Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Book Review - "Rise to Rebellion"

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Juliana Smith on her blog at 24/7 Family History Circle is printing book reviews about genealogy and historical books. Here is what I sent her the other day:

One of the most interesting "historical fiction" books I read recently was "Rise to Rebellion" by Jeff Shaara. It covered the events from about 1760 to July 1776 that shaped the American Revolution. Each chapter focused on one of the important players - John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Gage, George Washington, etc. It's one thing to learn in history class about people and battles, but to "hear" the words and thoughts (often using historical letters or memoirs) of the protagonists is fascinating to me. I have a much better understanding of the times, the leaders and the events leading up to the War than before.

Shaara's sequel, called "The Glorious Cause," is on my reading table now. It continues from 1776 to the end of hostilities in 1781.

He has also written several books on the American Civil War, "Gods and Generals" and "The Last Full Measure," and I saw another book about The Mexican-American War on the shelf at the library today. All of these are on my reading list now.

What books are you reading? Tell me!

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