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Best-selling biographer Ron Chernow's new book profiles our most famous forefather, George Washington. At New Canaan Library on Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m., the author talks about his masterful work bringing to life a national hero whom we both revere and make fun of.
In "Washington: A Life," Chernow puts to rest a long-standing myth, that Washington had wooden false teeth. Chernow reports they were in fact real teeth, which, shockingly, had belonged to his slaves. Maybe some retribution resulted because, as Chernow describes, they hurt and gave Washington so much trouble he became hugely self-conscious.Mostly, we think of Washington as a cardboard figure but Chernow's biography pulls back to reveal a much bigger and more nuanced picture. And though he still remains a hero, Washington, it seems, was a man of stunning contrasts. His public position on slavery, for instance, favored abolition but he held thousands of slaves.The Washington Post calls the book "a true achievement," which includes "the triumph of Chernow's narrative structure, the depth of his research and how alive he is to the emotional content of dry material. In organically unifying Washington's private and public lives, he accomplishes a feat that eludes many biographers." Hear Ron Chernow talk about "Washington: A Life" on Dec. 9 at New Canaan Library, and you'll likely come away with a new, though more complicated, view of the Father of Our Nation. The event is free. For more information, visit the Library's website
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