Books published by publisher Linnet Books

The Father of His Country was not always that stellar commander and stern first president who gazes serenely from the famous portraits we have of him. George Washington was once, in fact, a proud, ambitious, and sometimes foolhardy young man whose brashness triggered a major war between the superpowers of his time. Using Washington's diaries as a source, Robert McClung tells the story of George's uneven beginning steps into greatness. With French and British facing off for control of North America, the 21-year-old Virginian took on military responsibilities far beyond his ability. Sent to warn the French out of the Ohio Valley, he wound up ambushing them in peacetime, being nearly wiped out in return, and being branded as an "assassin." He was with Braddock when that British general's force was nearly annihilated; later, he struggled to maintain discipline over his militia, while he argued with his superiors to the point of insubordination both about battle tactics and the preferments of rank. When the British defeated the French at Fort Duquesne, Washington resigned and retired to a gentleman's life at Mt. Vernon. George Washington always had courage and great ambition. What he learned as a young man was how to deal with the Indian allies; fight in the woods; keep control of troops; provision his men; and - most of all - curb his fiery temper. These were the things that would pave his way to greatness seventeen years later when he was called to lead the Continental Army into battle against their mother country.

In 1519, Cortez and a handful of Spaniards, horses, and Indian allies marched across Mexico to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, and there, through cunning and force, brought death to the emperor Moctezuma and destruction to his mighty empire. And always at the side of the conqueror was a young Aztec woman, whom the people called Malinche.Her real name was Malinali, though the conquistadors called her Marina. Born a princess but sold into slavery by her own mother, and then given as tribute to Cortez, Marina became his translator, interpreter, confidante, and later, mother of two of his children. Like the emperor Moctezuma himself, she half-believed that the invincible man she followed was the beneficient god-king Quetzalcoatl. Aztec legend had promised his return from exile in the east to reclaim his kingdom from the usurping gods of war and death.As for Cortez, he knew very well that his campaign to bring Christianity to the Aztecs, and extract gold from them, could never have succeeded so quickly without Marina's skills in language and diplomacy, and her undying loyalty. He called her "my tongue," and declared, under oath, that after God she was his greatest aid in the Conquest.Today, the figure of Malinche is a curious creature - half legend, half history - lost in the folklore of Mexico. Was she a traitor to her people, a woman in love, a warrior princess, or a faithful servant manipulated by a ruthless man? Here her story is finally told, grounded in both Spanish and Aztec sources, and embedded in the rich culture and startling mores of her turbulent times. A well-crafted marriage of pure history and compelling storytelling, it restores a remarkable and resourceful woman to her place in history.