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Title details for Revolution Song by Russell Shorto - Available

Revolution Song

A Story of American Freedom

by Russell Shorto
Russell Shorto
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
From the author of the acclaimed history The Island at the Center of the World, an intimate new epic of the American Revolution that reinforces its meaning for today. With America's founding principles being debated today as never before, Russell Shorto looks back to the era in which those principles were forged. Drawing on new sources, he weaves the lives of six people into a seamless narrative that casts fresh light on the range of experience in colonial America on the cusp of revolution. While some of the protagonists-a Native American warrior, a British aristocrat, George Washington-play major roles on the field of battle, others-a woman, a slave, and a laborer-struggle no less valiantly to realize freedom for themselves. Through these lives we understand that the Revolution was, indeed, fought over the meaning of individual freedom, a philosophical idea that became a force for violent change. A powerful narrative and a brilliant defense of American values, Revolution Song makes the compelling case that the American Revolution is still being fought today and that its ideals are worth defending.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 1, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781501969539
      • File size: 538692 KB
      • Duration: 18:42:16

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Listening to a fine writer who is also an accomplished narrator is one of the unique pleasures of audiobooks. Of the six people Shorto's history of the Revolutionary War era singles out, only George Washington is a familiar figure. The others--who include a freed slave who became Connecticut landowner, an Iroquois warrior who sided with the British, and an abused wife who left her husband--represent different aspects of the independent spirit of the time. Shorto relies on his listener to make the leap from one character to another, and the underlying effect is symphonic as much as dramatic. This work is an impressive narrative feat sure to appeal to lovers of history, as well as listeners seeking entry into one of the most fascinating eras in American history. D.A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 4, 2017
      Shorto (Amsterdam: A History of the World’s Most Liberal City) brings the American Revolution to life in this vibrant account of six remarkable Revolutionary-era people, weaving together their stories to reflect on emergent understandings of individual freedom within the Atlantic world. Attuned to the cultural and political complexities of early America, Shorto examines well-known public figures—future president George Washington, Seneca warrior Cornplanter, and colonial administrator George Sackville—alongside those engaged in more private struggles for freedom: soldier’s daughter Margaret Moncrieffe; Venture Smith, an enslaved African man who later bought his freedom; and shoemaker Abraham Yates. Each character is portrayed as an individual, not an archetype. By paying close attention to the ways that particular lives unfold in the face of revolution, Shorto reflects on the emotional experience as well as the historical consequences of America’s violent birth. Readers interested in looking past America’s founding myths will be especially charmed by this history—George Washington, for one, appears in a new light as a devoted reader of self-help books with a penchant for fashion design. Though Shorto’s attempts to render the interior lives of his six characters can appear too speculative, his attention to everyday detail anchors his portraits and helps reveal the precariousness of freedom in an unequal, rapidly changing society.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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