Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Patriots by A.J. Langguth ISBN: 0-671-67562-1 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 15 March, 1989 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.56 (61 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A Compelling and Informative Book on the American Revolution
Comment: This is a well written book that held my interest throughout. Like a good novel, it tells a story that kept me turning to the next pages to find out "what happened." The story, in this case, involves the events that led up to the American Revolution, starting with James Otis's opposition to the writs of assistance in 1761 and ending with George Washington's farewell to his troops in 1783.
In between, A. J. Langguth (a professor of journalism, who wrote Our Vietnam) generally does a masterful job of telling us about the dynamic, brave, sometimes vain, and often brilliant leaders (most notably, Samuel and John Adams, John Hancock, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Joseph Warren, and Benjamin Franklin), who rebelled against the mother country. And there are also the not so great, who made terrible mistakes on the battlefield (Charles Lee) or switched to the other side (Benedict Arnold).
Langguth also does a very good job in describing the key battles of the war, and the strategy of both sides. The details provided are excellent: The Minute Men and their duck-hunting rifles, picking off British troops withdrawing from Concord; John Stark's men hiding behind hay and stones to stop William Howe's flanking manuever at Breed's Hill; Washington's nine-hour crossing of the Delaware River, ending at 3 AM and his defeat of the Hessians at Trenton when the enemy commander did not bother to read a note of warning from a loyalist; Horatio Gates's victory at Saratoga, when British forces led by John Burgoyne were trapped and attacked from three sides; von Steuben ordering the American soldiers to place kitchens and latrines at opposite sides of their camps; Washington begging his troops to stay for six more weeks for ten dollars in hard money in the winter of 1776; sentries at Valley Forge standing barefoot inside their hats in December 1777.
This book not only fascinated me by providing such details, but also answered a lot of the questions I had about the war for independence, and what led up to it: What was the Stamp Act? How did groups of farmers and tradesmen defeat the British Empire? What tactics did Washington and his generals employ to defeat tens of thousands of British and Hessian troops? What role did the French play? What exactly did Sam Adams and others do to move us towards independence? How many people were loyalists and what part did they play in the events? This book answered all of these questions, and more. The only real problem I had with the book was that the fighting in the South was not covered adequately, I believe, along with leaders like Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter.
The heroes are heroic (especially Washington), and deservedly so, but we also read about their less-than-admirable qualities. There is also the factor of the mistakes made by opponents. The author does not devote much attention to social, economic, racial, and legal trends and effects. That is not his purpose. A good, little book to read on these matters is The American Revolution: A History by Gordon S. Wood.
Patriots by A. J. Langguth is an excellent, journalistic account (mainly chronological) of this period in American history. I am recommending it because it brings the leaders and events that founded our country to life, in a clear and interesting way.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Revolution (almost) through the eyes of the founders
Comment: In the late sixties I was listening to "Declaration" by the Fifth Dimension. My father overheard this, and, back in those days when lyrics were both intelligible and intelligent, became enraged. He stormed into my room and asked if I really believed what the singers were saying. He never did believe me when I told him that they were simply singing Jefferson's words. (The above really did happen. It's such a good story that I wouldn't blame you if you didn't believe it.)
If you really want to understand that "long chain of abuses and userpations" this book is a great place to start. I love to read history, but consider myself no expert. The author brings alive the men underneath the powdered wigs, and shows us the revolution through their eyes. We see Thomas Jefferson struggle with the contradictions of owning over two hundred slaves while writing of the self-evident equality of all men. We see the military genius of George Washington not just at Yorktown, but even more evident in his retreats from New York and New Jersy. The single minded Sam Adams comes alive, as he guides the reluctant Massachusets delegates toward independence
This book is well worth your time.
Rating: 5
Summary: CONCISE AND NEVER BORING HISTORY
Comment: The great thing about Patriots is that author AJ Langguth writes the book in almost a novel style. Rather than a typical dry history book you feel like you are reading a good piece of fiction.
Beginning with events long before the Revolution, we meet a couple of gentlemen who have been a bit lost in history thanks to larger names like Washington and Jefferson...namely Samuel Adams and James Otis.
Yes Sam Adams was a brewer but As we learn, Adams was really among the first to make the push for independence among Boston colonialists. Langguth goes over in detail the roots that led to war. Of the English blockades in Boston harbor and the Stamp Act.
The first shots at Lexington and Concorde are described in an exciting narrative style. We see that these were not pitched battles as we may have thought, but rather small forces of British soldiers opposed by smaller rag-tag groups of Americans.
In particular, the battle of Bunker Hill really puts you at the battle as The British stubbornly tried to keep taking the hill despite heavy losses.
One by one we are introduced to our Founding Fathers: Washington, Jefferson, John Hancock, Patrick Henry, John Adams, Ben Franklin. We learn much of the personal lives before thier involvement in the Revolution.
Langguth also takes us behind the battles into the political and diplomatic sides. We see that many in England actually supported the colonists, at least early on. There was as much political intrigue as any modern day suspense novel.
A very well done book. Especially good for those who don't generally enjoy reading about history.
 |
Title: Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolution Through the Eyes of Those Who Fought and Lived It (Da Capo Paperback) by George F. Scheer, Hugh F. Rankin ISBN: 0306803070 Publisher: DaCapo Press Pub. Date: May, 1988 List Price(USD): $21.00 |
 |
Title: The Long Fuse: How England Lost the American Colonies, 1760-1785 by Don Cook ISBN: 0871136619 Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press Pub. Date: October, 1996 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
 |
Title: George Washington's War : Saga of the American Revolution, The by Robert Leckie ISBN: 006092215X Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 15 September, 1993 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
 |
Title: Washington: The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner ISBN: 0316286168 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 22 February, 1994 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
 |
Title: A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic by John E. Ferling ISBN: 0195159241 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: April, 2003 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
