I knew, because fellow Boston tour guides have been telling me for years, that this was THE book to read about the run-up to the American Revolution. I knew, because fellow Boston tour guides have been telling me for years, that this was THE book to read about the run-up to the American Revolution. I expected a great read and I got it! I didn’t expect the human side of the battles, nor how moving many of the people’s stories would be. Highly recommend!...more
It’s rare that I read a book on loan from the library and decide that I need a copy of my own. This book is a treasure trove of place-based history ofIt’s rare that I read a book on loan from the library and decide that I need a copy of my own. This book is a treasure trove of place-based history of women’s role in changing America....more
This “micro history,” as the author terms it, was so helpful to my understanding of the rationale behind the start of the American Revolution. Bell’s This “micro history,” as the author terms it, was so helpful to my understanding of the rationale behind the start of the American Revolution. Bell’s detailed research uncovers true stories that rival the myths. I loved the humanity expressed in the source materials, including letters. This book benefits both from Bell’s meticulous historical research and his ability to create suspense and tell a compelling story. ...more
I learned so much that I wanted to know about Lucy Stone, but should have realized from the title this was not a birth-to-death biography. This book mI learned so much that I wanted to know about Lucy Stone, but should have realized from the title this was not a birth-to-death biography. This book manages to appeal to the non-academic reader (me) while referencing painstaking research using primary sources. Stone’s story is nothing short of heroic. Now I need to find a good history of her work on The Woman’s Journal and her later life....more
I was interested to read this book because of an author interview with Kathleen DuVal by Liz Covart on her Ben Franklin's World podcast. It took me a I was interested to read this book because of an author interview with Kathleen DuVal by Liz Covart on her Ben Franklin's World podcast. It took me a while to get to the book, and then to get through the book, but that's no reflection on the quality of the writing at all. As I re-listen to podcast episode 37 (all the way back to 2015), I realize I'm certainly not alone in my ignorance of the scope of the history of the American Revolution as it unfolded in the southern region and Gulf Coast of what is now the U.S., but in those times was a mix of contested native tribal lands and colonial claims of territory and trading by the British, French and Spanish. There is just SO MUCH in this book...the diversity of actors alone, among the various tribal nations, confederacies, loyalists, rebels, enslaved people, colonizers from France and Spain, and more, that it took careful and slow reading to follow the many threads in the story. I enjoyed the way the author used a handful of individuals to represent the points of view and the ultimate fates of these different actors in what becomes the United States. The depth of research she provided brought these people to life and helped me understand their often conflicting motives and cultures. If you're like me (and apparently even a lot of American Revolution scholars), you've likely only encountered a linear narrative of the revolution and American independence, that focuses almost exclusively on the white male actors who were either loyal British subjects or rebellious former British subjects, and on battles and negotiations that happened primarily in the northeast and along the East Coast. This book demonstrates that there was a lot more to it; and illustrates poignantly many instances of how things might have been very different today had even one of the many people or nations involved had made different decisions about their interdependence and independence....more
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