1776

1776. by David McCullough. Simon & Schuster. 2005

Reviewed by Dave Van Kleeck

David McCullough is a great story teller. 1776 is another fine example of his Pulitzer Prize winning ability to engage even the most history-phobic among us and turn whatever subject he tackles into a fascinating read.

Focusing on the title year, he shows us many of the key events and participants in this critical period of the American Revolution. We see just how tenuous the American cause was, not just in the face of superior British forces, but in the making-it-up-as-we-go-along strategies of the Continental Congress and the army under his command.

Central to McCullough’s book is the remarkable growth of Washington as a commander. Through hard lessons learned on the battlefield, in winter camps, and in his dealings with the Congress, he faced an incredibly steep learning curve. Yet, learn he did, and McCullough deftly describes this transformation in Washington. At less than 300 pages of text 1776 is an intriguing read. Due to McCullough’s wonderful writing one can easily soak up the rich history of the era. Whether reading history is at the top of your list or well down it, I bet you’ll find that 1776 is well worth the time. Enjoy.

Also, if you’re a fan of David McCullough as a narrator, you’ll love his reading of 1776 in the book on CD edition. The library has both the regular and large print editions of the book as well as the book on CD.

Here’s a link to a piece on NPR about 1776. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4724787