Many, if not most, Americans’ understanding of Gen. George Armstrong Custer begins and ends with his demise at Little Bighorn. But that belies the complexity of a historic figure who was capable yet insecure, intelligent yet bigoted, and an individualist at odds with the institution of the military (he was court-martialed twice in six years).

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer T.J. Stiles fleshes out Custer’s life in a discussion of his new book. Custer took on national importance long before Little Bighorn, working as a politician, businessman, writer, and Army officer to lead the U.S. into a more modern age. But he had trouble coping with that change, and his contradictions and complicated personal relationships reflected that.

Co-presented by Rainy Day Books.

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