Rise to Rebellion (The American Revolutionary War, #1) by Jeff Shaara

Rise to Rebellion (The American Revolutionary War, #1) Reviews

• 
  Mr. Matt

  I wasn't sure what to expect with Rise to Rebellion. I had read Shara's Civil War books and knew what to expect in terms of execution. Shara follows a handful of characters throughout the great events of the time so that, as a reader, I receive a first hand view from a number of the key actors on both sides of the conflict. In the case of Rise to Rebellion, the characters are assorted but representative - Gage, Franklin, Adams, Washington, and a smattering of others.
  
  The approach is effective. Part of my attraction to historical fiction is learning about new periods of time and how people reacted in those great events. Rise to Rebellion delivers that in spades. The result was not exactly what I had expected but is probably closer to reality and the way that things actually unfolded. There was no rush to rebellion. The colonists were extremely reluctant and initially very opposed to breaking ties with England.
  
  It was all very tragic - like watching a car accident in slow motion. It took extraordinary mismanagement and willful ignorance on the part of Royal Governors, Parliament, the King, and generals to effectively force the break. Knowing that the administration was taking a harder line, generals, commanders and Royal Governors, some of the actions are simply mind-boggling. The Gaspee raiding commerce off of Rhode Island, the burning of Falmouth and Charleston, the raiding of farms for provisioning, etc. The British literally drove the colonists into the welcoming arms of the agitators like Sam Adams.
  
  Of course, in the end, the break does happen. And, it is enjoyable to watch the reluctant, conservative colonists take the plunge. John Adams is the first to change, recognizing that it can't be simply a revolution of propertied men. That they had to give the people something to fight for. A government of the people, all the people. (Yes, yes, obvious omission of slaves and women. It was a baby step towards liberation. And it is worth mentioning that Abigail Adams is kind of badass in the book, John's counterpart and partner, exchanging ideas, etc. She also grills him on half the population being left out of the new order.)
  
  Four stars out of five.
• 
  Ryan

  Great book. First, I love that it's in novel form; this makes it much more engaging than, say, 1776, which although filled with great info, was kinda dry and hard to get into. Second, Shaara makes the characters so memorable. He has a great knack for bringing characters to life, and while I'm fairly sure he just turns letters into thought monologues, or exchanged letters into conversations, I don't mind. Third, I liked the changing viewpoints and how the story, when told from a British viewpoint, helped me understand those "Lobsterbacks" more empathically.
  __________________________________
  
  I started this audiobook when I found my rental car has a working CD player. I was amazed at how fast I was moving through the story, compared to my wife who is reading the hardback copy simultaneously, and to my horror, I discovered I have the abridged version. I feel cheated. Like I mistakenly downloaded a pirated video in with Chinese subtitles.
• 
  Karl Jorgenson

  Shaara does a fabulous job of putting us on the scene, living in the American colonies in the 1770s among John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington. I assume the history is accurate; one can only be amazed the fledgling Americans could flock together long enough and with enough determination to answer King George's random oppression. This is the way to learn history and see some of the nuance on both sides.
• 
  Chris

  History comes alive in this novel that takes us from March 1770 through the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The events unfold through the eyes primarily of John Adams, Ben Franklin, General Thomas Gage and George Washington. I did learn a few new things and had my memory refreshed on assorted others. It is also amazing to read of discussions and ideas that are still reflected in our debates of the current day. We have come so far but seem to run into the same obstacles over and over again as we make our way forward.
• 
  booklady

  In Rise to Rebellion Jeff Shaara tells the story of the years leading up the start of the American Revolution and the early days of the fledgling American colonies as they discern who they are and what they must do to achieve what they need.
  
  It is the story of a growing awareness – as told from the vantage of several prominent contemporaries of the era, specifically Sam, John and Abigail Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Gage, and George Washington with others figuring in more minor capacities – of the currently untenable relationship with Great Britain.
  
  The strength of Shaara’s writing is in his adept ability to portray different perspectives despite competing objectives even among parties supposedly on the same ‘side’. For example, it was never a forgone conclusion the American colonies were going to sever ties with, fight for independence from, or form a new political government independent of, Great Britain. Many colonials saw revolution as disloyalty to the King and treason.
  
  Another excellent historical novel! Highly recommended especially as an audio book. Looking forward to the sequel,
  The Glorious Cause!
• 
  Corey Woodcock

  A fantastic novel of the American Revolution. Jeff Shaara does a wonderful job of bringing you back to the Eighteenth Century.
  
  This book starts years before the war proper, and chronicles the politics of the colonies, and the slow deterioration of the relationship with England. Most characters here are completely real—the novel is told from the point of view of guys like Ben Franklin, John Adams, British general Thomas Gage, George Washington, etc… It is not one sided, and it’s very clear early on that most people on both sides did not initially want this war. Appeal after appeal to King George, English military leaders who believed the war to be unwinnable, many of whom had a passion for the colonies. The book kicks off with the Boston Massacre (which was really more of a misunderstanding than anything), and builds from there. By the time the “ungrateful and petulant” colonists throw case after case of the King’s tea into Boston Harbor, the die is cast.
  
  There is very little of the actual war presented here—this is mostly what lead to it. But it is never boring. I don’t say that to spoil anything, but only to warn anyone looking for nonstop musket fire and fife and drum, that this isn’t that book. Shaara’s next novel, The Glorious Cause, appears to cover all that (which I will get to very soon).
  
  I only have one main relatively minor complaint; the main one being an odd thing that I was just not fully able to warm up to in Shaara’s writing. A stylistic choice that I think could’ve been done a bit better. Each section changes characters and is told in the third person. This is fine, but there is tons of inner monologue that switches to first person, and I just felt that this wasn’t always smooth. I recall Michael Shaara (Jeff’s father, author of the brilliant Killer Angels) doing something similar, but it working a bit better. I’m not sure why, and it’s been twenty years since I read that book, but that’s how I’m feeling about it.
  
  So we had some slightly clunky inner monologue, but other than that I absolutely loved this book, and I’m excited as all get-out to move on to the next book. I also can’t wait to dig into some of Shaara’s other books. It seems he keeps the same format, and I can’t wait to read about the Mexican American War, The Korean War, World War I, and others. The guy really does bring these events to life in the ways I’m looking for when reading an historical novel.
  
  Loved it! 4/5
• 
  Adam

  
  If you are a fan of American history and the events leading up to and during the revolution this book and its sequal "The Glorious Cause" are a MUST READ! As far as historical fiction authors go, Jeff Shaara is unparalleled in his ability to give the reader a since of the "everyday" thoughts and actions of history's most prominent fiugres as well as the common citizen/soldier. Benjiman Frankilin and George Washington to Lord Cornwallis and General Howe are transformed from an idea to living, breathing, able to touch human beings. Although you know the "end game" of the revolution, you find yourself rooting for or against both sides as if The American Revolution weren't history, but a current event.
• 
  Matt

  An interesting account of the preamble to the American Revolution. It read as an account of the events, documents, and ideas of key players. What they thought, how they felt, what they said. As a former military man I cheered when the cry went out at Bunker Hill, "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!"
  
  When the Declaration of Independence was read to the troops at the end of the audiobook, General Washington wept, and so did I. God Bless America and thank God for the brave men who risked life, limb, and reputation to secure the blessings of liberty to this great land.
  
  Today's brainwashed generation thinks that socialism and a totalitarian government are better than a free Republic. I challenge them to read history. Not just of our past but of the pasts of all the failed Communist states. I will not be berated and shouted down by this naïve, woke generation. They've been fed lies after lies by Marxist educators and our leftist media. They cannot point to ONE successful Communist country where the people are not beaten down and oppressed. FREEDOM it's what our founding fathers fought and died for. I will NEVER give these freedoms away. As we say in Texas: "Come and Take It".
  
  Am I a Patriot? Yes. I. Am.
• 
  Stacy

  I had few expectations for this book; it was a used bookstore find. I read it in September, just as I was gearing up to teach American history. So the timing was perfect: this is a book about the early American Revolutionary period, with great details about the battles in Lexington and Concord and the Continental Congress meetings. The history is solid and sound; with enough details for someone well-versed in the subject. I would think that readers who don't teach US history for a living would also enjoy the book.
  
  Shaara does a nice job dramatizing the history; creating individual stories for men like John Adams and General Gage without becoming melodramatic or maudlin. The events are real, some of the conversations are of the author's imagining (based on a solid reading of the facts). The result is engaging. The book is a quick read; well worth your time, especially if you've been sucked in to the Joseph Ellis-style works of late.
  
  The book well-exceeded my expectations; I really enjoyed it.
• 
  Barbm1020

  This book made the roots of the American Revolution clearer to me. I met the Sons of Liberty as real people, and Ben Franklin, and George Washington and the other movers & shakers who drew the Colonies together in defense against the tyranny of the British governors and the Redcoats. It reads like a great novel, but it's history, told in a more lively way here than in our old High School textbooks.
• 
  Peggyzbooksnmusic

  Some years back I read a comment that the best non fiction reads like fiction and the best fiction reads like non fiction. This historical fiction novel of the American Revolution was a WOW! read for me. It's #1 in a two part series and follows the events from the Boston Massacre in 1770 through the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Each chapter is told from the perspective of the historical characters on both sides of this monumental event in history. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Paul Revere, Dr. Joseph Warren on the American side and Lieutenant General Thomas Gage, Major John Pitcairn and Governor Thomas Hutchinson on the British side. The author has taken so much information that came from diaries, journals, letters, documents, etc and given a new "voice" to the events. Highly recommend for any reader wanting to understand how these events transpired. Looking forward to reading #2
  The Glorious Cause which follows the main part of the War and the forming of the American government.
• 
  Alicja

  rating: 4.5/5
  
  This is a mix of fiction and nonfiction, the events of the 1770s are seen through the POVs of figures such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, General Gage, Paul Revere, General Washington, etc.; each of these men a prominent figure in the American Revolution. From the Boston Massacre through the 1770s, it explores the lives and minds of some of the most prominent historical figures as tensions between England and the American colonies intensity resulting in rebellion and war.
  
  Even though both sides are explored, there is definitely a bias toward the American colonies, a given righteousness of the rebels. Honestly, I didn't expect any different from such a novel. The writing style pulls the reader into the events and even thoughts and feelings of the historical figures. However, Shaara doesn't seem able to get away completely from idealizing the founding fathers. The writing is a bit stiff, restrained without the coarseness that is usually associated with reality. Sometimes I forgot I was reading a work of fiction instead of a really good historical nonfiction. I think this may be the result in trying to tackle so many idealized American historical figures in an accurate manner (i.e., non offensive to Americans) while at the same time giving them depth and a three-dimensional feel. The emotional connection with the characters was intermittent, sometimes I was able to connect like I did with Franklin and Washington, but other times no matter how much I tried, some characters seemed plastic such as John Adams.
  
  Despite this, it is still an amazing work of fiction and probably one of the best out there on the American Revolution, one that portrays it so accurately and yet in such an interesting manner. It makes American history enthralling and accessible, there is no excuse that any American shouldn't at least know the basics presented in this book (and this book is a brilliant way of obtaining it).
  
• 
  Joe

  I recently reread this excellent historical novel in preparation for my first visit to that cradle of American democracy, Philadelphia. The second reading was even more satisfying than the first. Shaara's novel opens in 1770 at the Boston "Massacre" and concludes with the tremendously moving scene of George Washington having the Declaration of Independence read aloud to his troops in 1776. Shaara tells each chapter from the perspective of a different historical figure, (Washington, Adams, Franklin, Cornwallis, Howe, Nathanael Greene, etc.)
  Shaara does a great job building drama around those momentous events known to all: the battles of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, etc., but is at his best when he relates those behind-the-scenes intrigues generally known only to historians: Ben Franklin's subtle intrigues in England, the Machiavellian machinations of Sam Adams, the relentless ideological struggles of John Adams in the Continental Congress, etc. It is in these moments that Shaara best captures the personalities, strengths, and failings of these "great" men.
  I believe I've read five or six of Jeff Shaara's novels, but Rise to Rebellion is surely deserving of my heartiest approbation.
• 
  Brian Eshleman

  Definitely interesting. Getting into the heads of both the British and the Americans adds depth to the story. Objectively portray the passion with which American Loyalists held to the belief that their king could not knowingly perpetrate stress that on them a deprivation of liberty made the story more touching.
  
  
  
  Anybody intrigued by this should read the nonfiction Founding Brothers. Joseph Ellis has chosen episodes that read like a novel and are compelling in their detail.
• 
  Michaela

  Finished at last!
  
  I really did enjoy this book. Believe me, it was not a lack of enjoyment that kept me from finishing it in a timely manner. (No, it was these awful summer classes that take up so much of my time!)
  
  I've long been a fan of Colonial American history, and this was just the book to feed that passion. Shaara takes the heroic characters of the Revolution, with whom we are all familiar, and draws them as the real people they were. Each one is portrayed in a wonderfully nuanced way (John Adams was my favorite -- loved any time a chapter was from his perspective), and it's fascinating to look into their lives beyond what was happening in the movement toward independence, delving into each of their personal concerns: their families, their homes, their jobs, their passions. Everything that's individual about their lives and dear to them is put on display here. Real historical events and people are fleshed out in the style of a novel, and the result is a masterful, un-textbook-like telling of the Revolution.
  
  I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this period of history. (If you're not a history buff, though, you will likely find it pretty boring.)
• 
  Caleb M.

  Very entertaining and informative read. I was recommended this by one of my customers. I have been trying to be more willing to accept recommendations and start them so I started this right away and it proved to be really fun!
  
  It's written a lite dry, so it couldn't read in big large sessions like I sometimes like to do. But the author stated in his introduction just how much he wanted it to be as absolutely accurate as possible. I think it paid off in the end. It everything needs to read like a entertainment extravaganza. And while I couldn't read in big long sessions I did have a great time while reading. Learning more about the history of my country and the founding fathers was a blast.
• 
  Jillian Vincent

  Call me a nerd but I love history and I learn it best following a story. It was fun to see more of a personality assigned to these famous characters in our nations founding and to learn some new characters as well. My favorite chapters were the ones from the perspective of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. I didn’t love that the author spent just one chapter or a few chapters with some of the characters but I understand he wanted to give highlights from different perspectives. I also loved the depiction of Abigail Adam’s and the intrigue of Margaret Gage. I will definitely be reading the sequel!
• 
  Kaite

  Fourth time reading this book over the years. Incredible story and beautifully told.
• 
  Bobby Bonser

  This book was an excellent historical-fiction account that tells the story of Independence like no other I have read. Getting into the heads and hearts of so many of the figures and leaders of both sides of the war was so enlightening and made me understand and appreciate why the events happened. Far from being dates on a page, like I learned history in school, this book was fresh, fun, accurate, and informative.
• 
  Laura

  Just arrived from USA through BM.
  
  Page 46:
  Colonists cannot be represented inParliament. Never will be. They simply are not an equal part of the empire. They are not, nor will they ever be, Englishmen.
  Benjamin Franklin
  
  Page 48:
  You cannot suddenly decide to tax us, exploit us, drain our resources. You cannot do with us as you please. With your wast army and your great navy, you may have the power. But you do not have the right.
  Benjamin Franklin
  
  This is the first book of the series American Revolutionary War and describes the story of
  Sons of Liberty as well as the
  Boston Tea Party.
  
  
  
  Several historical characters are very well described in this splendid book, such as: Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington and Lieutenant General Thomas Gage.
  
  
  The Glorious Cause is the sequel of this book.
• 
  Joe Woods

  In the Shaara style, I was bounced around to the worlds of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Gage, and others. The time frame is from Spring of 1770 to the summer of 1776 and the primary settings are Boston, London, and Philadelphia.
  If you have read and enjoyed McCullough's, "1776", and/or watched the HBO series, "John Adams", you will thoroughly enjoy comparing and contrasting them to the Shaara book as you read it.
  I found that I became so immersed in the plight of Boston from 1770-1776 that I started mental planning for a Boston trip to visit, explore, and photograph the places so effectively described in "Rise to Rebellion".
  This book put me in very close touch with the activities of the Continental Congress, the Sons of Liberty, and the lives and activities of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Gage.
• 
  Ob-jonny

  The interesting thing about this book is that it allows the reader to experience history in the format of the founding fathers speaking in everyday dialogue. It lets the reader experience what it would have actually been like to be there as it was happening. Ordinary history will give a summary of events and their significance but this book gave a look at the more human side of the historical events. For instance, it described how nervous John Adams was when he addressed a group at a town hall meeting which was his first revolutionary act. Reading the characters' actual dialogue makes them seem more real and familiar. The details of the dialogue are fictional but the reader can assume that something similar was actually said. This book brings history to life and the content is more memorable than a conventional history book.
• 
  Julia

  I loved this book. Jeff Shaara takes you on a journey through the leading days to the American Revolution through the eyes of Ben Franklin, John (and Abigail) Adams, George Washington, and British General Thomas Gage. We see the Boston Massacre, the turmoil surrounding taxation, and the attempts to get Parliament and the King to treat the colonies as regular citizens. The characterizations and plot development make this book flow very well; you learn about people's background and motivations that aren't necessarily common knowledge for historical figures. It's a wonderfully written book that should be required reading in schools. It portrays the time and place of the American Revolution and its importance very well.
• 
  Harold Titus

  There is much to commend Jeff Shaara for his "Rise to Rebellion." It is an ambitious work that spans seven years of American resistance to British authority bracketed by the so-called Boston Massacre and the thirteen colonies' unanimous declaration of independence from England. Shaara uses the viewpoints of Ben Franklin, John Adams, General Thomas Gage, and George Washington almost exclusively to frame his narration of events. He portrays their thoughts, emotions, and human characteristics skillfully both by his selection of content and by his use of language. He has obviously done much research.
  
  A scene I especially liked has Franklin touring the countryside in Ireland. Observing the downtrodden population, he recognizes that the King and his ministers, having no concept of the nature of their American subjects, are convinced that Americans can be forced into submission and abject subservience as readily as had been the Irish. All that was required to accomplish this was the administration of a heavy dose of unrelenting punishment.
  
  Despite these compliments, I've rated the book three stars.
  
  I found the book to be a slow read. As much as I value subjective narration, I believe Shaara emphasized far too much what his four famous characters may have felt and thought. The book, 481 pages, provided me little excitement.
  
  I judged Shaara's characterization of some of the day's notable participants to be superficial. For example, Shaara portrays Paul Revere as a simpleton who needs Dr. Joseph Warren's instruction of how he is to get across Boston's back bay the night of the British army's embarkation, why he needs to do so, and where he is supposed to ride. In truth, Revere had made the arrangements for his crossing, not Warren; he had ridden to Lexington and Concord a week earlier; and he knew entirely what General Gage was planning.
  
  Shaara's narration of Revere's crossing is full of errors. He has Revere's boat rowed by one person, not two. The boat is beached on sand, not received at the old battery dock at Charlestown. Revere is given a large horse to ride by an unidentified person, not the smallish horse he received from Charlestown's militia leader, Colonel James Conant. According to Shaara, Revere sees the two lanterns in the Christ Church tower after he had crossed the bay and realizes then that the British are using boats to reach Cambridge, not the land route through Boston Neck. Before leaving Boston, Revere had instructed the sexton of the church to display two lanterns, while he was crossing the bay, realizing that if he failed to get across, Colonel Conant would need to know how the British army was proceeding. Finally, using one paragraph, Shaara has Revere ride off into the countyside, how far we are not told. He writes nothing about how Revere is challenged by British officers detailed to intercept express riders, how he evaded them, how he alerted Sam Adams and John Hancock in Lexington, how he rode toward Concord with William Dawes and met Dr. Samuel Prescott, and how he was arrested by other detailed British officers while Prescott escaped.
  
  Shaara has Major John Pitcairn, whom he identifies as "Thomas Pitcairn," depict the redcoat advance to Lexington, the battle on the town common, the subsequent march to Concord, the exchange of musket fire at the North Bridge, and the entire march back to Charlestown. Nobody else contributes information. It is as though Shaara did not feel it expedient to provide detail or he didn't know the detail. He fills this void of information with generalizations.
  
  He provides nothing specific about the activities of Pitcairn's advance scouts, who intercept several militiamen sent out successively by Lexington Captain John Parker to locate the army's whereabouts. He does not mention that the six light infantry companies Pitcairn commands, in advance of the six grenadier companies that the expedition's leader, Colonel Francis Smith, controls, divides in half upon reaching the Lexington common, not according to Pitcairn's wishes; and it is the first light infantry company of the six that opens fire on the 50 some militiamen standing on the common.
  
  Shaara has Pitcairn witnessing the fighting at the North Bridge even though Pitcairn never left the center of Concord. The famous incident of Pitcairn falling off his horse and having his holstered pistols, attached to his saddle, carried to the rebels by his horse, takes place no more than a mile east of Concord, one might conclude, in a field, not on the road at Fiske Hill, near Lexington. The extensive use of redcoat flankers to attack militia companies hiding behind trees, barns, and stone walls seemingly did not occur.
  
  Shaara does write that Colonel Smith's forces were reinforced at Lexington by another army sent out of Boston by General Gage, but he doesn't mention its commander, Colonel Hugh Percy, who saved the combined forces from annihilation or having to surrender. He does not mention that the worst fighting of the entire day took place subsequently in Menotomy nor how Percy tricked his militia opponents into believing that he intended to cross the Great Bridge at Cambridge and that he sent his forces in the opposite direction, to Charlestown. In one paragraph -- one paragraph -- Shaara narrates Percy's entire retreat, from Lexingto to Boston, neglecting to inform us that the retreat actually ended at Charlestown.
  
  I recognize it was not Shaara's intention to write a book about Lexington and Concord. However, this complex, momentous event did happen. It should have been an important part of the narration. That he glossed over, fudged, and generalized details in the two chapters he devoted to its telling caused me to wonder just how accurate his narration was in other parts of the book. Shaara would have done better if he had written two novels to span the seven years: the first concluding with the events of April 19, 1775, and the second starting with the Battle of Breeds Hill and concluding with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That would have afforded him a better opportunity to narrate important events with greater detail.
• 
  Jayna Baas

  I love history but wasn't sure what I would find when I gave this book a try. I was blown away by Shaara's narrative style and attention to detail. His writing makes real people out of historical figures. I could feel the anger on the streets of Boston, see Dr. Warren's day of being a soldier, sense the frustration of John Adams and the doubts of the newly appointed General Washington. The battle scenes were vivid but not gratuitously so, and the rhythm of the narrative has influenced the way I write such scenes in my own historical novels. My only real objection is the amount of strong language (although I'm sure that is historically accurate as well); still, there's less than I've seen in some other war novels. Shaara doesn't fully describe the role faith and conscience played in the "rise to rebellion," but he captures well the deist philosophy of many of his main characters. If you want an "inside look" at the Revolution and the men who initiated it (both American and British), you would do well to check out this book.
• 
  Andrew Pratley

  This is my first Jeff Shaara. It won't be my last. The American Revolution is a subject that has always fascinated me. Suffice to say there was fault on both sides if truth be told on the matter. Shaara like any good historical novelist writes in a very engaging way bringing many historical characters & events to life. The history is good & very reliable. Where the book does help, especially, is that it reveals that the American Revolution was really a result of growing pains & British Empire's inability to cope & understand that the American Colonies needed to go in a different direction. The world was much bigger then, in that communications took much longer to arrive from distant shores. These were the days well before "the global village". I am now looking forward to reading the concluding volume of this series.
• 
  Brett Van Gaasbeek

  Jeff Shaara is at his best in the revolutionary era. As much as I enjoyed his Civil War era novels, this is the best one of his, as he really shows the human side of many of our founders BEFORE they would have been considered revolutionaries. He captures John and Sam Adams during the Boston Massacre, humanizes Franklin as a colonial agent in London, and shows the doubt and inner-failings of Thomas Gage as Massachusetts and the colonies slip towards rebellion. I like this book as a refresher before I teach the revolutionary era in my history classes, as it puts me into the right mindset for the lessons.
• 
  Heather

  Hard to choose between 3 and 4 stars. It's a refreshing perspective to be experiencing the story from the individuals who were most crucial, no doubt, although I feel like it's still fairly close to being straight history with just a bit of imagining in terms of the personalities of the main players. It is definitely not typical historical fiction that sucks you into a more personal story, not quite so focused on the historical key points.
  
  I may just be a little burnt out on the American Revolution right now, so it may not be a fair assessment. I did enjoy the perspectives of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, which have not been focused on in the straight histories I've been reading.
• 
  Chris Cook

  I loved this book. Obviously, I already knew many of the names, but I’d never learned the full story of who did what and the events leading up to our independence. Shows what happens when some authority pushes the people far enough that they say “enough”. I think this should be required reading for every American high school student. We don’t teach civics anymore and have fallen well below most first world countries in reading and math, but at least we could teach our kids how their country came into existence. Also, it seems as though for our entire history, there have been “elites” willing to sell out their own citizens to foreign powers. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me.