What is the author's perspective in the biography, Washington: A Life?

Ron Chernow has written several other biographies in his career, most notably a biography of Alexander Hamilton, Washington's Secretary of the Treasury. This book is the author's most ambitious project, a comprehensive biography of the Father of the United States that can be read in a single volume. To write this book, the author made use of papers recently discovered, reviewed, and released by the University of Virginia to create this vivid and comprehensive biography of a beloved Founding Father.

The author's perspective is one of a scholar and historian who is attempting to tell the story not only of an American institution but also of a person who was once just a normal man like anyone else. The author uses Washington's own words in his extensive papers and letters to tell a story that is comprehensive, but brief enough to appear in a single volume. The author presents Washington as a man, as a military officer, as a farmer, a husband, and as a unique politician. The author's perspective as a historian and a humanitarian offers a unique look at a much studied figure that creates a more rounded picture of a man.