When I started this book, I realized the scope of time was very limited compared to the whole revolutionary war. So I put it aside and read "The American Revolution: A Visual History" which was dense with information and told the whole story. Then I went back to McCullough's book, and was able to understand much more, and put the year 1776 in context of the larger war.

The stories in "1776" portrayed important events of that year, and also the personal characters of many historical figures, including, of course, George Washington -- both his failings and his successes.

Why didn't I know all this in school? History is much more fascinating than school would have you believe.

McCullough is a very good story-teller. He didn't doctor the tale up with fancy language; he just told the story straight. An easy and fascinating read. I also loved McCullough's "John Adams" (which I gave 5 stars) and am looking forward to more David McCullough books. ( )

David McCullough's 1776 takes a very detailed look at the year as Washington’s inexperienced Continental Army faces some of the first major battles of the war.
If you like:
US History — especially colonial
A lot of primary source documents and details
If you don’t mind:
Your books a little bit boring
War ( )

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
(Print: (2005) June 27, 2006; 978-074322672; Simon & Schuster;386 pages)
*Audio-CD: 5/24/2005; 9780743544238; Simon & Schuster Audio; duration 11:41:22 (10 discs); Unabridged.
(Digital: Yes)
(Film: Yes).

NOTE: (I'd been keeping an Excel list of CD's, Prints, and Cassettes as I read/listened, that I am now adding here, so that I have all of the materials I have already "read" in one place. I did not review them at the time, so , depending on how well memory serves in each case, reviews here will probably be especially sketchy.)

SERIES
N/A

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it: It was a book on CD available at the Newport Beach Friends of the Library book sale. I like history, so purchased it for $10.00.
What it’s about: Historical times and figures.
What I thought: I found it educational and interesting.

AUTHOR:
McCullough, David:
“David Gaub McCullough (/məˈkʌlə/; born July 7, 1933) is an American author, narrator, popular historian, and lecturer.[2] He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award.[2][3]
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, McCullough earned a degree in English literature from Yale University. His first book was The Johnstown Flood (1968); and he has since written nine more on such topics as Harry S. Truman, John Adams, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Wright brothers. McCullough has also narrated numerous documentaries, such as The Civil War by Ken Burns, as well as the 2003 film Seabiscuit; and he hosted American Experience for twelve years.
McCullough's two Pulitzer Prize–winning books, Truman and John Adams, have been adapted by HBO into a TV film and a miniseries, respectively.” __Wikipedia

NARRATOR:
McCullough, David:
Mr. McCullough has a voice that is easy to listen to-his diction is clear, but, I will place him in the category of authors who like to read their own works, but may not be the best choice. It’s pretty common with non-fiction authors though.

GENRE:
Biography; Autobiography; History; non-fiction; military; American Revolution; American Revolutionary War

LOCATIONS:
Boston, MA; Brooklyn, NY; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;

TIME FRAME
18th Century

SUBJECTS:
British-American relations; Revolutionary War; George Washington; King George III; Nathanael Greene; Henry Knox; William Howe; Battles; Declaration of Independence

DEDICATION
For Rosalee Barnes McCullough

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From “Chapter One Sovereign Duty”
“George III had been twenty-two when, in 1760, he succeeded to the throne, and to a remarkable degree he remained a man of simple tastes and few pretensions. He liked plain food and drank but little, and wine only. Defying fashion, he refused to wear a wig. That the palace at St. James’s had become a bit dowdy bothered him not at all. He rather liked it that way. Socially awkward at Court occasions–many found him disappointingly dull–he preferred puttering about his farms at Windsor dressed in farmer’s clothes. And in notable contrast to much of fashionable society and the Court, where mistresses and infidelities were not only an accepted part of life, but often flaunted, the King remained steadfastly faithful to his very plain Queen, the German princess Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Streliz, with whom by now he had produced ten children. (Ultimately there would be fifteen.) Gossips claimed Farmer George’s chief pleasures were a leg of mutton and his plain little wife.”

RATING:
4 stars.

STARTED-FINISHED
8/16/2010 - 9/30/2010 ( )

(2005)Very good history that follows George Washington and the continental army from its losses in Boston to New York to finally a victory in New Jersey at Christmas.

Everyone who grew up in the halcyon days of post-war America knows the very abbreviated story of our break with England and our Revolution. From its beginning in Boston to Washington's Presidency. It's mostly told as folk tales, familiar names made glorious warriors and others debased with evil malcontent.

Once you reach adulthood, you understand that it was a lot more complicated, but given the constraints of interest and time, most don't give our revolution another thought. I think much of that is because so many of us learned dates, locations, and names by memorization. Historical knowledge was boring and forgotten directly after graduation.

But war is never simple. It's always about people and their blood, lives, and terrible suffering. McCullough makes the first year of the American Revolution real. It's a war. It was the loss of sons, fathers, brothers, and friends for a cause that was not universally supported.

I'm glad that I have given history books another try this year. I've been enjoying them more than I thought I would.
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