You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington
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- Create Date：2021-02-04 04:17:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alexis Coe
- ISBN：9780735224117
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
As [Coe] illustrates， most of what we do know is either untrue…or less interesting than what the existing history books have overlooked…She has cleverly disguised a historiographical intervention in the form of a sometimes cheeky presidential biography…She demonstrates that just because more conventional presidential biographies sometimes approach the length of the Bible…that doesn't mean they are an infallible or unfiltered record of events。 History， this book argues， is always an interpretation of the past and an argument about what it means。
Reviews
gmcootie
，
Very interesting look at George Washington’s life from a different point of view。 Makes him more of a relatable man instead of the superior creature most of history makes him out to be。 Easy to read， full of interesting facts and statistics and glimpses into some of his not-so-nice behavior and beliefs。
Ashley
，
It's a brief biography but insightful。 Coe removes all the patriarchal and whitewashed aspects of his story which is refreshing。 Coe summarizes other Washington biographies and compares and contrasts different views of Washington over time。 It's definitely a good read！ It's a brief biography but insightful。 Coe removes all the patriarchal and whitewashed aspects of his story which is refreshing。 Coe summarizes other Washington biographies and compares and contrasts different views of Washington over time。 It's definitely a good read！ 。。。more
Laura Foster
，
I loved what author Alexis Coe had to say in the beginning of this book about how nearly every biography of George Washington and his early American successors is written by a white male and nearly always exaggerates just a bit their subject's impeccable everything （character， physique， whatever）。 The viewpoint of a female author and one not afraid to address Washington's shortcomings made this book unique， but ultimately， I went back and forth between being interested and bored in this one， par I loved what author Alexis Coe had to say in the beginning of this book about how nearly every biography of George Washington and his early American successors is written by a white male and nearly always exaggerates just a bit their subject's impeccable everything （character， physique， whatever）。 The viewpoint of a female author and one not afraid to address Washington's shortcomings made this book unique， but ultimately， I went back and forth between being interested and bored in this one， particularly when trying to keep track of all of those Revolutionary War players。 Overall， just okay for me。 。。。more
Sandra Bradley
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A short but interesting book for those of us who do not need a detailed life story of the first president。 I found it to be an easy read and easy to follow that kept my interest。 Worth reading particularly for a Canadian with a limited interest in a detailed account of his entire history。
Callie Johnston
，
Hadn't had much interest in a Washington biography before， but this came up on NPR book concierge， so hopped on it。 Alexis basically does a lit review of all other Washington bios （and there have been many） and points out that it's a white male point of view。。。 always。 Not much said about Washington's mom， Martha， or the many many people he enslaved over his lifetime。 That tends to get glossed over in favor of his legacy， but it's more complicated than that。 I appreciate her wider lens on his li Hadn't had much interest in a Washington biography before， but this came up on NPR book concierge， so hopped on it。 Alexis basically does a lit review of all other Washington bios （and there have been many） and points out that it's a white male point of view。。。 always。 Not much said about Washington's mom， Martha， or the many many people he enslaved over his lifetime。 That tends to get glossed over in favor of his legacy， but it's more complicated than that。 I appreciate her wider lens on his life and the quirky use of charts to give high level information about his battles， etc。 which have been covered ad nauseum in other sources。 。。。more
Kim
，
An excellent biography— meticulously researched and truly engaging。 Coe goes beyond the Washington we thought we knew and were maybe content to keep on a distant， dusty pedestal。 Evidence that scholarly doesn’t have to mean dry。 Thanks， Alicia Abdul， for putting this one on my radar！
Rachel Beeler
，
2。5
Adrienne
，
Short and sweet。 An interesting， concise biography of George Washington filled with tidbits of information I had not heard。 For a military leader， Washington actually lost more battles than he won。 What made him a great general was his ability to use spies to feed him tactical information。 There's lots more about his true realtionships with the other founders， like Jefferson， Adams， Hamilton， Monroe and Madison。 The other thing that struck me was how sickly he was through his lifetime。 He surviv Short and sweet。 An interesting， concise biography of George Washington filled with tidbits of information I had not heard。 For a military leader， Washington actually lost more battles than he won。 What made him a great general was his ability to use spies to feed him tactical information。 There's lots more about his true realtionships with the other founders， like Jefferson， Adams， Hamilton， Monroe and Madison。 The other thing that struck me was how sickly he was through his lifetime。 He survived every major illness of the time， including smallpox and dysentery。 Amazing。I would recommend this one to all history buffs out there。 4 stars。 。。。more
Emily Nelms Chastain
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Wonderful， just wonderful！ It’s so refreshing to see a more objective perspective coming from a female writer who leans into the possibility that Washington had flaws。
Jordan
，
To be honest， I've never read another full biography of George Washington。 Yet still his presence looms large。 That said， I can't directly compare the two， but I appreciated this new perspective on the man who has become a kind of infamous and lionized and romantic figure in American history。 Coe's introduction， about her curiosity around Washington， and especially around all of the male biographers' obsession with his virility。。。just yikes， my dudes。 The point that it didn't seem to matter to t To be honest， I've never read another full biography of George Washington。 Yet still his presence looms large。 That said， I can't directly compare the two， but I appreciated this new perspective on the man who has become a kind of infamous and lionized and romantic figure in American history。 Coe's introduction， about her curiosity around Washington， and especially around all of the male biographers' obsession with his virility。。。just yikes， my dudes。 The point that it didn't seem to matter to the people around Washington at the time so why should it matter to us was well taken。 While this was not an exhaustive biography， that's not what I was looking for。 Exploring the intricacies of his personal relationships and how they directed his life， as well as not dragging him but not pulling any punches around Washington's slave owning， were the perfect match for me。 Again， not having read another full biography， perhaps some of these are common texts， but there were a couple of points where I got a little teary at the personal correspondence。 While those were obviously not Coe's writing， her artful construction around them and the contextual relevance， made them more impactful。I listened to this on audiobook， and though the narrator was great， there were a couple of points where Coe used charts， lists， facts all at once that didn't translate well to an audio medium。 Not necessarily a point for or against， just something to consider if you're looking to read the audio。Coe is co-presenting a program at my workplace with Anna North （author of Outlawed）， thinking about new perspectives on "old" stories， and it was a lovely coincidence that this was available on Overdrive in advance of that。 I'm very much looking forward to their conversation。 。。。more
Amethyst Jones
，
Much of American history has been told about men， by men， and for men and often idealizes the founding fathers。 You Never Forget Your First is funny， informative， and the first adult biography on Washington by a woman in 40+ years （even longer by a historian） - one of just a few written by women amongst hundreds。 Coe cuts through other biographer’s obsession Washington’s “manliness”。 It offers a fresh， myth-busting， well-researched， entertaining look into the first POTUS’ life。 She has a balance Much of American history has been told about men， by men， and for men and often idealizes the founding fathers。 You Never Forget Your First is funny， informative， and the first adult biography on Washington by a woman in 40+ years （even longer by a historian） - one of just a few written by women amongst hundreds。 Coe cuts through other biographer’s obsession Washington’s “manliness”。 It offers a fresh， myth-busting， well-researched， entertaining look into the first POTUS’ life。 She has a balanced way of acknowledging the merits of his celebrity without shying away from Washington’s pettiness or his enslavement of others。 。。。more
Arianna
，
What a breath of fresh air it is to read a completely succinct， non-stuffy， presidential biography！ I am really hoping this author does a whole series。 It’s extremely accessible， and also full of serious history that doesn’t gloss over， but rather delves into， the tough stuff。 I particularly enjoyed the distillation of important events and essential history into tables and charts。 I particularly enjoyed the chart that included Washington’s annotations on James Monroe’s book。 It was hilarious！
Jenny
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This is a good overview of Washington’s life and his personality。 I like that she skipped most of the battles from the Revolution and focused more on his spy ring。 If you want an overview of Washington， this is a good book to read。
Kirk Shimano
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I absolutely adored the opening chapter of this book。 I enjoyed the take down of the standard George Washington narrative and found the author's voice to be hugely entertaining。As it settled into the main history， though， I felt like it become something a bit different。 I can't really blame the author - it might not be that rewarding to spend a whole book in a meta criticism of how others have told the story， instead of engaging in the story on its own。 But the fact that I'm not really prone to I absolutely adored the opening chapter of this book。 I enjoyed the take down of the standard George Washington narrative and found the author's voice to be hugely entertaining。As it settled into the main history， though， I felt like it become something a bit different。 I can't really blame the author - it might not be that rewarding to spend a whole book in a meta criticism of how others have told the story， instead of engaging in the story on its own。 But the fact that I'm not really prone to pick up a history of George Washington maybe made me a bit less enthralled when this became。。。a history of George Washington。In the end， I was glad for the journey， and I think the author takes special care to highlight some of the figures in George Washington's orbit who might get short shrift elsewhere。 It's definitely given me more to think about George Washington than the grammar school picture I was largely working off before。 。。。more
Dana
，
You Never Forget Your First had a catchy title， a clever introduction， and an absolutely fresh way to tell about the life of our first President， George Washington。 I’ve actually been wanting to read a book on every President， so why not get started？ If you want a quick and smart biography， and oh yeah， want to support a female writer， this is the book for you。 This started out with a strong prologue where author Alexis Coe informed the reader she is the only female to ever write a biography on You Never Forget Your First had a catchy title， a clever introduction， and an absolutely fresh way to tell about the life of our first President， George Washington。 I’ve actually been wanting to read a book on every President， so why not get started？ If you want a quick and smart biography， and oh yeah， want to support a female writer， this is the book for you。 This started out with a strong prologue where author Alexis Coe informed the reader she is the only female to ever write a biography on Washington。 The first few pages were smart and packed with fun facts about Washington’s teeth， hemp crop， wool production， and cherry tree tale。 What I realized soon after starting this is that there is a lot of information that can be discussed when discussing Washington。 Just the task of determining what to focus on is huge。 It was obvious that Coe did a ton of research to write this。At times， this had a little too much emphasis on big picture rather than on Washington’s thoughts and actions as President。 Also， I didn’t quite get why he was chosen as America’s general other than his bravery in one or two small battles。 I wished his personality and reputation had been given a little more attention。 I was amazed at how factual this was， while still being written in a way that made this easy to read。 （When was the last time you thought that about a presidential biography？） I liked this， but expected the tone in the cheeky introduction to be more prominent throughout the book。 。。。more
Ruth
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Coe is very conscious of writing from a female point of view。 Full of lists and quotes， it's not a dry read。 Since there's so much talk of the nation's founding now， I was happy to get this point of view。 It seems we have always had lies and serious division and to realize is somewhat of a backside comfort given the divisive situation in our country today。 I feel like the lack here is that details are Coe's strong suit to the occasional overlooking of the big picture。 When did that war end anywa Coe is very conscious of writing from a female point of view。 Full of lists and quotes， it's not a dry read。 Since there's so much talk of the nation's founding now， I was happy to get this point of view。 It seems we have always had lies and serious division and to realize is somewhat of a backside comfort given the divisive situation in our country today。 I feel like the lack here is that details are Coe's strong suit to the occasional overlooking of the big picture。 When did that war end anyway？ :-] 。。。more
Molly
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More biographies like this please！
Marie Horning
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Excellent as an audiobook。 THIS is how I want to learn about my presidents。 It was funny and engaging。 Very readable。 I've read a lot about George Washington， and while he's still my historical presidential crush， this book doesn't idolize him like many of the others。 He's imperfect and more humanized， although still pretty impressive。 Alexis Coe describes him as having swagger。 And while he's always remembered for his military battles， he also affected the war as a genius political strategist a Excellent as an audiobook。 THIS is how I want to learn about my presidents。 It was funny and engaging。 Very readable。 I've read a lot about George Washington， and while he's still my historical presidential crush， this book doesn't idolize him like many of the others。 He's imperfect and more humanized， although still pretty impressive。 Alexis Coe describes him as having swagger。 And while he's always remembered for his military battles， he also affected the war as a genius political strategist and spymaster。 I liked how the author modernized the way the information was presented。 She began with what sounded like a dating profile of George Washington。 Likes， Dislikes， etc。 Super fun。 I also really appreciated the attention paid to his slaves， and William Lee， in particular。 The last book I read， 1776， gave Billy Lee maybe a sentence or two even though he was a huge part of Washington's life。 This one gave him his due。 。。。more
Christy
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You Never Forget Your First - a book title that is not what you may think it is about。 It is， in fact， a biography of our first president。 This is the first biography I have read of George Washington though I did go visit Mount Vernon a few years ago。 I listened to the audio of this book which was not great， mainly because there were so many lists and that is really boring to listen to。 It was a pretty decent overview of Washington but I realized it was not really a subject that I was passionate You Never Forget Your First - a book title that is not what you may think it is about。 It is， in fact， a biography of our first president。 This is the first biography I have read of George Washington though I did go visit Mount Vernon a few years ago。 I listened to the audio of this book which was not great， mainly because there were so many lists and that is really boring to listen to。 It was a pretty decent overview of Washington but I realized it was not really a subject that I was passionate about。 。。。more
Phlu
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Short engaging fresh and humanizing。 It’s always a pleasure to read a book that doesn’t try to either brush over or sermonize exceedingly。 That steers the conversation but let’s the reader reflect and arrive to conclusions。 There were many instances where the author tried and succeeded to take us back to a time where the society rules and expectations were very different and even though many of the human relationships’ dynamics are the same we must remember to be in the shoes of the 18th century Short engaging fresh and humanizing。 It’s always a pleasure to read a book that doesn’t try to either brush over or sermonize exceedingly。 That steers the conversation but let’s the reader reflect and arrive to conclusions。 There were many instances where the author tried and succeeded to take us back to a time where the society rules and expectations were very different and even though many of the human relationships’ dynamics are the same we must remember to be in the shoes of the 18th century colony turned independent nation before putting our 21st century glasses。 Addressing slavery head on was another strong aspect of the book。 I wish we lingered and discussed more on the “Indian problem”。 There was a lot happening during these times at the frontier。 Maybe a future book :） also an immersive experience on how the east coast developed， the elite and the Washington power structure。 。。。more
Allyson Ferrari
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The good things about this book centers on the fact that it differs wildly from any other biography of the Founding Fathers， who the author lovingly calls "thigh men。" I loved that she spent more time detailing Washington outside of his military prowess and spent time on his domestic life， specifically around his actions as a slave owner。 This period of American history is just not that interesting to me so I think that's where my middle of the road enjoyment and rating comes from。 But if you ar The good things about this book centers on the fact that it differs wildly from any other biography of the Founding Fathers， who the author lovingly calls "thigh men。" I loved that she spent more time detailing Washington outside of his military prowess and spent time on his domestic life， specifically around his actions as a slave owner。 This period of American history is just not that interesting to me so I think that's where my middle of the road enjoyment and rating comes from。 But if you are a fan of Washington or any of the Founding Fathers， perhaps you'll enjoy。 。。。more
Gina Terada
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Can biographies be fun？ This one is！ I laughed out loud several times at the quotes from letters， descriptions of 1700s medicine and critics wit Alexis Coe deals out in this biography。 I’ve never been a biography person， especially presidential ones， but Coe takes a long hard look at Washington’s letters and the thoughts and lives of those around him that I think offers a interesting take in a very crowded field。 Especially the focus given by Coe to correct the record on the women in Washington’ Can biographies be fun？ This one is！ I laughed out loud several times at the quotes from letters， descriptions of 1700s medicine and critics wit Alexis Coe deals out in this biography。 I’ve never been a biography person， especially presidential ones， but Coe takes a long hard look at Washington’s letters and the thoughts and lives of those around him that I think offers a interesting take in a very crowded field。 Especially the focus given by Coe to correct the record on the women in Washington’s life and the harsh realities that slavery played in his presidency and wealth as a land owner are a particular breath of fresh air！ 。。。more
Katie
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3。5。 I really liked the way this was written， but I just do not find biographies about the Founding Fathers to really be that gripping （which is strange， given what I'm interested in… but whatever）。 It's definitely worth a read though！ 3。5。 I really liked the way this was written， but I just do not find biographies about the Founding Fathers to really be that gripping （which is strange， given what I'm interested in… but whatever）。 It's definitely worth a read though！ 。。。more
H。
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It’s more like People magazine of history books， but it hits the main points。 Coe does her best to follow in Sarah Vowell’s steps with some elements of success， but Vowel’s works offer a bit more passion on the subject’s matter。 Still， it’s quick。
Isabel
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This was a fascinating easy to follow biography of America's first President。 I really enjoyed seeing it from a woman's perspective （Coe is the first female Washington biographer in abt 100 years！） There was so much I learned about Washington （that was definitely not taught in school！）。 Perfect for readers just getting into biographies or learning about the history of America。 （However if you're looking for a more in-depth look， especially when it comes to the American Revolution this may not be This was a fascinating easy to follow biography of America's first President。 I really enjoyed seeing it from a woman's perspective （Coe is the first female Washington biographer in abt 100 years！） There was so much I learned about Washington （that was definitely not taught in school！）。 Perfect for readers just getting into biographies or learning about the history of America。 （However if you're looking for a more in-depth look， especially when it comes to the American Revolution this may not be the book for you） I also agree with others that while she took a strong stance against the myths of Washington， she also perpetuated this multiple times， and she was a bit biased， I still enjoyed learning about Washington though。 。。。more
Elise
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I picked this up after reading one of Ms Coe's essays， and found it an engaging read。 She uses many tactics to make the sometimes dry and stodgy subject of George Washington accessible and focuses on some of the lesser known details of his life。 For example， she limits the discussion of Revolutionary War battles to a table summarizing the date， location and outcome of each battle while spending an entire chapter on the spy ring and codes used to get intelligence about British troop movements。Rai I picked this up after reading one of Ms Coe's essays， and found it an engaging read。 She uses many tactics to make the sometimes dry and stodgy subject of George Washington accessible and focuses on some of the lesser known details of his life。 For example， she limits the discussion of Revolutionary War battles to a table summarizing the date， location and outcome of each battle while spending an entire chapter on the spy ring and codes used to get intelligence about British troop movements。Raised by a single mother and looked down on by the wealthy elites， Washington was ambitious， determined to marry well and better himself。 He used his job as a land surveyor to purchase choice parcels kwhen he died he owned more than 50000 acres）。 He served in the French and Indian war， and in the months before the start of the Revolutionary war he purposely made extensive social calls wearing his old uniform， so that when a commander in chief was appointed， he seemed like the logical choice to all。Although a successful general and widely admired， Washington did not relish the politics of the presidency。 He did establish many crucial norms to the somewhat vaguely defined constitutional role of the president。 He had a personal copy of the document where he wrote notes in the margins about which jobs were his。 He came to the Senate to get advice on an Indian treaty， and when no one stepped forward， he negotiated it within the executive branch and brought it back for the consent。 He accepted a second term with reluctance and resented the tactics that Jefferson and his party of Democratic-Republicans used to undermine his decisions and policies。Ms Coe does not shy away from more controversial subjects， such as his acts as a slave holder。 The most telling comment for me was her redefinition of a plantation as a 'forced labor camp'。 He was known to have beaten slaves， and advertised for the return of some who ran away。 He paid money to some slaves for their teeth to make dentures for himself。 Although he technically freed his slaves in his will， it was not to be implemented until Martha died， and she declined to free her own slaves which resulted in families being split apart due to intermarriage between the slaves belonging to each。 Martha was reportedly afraid of his slaves after his death， feeling they had a vested interest in her death。The book is extensively footnoted for those who wish for more information on any particular event。 Washington is important in our history， and had many admirable accomplishments， but he was no saint。 。。。more
Noah
，
Not setting out to copy or expound on the billion-page mega-bios the likes of Chernow writes - she even pokes those bios a bit while admitting that they are great works - Alexis Coe seeks to refresh Washington’s life with a different perspective。There are fun and sometimes cheeky asides throughout， but even those are designed with the same purpose as the rest of her book: to dispel long-held and perpetuated myths; to highlight what we and other historians often willfully glaze over; to help pain Not setting out to copy or expound on the billion-page mega-bios the likes of Chernow writes - she even pokes those bios a bit while admitting that they are great works - Alexis Coe seeks to refresh Washington’s life with a different perspective。There are fun and sometimes cheeky asides throughout， but even those are designed with the same purpose as the rest of her book: to dispel long-held and perpetuated myths; to highlight what we and other historians often willfully glaze over; to help paint Washington not as a victim of the social mores of the times in which he lived， but a real driving force。 And on that， I enjoyed it。 I remember 3 family trips in 2019 （because no one went anywhere in 2020）: Monticello; Montpelier: and Mount Vernon。 Two of those embraced critical information - especially about slavery - and one did not but in only the most wave-of-the-hand fashion: Mount Vernon。 This isn’t some invective， though。 Coe clearly enjoys and reveres her subject。 It’s the honest light in which she portrays him that’s the proof。 Coe’s book is short on pages but high on *relevant* detail， which in and of itself is refreshing。 Perhaps future， deeper dives into our First will be equally honest。 That’s what books like Coe’s do: help refocus a narrative that can grow from there。 Fun， informative， and fresh！ 。。。more
Kelly
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Thanks to netgalley， entertaining read
Kaitlin K
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I often find myself complaining that history isn’t taught with the nuance that is required to explain actual human beings。 People are sainted or are monsters， and there is no in- between。 This book is aiming for profiling a person， not a fairytale。 It feels like it could be much， much longer， and I think it loses something by skipping large swaths of time， but I really liked it。 I am adding it to my list to send my teenaged nieces。
Evan Reyes
，
I had never read a presidential biography before this one。 It was billed as some kind of transgressive， feminist， revisionist history， but other than an introduction that criticizes Chernow and the "thigh men，" it seems like a pretty straightforward biography。 It's also incredibly lightweight for what I imagine a presidential biography should be。 Entire wars and years are reduced to single， short paragraphs， and overall it feels like Washington is sort of a character in this history that is unfo I had never read a presidential biography before this one。 It was billed as some kind of transgressive， feminist， revisionist history， but other than an introduction that criticizes Chernow and the "thigh men，" it seems like a pretty straightforward biography。 It's also incredibly lightweight for what I imagine a presidential biography should be。 Entire wars and years are reduced to single， short paragraphs， and overall it feels like Washington is sort of a character in this history that is unfolding， rather than the main focus。There are flippant and contemporary flourishes that are super cringey， like Washington's "list of frenemies，" but this tone is not used consistently。 It's used early on， but never really after that， and it left me confused as to whether this is supposed to be a hip， playful biography， or just a shorter version of a "normal" biography without the thigh stuff。 Overrated。 。。。more
Lauren Sasine
，