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97th out of 775 books
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1,062 voters
Patriots
With meticulous research and page-turning suspense, Patriots brings to life the American Revolution -- the battles, the treacheries, and the dynamic personalities of the men who forged our freedom. George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry -- these heroes were men of intellect, passion, and ambition. From the secret meetings...more
Paperback, 640 pages
Published
March 15th 1989
by Simon & Schuster
(first published February 1st 1988)
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This is a good overview of the period leading up to the American Revolution, the revolution itself, and the short period after the war ended but not into the early days of the United States under the Articles of Confederation.
Langguth, as he does in his next volume on the War of 1812, focuses on a handful of well known and not so well known personalities. Samuel Adams is a central figure and appears to be unjustly underrated as a figure in the period leading up to the war and the Continental Con...more
Langguth, as he does in his next volume on the War of 1812, focuses on a handful of well known and not so well known personalities. Samuel Adams is a central figure and appears to be unjustly underrated as a figure in the period leading up to the war and the Continental Con...more
Ignorance about 'merican history led me to read this, "1776," and "Founding Brothers" within the past couple years, and they're all terrific and narratively stirring philosophical and political (and, in the case of the first two, military) accounts of the lead-up to the revolution, the war itself, the founding fellas, the war's aftermath, the subsequent few decades, and basically the roots of most every debate we still face as a country (along with the proposition, implied in "Brothers," that th...more
A.J. Langguth's Patriots was published in 1989, and I've had it on my bookshelf almost that long (not really, but it's been at least five years). The great thing about history is that it really doesn't change much and a well-written popular history, barring new scholarship, is still going to be interesting 20 or 50 or 100 years after publishing. Patriots is well-written popular history.
Which is not say everyone will fall in love with it or that it's the greatest book ever on the subject. For sta...more
Which is not say everyone will fall in love with it or that it's the greatest book ever on the subject. For sta...more
Again, one of my favorite books. I like history and I like military History. This book tells an absorbing story of the Revolution built around short bios of the founders of the United States.
Oct 15, 2010
Elizabeth
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
nonfiction-history-modern,
nonfiction-politics
I sort of read this books to tatters. I refuse to throw out the tattered copy. I loved this book. I was *obsessed* with this book. This book is the reason I will name my cat Molineaux when I get it. ("Stop, Mr. Molineaux! Stop, Mr. Molineaux! Gentlemen, if Mr. Molineaux leaves us, we are forever undone." I HAVEN'T OPENED THIS BOOK IN THREE YEARS AND I AM PROBABLY CLOSE TO IF NOT ACTUALLY WORD-PERFECT ON THAT QUOTE.)
I don't know *why*. I somehow doubt it is actually all that brilliant. And yet! I...more
I don't know *why*. I somehow doubt it is actually all that brilliant. And yet! I...more
This is the way history should be told and taught, Langguth weaves a tale taken from day to day letters and writings of the time. The most memorable part of the book is Washington crossing the Delaware from preparations. to getting in the boat, to the landing on the other side. You feel that you were there with them as they put their very lives on the line for time belief in self determination. If you don't like history... you will after you read this book!
Fabulous book if you like the American Revolution or just want to learn more. The structure of the book is its best selling point--a chapter setting the stage and time frame of Colonial New England and what led to the Revolution, followed by a biographical chapter on one of the more important figures at that moment/time frame. Very effective bio-history all in one and a book I'd love to use in a history class.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
Just finished this excellent history of the American Revolution. It kind of moves fast from battle to battle without getting into all the strategy and tactics, but it reads fast and keeps your attention. The best part is the first few chapters that deal with the pre-war period where men like Sam Adams organized opposition to the British in the streets of Boston. It was kind of fun reading about the original tea party again.
Don't think it's like 1776 by McCullough (another great book!), but if you like Revolution History, you'll love this book. I learned so much. It was dense at times, but so interesting and well written that you forgot about the volume of it. I learned more from this book than during my high school history classes for sure! And way more interesting too.
I read this book a number of years ago. It was a great introduction to the Revolution and the time. It sparked a new interest in the Revolution for me. I would like to read it again and see how it strikes me now, after having read a lot more on the era. I would recommend it to anyone interested in getting started on the Revolution.
It's strange how Americans castigate France and rave about us bailing the French out of both world wars, yet no one ever talks about how the French bailed us out of the Revolutionary War. The book was concise and well organized, but too dry and rigid: The American Revolution was far too romantic to be written about in textbook format.
In the tradition of Alistair Cooke and Barbara Tuchman, this is an excellent History written by a journalist. Avuncular and anecdotal, full of the kind of attention to detail that only results from immersion in primary sources, this is one adventurous good read. I recommend as enrichment rather than introduction, as a basic understanding helps enjoy the stories presented so vividly.
I can't figure out how 1776 and Founding Brothers won all kinds of awards and this book didn't. A.J. Langguth smoothly lays out the American Revolution from the beginning starting with James Otis and the abolition of the Writs of Assistance to George Washington's resignation from the Continental Army. It's a thick book so it takes some commitment but if you're interested in the men who were responsible for the framework of the country that we currently live in, it's pretty hard to put down. It p...more
A very good portrayal of many of the major players in the American Revolution. I hadn't read much about the period in a while (like since hight school!) so it was a good way to get back to the basics to understand who and what motivated one of the most important moments in history. After spending most of the book developing the many personalities involved, it ends with basically a summary of the major battles of the war. Overall, this is a good place to get the broad strokes before reading in de...more
I found this book to be a fast read, despite the size of the book. Although much of the information will be familiar to the avid reader of American history of this time period, the author's approach of telling the story chronologically and focusing on one key actor at a time, is refreshing.
I believe this book to be honest. It does paint the Sons of Liberty as a gang of thugs, which I expect is closer to the truth than the gilt brush they are painted with in textbooks. Thugs they may or may not have been, they were courageous and intelligent men. It's a fascinating story.
An amazing look into the minds of the men that started a revolution and founded the greatest country in history. This is an intimate look into their minds, their desire for liberty, the risks they took and the sacrifices they made. Recommended reading for every American.
This book does an excellent job of providing a historical and personal background to the start of the American Revolution. The detailed focus on pre-revolutionary Boston is particularly well-done. The military aspect of the war, however, is slightly lacking.
would love to give this a 4.75 star rating; the personalization of the American Revolution... Langguth is no Right Winger but right wingers will love this book because it offers a more intimate glimpse into the men that they worship.
Patriots is a vivacious narrative history of American Revolution. Beginning with James Otis' denunciation of British tax collection in 1760, it charts the course of colonial unrest through to Washington's resignation from the Continental Army following British defeat. The book introduces a number of the prominent people who did much to forge independence, and charts the principal events of the years with a fair-handed treatment that emphasises the contingency of war. Light on dates, lighter stil...more
This is my favorite book on American History and one of my favorite books ever written. I picked this up at my mom's house when I was bored one day and started skimming through the first few pages. I figured I might learn a few interesting facts. Instead, I was captivated. This book reads like a novel and it left me feeling like I knew some of our founding fathers personally. It made the events leading up to the Revolutionary War seem so much more real to me. I am not a history buff and never th...more
Having read a number of biographies on individuals from the revolutionary period, this book provides an overview tying many of those individual stories together.
This was really just a top-notch history book. Beginning with the Writs of Assistance arguments in the early 1760s and going all the way through until Washington resigns his commission in 1783, the book really explores the people involved. Their triumphs, tragedies, embarassments, fears, feelings and agendas are on display and it adds entire new layers of understanding to the entire American Revolution. It also reminds you of how precarious the entire situation was. Modern propaganda to the cont...more
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This book is one of my top five all time favorites. Langguth does an incredible job of bringing the reader back in time. Couldn't put it down.
Very well written. If all history books were written like this I would have enjoyed my history classes in school.
This is a wonderfully written book on the American Revolution in which the author brings the players to life. I couldn't wait to read the next chapter and was dissapointed when I had finished because I wanted to read more. Adams, Hancock, Jefferson, Washington, Otis and many others are truly heroes who risked everything including their lives to pursue a vision.....a grand experiment that continues to evolve today. While there are lots of good books on the Revolutionary period especially within t...more
My literary aspirations were bigger than my appetite on this one. Well-written, but just too long, too dense, and too much information. I never made it past the first chapter--kept finding "more interesting" things to do.
Something everyone should read.
One cool story in like 700 pages.
Oct 28, 2012
Doug Wright
added it
Better than a history class!
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A.J. "Jack" Langguth is Professor Emeritus of the the School of Journalism at the University of Southern California and an American author and journalist. In addition to his non-fiction work, he is the author of several dark, satirical novels. A graduate of Harvard College, Langguth was South East Asian correspondent and Saigon bureau chief for "The New York Times" during the Vietnam war. He was a...more
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