As a person of no particular independent opinion of George Washington, outside of vague consumption of the hagiography that pervades our culture, this book was eye opening. I appreciated the care Coe took to depict the way he treated the people he enslaved. There was nothing dry, dusty, or dad-like about this book. Her take down of the Thigh Men in the beginning of the book was particularly evocative and will stay with me. Recommended for people who want an overview of Washington’s life and career but don’t want to commit to the multiple volumes or thousands of pages.

I don't know much about George Washington beyond the pervasive myths and general history I was taught in school, so I was interested to read this biography, which was presented as an approachable, "myth-busting" alternative to all the tomes and hagiographies. This book definitely met my expectations, and it made me interested to read more about the Washingtons (particularly a book Coe mentions about Ona Judge, one of Washington's slaves). Coe's writing style is breezy, but always smart, as she digs into Washington's rivalries, hypocrisies, successes, and failures. (Coe's inclusion of Washington's disgruntled marginalia was particularly fun.)

I also really like how Coe grapples with the biographies that have come before hers - she calls his previous biographers, who are almost completely male and are obsessed with Washington's virility and his thighs, the "Thigh Men." She asks what we're missing when only white men tell the stories of white men, and she makes sure to tell us about those disregarded by the Thigh Men - particularly the many people enslaved by Washington. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this country's early history, and I hope that Coe writes more biographies.

Loved this fresh take on American hagiography; Coe gives a good summary of Washington's life, without going into exhaustive detail that can be found in one of the hundreds of other biographies. She spends more time recovering the lives of women who have been maligned in earlier biographies, as most of Washington's biographers have been men. The book is a quick and enjoyable read, and I hope Coe takes on more of the 'great' men of American history (or just focuses on interesting women who have not gotten the same attention).

I just read the reviews on Amazon. Like in all politics there is "them" and "us" in the reviews. I'm guessing that this will be a book that many conservatives want to ban from the shelves of school libraries. It's not traditional. It doesn't portray Washington as a god whom we should worship. As far as I'm concerned, this is the book you never knew you needed to read until you've finished. I say keep it on the shelves. Let readers know Washington is a human.

This is a concise biography but definitely aims to trod new ground. I personally found the discussion of slavery particularly interesting and enlightening. I think the overall aim is to lower the pedestal a little as Washington was a man after all. I think this book does that well without minimizing his accomplishments. I would recommend this for most people but especially students of history.

It is so wonderful to read a book on the founder of our country that was written by someone that I can actually identify with. Alexis Coe also presents George Washington's life in a way that is accessible, modern, and does not unnecessarily take 700 pages. Cant wait for who she will write about next.

Great for history aficionados, social media lovers, Hamilton fans... I learned a ton and it was a fast, easy read. Highly recommend

An atypical biography of George Washington - but only because the author doesn't swoon over her subject. There have been other biographies of George Washington, but rarely to they consider is flaws and foibles on equal footing as his strengths. Coe has a way of narrating that keeps the reader engaged, even though they already know the ending. An exceptionally well-written, humorous biography that doesn't skimp on the research.

Thoroughly enjoyed this accessible addition to the mountains of biographies of Washington on dads shelves across the nation. Alexis Coe has written a a book that can appeal to people who think history is boring, while pointing out the blinders traditional historians have worn when writing about our most venerated founding father.

ARC/Netgalley

This book is rare in the fact that it is written by a young woman, as most biographies about Washington are written by men. The author's writing kept me engaged, as she focused on his whole life versus just his military and Presidential years. It is obvious that she researched Washington extensively and read a lot of work from other authors. All of this makes this a very unique and enjoyable read.

I am not one to read biographies very often, especially a biography of a president. But I was for some reason drawn to this one - probably because of the great title. I read this in a weekend. It is a very quick but enjoyable read. Highly recommend for someone who is somewhat interested in the United States' first years and first president.

I might be a US History teacher, but I hate reading any kind of biographies, but I knew as soon as I saw this book go up on netgalley, I had to read it and it was FANTASTIC! First, I found it super interesting that there are hardly any female George Washington biographers. So that made this one even more interesting. Second, this book was just so good! It was written really well with so many interesting facts that I never new about Washington. I had so much fun telling my students all the new things that I had learned. Turns out, Washington was a petty bitch and I WAS HERE FOR IT. I highly recommend this. Its completely different from any other Washington biography you have ever read.

Y'all this bio was great. Alexis Coe is a compelling author, good at writing popular history. She addresses how a man becomes a myth and doesn't shy away from the hypocritical aspects of Washington's life. I see a lot of YA crossover appeal here as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Alexis Coe's You Never Forget Your First is a fresh examination of what is a myth and what is a truth about our first president. I have to admit just knowing that someone would actually critically look at Washington the man rather than the "humble, military genius" that most authors take really excited me. This book did not disappoint.

Coe explores Washington's ambitious and often tunnel vision style approach to getting what he wanted while also maintaining the reputation a social climber strives to maintain. This is not an attack of Washington, but more an in-depth look at who the man really was outside of what propaganda and even Washington himself strove to portray to the world. I think this book is one of the first biographies I have read of Washington that didn’t seem afraid to say “okay, he did do a lot, but he was far from the perfect, never tell a lie, god-like figure most of us learn about in history class and from reading other biographies.”

Coe’s writing style is easy, engaging, and follows a narrative flow that makes this a great book for anyone interested in learning more about the USA’s first president. Even if you, like me, have read numerous books about Washington, the American Revolution, and the founding of our nation, you can find something new in Alexis Coe’s newest book.

*Thank you NetGalley and Viking Press for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you: Want a fresh look at Washington and/or want to read a biography of Washington, but are intimidated by the many enormous biographies of our first president.

In 2012, I began a "presidential biography" reading plan, in which I read a biography of every president (including Obama).. I finished this project in 2015. Biographies of presidents has always been an interest of mine--going back to childhood--but after that undertaking, there has to be something unique about a president's biography in order for me to pick it up. The title and marketing for You Never Forget Your First was appealing, so I sent in my request to review.

Alexis Coe has an irreverant, but not obnoxious, view on Washington (and on his previous biographers!), which will appeal to those who are interersted in reading a Washington biography, but find the 700-900+ page tomes daunting. She also doesn't sugercoat Washington's opinions on slavery and his treatment of the enslaved African-Americans at Mount Vernon.


Many thanks to Penguin Group Viking and Netgalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.