Countdown to Independence - Softcover

Bober, Natalie S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1416963928 ISBN 13: 9781416963929

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2007

Synopsis

For fifteen years between 1760 and 1775, before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington and Concord, ideas were the weapons with which Americans and Englishmen waged a revolution. Words of protest did not become deeds of resistance until both sides came to realize that only force would decide the issues that divided the empire.

How did the social, political, and intellectual developments of the colonial period precipitate a shocking revolution by the American colonists against Great Britain? What was the British view of the situation in America? Who were the people involved (both Whigs and Tories) in the American colonies and in England? What were the issues that were brewing below the surface that made it possible for a ragged band of patriots to defeat the strongest army in the world? Was the ultimate separation of the American colonies from England inevitable, or could it have been avoided?

Focusing on the period from the ascendance of George III to the throne of Great Britain until the approval in the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence, acclaimed biographer Natalie S. Bober attempts to answer these, and other questions, as she presents a bi-focal view of the events leading to the Revolutionary War -- telling the story through the eyes of the heroes and rebels involved on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Recognizing that biography is the human heart of history, she has used engaging mini-biographies of the cast of British and American characters. By taking her readers into the actual scenes, both in America and England and revealing the human stories behind the historic events, and by using original sources such as letters, diaries, and speeches, she allows the characters who played a role in the unfolding drama to step off the pages of the book and become living people.

As she captures the drama, the wit, the politics, and the manners of the generation that governed and lost the first British Empire, all the while doing full justice to the cause of the colonial patriots, she takes her readers on a provocative and stimulating countdown to independence.

About this title

About the Author:

Natalie S. Bober is an award-winning biographer and a historian with a long-standing interest in the eighteenth century. She lectures extensively, has taught and served as a consultant on the secondary and college levels, and was part of the Ken Burns film documentary on Thomas Jefferson. Her most recent books include A Restless Spirit: The Story of Robert Frost; Thomas Jefferson: Man on a Mountain; and Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and the Golden Kite Award of the SCBWI. She resides with her husband in Westchester County, New York, and derives great pleasure from her grandchildren, who happily serve as readers and critics of her books.

From Booklist:

*Starred Review*
Gr. 7-12. According to John Adams, the American Revolution didn't begin with war; it began "in the minds of the people," in the 15 years leading up to battle. Bober's latest title presents a remarkably thorough, readable, and even-handed account of those critical pre-war years, examining events and personalities on both sides of the Atlantic that contributed to America's break from England--from the crowning of King George III to the writing of the Declaration of Independence. In previous books, such as Thomas Jefferson: Man on a Mountain (1988) and Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution (1995), Bober has distinguished herself by integrating meticulous research and compelling anecdotes to inspire readers to sympathize and connect with the history. She continues that tradition here. In clear, well-documented analysis, she shows the relationship between events and lends insight into major personalities--from Edmund Burke and George Grenville to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Thomas Hutchinson--bringing them further to life through a fine selection of nicely reproduced portraits. She writes with an almost cinematic attention to physical detail, describing the rooms where revolutionary milestones took place and even the weather outside the windows. The result is a compelling, yet scholarly resource that places readers at the center of the action, encouraging them to learn about the historic events and people, care about them, and, perhaps, learn more by investigating the extensive bibliography. Even readers raised on political cynicism will come away feeling stirred by this powerful, exciting story of their government's birth. Gillian Engberg
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About this edition

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1416963928
• ISBN 13: 9781416963929
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368