What to Read During the Covid-19 Exile 2020 -- Select Biographies of Great Americans

There are so many outstanding biographies of famous Americans, it is impossible to do anything but recommend a few of my favorites (I'm concentrating on earlier figures in American history).  All of these biographies are well-worth reading.

There are several outstanding biographies of George Washington, who is, in many ways, the greatest of all Americans.  He's a true giant among the founders.  Here are two of my favorite biographies of the General and President.

Chernow: Washington

Ellis: Washington

McCullough's biography of John Adams is a fantastic book.  For far too long, Adams was the overlooked figure among the founding fathers.  McCullough's biography changed that.  This book is the basis for the HBO series, John Adams--which, if you haven't seen it, you should!

McCullough: John Adams

Berg's biography of Woodrow Wilson is well done and an interesting account of the man who, in my opinion, should rank very near the bottom of any list of American presidents.  Wilson's self-righteous progressive government (i.e., government by experts) was bad enough.  But the Treaty of Versailles, of which Wilson was a significant player, guaranteed a second world war.  Despite my dislike for Wilson, this is really a good biography of the man and his times.

Berg: Wilson

There are a number of well-researched biographies of Abraham Lincoln, as well as volumes devoted to aspects of his career, his administration, and his role in the American Civil War.  If you've not read much about Lincoln, this is a good place to start.  If you have read much about Lincoln, do not overlook this one.

Donald: Lincoln

 

This is a profound book.  Guelzo is an accomplished historian, and an award-winning Lincoln biographer.  In this volume Guelzo explores Lincoln's religion--as much as we can know about Lincoln's religion, given Lincoln's reluctance to speak of any personal faith.  Raised a Primitive Baptist (Calvinistic), Lincoln's views of God's providence default to a sort of fatalism without any gospel--a gospel which Lincoln sadly rejected.

Guelzo: Lincoln, Redeemer President

Next Up:  Biographies of the Infamous