck book I have read. I have always read the books he suggest, read this one. The dedicationto his son, melted my heart.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 14, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I loved that it is a non-fiction book written as a novel...made it very hard to put down. I learned a lot about George Washington that i definitely did not learn in school. Glen Beck did an amazing job of telling Washington's story while also encouraging us to make little changes in our own lives that will not only make us more like Washington, but will also make us better people in the long run.
Honestly I was a little skeptical about reading this book (my husband suggested that I read it), but I was very pleasantly surprised. I will definitely suggest this book to others. And really hope that people can look past any bad feelings that they have for Beck and just read the book for what it is...a great re-telling of a very important time in our country's history, and and an extremely thought provoking book on how to better ourselves and our country!!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 5, 2012
I read the one on Jefferson and now George Washington. I like his humor and the attempt to make them men of their times but the book is revisionist history. Glenn might better been a preacher because he gives God credit for the victories (but not the defeats).
Clean out the personal opinions and RW agenda it might be history for middle school kids.
Texas-Jack-Rabbit
Posted April 20, 2012
Being George Washington is very well done narrative history. I enjoyed reading it immensely. The only problem I have with it is the hype that it "is a whole new way to look at history." I like Glenn Beck but he did not invent narrative history. He has introduced it to a lot of people whose only exposure to history was dry public school and college history books. That's a wonderful thing but he did not invent it.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 1, 2012
Reads smoothly and brings to life a figure of a man that gave everything he could for something he believed in. A man of virtue and a man to be admired.
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Posted February 29, 2012
This book is wonderful!
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Posted February 22, 2012
I really wish our elected officials would read this. Wonderful book.
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Overview
IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW GEORGE WASHINGTON, THINK AGAIN.
This is the amazing true story of a real-life superhero who wore no cape and possessed no special powers—yet changed the world forever. It’s a story about a man whose life reads as if it were torn from the pages of an action novel: Bullet holes through his clothing. Horses shot out from under him. Unimaginable hardship. Disease. Heroism. Spies and double-agents. And, of course, the unmistakable hand of Divine Providence that guided it all.
Being George Washington is a whole new way to look at history. You won’t simply read about the awful winter spent at Valley ...