Shortly after losing all of his wealth in a terrible 1884 swindle, Ulysses S. Grant learned he had terminal throat and mouth cancer. Destitute and dying, Grant began to write his memoirs to save his family from permanent financial ruin. As Grant continued his work, suffering increasing pain, the American public became aware of this race between Grant's writing and his fatal illness. Twenty years after his respectful and magnanimous demeanor toward Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, people in the North and the South came to know Grant as the brave, honest man he was, now using his famous determination in this final effort. Grant finished Memoirs just four days before he died in July 1885. Published after his death by his friend Mark Twain, Grant's Memoirs became an instant bestseller, restoring his family's financial health and, more importantly, helping to cure the nation of bitter discord. More than any other American before or since, Grant, in his last year, was able to heal this—the country's greatest wound.
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"This was a quite good book about Grant's last year. Smoking 25 cigars a day resulted in throat cancer and the book traces his decline from the disease. It also goes in good detail on how he was able to complete his memoirs during his last year."
— Jim (4 out of 5 stars)
A lucid, often somber account of the sad but noble decline of Ulysses S. Grant. . . . A welcome addition to the literature surrounding Grant and his time.
— Kirkus" OK book about his "Memoirs" writing, his financial collapse, and his terrible death from Throat Cancer. Thank goodness for Mark Twain-a little dry "
— Mark, 8/15/2013" A small story of a big life - well, the end of a big life - lovingly & well-told. The book brought me to tears more than once as Grant lived & died with dignity & wisdom. "
— Mark, 6/22/2013" Wonderful story of US Grant's last year of life, as his world appears to collapse around him, he battles financial ruin and cancer to protect his wife and family. Provides a great example of one of our history's greatest Generals. "
— Walter, 5/2/2013" Having read relatively little about Grant's final years, this account highlights Grant's remarkable achievement of writing his memoirs even as death approached. Poignant. "
— Damian, 3/29/2013" Extremely well done background on one of the most important memoirs in American literature. Solid research and beautifully written. Would be a great read for anyone interested in Grant or this period of the US story. "
— Duff, 12/27/2012" Good but you get the idea halfway thru. Some filler. "
— Joe, 10/4/2012" I'm not typically a war-story buff, but this book was so inexpensive, I decided to give it a try. An interesting read about post-presidency U.S. Grant, which you never learn about in school. Also, it makes me want to read his Memoirs - penned by his own hand, and the primary subject of this book. "
— Patti, 2/8/2012Charles Bracelen Flood (1929-2014) wrote fifteen books, including Lee: The Last Years and Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War, which Salon named one of the “Top 12 Civil War Books Ever Written,” and the New York Times bestselling novel Love Is a Bridge. He graduated from Harvard and was a past president of the PEN American Center.
Michael Prichard is a Los Angeles-based actor who has played several thousand characters during his career, over one hundred of them in theater and film. He is primarily heard as an audiobook narrator, having recorded well over five hundred full-length books. His numerous awards and accolades include an Audie Award for Tears in the Darkness by Michael Norman and Elizabeth M. Norman and six AudioFile Earphones Awards. He was named a Top Ten Golden Voice by SmartMoney magazine. He holds an MFA in theater from the University of Southern California.