Grant's legacy seems to have waned and waxed as we collectively grapple with the era he shaped—the American Civil War and Reconstruction. Chernow portrays Grant as a man who remained relatively unchanged by pressure, stress, fame, and power. While it sometimes resulted in trusting people that could not be trusted, it also let him wage a new kind of war and persevere in protecting the lives and livelihoods of freed black citizens. Chernow's biography of Grant is accessible and readable, and if he shows some preference for his subject, it is quite understandable.