Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hackett Fischer (ISBN: 0-19-509831-5) is an in-depth biography of the man whose famous horse ride and plan to warn the colonists of impending danger has largely withstood the test of time and has been passed down to the present day through prose, poetry, and visual art. Paul Revere’s father was a poor French boy when he arrived in the New World, but hard work allowed him to establish himself and provide a solid foundation for his family. Revere followed in his father’s footsteps by learning to silversmith. He added engraving to his repertoire along with being unafraid to try his hand at other things, including dentistry (not exactly the science we know today). He was also a master networker and communicator who felt and filled a large civic duty. He was a part of multiple civic organizations and participated fully in various local boards and commissions. People up and down the Massachusetts coast knew and trusted him. He did undertake his famous nighttime ride, but he was not alone, and it didn’t involve only the Old North Church. Revere rode one route while two other men took a different route. Revere’s was arguably more successful, as he made contact with more people than the other riders, but both played an important role. As they made contact in the towns and villages near Boston, other riders then carried the warning farther inland or farther north. Wildly, Revere was actually apprehended briefly by a British patrol, but they let him go after questioning. Ultimately, the other Massachusetts towns were warned in time to prepare for the coming of the British army. After the famous ride, Revere went on to continue his involvement in American politics, including making engravings that told the colonists’ side of the story and helped organize them around the revolutionary cause. Revere made many contributions above and beyond his famous ride to the revolutionary effort.I thought the book was really good. I was a little worried when, at the beginning, the author noted that he would tell a bit about British General Thomas Gage as well, but it turned out that didn’t distract from Revere’s story. Given the role Gage played in British efforts, it probably helped to know some of this background. There were a number of illustrations throughout the book, which I thought were interesting. The true story of Paul Revere’s ride, of course, doesn’t exactly match the famous poem; it’s likely better and doesn’t change at all the inspiration that the story provides us, encouraging us to sacrifice for a good cause. Revere provides an excellent example of what an involved citizen should be. He participated in local formal and informal bodies, contributing time, effort, skill, and means to the cause of freedom. He was willing to contribute himself to liberty’s cause.
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John Adams by David McCullough (ISBN: 0-684-81363-7) provides a deep and broad look at the second president and a man who is often credited as being the voice of independence. The book starts just a little before John Adams was born, telling the reader about his parents and lineage before getting into the details of the future president’s life. McCullough tells the Founder’s life story in great detail, in part because Adams left extensive diaries and letters to draw from. One learns about his schooling, his law practice, his family life, his farm in Massachusetts, and his ascendency onto the national stage, where he flourished. One learns about his shortcomings as well, including a propensity to get down on himself, a willingness to let others’ opinions of him matter (vanity), and a sometimes quick temper. Once Adams makes to Philadelphia to advocate for independence, the book goes into great detail, explaining his thinking and his actions and then follows his career. He was a diplomat, helping Benjamin Franklin in France and forging his own path in the Netherlands, where he, on his own, secured loans to help the American cause as the Revolutionary War dragged on. He was the new country’s first ambassador to England and then the country’s first vice president. In all of his positions, he advocated for what he thought was right. He didn’t back down and wasn’t afraid to take a little heat sometimes. The book paints him as a man of strong moral convictions based on a faith in God. During his time as president, he successfully kept America out of a war with France, which greatly helped America, a weak and fledgling nation, find its wings.