Nerdette Book Club: Author Alexis Coe On George Washington

The historian tells Nerdette why she decided to weigh in on the story of our first president.

Alexis Coe’s new biography of George Washington is called ‘You Never Forget Your First.‘
Alexis Coe's new biography of George Washington is called 'You Never Forget Your First.' Fair play, Alexis Coe. Fair play. Greta Johnsen / WBEZ
Alexis Coe’s new biography of George Washington is called ‘You Never Forget Your First.‘
Alexis Coe's new biography of George Washington is called 'You Never Forget Your First.' Fair play, Alexis Coe. Fair play. Greta Johnsen / WBEZ

Nerdette Book Club: Author Alexis Coe On George Washington

The historian tells Nerdette why she decided to weigh in on the story of our first president.

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We’ve all heard the mythology around George Washington: He never told a lie! He had wooden teeth! There was a cherry tree that one time!

But in her new biography, You Never Forget Your First, historian Alexis Coe revisits the origins of those myths and explores aspects of George Washington that may have been brushed over or misconstrued.

Coe talked with Nerdette host Greta Johnsen about what surprised her most about our first president, about the unfair portrayals of Washington’s mother and why it’s important for women to write presidential histories.