Reviews: (by author)

Jurmain, Suzanne Tripp. George Did It. Illus. Larry Day. New York : Dutton, 2005. $16.99

Although the title reads like a contemporary headline trumpeting yet another Oval Office faux pas , the subject of this delightful little book is a very different George, who occupied the Oval Office before there was an Oval Office.
In her refreshingly myth-free look at George Washington, author Suzanne Tripp Jurmain, presents the human side of the first man to hold a notoriously difficult and nerve-wracking job, President of the United States of America . George Washington emerges as the very picture of a reluctant president. After eight years of military duty as commander-in-chief of the American forces followed by seven more years of government service, George was really looking forward to retirement. Alas, in 1789, his fellow Americans decided that George was the man they wanted for their first president. He tried to say no, but they weren't having any. And so, being a man who took responsibility seriously, George Washington said, 'I'll do it." This delighted everyone but George, who is quoted as remarking that he felt like a criminal "going to.his execution."
The frequent references to historical data including correspondence and diary entries give this book a very personal charm. The reader cannot help but be impressed with the character of Washington the man. In his case, the corrupting influence of power is not felt. Instead, we meet a man whom time and circumstance have conspired to raise above his countrymen, and who accepts his role with ill-concealed unease balanced by an unswerving commitment to the public good. What ever happened to that sort of leader?

-Mark Janssen, March 2006

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