There is almost no better tool for learning virtue and leadership than biography. Ever since Genesis and Plutarch’s Lives, invaluable life lessons have been gained through studying the lives of great people.

Nothing can truly replace spending time with a person, however, reading a biography can help one grasp the significance of what a person did and why. I recommend filling your home with biographies of great men and women. Even a single biographer of a great person, can spark interests, ideas, and virtues in a young person’s mind.

George Washington is a great place to start. It has been said that Washington is the most unknown known person in American history. Very few young people know what made him one of the most significant leaders of all time and universally beloved. Washington’s bravery, drive, work ethic, self-education, experiences, gifts, and personality made him one of the world’s greatest leaders. Generations of young people have benefited by learning from his example.

I have enjoyed learning about the early life experiences of Washington, in particular, his hardships as a young man in his early twenties leading men through wilderness adventures.

Here I review one of the best biographies of George Washington’s early life:

George Washington: The Forge of Experience (1732-1775)