Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Tagged: Washington; American History

This topic has 9 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 7 months ago by bethanna.

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)

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September 11, 2016 at 3:54 pm
Rachel White
Participant
I would appreciate recommendations for a George Washington bio for High School
Not the Marrin one and not The Real George Washignton (it’s just too long).

Thanks
September 11, 2016 at 5:04 pm
MelissaB
Participant
Have you looked at the Heroes in History? We always enjoy the books that Geoff & Janet Benge write, tho we haven’t read the George Washington one.
September 12, 2016 at 6:53 am
Melanie32
Participant
AO recommends Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington as one of their choices for a GW bio in year 9. It’s 200 pages so that sounds doable. I think I have it around here somewhere. It isn’t something that my daughter would enjoy right now (in 9th grade) but I am saving it for later on in highschool.
I also have an older book that I found at my local library titled Leader By Destiny. I think the author is Jeanette Eaton. It was written to teens.
I haven’t actually read either of them in full but they are both on the list of maybes for some time in the high school years.
September 12, 2016 at 8:15 am
Rachel White
Participant
Thank you both.
I’ll probably go with Founding Father, followed by Founding Brothers (which I’ve read) .
However, I was looking at His Excellency by Joseph Ellis, too; I really liked Founding Brothers and Passionate Sage; American Sphinx was ok.
Anyone know anything about that one?
I have George Washington’s World, but I wanted something more substantial for my older son; Foster does a good job on other things, that it’s a consideration as an easy read? I don’t know.
September 12, 2016 at 9:06 am
Melanie32
Participant
I just remembered that several moms on AO preferred a George Washington biography by Flexner or Flexnor. There is an illustrated edition with pictures, diagrams, maps, etc, that was particularly recommended. I’ll see if I can find the thread where it was discussed and give more information.
September 12, 2016 at 9:28 am
Melanie32
Participant
The Flexner bio seems to be pretty popular but is 448 pages so may be too long.
Either the Ellis biography or the Brookhiser bio (I can’t remember which one) does have a bit of speculation in it. He suggests that George Washington may have had an affair for instance. Some moms chose not to use it for this reason.
I did read a few chapters of the Brookhiser bio and found it a bit dry myself.
The Ellis biography has a lot more 4-5 star reviews than the Brookhiser option.
I love Foster’s books but don’t feel like it would make a good selection because it jumps around so much, therefore would be comparable to a very brief GW bio once all of the sections on him were added up. I wonder if Heritage History has any good choices? They probably have Irving’s GW bio but it, too, is rather long.
Based on all of the choices, I would probably go with Flexner’s bio if time permitted. It is long, but not nearly as long as The Real George Washington and is said to be highly readable and enjoyable to boot. If you are on the AO forums, I would do a search for Flexner and read what other moms had to say.
The best option would be to download a sample of both and let your son choose but I don’t think the Flexner bio is available for kindle. 🙁 You could do this for the Brookhiser and Ellis options though. I think they are both available for kindle but I could be getting biographies confused.

September 12, 2016 at 10:44 am
Rachel White
Participant
I had looked at that one; but didn’t know anything about it; I will join the AO group, now that mine are old enough
I do like my bios to be actual scholars and historians, not reporters or opinion writers, so it’s down to Flexnor or Ellis, I think
September 14, 2016 at 8:58 am
Melanie32
Participant
I just saw the illustrated, hardcover Flexner biography at better world books for $3.98 with free shipping 🙂
September 14, 2016 at 11:18 am
Rachel White
Participant
Oh, thank you
Edit: got it!
September 14, 2016 at 1:34 pm
bethanna
Participant
I thought I’d tack this book onto this post in case someone is interested. Washington’s Lady by Elswyth Thane (copyright 1954) is a narrative that I am enjoying right now. I found it at the library so the author’s name is also catalogued as Elswyth Thane Ricker Beebe. There’s no dialogue in the book, but there are excerpts from letters. It begins when Martha met George and includes a good deal of information about their life together and their lives during the war years. (I’m still reading about the last war years right now…) It’s 290 pages and high school reading level, but I’m not sure how scholarly it would be. It mentions his admiration for another woman early on but points out that he preferred Martha as the one to be his wife because of her character and that Martha was secure in his love for her. I enjoy reading about how they were considerate of each other and supported each other, but it’s not written in a love story style. Just an interesting biography.