Penguin Books
384 Pages
At this point in the George Washington era of my Presidential Reading Project, I think I’m pretty much done with the whole life biographies of our first president. I’m reading more about specific events in Washington’s life that had huge impacts on his life. These books are addendums to the main project. As I move forward with my project, I will have to be cognizant of this and pare down my list considerably. These books are still important, but not biographies, per say, and I do enjoy reading them. While they do add important details that are sometimes left out of the whole life treatises, is it worth it to be bogged down with endless books? Where does that line get crossed? I have to get a move on regarding this project.
In the Hurricane’s Eye is yet another Nathaniel Philbrick book. This one focuses on Washington’s victory at Yorktown. Someone recently mentioned Philbrick as not a historian, but a storyteller. That opinion seems to turn to fact when reading this book. This tome is more novel than it is history, and Philbrick inserts his own proclivities into the minds of people from over two hundred years. That is an annoying habit that has become popular in modern history books. You simply cannot put your own modern sensibilities onto actions from two centuries ago, especially without context. Unfortunately, the last several of Philbrick’s books have done just that, including this one. Because of this, I feel that his books are less scholarly than they should be.
I’ve read several books by Nathaniel Philbrick, in and out of the presidential project, and this one, by far, is the most boring. It was a struggle to get through it. There wasn’t much in the way of new information and it was presented with barely any emotion. It fell flat. It was almost like the author was just going through the motions to deliver another book. It doesn’t pass the muster.
There are so many interesting events and scenes that George Washington found himself in. Countless books have been written about him and about those events. New books have to have that something “extra” to stand out. Instead, this book does nothing other than sink into the morass of misplaced political correctness. It seemed at points that the author was doing more to project the fragile egos of modern readers than to protect the legacy of the life and times he was attempting to retell.
I would not add In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick to any reading project you may develop about the presidents or about George Washington. There are better books out there that will give you better information in a more fitting and interesting style. This has been a few not so positive reviews lately. Never fear. There are some great books coming up.
Craig Bacon has picked up the pace with the George Washington Books. Are you ready soon for some John Adams?
UP NEXT: The First Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer