The Bottom Line
Through the use of personal letters and diaries, best-selling historian David McCullough draws the reader into the tumultuous events of "1776," a pivotal year in American history. His work, backed up by thorough research and original sources, brings to life the faces, voices and personalities of America in 1776 in a way that will interest even readers who generally find history dry, dull and boring.
Pros
- Original documents, letters and diaries eloquently convey the historical experience
- Thorough research means the story teaches while it entertains
- The writing is engaging, stylish and and very readable
Cons
- The rigid time frame eliminates coverage of pivotal events such as the Stamp Act
- Assumes familiarity with the causes and events of the American Revolution
- Essentially a tale of the Continental Army and its commander
Description
- Simon & Schuster, June 27, 2006
- Paperback: 400 pages
- ISBN 0743226720
- 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
Guide Review - 1776 by David McCullough
Essentially a tale of the Continental Army and its commander, "1776" is a somewhat narrow account of that pivotal year in American history. The author worked with more than seventy diaries and several thousand letters to piece together his historical tale, and chooses to let many of the participants speak for themselves through the words they left behind. The writing is both engaging and entertaining, and the characters bring the war to life in a way that most history books cannot.David McCullough's story is wonderfully, painfully human; as you read you can't help but be drawn in to the suffering, bravery, desertion, determination, disasters and triumphs of General George Washington and his ragtag army.
