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Jerome Mooney
Even when looking back over 100 years it is valuable to see multiple view of the events. Each author finds different aspects of the history significant and each attribute success and failure differently. I found both to be well worth reading, and both left me wishing we have more people like Grant today.
Joseph Rose
If you closely read Ron White (and I admit to only having read portions of his work), you'll see that his depth of knowledge isn't that great and that he accepts all-too-willingly the glowing falsehoods of Grant's Memoirs and the earlier biographers. Especially in writing of Grant's military career, White makes unforced errors that show a lack of foundation.
Grant
You can't go wrong with Chernow. I read and loved American Ulysses. I think we have a tendency of wanting just one book on a subject and that we want it to be definitive. All biography is interpretive. I'm sure Mr. Chernow and Mr. White will be very similar in their assessment of Ulysses S. Grant. But I figure that they will differ on a few things. All I know is that I'm awaiting Chernow's book eagerly. I've already preordered it and is the one book this fall I look forward to above all others. The real winners in this debate will be readers.
Danita L
Does he need to?
Pamela Okano
Yes. By a lot. Chernow includes many events--in detail---that weren't even mentioned in White's book.
Cody
Good question. They are on my reading list but I haven't the time to dedicate to both of them. I'm more familiar with Chernow and can say his biographies are top notch though.
Socraticgadfly
I would say that Chernow sounds like he might be too generous to Grant as a Reconstruction president. I mean, he was only "good" by the soft bigotry of low expectations of following Andy Johnson.
Robert
I did listen to American Ulysses before starting this one. I've yet to see if it is any better. I tend to think each biographer brings their own insight or focus(someone else here mentions something similar) on their subject. Having also read Chernow's Alexander Hamilton and Washington biography's I know he'll be thorough and detailed.
Pippin
Haven't read Chernow or White's books, but I only hope this is as good as Lee and Grant by Gene Smith: /book/show/7...
The first dual biography I ever read. I think Smith also wrote a stand alone bio of Grant - sorry, don't know the title of that book.
The first dual biography I ever read. I think Smith also wrote a stand alone bio of Grant - sorry, don't know the title of that book.
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