About the Author

Winston Groom was born in Washington D.C., but grew up in Mobile, Alabama, on the Gulf Coast. After a brief period in the Army, Groom returned to Washington, where he worked as a reporter at the Washington Star, covering the political and court beat. He enjoyed a stint in New York City, befriending and socializing with literary legends before returning to Alabama, where he settled down to writing and enjoying life. He is the author of 18 previous books, including Forrest Gump and The Aviators.

Reviews

"Like Groom's other works, [this book] stands or falls on the author's talent for weaving engaging stories for the general reader. Here is where Groom shines. "Hamilton, Jefferson, and Adams made the country what it is today, and their dust still sparkles like stars in the minds of their fellow Americans," he concludes. Groom bequeathed his readers an entertaining take on the intellectual war that shaped our nation."--The Wall Street Journal

"[Groom's] mastery of plot and storytelling leaves him inordinately well-disposed to piece together the tangled mass of major battles and peashooter skirmishes."--Chicago Tribune

"Groom brings the novelist's touch to history."--Associated Press

"Groom narrates in a genial, almost conversational way, making all the twists and turns completely understandable. When he narrows the focus, the action comes alive."--Washington Post

"Readers of all his fiction and nonfiction might well feel inclined to testify that he is fast becoming a national treasure."--The Advocate

"Winston Groom has that most enviable gift as a writer, an instantly likable voice... he also possesses a remarkable historical imagination... capable of bringing a neglected or half-forgotten moment bursting noisily back to life."--The Wilson Quarterly