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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 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.
Glenn Beck, the nationally syndicated radio show host, is the author of Broke, The 7, and seven #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Original Argument, An Inconvenient Book, The Christmas Sweater, Glenn Beck’s Common Sense, Arguing with Idiots, The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book, and The Overton Window. Visit GlennBeck.com.
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
Will_M
Posted November 17, 2011
Apparently no one is reading the description of this title. Glenn Beck is not saying he's George Washington, or even comparing himself to Washington. The book is a historical look at pivotal points in Washington's life. It has a novel like feel to it, which allows the reader to feel drawn in as opposed to being put to sleep, which happens with history books sometimes. Historians spent months pouring over old letters, documents, journals, and books to put this together. Think a little and read a little before you jump to conclusions about something, it will keep you from looking like someone from the uneducated masses.
80 out of 85 people found this review helpful.
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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.
41 out of 43 people found this review helpful.
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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! ;)
35 out of 37 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 6, 2011
I enjoyed this book. Instead of a dry recital of facts, dates and events, I read this almost as I would a historical fiction novel. A lot of people avoid reading history because of those dry recitals, and that's a shame. History can be personal and fascinating. George Washington is called the Father of Our nation (America) for a reason, and this book helped me know what Washington lived through, and how he personally impacted American history. This book would be an entertaining way to be introduced to American history.
I found the narrative to jump around a little bit, but for its relatively short length, Beck packed a lot of information into it. I can recommend this book to anyone.
16 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 25, 2011
Great read . . . brings the period alive!!
14 out of 19 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 19, 2011
Big fan of of Glenn's books. Got a feeling this one will rock! Lets be the change in America.
12 out of 31 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 29, 2011
Very poignant picture of George Washington, moving book and easy to ready, we learned a great deal and its good to get for your grandchildren for Christmas Holidays. Many children are not being given enough information and this book as is "Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly are both very good. I highly recommend sharing with your children and grandchildren.
11 out of 19 people found this review helpful.
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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 13 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 9, 2012
Its too bad most of the poor reviews here are written by people who have no idea whether this is a good book or not. They choose to express their views of the author and have no interest in the book. Their intent to criticize might be more impressive if their spelling and syntax were accurate and not just filled with their biased view of the author.
8 out of 9 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.
8 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 22, 2011
I Also Recommend:
Changing lives one person at a time. We will win back our republic from the grasp of evil. Keep fighting the good fight.
8 out of 22 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
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 28, 2011
Wow. Cannot put this book down. You do not have to be a fan of Glenn Beck to love this book. I am pathetically ignorant of history, but desperately interested, and this book is fascinating and inspiring. This isn't about political persuasion or Glenn telling you how or what to believe. Wait. Take that back. He tells you to believe in YOURSELF. So if that's offensive, don't buy this.
This book is an examination of the character and honor of Washington and an undeserved vote that we can be just as great. Glenn has this amazing belief that each and every one of us has the potential grace to rise above and be like Washington: brave, unselfish, humble, open-minded, reverent, wise, decent, respectful, thankful, and forgiving. I lack the same faith, I guess, because I look around and get easily discouraged at the hate and disrespect I see in the world.
Glenn does not compare himself to George Washington - other than the faults we all share and the potential we all have. You may not agree with Glenn on some (or any) issues, but this book is not about trying to convince any one person or groups of people that they are wrong - only that they can be great. We can all be George Washington, even if it's in our own teeny tiny way. Thank you, GB, and may Providence continue to guide your way.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 13, 2011
I Also Recommend:
I am not one to read any book several times. This is one I will probably read at least once a year or more. I read it to my grandchildren while visiting them and they even listened. This was learning about a great person in history. I was never taught any of this in school and the kids had never heard anything about most of it. This should be used in schools. I love history and especially put in a way that I can understand and is exciting. It is a great read for all ages if you ask me.
6 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 26, 2011
I enjoyed the book. That's it. The Earth didn't move, clouds didn't part. Because it was SO prehyped to be written more like a "Historical Fiction" type novel, I was disappointed by the disjointed timeline, Beck's interjection of commentary, and a lack of thoroughness I expected because of the way it was pitched. I would recommend this book, but if one hadn't read other volumes on Washington, the Founders or the Revolution, I would start elsewhere first. This book was a classic case of the expectation exceeding the reality.
5 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 26, 2011
I Also Recommend:
This is riveting and inspiring reading. It is so good that I hope many teachers will add it to their curriculum.
Friends and foes in the American Revolution are understood as never before. With far less reason to do so than we have today, patriots of the 18th century sacrificed so much to enable us to have a life of freedom. It's truly humbling when you read the obstacles they had to overcome and the role of miraculous events which brought victory.
Best of all, you really get acquainted with George Washington. He's no longer just an historic figure but a human being who made good and bad choices. One of the main purposes of Beck's book, in fact, is to show present-day citizens that we can also become better human beings and even great leaders by adopting Washington's principles and character development. But it's not at all a preachy book; it inspires and encourages.
Another thing I liked about this book was that 17 researchers were involved in checking the historical facts, and where there was controversy about which record to accept, that is made known so that you can make up your own mind. Do you know of any other authors who will do that?
Thank you for writing this book, Mr. Beck.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 22, 2011
This book is disjointed in style and takes many liberties. Is it supposed to be fact or fiction? A mix of box? Propaganda flourishes when the lines are blurred but beyond that it reads something like a trashy romance novel (oops, I just made it sound better than it is).
Lacks footnotes or clear indication of references and resources used.
4 out of 32 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 20, 2011
Thank goodness I didn't have to buy to read this piece of junk. I read it out of curiosity. He's so over the top and non-sensical on his TV show, I thought maybe his book would surprise me. Nope, not surprise at all, he's just as delusional writing a book as he is on TV.
But, it's expected though, if he's rational, he wouldn't be Glenn Beck.
4 out of 51 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 28, 2012
Glad to have found the time to read. Becks' ability to vividly describe his imaginative vision of being there, right there next to Washington was absolutely outstanding. Made me shake the 'old guy in a white wig" view that is easy to fall in when thinking of our founders. Also made me do my own research to verify some of the stories... I learned a lot by that exercise. Thanks Beck.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 18, 2012
I am very interested in history and must admit that reading historical books can be dull and very boring. Normally, it will take me several weeks to wade through a history book of similar size as this one. I finished Mr. Becks book in two days.
After reading this book, I am amazed at what George Washington had to endure in leading this country to freedom and independence. I can state for a fact that I was not taught these things about George Washington either in high school or college. Mr. Beck has taken historical facts and presented them in a very entertaining manner.
This is not an "in depth" historical novel describing every aspect of George Washington's life leading up to this country becoming a sovereign nation. It is a book that provides the reader an entertaining "snapshot" of historical events surrounding the life of George Washington. But, it is not so much about the historical events as it is the character traits that made George Washington who he was.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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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 ...