Title: 1776

Author: David McCullough

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Format: Paperback

Pages: 386

Rating: 3/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence – when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.

Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King’s men, the British commander, William Howe, an his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known.

At the center of the drama, with Washington, are two young American patriots, who, at first, knew no more of war than what they had read in books – Nathaniel Green, a Quaker who was made a general at thirty-three, and Henry Knox, a twenty-five-year-old bookseller who had the preposterous idea of hauling the guns of Fort Ticonderoga overland to Boston in the dead of Winter.

But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost – Washington, who had never before led an army in battle. Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough’s 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history.

Review:

Here’s another non fiction read, which is kinda rare for me! I’m not a huge fan of nonfiction, but I’m trying to branch out and read more historical nonfiction!

I enjoyed how detail rich this book is! As a history major, I know quite a bit about the American Revolution, but I’ve never looked into detail on how the year 1776 went for the Americans. I never looked into the siege of Boston, or how Washington doubted himself as commander in chief! I also enjoyed some of the excerpts of letters and speeches to get a feel for the relationship between Washington and his generals!

That being said, some parts were a little too detail rich, and I found some parts dragged on a little too much. Sometimes when something is described over and over again, I get bored.

If you’re looking to learn more about the start of the war, as well as the relationships between Washington and his generals, then I would definitely recommend.

Happy reading bookworms!