Rush Revere and the First Patriots

Adventures of Rush Revere #2

by Rush Limbaugh

Substitute middle-school history teacher Rush Revere takes his students back in time to eighteenth-century Boston to experience the start of the American Revolution as it happens.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Time Travel, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Audiobook

209 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2013

About the author

American radio host and conservative political commentator.

His nationally-syndicated talk show, The Rush Limbaugh Show, airs throughout the world on Premiere Radio Networks. He has been credited with reviving AM radio in the United States, and is considered to have been a "kind of national precinct captain" for the Republican Party's Congressional victories in 1994.

National Review magazine, in a 1993 cover story, called him "The Leader of the Opposition" during the Clinton presidency. A month after Bill Clinton's defeat of the the Elder Bush in 1992, Ronald Reagan sent Limbaugh, a man he never met, a letter in which he thanked Limbaugh "for all you're doing to promote Republican and conservative principles...[and] you have become the Number One voice for conservatism in our Country."

Reviews

[Geoff]

Rush Limbaugh recently attacked beloved local Washington DC leftist bookstore and cafe Busboys and Poets for not carrying his new children’s book Rush Revere and the First Patriots. The Washington Post did a good job pointing out that Rush is fundamentally misrecognizing the function of independent bookstores, which are not always oriented toward making maximum profit (since RRATFP is among the top 5 on the NYTimes bestseller list, why wouldn’t every book chain stock him? and if they don’t, well, it’s no mystery why these independent bookstores are closing left and right- they’re ignoring the siren call of Free Market Forces! which have been proven time and again to be infallible, just, and good) but sometimes cater to specific needs, under-represented markets such as minorities, LGBT, marginalized political groups, etc. and that in this atmosphere of Amazonian monopolism, catering to niche groups that have come to support your bookstore for representing and stocking specific titles and authors and topics (that is, maintaining a specific community (I know, Rightists find that word discomfiting)) is your business. There are only a handful of independent bookstores left in DC: Politics and Prose, Kramer’s, Busboys and Poets being the most prominent, and the only ones that regularly host author events and encourage a community of writers. They deserve our business, but they especially deserve our support and protection when a mass media juggernaut like Limbaugh singles them out for derision. This man’s words establish the ideology of the Right, but beyond this, his words directly affect the actions and behavior of a large portion of the population of the United States. He, almost single-handedly, creates the reality in which the Right in this country live out their existences. That weird other universe where the Right dwells, where the world of phenomena that the rest of us exist in seems to not quite reach, or at least tapers off at the horizon of, is essentially the product of Rush Limbaugh. And that reality may not have room in it for a plurality of thought or individual lifestyles and opinions, but the world I envision and wish to live in certainly does. Do not allow him to further degrade and destroy and polarize and dissolve all that is good and fair in this country. Do not allow another multi-millionaire to play the role of “victim” of the 99%. Support Busboys and Poets, Politics and Prose, Kramer’s, support bookstores and media outlets that give voice to the marginalized and the outliers, do it with your wallet, for that is sadly one of the last voices left with which to speak in our country. If the Right has it their way, soon that rustling voice will be the only thing heard in our public sphere.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, patriotic read that makes Colonial American history come alive. In this time travel adventure story, Rush Revere and his friends go back in time and meet Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere. Readers learn about the Boston Tea Party, the Stamp Act, and that freedom really is worth fighting for.
I appreciated how patriotic this book made me feel. I thought this was an engaging, educational read with many humorous moments thanks to Liberty, Rush Revere's talking horse.
The audio book is read by the author himself and I enjoyed it quite well.

[Becky]

Another example of publishers choosing marketability over well-written literature. I gave myself 25 pages to try to get engaged in this book, then decided there are too many good books out there to waste my time reading more of this one. Because really, if you're not hooked by the end of the first chapter, the author hasn't done his job.

What's wrong with this book?

Number one, it's a children's book about an adult TEACHER. What kid wants to read that? And even though the character expresses a desire to make his lessons interesting, narrative and dialog come off as drawn-out, boring history lectures. Kids would take one look at those long, unbroken paragraphs of explanation and their eyes would glaze over.

The time-travel vehicle is a talking horse. Since this book is, as far as I can tell, geared toward middle schoolers, it seems kind of lame and silly. Why not some cool historical artifact?

Every other sentence ends with an exclamation point! I hate that! It's so annoying!

The book is printed on glossy, faux-parchment design paper, interspersed with illustrations including the author's oversized head superimposed on a normal-sized body--creepy. Because of this, the book is heavy like a textbook, and this fancy treatment means it's way overpriced. A waste of good trees.

Bottom line: No one (no matter how famous you are) should set out to write a fiction story in order to teach something. The main goal of writing fiction should be to entertain readers. If they happen to learn something in the process, it's a bonus, but it shouldn't be the reason you're writing. That's what non-fiction is for.

I was really shocked to see how many people have given this story 4 and 5 stars. There are lots of well-written, engaging historical fiction stories set during the Revolution that deserve that kind of rating. I don't feel this is one of them.

Simon & Shuster, I have lost all respect for you.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to make history fun for all ages. I believe the target age is 10-13. I liked that this one wasn't exactly like the last one. Also not only are the patriots discussed, but other lessons are learned along the way...one being unconditional love. The quality of this book is amazing like the first. I love the illustrations included in this book. I'm passing it off to my ten year old tomorrow. She loved the last one. I'll be interested to see what she has to say about this one. Truly love the idea of bringing history to life!

[Elaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the majority of this audio book on a 15 hour long car ride with the family, but I did fall asleep for some of it though hehe :P

[Lugene Lancaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned what the Stamp Act really was about and had fun in the process. Great books to enjoy, funny, and informative.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Aloud with kids

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for young readers. Mr. Limbaugh brings colonial America to life for thosewho may not be familiar with what really happened in the birthing of our country. Rush Revere, a substitute history teacher, explains what was happening hundreds of years ago by time traveling with some students and his horse, Liberty. I bought a couple of the books in the series for a couple of our grandsons, ages seven and nine. Rush Revere and the First Patriots is an easy, informative introduction to the founding of America, the trials and tribulations encountered.
I recommend this series.

[Phillip · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I found this book at a thrift store, I didn't realize it was geared toward a much younger audience. My initial reaction was the book might mirror Bill O'Reilly's "Killing" series. Much to my surprise, it was a kids book aimed at the Junior High reading level. At any rate, I plunged ahead in reading the book. The content was light on substance; however, the book would make a great introduction to history for those not prone toward the subject. From my understanding, there are other books in the series. I won't read them, but I do encourage the younger generation to do so.

[Alyse Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I love these books, they're so much fun. I liked this one better than the last because of the interesting characters and the founding of America is so awesome anyway :)
Read it and learn something.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

  This is geared to middle-grade readers, as a way to introduce them to the First Patriots of the American Revolution such as Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, George Washington, and even their antagonist King George III. The method involves a substitute Honors History teacher, Rush Revere, and his time-traveling horse, Liberty. Together, they bring a couple of students along for the ride to be witnesses to some important events leading up to the start of the American Revolution.

  I listened to this book before the actual first book in the series, ( Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims), so I was a little thrown off by some of the references to things that had started then, such as how Rush Revere is such good friends with William Bradford from the Mayflower, and how Freedom has a telepathic connection with the horse Liberty. However, these were quickly glossed through, and did not hinder the rest of the story. Also since I listened to the audio book, I was saved the apparently relatively disturbing illustrations of “Rush Revere” himself in chibi form (extra large head, tiny body). Instead the author Rush Limbaugh himself narrates the book, lending an interesting tone to the entire story. Admittedly he did not differentiate Rush Revere’s voice much from the other characters (primarily Tommy, Cam, Freedom, Liberty, and Elizabeth, plus the various historical figures), which sometimes made it a little tricky to determine who was speaking until the speech tag actually came up. Of course, this could just be because I got a little spoiled with Elizabeth Gilbert’s narration and voice changes for her own books Eat, Pray, Love and Committed.

  I would go so far as to say that Rush Revere and Liberty try to do for history what Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus do for science. However, where “The Magic School Bus” follows from the point of view of the kids, with Ms. Frizzle often taking a knowledgeable backseat to watching and helping them learn, “Rush Revere and the First Patriots” follows from the point of view of the substitute history teacher Rush Revere, who nearly as often as the kids does not know what exactly they should do. He knows where and when to take them to show them some of the biggest moments in history, as Ms. Frizzle knows where to take the kids to make the most of a science lesson. Also like Ms. Frizzle and the kids in her class, they sometimes end up in some sort of danger. However where Ms. Frizzle has confidence that her students will be just fine and you feel that things will work out well no matter what (indeed, even that they were never truly in danger), Rush Revere instills no such reassurance, as he feels a need to be the one with all the answers and to actively step in to do something to protect the kids – which does not always work. More often than not, it is Liberty or the kids themselves – or even a historical figure! – who offers up the solution to their problem.

  Some of the first times that they travel back in time, it seemed to me that Rush, Tommy, and Cam did not worry much about affecting history – between all of the superhero references Tommy dropped, and Cam’s justifiably forward-thinking assertion that he was a free man (and to have the various patriots all but applaud and support his free man status without paperwork as well as views of slavery…), I had the distinct impression that they were not being very careful to not change the future. Before too long though, Rush Revere makes a comment effectively saying that they must try to not change the course of history with their presence… yet Tommy’s references and more continued.

  One part which I found considerably less believable than to be expected given the book’s premise and context was that Elizabeth was actually a threat with her determination to try and change the course of history by informing King George III about the Boston Tea Party. She is a student, Rush Revere a teacher and an adult, and I rather doubt that merely a video of the time jump Liberty takes would have truly been enough to blackmail Rush into taking her into the past. There was a distinct feeling from this entire subplot that Rush Revere lacked much control over or respect from his students, or at least where Elizabeth is concerned. Even if we grant that her blackmail is enough to get them to time jump into the past, since Liberty is his own horse, he could easily override her request about where/when they jumped to. The entire idea that Rush had to plot with Liberty to work around Elizabeth’s request seemed flimsy, and only held water because this subplot required that it work at all.

  Now, my rather religiously conservative aunt recommended this book highly, so I had a feeling it would have some conservative values worked in to it on top of the religious views actually present at that time in history. It managed to put off falling into reflecting this staunch view until near the end, and did not push the points very much (actually, at least for the first example below it is packaged with some very good messages for kids). Yet, I was still rather caught off guard by the couple of spots where this worldview became apparent, and wanted to point them out.

  

[Rush Revere told Tommy and Cam,] “You will meet people in your life that get on your nerves. Maybe they challenge your ideas, or they’re not willing to completely agree with you. That does not mean they are bad people. […] The point is, I believe that God knew he would need different people with a variety of personalities to create a free America. He needed men and women who weren’t afraid to speak their minds. He needed people who would not back down. Frankly, this country needs more of that today. Our country needs kids like you to speak up, when our liberties are being threatened. Our forefathers said and did hard things, even when they knew it might not be the popular thing.” - - Disc 4, track 2, 4:18

  Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with Rush Revere’s statement about what he believes about God’s decision. In fact, his beliefs can be a part of his character. I guess what I find interesting about that insertion is that my understanding of very conservative Christians is that they are not so open nor accepting of different opinions; I guess the surprise comes more from the correlation of God’s design and the goal of creating a free America. We are a Christian nation, but we are so much more than that – we are meant to be open and accepting to all peoples who face persecution for their religious beliefs. This correlation lends itself to supporting the (ultra-)conservative mindset that America is first and foremost a Christian nation, and its ideals should coincide with Christian morals and views to the exclusion of those of other religions or non-religions.

  So other than that sentence, the rest of the message in this section, in my opinion, is a great message for all children of the world. It is a message of encouragement, of tolerance, and of knowledge. It says rise to the challenge to defend yourself, to stand up for what you believe in, but I read that it also implies to listen to what others have to say. By defending our own beliefs against challenges to them do we deepen our own understanding and allow our knowledge to spread and grow as more information and challenges come our way.

  

[Paul Revere] said, “Only when we are free can we be all that God wants us to be. Only when we are free can we do all that God wants us to do. Remember this, my friend: Freedom is from God, and when we fight for freedom, we always fight on the side of God.” -- Disc 5, Track 1, 17:48

  Now, I am not thoroughly read up on how the Christian religions of the time viewed God and freedom, and it seems the information about his religious views is a little scattered (Church of England vs Congregationalist), and I do not claim to know enough to be truly knowledgeable on the matter, but when I read this fictionalized quote, I had to wonder if that was more of the historical Paul Revere “speaking,” or more of the modern Rush Limbaugh speaking. At the very least, I think this quote blurs the lines between preaching to and informing readers/children. It blurs the line between pushing forth a rather specific worldview/agenda and portraying to readers what might actually have been said at that time in history.

  All in all, it was an okay story crafted around interesting and important historical events. The story does an acceptable job at holding water if you suspend some disbelief. (Especially the one about how Rush, Tommy, Cam, and Elizabeth manage to not alter history despite all their trips back and meddling.) But there were rather more questionable historical representations than I would have liked from a story whose goal seems to be to teach kids about the rise of the American Revolution and patriotism. At least to an adult, the filters are relatively easy to recognize, though not necessarily to untangle from historical fact. I think it would be enough to interest a middle-grade reader, and satisfy their need for entertainment along with knowledge/important information. For me though, it just did not quite hit enough of the right buttons.

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved listening to this book! Which is weird for two reasons, 1. I can get a little sick of listening to him when I hear him on the radio. 2. I thought he would not be good at reading or writing a pre-teen book. I was wrong on both accounts.

I was laughing at the humor and impressed with his honesty of the Patriots not always doing the smartest thing and handled both sides very rationally. I loved the interactions with the kids and the historical figures. I may have been cracking up at Benjamin Franklin's conversation with Cam and Tommy about Star Wars. The sense of humor of Liberty is great too. I need to look through the actual book at the photos in it.

Overall, I get his tongue-in-cheek sense of humor a lot better now having listened to this book. As a lot of liberals get all up in arms about this sense of humor, thinking he is serious, and I did too until recently.

Also, several one star rating reviews are going on and on about how stupid a talking horse and time travel are, when they just need to be honest and say they don't like the man or care for his opinions, instead of taking it out on the book. Two separate things. And the talking horse is a great character and they need to lighten up and remember what it was like to be a kid and have fun. ☺

[Valery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this first, accidentally. My son adored it and it was quite charming. Liberty is the most memorable character of course, silly and fun, and my son was often giggling. Loved the historical accuracy and how it teaches kids in a fun way!

[Kaden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! It clearly gave accurate information about the First Patriots while also providing dynamic characters and a fun storyline. I applaud Mr. Limbaugh for creating this novel and also giving us precise facts and details on the subject of the story.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, but it wasn't the best book I ever read.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia read June 2020. She rated it 4.5 stars and is really enjoying this series.

[Jenny Hartfelder · Rating 2 out of 5]

We finished this simply to say it as done. It's too silly to be a textbook and too academic to be a story. I had much higher hopes for this series based on the reviews, but we'll not be listening to any more. We certainly respect Rush Limbaugh and all he stood for, but his strength was in radio rather than children's literature.

[Tiffany Shank · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I really enjoyed this! Excellent, fun, engaging history of the American revolution. Honestly, it’s Perfect for kids and adults.

[Kelsey Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Read Aloud*
I highly recommend reading this book in audio book format. Rush Limbaugh narrates it! Rush Limbaugh is the voice of my childhood and it was so nostalgic hearing him read this story.

[Orion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rush Limbaugh’s
The First Patriots
A book review by: Orion Saal


Rush Revere, a history teacher who likes to take some of his students on time travel adventures with his talking time traveling horse Liberty. This book is a great read and this is where you can read why.


I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it brings out the imaginative side of us while simultaneously teaching us about our nation's history and the early Americans who made it happen. This book is a historical fiction that is seen in first person through the eyes on rush revere as he takes his students on time travel adventure throughout history. The author Rush Limbaugh has written multiple historical fiction books that stay the path of Rush Revere as he time travels to other times and places along with his always hungry and very strange talking horse Liberty. Some examples of these books are Rush Revere and the American Revolution, Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims, and Rush Revere and the Star Spangled Banner. Some of the main characters have already been mentioned like Rush Revere the history teacher and Liberty the talking time traveling horse but there are a few more that should be mentioned. Rush revere's main students are Tommy a playful boy that can sometimes be a bit too playful, Freedom a shy girl with a mental attachment to Liberty allowing them to speak telepathically, and Cam a boy who is constantly surprising everyone with his skills and intelligence in the worst of times. The theme of the books is really just to keep up with your imagination and that sometimes it’s OK to let it get the best of you.


As I said before I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I believe that it would be a suitable read for almost all ages. I liked the book because it requires you to have an open and imaginative mind in order to understand the book in the way that he wants us to. The way the story is written makes it so you don't have to go back and read the last chapter again because you are confused or you missed something. I’ve read almost the entire Rush Revere series and I am in the middle of reading the 4th book in the series Rush Revere and the Star Spangled Banner. I would definitely read the next book if Rush Limbaugh was to write another for the series. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read while simultaneously keeping an open and imaginative mind the entire read of the historical fiction book mixed in with a little comedy from Liberty the horse and a great learning experience for us all.

[sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rush Revere and the First Patriots by Rush Limbaugh covers the events of the Stamp Act, Intolerable Acts, and the Boston Tea Party. Written with a descriptive and detailed hand, this story can help anyone gain a better understanding of the history of the United States of America. Rush Limbaugh covers history that you never knew of, describing it meticulously and making you feel like you are experiencing history for yourself.

When Rush Revere, his trusty horse Liberty, and a few of his new history students travel into the past to meet King George the Third, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and other important historical figures, they find themselves in great danger. The British soldiers are out to get them, and many of their new, brave friends are being hunted down for treason against England. To make it worse, Elizabeth, another one of Mr. Revere's history students, is planning to tell the king about the Boston Tea Party and help stop the American Revolution once and for all. Will Rush and his students be able to protect America's freedom, or will the future be pushed into terrible times of unfair laws and taxes?

This book is a wonderful tool for history teachers and any other individuals who would like to learn more about the birth of America. The author's word choice is amazing, and it should help readers learn new words in every chapter. I recommend this story to those 9 and up, as it is fairly easy to understand, but will still challenge those who read it. This tale inspires creative thought and will help you understand the history of America better than you ever have before.

R-3

[Lance Lumley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second children's book that radio host Rush Limbaugh has wrote, and it is as good, if not better, than his first one. After purchasing the first book when it came out, it took me a while to get a copy from the local library, but it was worth the wait.
The characters from the first book are here, with the main character Rush Revere, a substitute history teacher, and his friend Liberty, a talking horse, and two students Freedom and Tommy. There are a few more characters in the book, but Rush and his friends time travel back in history to witness the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party, where they meet Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere.
The presentation of these series of books are very well done. The book is around 220 pages, the flow of the book does not slow down, and the illustrations by Chris Hiers are better than most children books. There is humor in the book, along with a way that children can enjoy studying history. The only sad thing about these books is how those that dislike Limbaugh as a radio host may deny their children the chance to read these great books, and possibly inherit a sense of American pride. There is a trivia page at the back of the book that parents can use to help the children earn as well.
This was a great book and can not wait to read the next book in the series.

[Matti Swistock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book and I recommend it to everyone! It's his historical fiction which I generally do not read, but this book held my interest highly. It teaches people, ( generally children) about history without being boring because it's time traveling and in a school which most children probably know pretty well and can visualize easily. My favorite part is the " Stomp Act". It was really fun and sometimes I find myself singing it. This book really engages children with the back round and the silliness of it. I have read so many times and I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!

[Annie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was skeptical to begin with that I could honestly recommend a book written by a obvious racist, but I was open to the fact that a book full of early American history could have some merit in the classroom. However, this book is poorly written and a thinly veiled right-wing view on early history. Politics aside, the book is cheesy and I don't think would be enjoyed by high school students. There are colorful pages with historical photos, but then there also are several illustrations of the main character, Rush Revere, featuring a photograph of Limbaugh's head. This seems like a convenient way for him to put his face on lots of pages. There's also a horse that talks (named Liberty) and a student character that can communicate with the horse telepathically (named Freedom!) even though everyone can communicate with the horse since it TALKS. Ugh.

0/3

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as his first in this series but still worth reading. This summer, I am reading both books out loud to my kids. He does a good job writing about history that is readable for kids and pointing out why freedom is necessary.

[Amy Krohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I now have a much clearer notion of who Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Patrick Henry, and King George are and how they impacted the beginnings of the United States. Good history. Fun time-travel. Funny Rush.

[Cadence · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I love the way these books make American history interesting to kids, the writing is just not very good. I hoped the second book would be better than the first, but I cringed my way through most of it. I don't have very high hopes for the rest.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rush does it again. This book was fun to listen to (Rush reads it himself) and taught about some of our founding fathers. The kids love Liberty the time traveling horse!

[Dave Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable romp through history.

[carter Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book in some parts is a little bit hard but SO GOOD.