1776 by David McCullough Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of 1776
Book Review: A good introduction to our nation's history
Summary: 4 Stars
David McCullough's book, though not thorough in introducing the reader to all the twists and turns of our nation's early history, does an excellent job in introducing George Washington, King George of England and the daunting task that Washington had in trying to hold a truly "rag tag" army together while the British tried to vanquish the Revolutionaries in the Colonies.
Washington is seen as a solid general who knows when to fight and when to retreat. The British, for numerous reasons, never took the fight to the Americans when they had the opportunity to do so. The book will help anyone get a better understanding of how fragile the Revolution really was in 1776 as McCullough does an excellent job in writing about that historical year.
If you want a good start (a well written primer) on our nations' early history you can't go wrong with this book.
Book Review: A good primer on the War for Independance...
Summary: 4 Stars
The author's dedication to not dumbing-down the reader is much appreciated. He does a good job of climatizing the reader to the context of each army, the locale, the strategies, and the politics behind the events. Not quite as fascinating as his biography of John Adams, but definitely a must read for those of us who need to shore up our knowledge of the Revolution.Book Review: A good read that seriously lacks context
Summary: 3 Stars
After having read the glowing accounts of this book (both on Amazon and elsewhere), I picked up this book with high hopes. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It's true that the narrative itself is extremely well-written (numerous reviews call it "gripping"), but there's simply not enough information here to be useful or to even develop any kind of sympathy for the revolutionaries.
The problems start from the very beginning. We are plunked down in the middle of the Seige of Boston in he summer of 1775. This is not necessarily a problem - many historical books like to jump right into the action and later fill in the background. Unfortunately, McCullough never fills in the background! He blithely throws around the names of previous battles (e.g. Concord and Lexington) without telling us who wins or what the battles were about. For a book that spends so much time on the fate and cohesion of the Continental Army, a more blatant omission is the formation of that army. It's as if the army around Boston arose spontaneously. A final objection: there are a few references to the motivation of the British government to try and supress the rebellion, but there is virtually no mention of any motivation on the part of the Revolutionaries. We are left with the impression that this is simply a civil war (which is basically true) between those that have power and those trying to usurp it (which is not true).
Is it that McCullough assumes a high school knowledge of American history? If so, that's not helpful for readers outside the U.S.A. It's probably not even useful for many readers IN the U.S.A. who are far enough away from their secondary education that they've forgotten the details of their high school history classes. Similarly, while an American reader might accept that the revolution's causes are self-evident, this will not be the case with readers outside the U.S. In fact, we are left with the distinct impression that the British are in the right! As the British supporters of the war pointed out, even without representation at Westminster, the American people (at least, those of European descent) were actually some of the freest people in the world.
Balancing these criticisms are the vivid portraits McCullough paints of the principle characters: Washington, the Howe brothers, and others are brought to life for the reader. Similarly, the plight of the regular soldiers (in both armies) is well-documented. Drawing on primary sources (diaries and letters), McCullough has done his homework and it gives the tome a force of scholarship that other popular histories lack. I just wish he'd taken 20 pages (and that's all he really needed) to set the scene. I would hold up Earl Spencer's recent book on the Battle of Blenheim as an example of how to balance the detail of a slice of a war with the necessary "big picture" elements to give the slice context.
Book Review: A great hook to reintroduce you to the War for Independence
Summary: 4 Stars
I'd read some Revolutionary War books before, but after hearing all the hype of 1776 I thought I'd give it a read. It was such a refreshing and new take on a war fought so long ago in a time so very different from our own. The author explains the roots of the war so the reader has a full knowledge of what spurned the movement for independence. I had never realized how reluctant yet dedicated a leader Washington was. I earned a new respect for this character that most now only associate with a $1 bill. The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars was that it ended too abruptly and left me wanting more! Thankfully, I found some other great books to see me through until the end.
Rarely does a book live up to all the hype but this one clearly does.
Book Review: A master historian
Summary: 5 Stars
"Real" historians likely have their noses in the air about Mr. McCullough, and this may be a good indication to recommend it to readers - "1776" is readable and enjoyable as a story in itself!
Buy or borrow this book. David McCullough takes information from many references, especially various letters written by participants of the American Revolution in the year 1776, and blends them into a sequence that would befit a movie. Maybe it will be someday, and it should be at least as engrossing as the book. The reader will notice that almost all of the action and narrative turn out to be depressingly bad times for the young American pre-republic. Nevertheless, you keep reading, knowing that SOMETHING good is going to happen to all those long-suffering patriots. Indeed it does. The year 1776 proves to be a good choice of year to write about. Not only was that the year of the Declaration of Independence, but militarily it was "bookended" with two favorable events accomplished by the rebel army: the taking of Dorchester Heights, then Boston by default in early 1776; then the defeat of the Hessian brigade at Trenton in December 1776. In that long, agonizing middle between these events the army suffered bitter defeats and horrendous suffering.
The author very skillfully describes these sufferings, but always points out the near-miraculous things that seem to bridge the army temporarily from bad to bad, keeping them around to fight another day. More important, he demonstrates that these "bridge" events would have been meaningless had not the army, and specifically George Washington and other leaders, not had the insight and the perseverance to immediately take advantage of them. The hauling of cannon by Henry Knox's men to Boston is one example. The freakish weather in the retreat from Long Island, and for the attack at Trenton are others. These are fabulous models of character by many, many people.
At the end, McCullough hints that the rebel army at last began looking like what would soon be called the Continental Army. Very appropriate, very optimistic and satisfying conclusion to the book. Pick up a copy.