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George Washington's World
1942 Newbery Honor Title
The period measured by the life of George Washington, 1732 to 1799, was one of revolution and change in many parts of the world as Enlightenment thinking took hold in the minds of men. Prolifically illustrated with intriguing line drawings and detailed timelines, Foster's telling of the life story of George Washington does justice to the man it celebrates.
When George was a young man, Benjamin Franklin was the most well-known American, Louis XV was on the throne of France, and George II was king of England. Father Junipero Serra had just arrived in Mexico to work with the Panes Indians. Mozart and Bach were writing their immortal music and Voltaire warred with his pen against Ignorance, Injustice and Superstition. The young nobleman Lafayette watched the feisty American colonies with fascinated interest as they stood up to Mother England when she sought to tax them unfairly. James Cook was sent by the Royal Society of London to Tahiti where their team of astronomers might observe a total eclipse of the sun and thereby accurately measure the distance between the earth and the sun.
These are just a few of the wonderful narratives explored by Foster in this engaging biography.
The period measured by the life of George Washington, 1732 to 1799, was one of revolution and change in many parts of the world as Enlightenment thinking took hold in the minds of men. Prolifically illustrated with intriguing line drawings and detailed timelines, Foster's telling of the life story of George Washington does justice to the man it celebrates.
When George was a young man, Benjamin Franklin was the most well-known American, Louis XV was on the throne of France, and George II was king of England. Father Junipero Serra had just arrived in Mexico to work with the Panes Indians. Mozart and Bach were writing their immortal music and Voltaire warred with his pen against Ignorance, Injustice and Superstition. The young nobleman Lafayette watched the feisty American colonies with fascinated interest as they stood up to Mother England when she sought to tax them unfairly. James Cook was sent by the Royal Society of London to Tahiti where their team of astronomers might observe a total eclipse of the sun and thereby accurately measure the distance between the earth and the sun.
These are just a few of the wonderful narratives explored by Foster in this engaging biography.
357 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
89 people are currently reading
1082 people want to read
About the author
Genevieve Foster
36 books66 followersGenevieve Stump Foster was an American children's author and illustrator best known for her innovative approach to writing history books for young readers. Born in Oswego, New York, she spent most of her childhood in Wisconsin after the death of her father. Foster studied at Rockford College, the University of Wisconsin, and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. She began her career as a commercial artist before focusing on children’s literature. Inspired by her daughter, she developed a distinctive method of presenting history by integrating global events to show their connections. Her first major success, George Washington's World, highlighted how the American and French Revolutions and British imperialism affected Washington’s life. Foster's books, praised for bringing historical figures to life, were translated into numerous languages and distributed internationally. Over her career, she wrote 19 nonfiction books, several of which became Newbery Honor titles. Foster passed away in Westport, Connecticut, leaving a legacy that continues through her enduring works and influence on historical storytelling.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
May 23, 2023
This book is a fantastic look at what is going on in USA during the American Revolution but also all around the world. We really enjoyed it. It also made me want to read a biography about almost all of the people in the book! 🙃
October 25, 2015
This is actually quite a long book, but I was completely caught up in it. I actually read in one sitting! I loved the broad sweep of history it gave, across the Americas, Europe, and China, with brief mentions of Japan, India, and Australia too. I made connections between events and people that I had never realized before.
Most history books, it seems to me, look in-depth at one event or a short period of time, in a specific geographical location. Or, in textbooks, chapters are divided up that way. Foster's approach, instead, looks at things very broadly, but not in a lot of depth.
I loved making connections that I'd never made before as Foster shifted from one place to another. (For example, that Johann Sebastian Bach was still living when Washington was born).
One surprise for me was the role that Germans played in the American Revolution. George II was German and in fact barely learned to speak English at all. And then, when England could not find enough men to fight in the war, it hired Germans (Hessians) to fight for them. These were the troops that Washington defeated at the Delaware River.
Because of the broad sweep, there were a lot of unanswered questions in my mind. (Like, how did the German George II become King of England in the first place?) But these I can seek out separately. What I gained was a better understanding of how people and events overlapped across the globe during this period of time.
While it was written for children, I'm not sure how many would have soaked it in from cover to cover as I did. But it's certainly a great resource and I'm glad my library has retained a copy of this older work. It surely must have been an ambitious undertaking for the author.
Most history books, it seems to me, look in-depth at one event or a short period of time, in a specific geographical location. Or, in textbooks, chapters are divided up that way. Foster's approach, instead, looks at things very broadly, but not in a lot of depth.
I loved making connections that I'd never made before as Foster shifted from one place to another. (For example, that Johann Sebastian Bach was still living when Washington was born).
One surprise for me was the role that Germans played in the American Revolution. George II was German and in fact barely learned to speak English at all. And then, when England could not find enough men to fight in the war, it hired Germans (Hessians) to fight for them. These were the troops that Washington defeated at the Delaware River.
Because of the broad sweep, there were a lot of unanswered questions in my mind. (Like, how did the German George II become King of England in the first place?) But these I can seek out separately. What I gained was a better understanding of how people and events overlapped across the globe during this period of time.
While it was written for children, I'm not sure how many would have soaked it in from cover to cover as I did. But it's certainly a great resource and I'm glad my library has retained a copy of this older work. It surely must have been an ambitious undertaking for the author.
May 22, 2013
My little brother read this book for school and totally hated it. I assured him that there was no way that it way that it could be as bad as he thought, and decided to read it for myself.
In all honesty, this book could have been really great. Foster has a really vivid writing style, and you learn about a lot of interesting people. The thing that made this book boring and hard to understand was the way the sections were set up. The book would tell you a tiny bit about one person and then a tiny bit about another person, then another person and so on. When the book finally gets back to the original person you can't remember what they did in the last section. By the middle of the book I had lost nearly all interest and ended up skimming. This book would have been wonderful if they had just arranged the stories better.
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In all honesty, this book could have been really great. Foster has a really vivid writing style, and you learn about a lot of interesting people. The thing that made this book boring and hard to understand was the way the sections were set up. The book would tell you a tiny bit about one person and then a tiny bit about another person, then another person and so on. When the book finally gets back to the original person you can't remember what they did in the last section. By the middle of the book I had lost nearly all interest and ended up skimming. This book would have been wonderful if they had just arranged the stories better.
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October 8, 2019
Read-aloud most of it to my daughter because it can be difficult to follow for kids, but it’s a fascinating account of the time spanning George Washington’s life. Adults will learn much or be reminded of their own history lessons.
May 5, 2023
Read with my daughter for AO year 4.
This is the best living history book we've encountered so far. I love how it takes the life of George Washington and intertwines other people and events from around the world.
Had I read this in high school, perhaps AP history classes would have been more interesting.
This is the best living history book we've encountered so far. I love how it takes the life of George Washington and intertwines other people and events from around the world.
Had I read this in high school, perhaps AP history classes would have been more interesting.
May 30, 2025
This was the best history book I’ve ever read. It is a horizontal history book that covers events occurring worldwide during the same time period. It gave me so much perspective to more fully understand how each event was affected by others. Who knew the American Revolution and French Revolution were so closely related?!
The ending was poignant and thought provoking.
The ending was poignant and thought provoking.
August 28, 2024
Wow! It took us a year to finish. I kept laying the book aside to follow rabbit trails as Bea was interested.
I really like Foster’s history books. She writes linearly, yet each point in her timeline considers the circumstances of other places/people/ cultures around the world. I especially like her treatment of the French Revolution during Washington’s presidency.
I really like Foster’s history books. She writes linearly, yet each point in her timeline considers the circumstances of other places/people/ cultures around the world. I especially like her treatment of the French Revolution during Washington’s presidency.
October 1, 2013
Great bio for youth under 11years. Good primer for meaty-er bios of GW for Youth 12+ like When Washington Traveled, The Making of GW, George Washington's World, and then teen reading like The Real GW or his Writings and Leader by Destiny.
July 18, 2021
Love the complexity of history. Written in the best way possible, the greatest history book series for lower grades. As King Solomon reflects "There is nothing new under the sun"
May 23, 2024
2024: This was my third time through this book, and I think I enjoy the Foster books more and more every time I read them.
My son gives this book 4 stars.
My son gives this book 4 stars.
May 10, 2024
I enjoyed the journey through this book with my Y4 student this year. Spanning the years from George Washington’s boyhood to his death, Foster compiles narratives of worldwide events to build a snapshot of what was happening during this period in history. I loved the biographical sketches, as well as learning about discoveries and inventions, voyages and wars, and how it all intertwined. For instance, even though I had learned about the American Revolution and the French Revolution separately, I had no idea how closely the ideas and events of the former influenced the latter. Looking forward to reading more of Foster’s similar books.
May 21, 2018
AmblesideOnline year 4 book. Foster’s histories use short stories to tell about the things happening around the world during the lives of famous people.
April 4, 2023
Pre-read for AO year 4, and finished 12 weeks ahead of my history-loving girl! I loved it, and Annie is loving it and we enjoy such good chats about it. Really well-written and really love the concept of covering the history of someone’s life, but zooming out to view the rest of the world too. Looking forward to Lincoln’s World for year 5!
May 19, 2023
This was probably the highlight of our homeschool days for the past school year. Lively, just, fascinating.
May 3, 2021
This is a fascinating look at George Washington's life and many others who shared the world with him when he was alive. I read the revised and expanded edition and didn't realize until the end that some of the sections were written and added by Joanna Foster to feature diverse cultures. It was the original by Genevieve Foster that was a Newbery Honor Book in 1942. Joanna is her daughter, an author in her own right.
I very much enjoyed reading this book even though I took it very slow, reading only about four pages daily until I was done. I learned so much that I hadn't learned in elementary or high school. The events of world history during George Washington's lifetime were explained in simple terminology that even an old grandma like me can understand, and I guess kids can understand it too.
The book has inspired me to read more history books. Now I want to have a history book in progress (reading) at all times. I read it as part of my quest to read all the Newbery list books, both medal winners and honor books. I hope to read Abraham Lincoln's World later this year.
I very much enjoyed reading this book even though I took it very slow, reading only about four pages daily until I was done. I learned so much that I hadn't learned in elementary or high school. The events of world history during George Washington's lifetime were explained in simple terminology that even an old grandma like me can understand, and I guess kids can understand it too.
The book has inspired me to read more history books. Now I want to have a history book in progress (reading) at all times. I read it as part of my quest to read all the Newbery list books, both medal winners and honor books. I hope to read Abraham Lincoln's World later this year.
September 27, 2010
This is really a remarkable idea for a history book. Genevieve Foster explains in clear, simple language and nice, short chapters the events and people that were noteworthy in George Washington's world - which includes leaders of countries, scientists, soldiers, inventors, philosophers and many others around the world. Each chapter begins with an illustrated two-page spread introducing the people living and the events that took place during that particular time in George Washington's life.
It took me a while to make much headway through this book. I think it was partly due to the short chapters and the switch to a new topic or person with each chapter. It was too easy to read just a chapter or two and then find something else to do or another book to read. Also, I was expecting to read a bit more about George Washington and his life. He is included, of course, but it feels like during much of the book he is merely the device to introduce other people or events. But as I continued to read, I was captured more and more with the events and the flow of history. I enjoyed Foster's explanations of the historical context of events and the reasons behind many of the political decisions made. I was particularly caught up in her descriptions of the French Revolution. And, of course, I did learn a lot about George Washington himself. I wish the book had a bibliography or an explanation of Foster's research for the book. I would love to know how many books she read or consulted in her research.
This won a Newbery Honor award in 1942. Was it a popular book with children back then? I don't know, but I'm sure it didn't hold a candle to another Newbery Honor that same year: Little Town on the Prairie. This would be a great book for students to gain some perspective on history during George Washington's life, but I think it would be a hard book to sell to most students these days. I will soon be reading Foster's Abraham Lincoln's World which also won a Newbery Honor. 3.5 stars.
It took me a while to make much headway through this book. I think it was partly due to the short chapters and the switch to a new topic or person with each chapter. It was too easy to read just a chapter or two and then find something else to do or another book to read. Also, I was expecting to read a bit more about George Washington and his life. He is included, of course, but it feels like during much of the book he is merely the device to introduce other people or events. But as I continued to read, I was captured more and more with the events and the flow of history. I enjoyed Foster's explanations of the historical context of events and the reasons behind many of the political decisions made. I was particularly caught up in her descriptions of the French Revolution. And, of course, I did learn a lot about George Washington himself. I wish the book had a bibliography or an explanation of Foster's research for the book. I would love to know how many books she read or consulted in her research.
This won a Newbery Honor award in 1942. Was it a popular book with children back then? I don't know, but I'm sure it didn't hold a candle to another Newbery Honor that same year: Little Town on the Prairie. This would be a great book for students to gain some perspective on history during George Washington's life, but I think it would be a hard book to sell to most students these days. I will soon be reading Foster's Abraham Lincoln's World which also won a Newbery Honor. 3.5 stars.
August 6, 2016
We loved this book from the moment we read the first paragraph. There are two ways to approach history, the chronological and topical. Ms. Foster's work is a welcome contribution to the topical approach.
While people unfamiliar with her format may assume the entire book is about Washington, it is really more about "his world". The introduction, which uses Washington's birth year, 1732 as a starting point, describes Washington's birth and family. From here, the book is divided into 5 sections. Each section features biography of Washington, but also chapters on the various people and events shaping the world in his time. This assists the student in contemplating what the world looked like *to a person living in that time*. Really masterful work.
People used to the topical approach may be frustrated by not having the entire story of Washington or Catherine the Great or John Adams told topically. But for the chronological study, this approach is a gold mind that highlights to even very young students that people's lives develop over time. The waiting to hear about a favorite character again is motivating to the student, while also causing them to contemplate the passage of years between stories (as well as cultivate patience!).
The line drawings are a nice enhancement and we have photocopied some for coloring while reading. The maps have been particularly useful as they seem to cover multiple sections. While they are, perhaps, not engaging enough for a child to sit beside the reader, they do make a nice complement to the text.
I highly recommend this book, and look forward to buying and utilizing other works by Genevieve Foster.
Please note: The bottom bar on this book says "Expanded Edition by Joanna Foster", so I am assuming additional chapters have been added beyond the initial publication.
While people unfamiliar with her format may assume the entire book is about Washington, it is really more about "his world". The introduction, which uses Washington's birth year, 1732 as a starting point, describes Washington's birth and family. From here, the book is divided into 5 sections. Each section features biography of Washington, but also chapters on the various people and events shaping the world in his time. This assists the student in contemplating what the world looked like *to a person living in that time*. Really masterful work.
People used to the topical approach may be frustrated by not having the entire story of Washington or Catherine the Great or John Adams told topically. But for the chronological study, this approach is a gold mind that highlights to even very young students that people's lives develop over time. The waiting to hear about a favorite character again is motivating to the student, while also causing them to contemplate the passage of years between stories (as well as cultivate patience!).
The line drawings are a nice enhancement and we have photocopied some for coloring while reading. The maps have been particularly useful as they seem to cover multiple sections. While they are, perhaps, not engaging enough for a child to sit beside the reader, they do make a nice complement to the text.
I highly recommend this book, and look forward to buying and utilizing other works by Genevieve Foster.
Please note: The bottom bar on this book says "Expanded Edition by Joanna Foster", so I am assuming additional chapters have been added beyond the initial publication.
September 3, 2008
This is the first of Genevieve Foster's World of... books, where the author not only recounts the life of a famous person, but also takes a look at what was happening around the world during their lifetime. In this case we get a peek into the world between the years of 1732 and 1799. It's an engaging book. Ms. Foster presents the information in a nice, storytelling style. I also enjoyed the illustrations, though they vaguely reminded me of the early Wonder Woman comics. The one odd thing about the copy I read is that it had been "expanded" in 1997 by Genevieve's daughter, Joanna. While the extra information, adding the contribution of non-white guys, makes for a richer book, you can sort of see the "seams" of the expansion. The flow between those sections and the older material doesn't always go smoothly. I think it becomes especially notable when slavery is mentioned. In some parts, a person's slaves are mentioned as a matter of course, in others, the notion of slavery is roundly condemned. But that's a small blemish in an otherwise excellent book. Whether it's for your kids or yourself, take time to check it out.
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August 15, 2019I had to read this book for school, it is the third book by Genevieve Foster that I have read. I loved the first two and this one was no different! I really like her writing style and how clearly she tells the stories. She writes her books almost as if they are storybooks, rather than giving you a bunch of random and confusing facts (like most history textbooks these days). These are some of my favorite history books, and I have read A LOT of history books! The last one that I have to read for school is "Abraham Lincoln's World", and I am really looking forward to it! All in all, I'd say this is a great book to read for school or even for fun! :) I highly recommend it!
November 15, 2021
Nothing new here… seriously how many biographies of Washington do we need? And how does an author rate two Newbery Honors for books about the same subject. And least George Washington’s World tells what else was going on.
July 15, 2015
It was cute, it was succinct, it was easy to understand. Everything it should be to teach little children history.
June 25, 2017
Great historical overview for children!
May 2, 2019
3.5 stars
This book definitely looks at George Washington the myth rather than George Washington the man. Still, it's a useful introduction to his life for children.
This book definitely looks at George Washington the myth rather than George Washington the man. Still, it's a useful introduction to his life for children.
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May 20, 2025Great history book. I really enjoyed reading horizontally like this. You can see how the storyline fit together.
Tom enjoyed this book.
Tom enjoyed this book.
March 26, 2024
I have now twice read this volume cover-to-cover for 8-year-old students going through the first of three passes on the time period. For the most part it is very useful in covering the important world events, but sometimes Foster seems to go on for too long on particular topics. The organization is excellent, dividing Washington's life into when he was a boy, a soldier, a farmer, the commander of the Continental Army, when he was "just a citizen," and then when he was president. We constantly return to Washington, and since he was such an important figure, it does not seem contrived to do this. The stories of others are mostly memorable, getting the names and places into the heads of young students. Specific years aren't overly stressed, but the juxtaposition of events helps keep track of when things were happening. I'll note that we supplement this text with many other books, videos, music, and art. Foster is just the jumping-off point for so much exploration.
There are two indexes included, one for people and one for places, nations, and events. I can't say I have ever used either of these. I could wish for bibliographies both for further reading and for listing what sources were consulted. There are occasionally rough maps found throughout the book, but it would be nice to have an appendix with the world, Europe, the Americas, and Asia at least in reasonable detail. If you don't happen to have a map or globe or an atlas handy, you are sure to find yourself flipping through trying to locate something to make do.
Speaking of maps, it will forever bother me that the copy that I own (first edition?) has the incorrect map of the 13 colonies (p.4), indicating Maine instead of New Hampshire. I mean, come on! This was corrected in subsequent printings. I have to think it was Alice Dalgliesh, children's book editor at Scribner's, who dropped the ball on catching this error. But it was 1941 - maybe we should just be grateful that we got anything. People had other things on their minds. It wasn't until 1944 that the next volume appeared.
I know there are others who still use and love this series. We use the worlds of Columbus, John Smith, William Penn, and Abe Lincoln as well as her Horseless Carriage and Flying Machine books. (Never done ancient history using her Augustus Caesar one, mostly because it is so isolated.) I really wish some ambitious and talented person would write "The World of Winston Churchill" in the same scope and style to cover world history from 1874 to 1965. Then it would be trivial to cover the post-Lincoln, pre-Churchill decade with a short work along the lines of Foster's The Year Of The Horseless Carriage, 1801 (it covers 1801 to 1821). I've had to cobble together a curriculum for the twentieth century, and I miss having an age-appropriate narrative spine for that era.
There are two indexes included, one for people and one for places, nations, and events. I can't say I have ever used either of these. I could wish for bibliographies both for further reading and for listing what sources were consulted. There are occasionally rough maps found throughout the book, but it would be nice to have an appendix with the world, Europe, the Americas, and Asia at least in reasonable detail. If you don't happen to have a map or globe or an atlas handy, you are sure to find yourself flipping through trying to locate something to make do.
Speaking of maps, it will forever bother me that the copy that I own (first edition?) has the incorrect map of the 13 colonies (p.4), indicating Maine instead of New Hampshire. I mean, come on! This was corrected in subsequent printings. I have to think it was Alice Dalgliesh, children's book editor at Scribner's, who dropped the ball on catching this error. But it was 1941 - maybe we should just be grateful that we got anything. People had other things on their minds. It wasn't until 1944 that the next volume appeared.
I know there are others who still use and love this series. We use the worlds of Columbus, John Smith, William Penn, and Abe Lincoln as well as her Horseless Carriage and Flying Machine books. (Never done ancient history using her Augustus Caesar one, mostly because it is so isolated.) I really wish some ambitious and talented person would write "The World of Winston Churchill" in the same scope and style to cover world history from 1874 to 1965. Then it would be trivial to cover the post-Lincoln, pre-Churchill decade with a short work along the lines of Foster's The Year Of The Horseless Carriage, 1801 (it covers 1801 to 1821). I've had to cobble together a curriculum for the twentieth century, and I miss having an age-appropriate narrative spine for that era.
September 20, 2017
This is one of the books that I'm reading for my Newbery Challenge; it's nonfiction, history to be exact - somewhat rare among the Newberys. Written in 1941 it was an honor book in 1942 and is an enjoyable read. I like the historical approach a lot, Foster is all about the interconnections so this is not just US history. She touches on events from around the world; given the time she was writing, it's not surprising that she's Western-centric. She is also not without opinions: dislikes the French, really likes the Germans (a bit of a surprise given she was writing in 1941), admires the Chinese emperor, the First Peoples are honorable savages but their land really belonged to the whites, and the Virginians are planters. Planters. Let it sink in. I wouldn't have blinked at that as a child, probably not even as a college student although I have always known the Founding Fathers kept slaves. I just never really thought much about it just like most white Americans. (Thank you Lin-Manuel Miranda. I have just listened to Hamilton again to remind me that the truth has several sides.) There is very little mention of slavery (predominantly how Africans where willing to sell Africans into slavery, how John Paul Jones hated serving on a slave ship, and one mention of slaves in the Caribbean with reference to Hamilton's childhood)and almost none in relation to the Colonies and the new United States. Washington (and Jefferson) had servants by and large: the woman who squealed over him when he was born (midwife/mammy?), Black Peter who admired how he could ride as a boy, Old Bishop who saluted him when he arrived home after the war, and the mammy who stood beside his granddaughter Nelly at Mount Vernon's door. The southern states (except VA) barely get a mention and none with respect to the Declaration. From other reviews I see that this book is being used in home-schooling and that worries me a bit because I'm doubtful that other sources will be used to off-set the mid-20th c biases inherent in this book (I suspect that it's being used specifically for those biases). I read this for my Newbery Challenge and my 2017 Reading Challenge (Read World 52)
December 21, 2022
This book described all of the historical events that took place during George Washington's life. It is so beneficial to see all those events in context, and I liked the pages at the beginning of each segment of Washington's life that illustrated the things that would be discussed. I expected more of what life was like at the time, though, and less collection of biographies if all the people making names for themselves at the time.
Slavery was given one brief section, from the viewpoint of a Scotsman who ended up working on a slave ship and quit after two years. All that was mentioned of Washington's slaves were three instances when specific enslaved people were mentioned fondly. Nothing was said about the slaves held by any of the other founding fathers, or of the controversy that slavery was in the Constitution, even though Jefferson was discussed at length. One other nod in the discussion of the cotton gin, "A good Negro could pick 200 pounds of cotton in a day...". Or, an enslaved person was required to pick 200 pounds of cotton a day or would be whipped. None of the individuals or nations responsible for the slave trade were given any responsibility in these pages.
Slavery was given one brief section, from the viewpoint of a Scotsman who ended up working on a slave ship and quit after two years. All that was mentioned of Washington's slaves were three instances when specific enslaved people were mentioned fondly. Nothing was said about the slaves held by any of the other founding fathers, or of the controversy that slavery was in the Constitution, even though Jefferson was discussed at length. One other nod in the discussion of the cotton gin, "A good Negro could pick 200 pounds of cotton in a day...". Or, an enslaved person was required to pick 200 pounds of cotton a day or would be whipped. None of the individuals or nations responsible for the slave trade were given any responsibility in these pages.
June 22, 2024
This is an excellent living history book that I can't more highly recommend and I now see why it is so loved. The way the author presented history "horizontally" allowed me to see how events and the lives of people were interconnected. It fostered the similar joy of making connections through a book of centuries page or century chart. I read in the afterward written by her daughter that Genevieve once wrote, "History is drama, with men and nations as the actors. Why not present it with all the players who belong together on the stage at once rather than only one character on the stage at a time." This idea was beautifully executed through this book and I look forward to future Genevieve Foster reads. I came into the book being more familiar with Revolutionary war history, but this book really helped mitigate some of my lack of understanding of the French Revolution as well as the world stage at large during this time period introducing me to many who lived and made their mark during the lifespan of George Washington. I am grateful for her work.
May 19, 2020
I read this in preparation for my son’s homeschool year of Revival to Revolution through Heart of Dakota. What a thoroughly enjoyable, lively book! The author tells the story of what happened in the world during George Washington’s life by giving short biographical snippets. Some may not like the chronological approach since it interrupts the narrative of, say, John Adam’s or Napoleon’s lives, but I found it to be a creative and refreshing approach to history. The book provides a good balance between American and Western world history; there is minimal information on the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. I will definitely keep this as part of my home library.
February 16, 2024
We have now read several of Genevieve Foster's "horizontal histories," featuring a detailed biography of a pivotal historical figure (in this case, George Washington) and then telling you what historical events were happening at the same time in their lives (like events in China and India and various counties in Europe at the same time Washington was leading the Continental Army or serving as the first POTUS). It's an excellent approach, and it fit neatly with the history we were studying in our homeschool history curriculum (The Story of the World, part 3, for anyone who is interested). Highly recommended, even though the book is rather dated, now . . .
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