Biography · Book club
Grant book club questions
Here are 11 book club questions for Grant by Ron Chernow, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
The 11 questions
- 1.
Chernow argues that Grant's reputation was deliberately damaged by Lost Cause writers. Does the evidence he marshals convince you?
- 2.
Grant's drinking is one of the most discussed facts about him. How does Chernow's account of it differ from the standard narrative?
- 3.
The Vicksburg campaign is described as a work of military genius. What specifically made it brilliant?
- 4.
Grant's Reconstruction policy was more aggressively pro-civil-rights than any president until Eisenhower. Why has that aspect of his presidency been obscured?
- 5.
The corruption scandals of Grant's second term are real, not invented by his enemies. How does Chernow weigh them against his achievements?
- 6.
Grant's Personal Memoirs were written as he was dying of cancer. What does that context add to the reading experience?
- 7.
His relationship with Sherman, who conducted the Atlanta campaign and the March to the Sea, was one of the most important military partnerships in American history. How does Chernow render it?
- 8.
Grant's treatment of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox — allowing Confederate officers to keep their sidearms, allowing soldiers to keep their horses for spring plowing — is famous for its generosity. Was it the right call?
- 9.
What does Grant's pre-war decade of failure suggest about the relationship between character and circumstance in individual lives?
- 10.
The biography is nearly 1,000 pages. Does Chernow's comprehensive approach produce a different understanding of Grant than a shorter, more selective biography would?
- 11.
How should Grant's legacy be evaluated given both his achievements on race and his failures on Native American policy?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for Grant?
Here are 11 book club questions for Grant by Ron Chernow, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on redemption, civil war, alcoholism.
How long should a book club discussion of Grant last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in Grant?
Redemption, Civil War, Alcoholism, Race, Failure and recovery. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like Grant or questions for other book club picks.
