--- product_id: 563256795 title: "U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth" price: "AR$55147" currency: ARS in_stock: true reviews_count: 5 url: https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/563256795-u-s-grant-american-hero-american-myth store_origin: AR region: Argentina --- # In-depth cultural memory analysis Immersive audiobook format Comprehensive historical biography U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth **Price:** AR$55147 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 🎙️ Unlock the untold story of America’s forgotten hero—don’t miss the history everyone’s rethinking! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth - **How much does it cost?** AR$55147 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.ar](https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/563256795-u-s-grant-american-hero-american-myth) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Join the Conversation:** Stay ahead of the curve with a 4.6-star rated audiobook that challenges mainstream historical rankings and sparks debate. - • **Beyond the Battlefield:** Explore Grant’s full life journey—from West Point to presidency—unveiling myths and truths rarely discussed. - • **Cultural Memory Decoded:** Gain unique insights into how Grant’s reputation shifted alongside America’s evolving Civil War narrative. - • **Hear History Come Alive:** Experience Ulysses S. Grant’s complex legacy through a captivating audiobook format by Audible Studios. - • **Expertly Narrated & Researched:** Joan Waugh’s authoritative storytelling blends biography with cultural history for a rich, engaging listen. ## Overview U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth is a meticulously researched audiobook by Joan Waugh, produced by Audible Studios. It offers a nuanced exploration of Ulysses S. Grant’s life, military career, presidency, and the fluctuating public memory of his legacy. Combining biography with cultural history, it reveals how Grant’s reputation evolved from revered Union savior to a misunderstood figure, challenging prevailing historical narratives and inviting listeners to reconsider his true impact on American history. ## Description At the time of his death, Ulysses S. Grant was the most famous person in America, considered by most citizens to be equal in stature to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Yet today his monuments are rarely visited, his military reputation is overshadowed by that of Robert E. Lee, and his presidency is permanently mired at the bottom of historical rankings. In an insightful blend of biography and cultural history, Joan Waugh traces Grant's shifting national and international reputation, illuminating the role of memory in our understanding of American history. She captures a sense of what led 19th-century Americans to overlook Grant's obvious faults and hold him up as a critically important symbol of national reconciliation and unity. Waugh further shows that Grant's reputation and place in public memory closely parallel the rise and fall of the Northern version of the Civil War story, in which the United States was the clear, morally superior victor and Grant was the emblem of that victory. After the failure of Reconstruction, the dominant Union myths about the war gave way to a Southern version that emphasized a more sentimental remembrance of the honor and courage of both sides and ennobled the "Lost Cause". By the 1920s, Grant's reputation had plummeted. Most Americans today are unaware of how revered Grant was in his lifetime. Joan Waugh uncovers the reasons behind the rise and fall of his renown, underscoring as well the fluctuating memory of the Civil War itself. Review: US Grant Savior of the Union - Joan Waugh has written a very important book that explores many of the myths that have surrounded US Grant for a very long time. Most importantly she investigates how it was possible for Grant to go from being so overwhelmingly loved, respected and admired, in the US and internationally, to being listed near the bottom of presidential rankings. At his death he had been ranked with Washington and Lincoln today he is lucky to be listed near the middle of the pack. She explores his fall in the eyes of historians and how their influence tarnished his memory. The entire nation mourned Grant at his funeral in thousands of memorial services across the country yet it took 5 years for his mausoleum to begin construction. Its location in New York City was wildly controversial since it would not just be his final resting place but a national memorial to the great man. It was thought that a national memorial should be in the nation’s capital. It would take 7 more years for the mausoleum to be completed and over a million people attended the massive parade and dedication ceremony. Yet only 90,000 people contributed money to the construction of the memorial and most of those were New Yorkers. Ms Waugh explores all of this in detail and how, by the second decade of the 20th century, US Grant had faded in public memory and his esteem had fallen dramatically. But this book is about much more than that. It covers his childhood, education at West Point, military career before the Civil War, his movement into civilian life, military career during the Civil War, his post war activities, his time as president, the often overlooked struggle for reconstruction and the writing of his classic autobiography. It examines the many myths surrounding him such as: Was he a drunk? Was he a failure at everything he did in civilian life before the war? Was he a butcher who threw away lives needlessly during the Civil War? Was he a corrupt president? The author covers all of this and does it in a very readable and entertaining way. It is remarkable to me how poorly Ulysses Grant had been viewed by historians in the 20th century and that continues into the 21st century. In the Siena Institute ranking he moved from 35 in the 2002 survey to 26 in 2010. Still too low in my estimation but it shows that current historians, political scientists and presidential historians are being influenced by modern scholarship. However, in 2010 they listed Polk, Jackson, Cleveland, Van Buren and Arthur above him. That is way too high for those presidents and Grant should be rated much higher. Of all the surveys that are done to rate presidents Siena seems to survey the most credible sources but I still feel those sources are incorrect in their evaluations of many of the presidents. When historians are not focusing on Grant and reconstruction they overlook the tremendous effort Grant put into attempting to secure true freedom and unobstructed suffrage for the freedmen. This quote from Joseph Ellis’ “His Excellency George Washington” struck me. When discussing the extraordinary difficulty Washington faced when he first entered office Ellis writes, “Looking back over two hundred years of the American presidency, it seems safe to say that no one entered the office with more personal prestige than Washington, and only two presidents- Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt- faced comparable crises.” Well that overlooks the enormous personal prestige Grant enjoyed as the savior of the Union and the crises of reconstruction. I am so glad that Joan Waugh covers both of those topics in some detail. Ulysses S Grant is in my top ten list of presidents and I think Professor Waugh does an excellent job of illustrating why that should be so. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Ulysses S Grant. Review: Excellent book - Very good book. Doesn't just concentrate on his military career but his upbringing, political career and why he went from hero to almost forgotten. I went to his mausoleum in New York and there was nobody else there. A good read for those who want an overview of his life and his importance in the years after. ## Features - Brand: Audible studios on brilliance - Format: audiobook - Brand: Audible Studios on Brilliance ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 63 Reviews | ## Images ![U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51vmTwXAA+L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ US Grant Savior of the Union *by M***R on 1 April 2016* Joan Waugh has written a very important book that explores many of the myths that have surrounded US Grant for a very long time. Most importantly she investigates how it was possible for Grant to go from being so overwhelmingly loved, respected and admired, in the US and internationally, to being listed near the bottom of presidential rankings. At his death he had been ranked with Washington and Lincoln today he is lucky to be listed near the middle of the pack. She explores his fall in the eyes of historians and how their influence tarnished his memory. The entire nation mourned Grant at his funeral in thousands of memorial services across the country yet it took 5 years for his mausoleum to begin construction. Its location in New York City was wildly controversial since it would not just be his final resting place but a national memorial to the great man. It was thought that a national memorial should be in the nation’s capital. It would take 7 more years for the mausoleum to be completed and over a million people attended the massive parade and dedication ceremony. Yet only 90,000 people contributed money to the construction of the memorial and most of those were New Yorkers. Ms Waugh explores all of this in detail and how, by the second decade of the 20th century, US Grant had faded in public memory and his esteem had fallen dramatically. But this book is about much more than that. It covers his childhood, education at West Point, military career before the Civil War, his movement into civilian life, military career during the Civil War, his post war activities, his time as president, the often overlooked struggle for reconstruction and the writing of his classic autobiography. It examines the many myths surrounding him such as: Was he a drunk? Was he a failure at everything he did in civilian life before the war? Was he a butcher who threw away lives needlessly during the Civil War? Was he a corrupt president? The author covers all of this and does it in a very readable and entertaining way. It is remarkable to me how poorly Ulysses Grant had been viewed by historians in the 20th century and that continues into the 21st century. In the Siena Institute ranking he moved from 35 in the 2002 survey to 26 in 2010. Still too low in my estimation but it shows that current historians, political scientists and presidential historians are being influenced by modern scholarship. However, in 2010 they listed Polk, Jackson, Cleveland, Van Buren and Arthur above him. That is way too high for those presidents and Grant should be rated much higher. Of all the surveys that are done to rate presidents Siena seems to survey the most credible sources but I still feel those sources are incorrect in their evaluations of many of the presidents. When historians are not focusing on Grant and reconstruction they overlook the tremendous effort Grant put into attempting to secure true freedom and unobstructed suffrage for the freedmen. This quote from Joseph Ellis’ “His Excellency George Washington” struck me. When discussing the extraordinary difficulty Washington faced when he first entered office Ellis writes, “Looking back over two hundred years of the American presidency, it seems safe to say that no one entered the office with more personal prestige than Washington, and only two presidents- Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt- faced comparable crises.” Well that overlooks the enormous personal prestige Grant enjoyed as the savior of the Union and the crises of reconstruction. I am so glad that Joan Waugh covers both of those topics in some detail. Ulysses S Grant is in my top ten list of presidents and I think Professor Waugh does an excellent job of illustrating why that should be so. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Ulysses S Grant. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent book *by M***S on 27 March 2022* Very good book. Doesn't just concentrate on his military career but his upbringing, political career and why he went from hero to almost forgotten. I went to his mausoleum in New York and there was nobody else there. A good read for those who want an overview of his life and his importance in the years after. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great man gone... *by R***A on 15 March 2010* This quasi-bio is especially valuable in breaking down the reasons for Grant's puzzling departure from American historical fame and fanfare to revisionist obscurity. Fortunately author Waugh is amongst the wave of "re"revisionist biographers reinforcing the implications of "why" set forth by others like Smith and Simpson. The book is somewhat fragmented, not caring to be a sprawling biography but rather a treatise on certain issues, principles and events. In particular, Grant's death and subsequent funeral, and, the history of Grant's Tomb are greatly detailed and alone make the book worth reading for devotees and doubters alike. richard guida --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/563256795-u-s-grant-american-hero-american-myth](https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/563256795-u-s-grant-american-hero-american-myth) --- *Product available on Desertcart Argentina* *Store origin: AR* *Last updated: 2026-10-02*