How George Washington Fleeced the Nation: And Other Little Secrets Airbrushed From History

by Phil Mason

Our view of the famous is one-dimensional—leading figures from history are summarized in history textbooks with one or two Churchill the war-time genius, Gandhi the poor ascetic—but nobody is perfect and even the famous have their quirks and hidden secrets. How George Washington Fleeced the Nation reveals the often hilarious, sometimes shocking, and always highly informative foibles of the great and the good. Einstein, the most brilliant man who lived, regularly forgot his shoes and never learned to drive. Hitler possibly has a Jewish ancestor. Picasso avoided paying restaurant bills by doodling on their napkins instead. Prepared to be shocked, amused, and outraged at what they didn’t teach you in high school.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ebooks, Historical, Trivia

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

Reviews

[Pam Henderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting historical trivia...but much of it I had read in other books. Not a "sit down and read all the way through" kind of book, more like snippet bathroom reading...if you know what I mean!

[Gregg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical oddities but I’m unsure how much of these oddities contributed to the figures and events. Not a bad read.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh....was ok. Nothing too earth shattering as I had read most of the shocking tidbits somewhere else in my lifetime. Not something you want to sit down and read cover to cover either. Kind of scattered and I felt that the interesting people were sort of glossed over at times and the less interesting people were given far more page time than they were due. One funny thing was that he seemed to spend a lot of time talking about how Americans were WRONG WRONG WRONG to say that over-taxation was a leading cause of the Revolutionary War. However, a few chapters over, he said that a Prime Minister who was drunk or chasing skirts or something (and didn't they all during that time? Really not shocking), was too busy doing his thing instead of paying attention and that led to the taxes being levied on the colonies and that caused the Revolutionary War. So not really sure what he believed on that.
I guess I expected more. I am not shocked that most of the leaders of all the countries had a mistress or two or a few secret kids. That is the nature of life and politics and while it is sad, it is not something that is surprising.

[Al · Rating 1 out of 5]

It turns out that what we’ve been told about our beloved historical figures was all wrong. From Daniel Boone to Benjamin Franklin to Abraham Lincoln, they were deeply flawed (if not crooks), and Phil Mason has collected all the accusations and “recent evidence” to debunk their legends in his aptly titled “How George Washington Fleeced the Nation: And Other Little Secrets Airbrushed from History.” No doubt those who like to see the high and mighty whittled down to size will get some gratification from reading that popes, prime ministers and presidents all share human foibles. But a little debunking can go a long, long way, and a whole book of “revelations” grows tiring in the end. Mason comes across as more of a scold than a historian; someone who can’t tell the difference between revealing that Churchill supported developing biological weapons and Demi Moore demanded a six person entourage. Given the drive-by scattershot approach, I kept expecting a TMZ-like expose on Helen Keller to surface with each page turn. Not recommended.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. I'm not sure if it's completely accurate, but interesting none the less.

[Reuben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of fascinating factoids here. An excellent bathroom reader, but wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for an in depth read.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK. It seems as though the author has an agenda, and a lot of the secrets weren't all that secret to begin with, nor very interesting.

[Zack Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok book. history is messy and not always wrapped in a bow tie. This book is not about history being a lie but to point out that it is not a clear cut as often portrayed

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not to be judged by its cover

Was very excited to learn more history. Not so. More gossipy and didn't hold my attention the way I had hoped. Boring and full of uninteresting facts.

[Jon Shurtleff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super

Kept me interested for days! I found so many interesting things about people that I never would have thought about.

[Don Paske · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the title, I expected more stories about American, but I'd guess almost 2/3 of the book is about people from England.

[Roger McCort · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly for fun, the author dredges up the mud on figures throughout (mostly recent) history to reveal that some of our beloved heroes were in fact scum sucking parasites interested only in themselves.

While generally compelling, there were several points at which I could have put the book down and never picked it up again if I hadn't kept pushing through. Fortunately, if you don't like a page or don't care about the particular personage being skewered by their own poor habits and foibles, you can always skip ahead a page or two and get to the next person, who is hopefully more interesting .

Ultimately a fun, but largely forgettable collection of historical trivia.

[Chandra Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read that covered many beloved international historical figures that makes those people a lot more alive and realistic.
While the statement "History is written by the victors" is a phrase most people that enjoy history are very aware of, how much we airbrush unpleasant details is not necessarily something that's easy to find. I think this would be a great tool for teachers of history and politics to get their students interested enough to want to learn more about world events.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read expounding on the reality of being a "hero". This book is not just about George Washington. It includes most of the people we thought we knew who contributed to the story of the world as we know it.

Though disappointing in some respects it is also refreshing to see that so many of our well known leaders/inventors/politicians are only human and some are even sub-human..........LBJ, for example.

An easy fast listen, or read. Perhaps all historians and history teachers should read it.

[Bronwyn Cole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as entertaining/informative as I thought it would be. A few facts that stood out were that apparently, Lincoln was so ugly he had some of his photos doctored, and Queen Victoria's muscles were so weak in her old age, she had a maidservant crouch under her petticoats to hold up the child in Victoria's lap in this photo:

http://www.oldukphotos.com/graphics/E...

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a History teacher. I try to read books that will question me on what I teach. I found this book interesting. This book collaborates quite a bit of what I have learned from other books.
I did some research about the author and he has quite a bit of obscure facts, that makes me believe what he has written in this book.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just great! Read it in two days, but have to admit that I skimmed over the people I'd never heard of--and care nothing about (middle 1/3 of the book).

It isn't just about George Washington . . . It starts out with Santa Claus, Robin Hood and King Arthur: small stories about big people, little incredible tidbits. Loved it. Rave review!

[Nyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not all that interesting. Although the source of some information is generally attributed to certain people, there is no real sense of a reference. Many of the "secrets" are of the nature of "who cares" or about people no longer relevant and not major history players. The gems of information are few and far between. Glad I'm done reading it and can go on to something else.

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some things I knew; some things I didn't. Hardly a page-turner, I got to about the middle of the book and decided to read about the people that interested me. It made for faster reading. I will keep this book in mind as a reference, should I need it.

[Wise Panda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best history book read

Excellent history book. Numerous new theories come to light based on latest academics inquires that challenge conventional historical recording of events.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few interesting things, but I'm pretty skeptical about most of the "facts" presented here. It's the worst kind of gossip and conspiracy theories presented as truth, but contradicted often within the book in different chapters or even in a different section in the same chapter. Meh.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Read

This is definitely a book that makes you question your own perceptions about historical figures. This is book I'm glad to have read, from enjoying the eccentricities to being downright disgusted by the behavior of the figures.

[Jammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book through Kindle Unlimited.

It was a book of facts and the history behind certain events. It was worth a read once.

[Karen Uminski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these books which tell the true story of history and our beloved heroes. This one is interesting because it is written by a Brit.

[Mary Myers · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had a few quirky pieces of info but many of the people exposed were obscure. I am a history lover however it just didn't hold my interest.

[Hannah Roache · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bathroom Reading

Amusing at times, over-simplistic at other times. .Something to read when you have nothing better to do or are bored. Lacks depth.