About this item
A vivid and groundbreaking portrait of a young, struggling George Washington that casts a new light on his character and the history of American independence, from the bestselling author of AstoriaTwo decades before he led America to independence, George Washington was a flailing young soldier serving the British Empire in the vast wilderness of the Ohio Valley. Naive and self-absorbed, the twenty-two-year-old officer accidentally ignited the French and Indian War - a conflict that opened colonists to the possibility of an American Revolution.With powerful narrative drive and vivid writing, Young Washington recounts the wilderness trials, controversial battles, and emotional entanglements that transformed Washington from a temperamental striver into a mature leader. Enduring terrifying summer storms and subzero winters imparted resilience and self-reliance, helping prepare him for what he would one day face at Valley Forge. Leading the Virginia troops into battle taught him to set aside his own relentless ambitions and stand in solidarity with those who looked to him for leadership. Negotiating military strategy with British and colonial allies honed his diplomatic skills. And thwarted in his obsessive, youthful love for one woman, he grew to cultivate deeper, enduring relationships. By weaving together Washington's harrowing wilderness adventures and a broader historical context, Young Washington offers new insights into the dramatic years that shaped the man who shaped a nation.
About the Author
Peter Stark is an adventure and exploration writer and historian. Born in Wisconsin, he studied English and anthropology at Dartmouth College, took a master's in journalism from the University of Wisconsin, and headed off to the remote spots of the world writing magazine articles and books. With a home base in Missoula, Montana, he and his family periodically have lived abroad for a year, most recently in a small town in Northeast Brazil.His forthcoming book, "Young Washington: How Wilderness and War Forged America's Founding Father," tells the story of a young and struggling George Washington in the Ohio wilderness of the 1750s. It will be published by Ecco/HarperCollins on May 1st, 2018.His previous book, "Astoria," tells the gripping story of John Jacob Astor's hugely ambitious wilderness expedition to establish the first American colony on the West Coast and a global trade empire. A New York Times bestseller, it received a PEN USA literary award nomination, and has been adapted into an epic, two-part play by Portland Center Stage in Portland, Oregon. A long-time correspondent for Outside magazine, Stark's articles and essays have also appeared in Smithsonian, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Men's Journal, and many others.
