He was first in the hearts of his countrymen, and George Washington is still memorialized for his bravery, selflessness, and undeniable dignity. Yet as Alexis Coe also finds, Washington was a pushy young soldier who sparked a worldwide war, an unsuccessful general, and the sort of man who named his dog "Sweetlips." Puncturing many of the familiar myths about our first president, Coe brings humor and warmth to this biography, a brisk look at a Virginia farmer who was fated to change history.

"A bewitching combination of erudition and cheek, [this book] is a playful, disruptive work of history."—Jennifer Egan