The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin

Apr 02, 2012 Penny Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-yalsa-best-of-the-best

Forget this is a nonficton book. Think of it rather as a swashbuckling adventure novel! It would make a great movie! Picture Benedict Arnold as the reckless, anti-authority hero who gets himself into a lot of tough situations but always manages to get the bad guy in the end. (I'm thinking of Bruce Willis in the Die Hard films or Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon films. Old examples, I know, but hey, I'm a grandmother!)

This book was a finalist for the 2012 YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: jf-ya, non-fiction

This is one of the most interesting non-fiction books I have read in quite some time. It is the story of a true American hero, patriot, and General who betrayed his country. The writing is action packed and engrossing. Highly recommended.

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May 04, 2013 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Written by Steve Sheinkin
Published on November 9, 2010

This nonfiction book geared towards young adults is about the rise and fall of Benedict Arnold during the American Revolution. The story is told from the perspective of Benedict Arnold and John André and is full of action and suspense throughout the book. Most Americans know that Arnold was a traitor in the Revolution, but few (including myself) know about his heroism. At the Saratoga National Park, New York there is a boot memorial for Arnol...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Keilah R rated it 3 of 5 stars

By: Steve Sheinkin
Biography
Finished 2-25-13
307 pages

The biography, "The Notorious Benedict Arnold" is about the sixth Benedict Arnold, who was an American hero, as well as a traitor. It tells the story of his life from his childhood to his death. Throughout all of his life, Arnold remains ambitious, daring, and always welcomes attention. The book tells about his courageous adventures, leading his American men on dangerous journeys and into many battles, but he is not known as a hero to everyone....more By: Steve Sheinkin
Biography
Finished 2-25-13
307 pages

The biography, "The Notorious Benedict Arnold" is about the sixth Benedict Arnold, who was an American hero, as well as a traitor. It tells the story of his life from his childhood to his death. Throughout all of his life, Arnold remains ambitious, daring, and always welcomes attention. The book tells about his courageous adventures, leading his American men on dangerous journeys and into many battles, but he is not known as a hero to everyone. Hungry for riches and fame, Benedict Arnold schemes to betray America and side with the British. Overall, did Arnold get what he really wanted? Read all about his amazing acts of heroism and treachery that have made him a legend in this novel.

I gave this book 3/5 stars because I liked it, but it wasn't amazing. One of the things I liked about this novel was that it's very descriptive. One part where it's descriptive is when Arnold is leading his weary men on a long, dangerous journey into Canada to attack the British. A passage says, "The army huddled on a small hill, teeth chattering, dodging falling limbs that the whipping wind kept cracking off trees all around them." Another good thing about this book is that it has a lot of funny facts that go along with the story. One of them
was after an American general had fled with his army from the British. It says, "General Thomas left so quickly that when the British general Guy Carleton came charging out of the city, he found supper still warm on Thomas's table." One thing I didn't like about this book was that it left me bored at a few parts, dragging on the story. Another thing I didn't like was that the author adds some gory details that are pretty gross. One of them was when Arnold's men were carrying their traveling canoes on their soldiers. It says, "The heavy boats scraped and rubbed the men's shoulders, wearing through their shirts, and then their skin, until the white tips of bones poked out." Overall, this biography had more ups than downs.
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Feb 18, 2013 Kylie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this one for my YA class. It is obvious the author is passionate about and partial to Benedict Arnold, which at first made me doubt his scholarship. That plus the fact that it lacks in-text documentation. But, this is nonfiction for teenagers, so apparently that is not needed and you can tell from his bibliography notes at the back that the book is thoroughly researched. Ultimately, I think I like knowing an author's bias up front. Then I don't spend the whole book trying to guess what th...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Alyssa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I personally am not usually a big fan of reading history-based books as I usually find them boring and hard to read and find interest in. Although I was not thrilled about having to read The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, and Treachery, I found myself very pleasantly surprised! I really like the organization and writing style of this book which made it easy to follow and interesting to read for people, like myself, who are not usually as drawn to books such as thi...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Kathleen Hagen added it

Shelves: 2012-audio-books

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, and Treachery, by Steve Sheinkin, Narrated by Mark Branhall, Produced by Listening Library, Downloaded from audible.com.

This is an amazing piece of history. Benedict Arnold rose through the ranks to become one of its bravest heroes in the beginning of the Revolution. But the American army could rarely pay its soldiers or even provide them with adequate clothing for the hard winters, and certainly could not provide the kind of tr...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Kian Sidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

After our interesting, exciting, and fun lesson about the revolutionary war in our history class that interested me so much, I decided to read about the traitor- The Notorious Benedict Arnold. The book consists of warfare, traitors, what people would do to fight for liberty, and sneaky people who made false rumors of Arnold, charging him with many false accusations. The book starts off telling readers about the childhood of young Benedict, who was a rash child who laughed at the face of danger a...more After our interesting, exciting, and fun lesson about the revolutionary war in our history class that interested me so much, I decided to read about the traitor- The Notorious Benedict Arnold. The book consists of warfare, traitors, what people would do to fight for liberty, and sneaky people who made false rumors of Arnold, charging him with many false accusations. The book starts off telling readers about the childhood of young Benedict, who was a rash child who laughed at the face of danger and who wasn't afraid of anything. But when he grew up, he later decided to fight was was known as the Revolutionary war, becoming a great general and a great friend to Washington. My favorite quote was "Having made every sacrifice of fortune and blood, and become a cripple in the service of my country, I little expected to meet the ungrateful returns I have received from any countryman; but I must take it." Benedict Arnold said this. I LOVE this quote because it explains whats been happening in the war. Arnold barley gets any credit. Arnold was told to stay back by a higher-rank officer in the battlefield but when Arnold refused and attacked, Arnold was successful but his leg was shattered. And instead of rewarding him, they give a medal to the coward-like commander who never went out to the battlefield unlike Arnold did. Plus Arnold sacrificed all his money to give to the retreating-patriots and one of them who hated Benedict accused Arnold of stealing. And finally one of the famous patriots hated Arnold because he was jelous of him and he tried to get people against him. When Arnold was leaving he panicked and threw silly accusations at him like: disrespecting people, wearing clothes that were to nice, and making shady deals. These accusations were not true and had no evidence to prove it. These were some of the things people did to Arnold and that's why this is my favorite quote. The authors writing style was a little detailed but not too detailed. I still give him credit because he couldn't get much information of dialouge from people. I would recommend this book to people who like warfare and are interested by the revolutionary war.(less)

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Nov 03, 2012 Erica rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Notorious Benedict Arnold is not a story I was supposed to like, but I was completely entranced. Steve Sheinkin’s account of Arnold’s life shows how he was, from an early age, destined to become the most infamous turncoat in American history. Sheinkin’s book is obviously well research and referenced, but even more compelling was the author’s own admiration and empathy for a figure that historically we most often refer to as one-dimensionally villainous. Sheinkin’s portrayal of Arnold shows h...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, historical, nonfiction, not-graphic, ya, biography

Benedict Arnold never could stand inaction. So he decided to invade Canada. . . .

The fact that no one had told Arnold to lead the first foreign invasion in American history meant nothing to him. It was the right strategic move, and he made it.

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Aside from his name and the simple fact that he was an important traitor during the Revolutionary War, I really didn't know all that much about Benedict Arnold before reading this book. It turns out he's a fascinating figure. And I don't mean "fascina...more Benedict Arnold never could stand inaction. So he decided to invade Canada. . . .

The fact that no one had told Arnold to lead the first foreign invasion in American history meant nothing to him. It was the right strategic move, and he made it.

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Aside from his name and the simple fact that he was an important traitor during the Revolutionary War, I really didn't know all that much about Benedict Arnold before reading this book. It turns out he's a fascinating figure. And I don't mean "fascinating" in an academic sense; he has a great, entertaining story.

And author Sheinkin does a great job of telling that story (I waffled between 4 and 5 stars). There is excellent drama, tension, pacing, and plotting. Yet this is no fictionalized or even dramatized account, because Sheinkin is also very journalistic and doesn't resort to conjecture to fill in blank spots. There aren't quite full dialogue exchanges, but there are lots of quotes from letters and other primary source documents that fill that role nicely, personalizing the events and revealing the thoughts and emotions behind the reported actions. This is extensively researched.

If he hadn't been so concerned with restoring his family name and living a life of privilege, Benedict Arnold most likely would have gone down in history as one of the great American heroes. He was a brash, adventurous, independent, hot-tempered man of action who accomplished some of the war's great feats before becoming alienated and disillusioned; and it was those same traits that made him such a daredevil on the battlefield that also caused his downfall, his confrontational, unrestrained manner that annoyed and angered the many who shared widely their negative opinions of him. George Washington felt there was no one more qualified on the battlefield, yet the political necessity of uniting the new country often prevented him from capitalizing on Arnold's talents, as he was too divisive a figure. Starting with his youthful stunts like walking the peaked roof a burning barn and throwing a lit match into a gunpowder-filled cannon, his exploits, adventures, and tragic downfall make for a highly absorbing tale.

Anyone looking for a good adventure novel ought to consider this along with the more typical fiction options.

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Arnold asked one of the prisoners what he thought the Americans would do if he, Arnold, were ever captured.

"If I must answer your question, you must excuse my telling you the plain truth," said the prisoner. "If my countrymen should catch you, I believe they would first cut off that lame leg, which was wounded in the cause of freedom and virtue, and bury it with the honors of war; and afterwards hang the remainder of your body." . . .

If Arnold had died from his wounds at the Battle of Saratoga, we would think of him today as one of the all-time great American heroes. Aside from Washington, we'd say, he did more to win our Revolution than anyone. We'd celebrate his life as one of the best action stories we have--Washington never did anything half as exciting as the march to Quebec or the Battle of Valcour Island. Sure, we'd say Arnold was unstable, tormented, a loose cannon. But he'd be our loose cannon.

We don't say any of that, and it's all Arnold's fault. But still, it's all true.

If you visit the Saratoga battlefield, which is now a national park, you may see a very strange monument, one that perfectly symbolizes Arnold's place in the United States. It's tucked away off the main path, near tour stop number seven, the spot where Arnold led his final charge as an American general. It's a small stone sculpture of a lower left leg. No person, just a tall boot.

A plaque reads: "In memory of the most brilliant soldier of the Continental Army who was desperately wounded on this spot, the sally port of Burgoyne's Great Western Redoubt 7th October, 1777, winning for his countrymen the decisive battle of the American Revolution."

Nowhere does the monument mention the name Benedict Arnold.(less)

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Jun 17, 2012 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have always been intrigued by the story of Benedict Arnold. He was a military hero of the Revolution while not being particularly tactful when it comes to the politics of being a leader. It ended up leaving him on the edge. The resulting lack of success led him to be open to traitorous actions.

This book, which is written primarily for a middle school audience, nicely sets out his story. I felt both sympathetic and frustrated by Arnold throughout the presentation, which is presented with helpfu...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Cassie rated it 4 of 5 stars

You likely don’t think of a war hero when you hear the name Benedict Arnold. However, what you get when you read The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin is a biographical recount of his life, adventures, and how it all came to a tragic end for this infamous icon. I really enjoy that this biography shows how the events in Arnold’s life unfolded to create the image of how we see him today. Sheinkin admits to an obsession with the story of Benedict Arnold and his passion shines through in t...more You likely don’t think of a war hero when you hear the name Benedict Arnold. However, what you get when you read The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin is a biographical recount of his life, adventures, and how it all came to a tragic end for this infamous icon. I really enjoy that this biography shows how the events in Arnold’s life unfolded to create the image of how we see him today. Sheinkin admits to an obsession with the story of Benedict Arnold and his passion shines through in the writing. This non-fiction book reads more like an adventure novel. It is an engaging and well-detailed account of Benedict Arnold’s life. Battle scenes and relationships are recounted to help the reader understand the events that led up to Benedict Arnold’s betray of his country. I was more than fascinated by the play by play account of events that impacted American history. This book is well-researched and well-written. The chapters are done in a journal like fashion with titles and date ranges that help the reader place the events chronologically. This structure, along with the large text, makes this book appealing to children. I especially enjoyed the element of suspense that the very short chapters create as they recount Arnold’s life. Aside from a portrait of Benedict Arnold, the only other artwork that is included in this book are various hand drawn maps that are great to reference while reading. An extensive list of source notes and quote notes are appended, arranged by category and chapter, which can help a reader who may be interested in exploring Arnold’s story a bit further. The Notorious Benedict Arnold is a great example of using documents such as journals, letters, and memoirs to create an in depth and credible recount of a fascinating true story. This book tells a story of war, betrayal, and death and for this reason I believe that it is better suited for junior high aged children and up. Any flaws that this book may have are easily forgotten as the reader turns each page in suspense. (less)

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Oct 27, 2011 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens, non-fiction

This author is so fascinated by Arnold that he actually persuaded his wife to take a 2-week "vacation" to follow the route of Arnold's march to Quebec. So I was surprised to find that the historical myths concerning Arnold's youth were repeated here. But that was the only thing I found disappointing. This book reads much less like a textbook than Murphy's and, even though I knew the outcome, I found it to be a suspenseful page-turner. Finally, the author uses a lot of original sources, thus allo...more

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Jul 24, 2011 June Morgan rated it 5 of 5 stars

I remember that Benedict Arnold has always been known as a traitor during the Revolution, but I didn't remember what he actually did.

Sheinkin's THE NOTORIOUS BENEDICT ARNOLD was an excellent read. It is very evident that he really had done the research to write such a biographical, accurate, and interesting book. Of course, Benedict Arnold was a character himself. He seemed to make rules up for himself as he went along.

As one usually does when reading non-fiction, I learned many things that I d...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Paula rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 50-book-challenge

Before reading this book, the only thing I knew about Benedict Arnold was that he had been an officer in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, and that he had betrayed his country in such a way that his name became synonomous with treason and betrayal. But I never really thought why his betrayal was so awful that it lives in infamy well over 200 years after his act of treason. But because he had been one of the most famous and able Generals in the Continental army, and had fought b...more

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May 17, 2013 Trinna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, history

I LOVED this book. Written really well. I am amazed at the story of this man's life. The amazing general he was and the battles he led, to the fall of his name and honor and his turn to treason. You start out loving him for his poor beginnings and making a name for himself with his damaged family name. You praise him for his fighting and heroism, and then you gasp at his misfortune and hurt that comes to his name, and you feel sorry for his spiral downward turning to treason and selfishness and...more

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May 06, 2012 Katie Young rated it 5 of 5 stars

Katie Young
Biography

This book tells the life story of Benedict Arnold from his rocky beginnings as a young boy, through his days in the American army, and finally his death in England. It is an intimate look at the life of Benedict Arnold and the trials and tribulations he faced from the time he was a boy. Were his experiences the reason he chose to betray his country? He was brave and adventurous which helped him in his military career but politics always seemed to get in his way of getting ahe...more

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Jun 02, 2013 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Many hold Benedict Arnold synonymous with treason. However, Arnold was, a heroic patriot in the beginning of the Revolutionary War. I will say that I had the propensity to ignore Mr. Arnold's Masonic past due to the disgrace his name eludes to, and sadly the disgrace is well placed.

While reading the book, the author asks why Washington woul still trust and defend Benedict Arnold. This does not show much on Arnold but more so on Washington. Washington held true to his Masonic principles and his o...more

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May 20, 2013 Heemin rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Notorious Benedict Arnold
by Steve Sheinkin
Biography
352 pages

This book starts out by giving you background on Benedict Arnold's life. He was an energetic child who always needed to be in the center of attention, as he got older, his father’s business fell and the family’s reputation fell dramatically because of his father’s drinking habits. He promised himself to make the name known and made the business strong again, because this did not work very well, he later decided to join the small Ame...more The Notorious Benedict Arnold
by Steve Sheinkin
Biography
352 pages

This book starts out by giving you background on Benedict Arnold's life. He was an energetic child who always needed to be in the center of attention, as he got older, his father’s business fell and the family’s reputation fell dramatically because of his father’s drinking habits. He promised himself to make the name known and made the business strong again, because this did not work very well, he later decided to join the small American army, led by George Washington. He quickly fell in favor with the general and for good reason too. His bold recklessness made people want to follow him, and his group of men quickly became one of the best in the army. However, the current Congress soon became one of the groups against him because of the popularity of the military leaders. The same traits that made him so effective in war also made enemies with many powerful people in the newly forming country and the Congress denied him a promotion to a major general. Eventually threatening to leave the army if the government did not give him the position, he forced the Congress to tell him they would reconsider the choice if he led the next attack on the British. He got the promotion, but the other major generals still outranked him and Arnold quickly got sick of the war. He offered the British help in the war for a quick finish. Knowing the genius of Benedict Arnold the British quickly agreed. Almost on the verge of working, by luck three soldiers were crossing the bridge at the time the British soldier was and asked what he was doing, the soldier again by mistake did not show the soldiers the passport papers that Arnold gave him and thought he was on British ground. This stopped the plans from working and the Americans, fueled with the horror of the knowledge that the betrayal very nearly worked, won the war.

Surprisingly, very little of this book is on the betrayal to America. It focuses on the many military achievements during his career. All I knew about him before was the betrayal, and in great detail too, because that is all most things focus on. However, even though Benedict Arnold almost brought the end to the American Revolution, he also saved it many times. One of the battles that fascinated me the most was when he built out first navy in less than two months, and held off a navy of at least 25 warships. After using terrain to their advantage, they fought until nightfall where they went around the ships and tried to outrun the British, when the British caught up, the fleet turned into more shallow water where the larger warships could not follow. Here they set the remaining ships on fire providing a temporary barrier against the British. Many stories like these come up in this book along with information on his personal life. I knew very little of this and have come to see Benedict Arnold in a new point of view. The book ends with it talking about the memorial to him, in which all there is is a leg, his leg that was maimed for the cause of freedom and liberty. It mentions that it provides tribute to a great war general, but never once on the plaque does it mention the name of Benedict Arnold.
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Sep 18, 2012 Giggy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold amazed the people in his country so much they were at a loss for words, but sometimes that wasn’t a good thing. The Notorious Benedict Arnold, by Steve Sheinkin, is an exciting, non-fiction and adventurous life story about a man who grew up in Norwich, Connecticut, where he was born in 1741. His name was Benedict Arnold. As a boy, Arnold was daring and adventurous. His parents sent him to a boarding school at age 11 to try to tame him. This did not seem to work bec...more
Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold amazed the people in his country so much they were at a loss for words, but sometimes that wasn’t a good thing. The Notorious Benedict Arnold, by Steve Sheinkin, is an exciting, non-fiction and adventurous life story about a man who grew up in Norwich, Connecticut, where he was born in 1741. His name was Benedict Arnold. As a boy, Arnold was daring and adventurous. His parents sent him to a boarding school at age 11 to try to tame him. This did not seem to work because at boarding school he did stunts like standing on top of a burning building. While at school, his mother sent him letters. One day, he received a letter from his mother saying two of his sisters were dead because of the fever that had been going through their hometown, but he couldn’t come home because he was worried about catching the fever.

Later in his life, Arnold became Colonel Benedict Arnold of the Connecticut Militia. This meant he had more power than he had when he was a foot soldier. The leaders of the revolution in Massachusetts entrusted him with the mission of capturing of Fort Ticonderoga, a British fort with many cannons that the Americans could use during the American Revolution. Another officer had plans to do the same thing so they decided to help each other. While they agreed to work together, Arnold got the short end of the stick and received no credit for what he did, and that did not sit well with him. Not getting credit happened a lot to Arnold in his military career, which always made him mad. Arnold climbed through the military ranks and was ranked just under a general. Arnold had become good friends with George Washington. Washington had to pick five men to become a general and he chose Arnold as one of those men. Despite Washington’s recommendation, Congress denied this, which again made Arnold very mad. Eventually, Arnold became appointed a general by Congress ¬¬and led a march to Canada to attack a British warship. This was very important because the British were getting strong and this slowed them down. He captured the warship but, as usual, didn’t get any credit for his leadership.

Arnold became very frustrated and his temper became very short. This would soon change his life and the lives of people around him. There was a British officer named John Andre. He was a brilliant officer and he captured Pennsylvania. He and Arnold knew each other. They were not rivals but they were on different sides. Arnold had just been blamed for doing illegal things like stealing carriages and buying from merchants that were not supposed to sell. This annoyed Arnold so much that he snapped. He became so angry that he did something outrageous; he wrote a letter to John Andre the British officer saying something that would change everything.

I liked this book because it let me be in the mind of Benedict Arnold, and that made me feel like I was in the middle of the story, which is an engaging effect for a reader. For example, I found it very suspenseful when Arnold was in battle and I was in his head hearing what he was thinking and what he was going to do next. I think that this book is similar to Animal Farm because the reader is sometimes in Napoleon’s head, seeing what he is thinking and what he is planning to do. For example, Napoleon gave many speeches to the animals convincing them that he was a better leader than Snowball.

While Reading The Notorious Benedict Arnold, I was always waiting for something big to happen and that was another good feature in this book, because it made me want to read more. For example, the opening sentence of the book starts with this quote: “It was a beautiful place to die.” (pg.1) When I read this opening line, I wanted to read more and see if something big was about to happen.

I do wish that the book were a little easier to understand and follow. In this book the author used language, such as phrases and terms, which people don’t use in the present day. When British officer John Andre wrote to his mother to describe his condition, he wrote: “You may conclude my carcass to be very safe for this winter, and, as I have some regard for myself, as happy and comfortable as I can.” (pg.142) Today, his letter would sound like: “Hi mom I’m writing to tell you that I will be safe this winter and I will try to be as happy and as comfortable as I can.”

I think that this would be a good book for people who like historic and non-fiction books because the entire story takes place during the American Revolution. It might also be good for people who like action and war books because in this book the author focuses on the strategies and the execution of battles in the American Revolution. As you can see Benedict Arnold was a huge part of the American Revolution, but some things he was a part of were things he probably wouldn’t want to be on his record.
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Apr 06, 2013 Kathrina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoirs-bios, history

Ostensibly, this book is for young adults, but anyone who isn't interested in reading 400 dense pages of details will enjoy this swift, engaging account of an American personality we all recognize by name, but few of us can describe. Take a look at some of the reviews here, and you'll find lots of younger readers who expected not to like this, but found Sheinkin's writing so compelling that they forgot they were reading history. I came to this book after reading Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal ...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Newengland rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-in-2012, nonfiction, ya

Good nonfiction for young adult readers is harder to come by than good fiction. Like cavalry over the hill, then, rides The Notorious Benedict Arnold, a book whose ending we know before we start -- but will the kids? I suppose it depends on the curriculum, when they get American history, and to what extent. But even for veterans like me, the book offers details either forgotten or never known.

Benedict Arnold couldn't get out of his own personality's way. His father of the same name, a drunken d...more Good nonfiction for young adult readers is harder to come by than good fiction. Like cavalry over the hill, then, rides The Notorious Benedict Arnold, a book whose ending we know before we start -- but will the kids? I suppose it depends on the curriculum, when they get American history, and to what extent. But even for veterans like me, the book offers details either forgotten or never known.

Benedict Arnold couldn't get out of his own personality's way. His father of the same name, a drunken disgrace, lit the fire of ambition and shame in his son at a young age. Conveniently enough, the Revolutionary War would provide the backdrop Benedict needed to show his mettle. And mettle he showed, at Saratoga and in Quebec, where he came this close to making Canada our 14th colony (some would say it happened anyway, but these would be Ugly Americans making uglier jokes). During actions at Quebec and Saratoga, Arnold was dealt serious injuries from gunfire. And though he lost a lot of blood, he sadly did not lose his life, missing two golden opportunities to go down among the Giants of the Revolution like Lafayette, Von Steuben, Ethan Allen, and Washington. Instead, he would outlive his heroic chances and allow his sullen, jealous, angry temperament a chance to win notoriety for quite another reputation, one driven by money and relentless ambition.

The lesser star (and fall guy) of the book is concurrent story of Major John André. He played spy to Arnold's traitor, and their tango ended badly for him. Author Sheinkin tells us that André was one of those singularly handsome men who charmed women and men alike with his personality and intelligence. Unfortunately, this intelligence would forsake him in a few key seconds that would seal his fate. After meeting Arnold behind enemy lines near West Point, he was fleeing south toward the British-held city of New York. Alas, he did not think through the actions he would take if he were stopped by Americans. He foolishly said he was British by assuming he was far enough south and already among Loyalists. In retrospect, this made no sense. Had he said he was American, the outcome would have worked to his advantage no matter what. That is, if his interceptors were Americans (which they were), they would have let him by with the handwritten pass he held from Arnold. And even if they were British, they would have seized him and taken him as a "prisoner" to General Clinton -- the very man who sent him out on the mission -- down in New York. At age 29, the dashing Major André had written the opening lines to his own final act.

Some might say he was luckier than Arnold, who would survive and escape Washington's frantic attempts to capture and make an example of him. Arnold made a few forays wearing a redcoat -- burning New London, CT, for one -- but the war soon ended and he spent the remainder of his years in England and Canada with ignominy and Peggy Shippen as his mates. Even the side he defected to held him in low esteem after the war. Washington had offered André's life in exchange for Arnold's, but Genl. Clinton, as much as he loved André, could not pull the trigger on this tempting deal because of the unwritten rule: You never, but NEVER, turn over a turncoat.

When all is said and done, you will learn a lot more about Benedict Arnold's character and personality, his military genius and derring do, and his innate ability to annoy superiors in the military (where, quite frankly, many men on both sides acted like middle school children in their endless bickering, resentments, intrigues, and calculated slander and libel of each other's character). You will enjoy some military strategizing, take in some battle-day narratives, and learn just how close the colonies came to losing this war. And yes, you will see the major role of irony and chance, and just how comfortable both of these things are in the fertile grounds of history. An awful lot of things had to go wrong for Benedict Arnold's plan to fail. Sheinkin shows just how lucky the Americans got with a series of wild coincidences on the fateful day the West Point trap was set to spring. He also provides the perfect coda for the book by describing a most curious monument made in Arnold's "honor" at Saratoga. Curious and symbolically appropriate, I'd say.

Recommended for young readers in need of some bracing nonfiction, for a change.(less)

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May 24, 2012 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Steve Sheinkin did a great job turning this biography of Benedict Arnold into an action/adventure story using authentic research and incorporating it into the story. And while I would never have picked up a biography of him normally, I'm so glad I did because I really learned more about his story than was ever brought up in any of my US history courses. The author briefly talks about his early life, and then spends the novel retelling the reckless, brave war stories that made Benedict Arnold a n...more

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Jun 04, 2013 Shannonmde rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

For the blog (a posting about this book and Sheinkin's book Bomb):

Since I enjoyed Bomb so much, I picked up Sheinkin’s first book, The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, and Treachery. The Notorious Benedict Arnold won the 2011 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Nonfiction. I’m not sure I would have picked up this book otherwise, except for the author. I can’t say I’ve ever been particularly interested in reading about Benedict Arnold.

Everyone who’s ever been to ele...more

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Jul 02, 2012 bjneary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, history, nonfiction, kindle

Sheinkin's ode to Benedict Arnold was awesome! I found myself thoroughly immmersed in the world of the American Revolution, Benedict Arnold and his perplexing personality (hard worker, soldier, but also rude and self-absorbed) and the life and times of this important period in our history. The way Arnold's life unfolds will definitely interest students, teachers and reluctant readers. The author has a flair for the dramatic in painting Benedict Arnold as a young man driven to succeed, where his...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: reluctant readers, fans of Anthony Horowitz

Shelves: 2013-ya-audiobook-challenge, young-adult, non-fiction, history

Steve Sheikin did an amazing job with this detailed and thorough biography of one our nation's biggest war hero's and our greatest, treacherous villain, Benedict Arnold.

Now I'm sorry to admit I don't remember much of my Revolutionary history (nor, apparently, a much more recent visit to the Saratoga battlefield where Arnold lead the Americans to a key victory), and this book is as much an overview of the Revolutionary War as it is a biography of it's key military players, including Gen. George W...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Pamela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-nonfic, 4-middle-sch, c-historical

This is an excellent telling of the story of one man’s journey from being one of the most celebrated and successful soldier and patriot during the Revolutionary War, to one of the most reviled traitors in US history. Arnold (the sixth Benedict) led the first US invasion of a foreign country (Canada), the first US navy battle (on Lake Champlain), and one of the tide-turning victories of the war; but then planned to betray Gen. Washington, along with loads of troops and supplies, at West Point whe...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Leigh Isley rated it 5 of 5 stars

I picked this book because it is a YALSA non-fiction book and also a biography. At first I had a bit of skepticism about reading this biography. First this isn't my type of read and I was expecting it to be a long boring story. This book is not at all I expected. It would be most appropriate for the teenage ages of 15-18. It is hard to believe that Benedict Arnold would be an actual American Revolutionary War hero if only he had died at the Battle of Saratoga and had not committed treason agains...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Erika rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

Excellent historical book!! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the authors style of writing.

I don't remember hearing much about Benedict Arnold in history classes in school (apart from the 'traitor' aspect) and it was interesting to read his entire story and realize that in many different way, we would not have won the American Revolution without him. He was a brilliant military strategist who was under-appreciated by military leaders and politicians alike. The authors telling of the story makes...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Erin Boyington rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, y-a, my-library-had-it, character, biopunk, story

Before his name became synonymous with traitor, Benedict Arnold was one of the heroes of the American Revolution, and without his reckless courage the Colonies' rebellion may have ended at Saratoga.

George Washington once wrote of Arnold "The merit of this gentleman is certainly great. I heartily wish that fortune may distinguish him as one of her favorites." He was once a byword for bravery, the quintessential American patriot and man of action - but Arnold had his enemies, and earned every one...more

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BYU-Adolescent Li...: The Notorious Benedict Arnold	1	1	Jun 10, 2013 10:50am
YA Reads for Teac...: July 2012 - YA Nonfiction - The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin	42	59	Jul 30, 2012 07:42am

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