Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

By: Ulysses S. Grant

Narrated by: Alastair Cameron

Written from his death bed, The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant are written by the most well known Civil War General himself, Ulysses S. Grant. In a review of his life as a private citizen, as well as a general, Grant lets the listener know what a heroic figure he really was.

Like so many men before him, Grant describes being pressured into a certain way of life by his father. He never aspired for a military career, but his father insisted on West Point Academy for his schooling. Grant takes us through the Mexican-American War, his short retirement after the war, and his involvement in the Civil War. He points out specific historical figures that directly lead to successes and failures in his military career.

Grant also immerses the listener in battle scenes that leave you visualizing an old western movie. His depiction of the war leaves an impression as he goes into deep details about the little parts of daily life in the military, like the food, supplies, and ammunition wagons that delivered their goods to them. Grant gives intellectual commentary on why he believes the Civil War happened, why the South was doomed from the beginning, and surprisingly, how they were all the better for it in the end.

©2016 A.R.N. Publications (P)2016 A.R.N. Publications

Good story, terrible orator

The oratory was terrible. A nasally European should not have been chosen to read this book. Several times I wanted to turn it off because I could not stand to listen to the monotone reading. chose another audio version of this book because this narrator of this version could put you to sleep.

English narrator, American history, no editor

Where does Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 25% in content.Dead last in narration (tied with a Basil Liddell Hart audio book)

What did you like best about this story?

For me it was the reconstruction of a historical figure I thought that I knew something about.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was truly gating. How can you be paid to narrate the book and not bother to look up the how to pronounce the American place names and surnames? Shiloh, Appomattox, far too many to note here. I can't believe it was released this way. Would you narrate English history and mispronounce "Thames" river? Every time?

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Extreme interest.

Any additional comments?

Missed the maps.

Awful

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not a chance

What did you like best about this story?

The history as told bt Grant

What didn’t you like about Alastair Cameron’s performance?

Everything. His pronunciations of American historical sites was awful. Ah-PO-mah-tox for App-oh-MA-tox and chi-ca-HO-mah-ny rather than Chick-ah-HAH-mony, well understood AMERICAN pronunciations stands out to me as examples. This guy sucks as a reader of American history.

Was Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant worth the listening time?

Yes - This was, however, the longest I have ever taken to listen to a recorded book. This guy sucked as a narrator.

Any additional comments?

Listen to me.

Wish I had read reviews first.

The memoir is fascinating! The narrator is terrible! British accent and mispronounciations abound! Pick another version!

Classic: inside the mind of the greater general

Grant had a clear vision of destroying his enemy's ability to fight, & that a draw would represent a victory for his opponent.