LEE, The Gallant General
By
Jeanette Eaton's biography of Washington for this age group, (1951 p.251) was a disappointing stock characterization- after her exciting books for older readers on Franklin and Gandhi. Perhaps it is the difficulty of writing unstereotyped material for youngsters for this book is a disappointment too. The quick and rather breezy run through of the events in his life, while adequate and even unsparing as to the gory details of the battlefield, seems devoid of the drama and exigencies that must have shaped his character. We get instead a sentimental hero who fought for the love of Virginia.