1776

When it comes to a book, be it non fiction or fiction, I tend to try to go into a review as cold as I can. I may go as far as to read other book reviews, but that is usually when I am in the middle of, or have finished a book and I have no idea what to make of it. In the case of 1776, I knew very little about the book. I could infer that it would be about the American Revolution during the year 1776, and it would mostly focus on the forming of the Declaration of Independence during that year...and I was half right.

This book actually takes a look at the battles and struggles that both George Washington and his British counterparts had to face that year. McCullough actually does an excellent job at painting both sides of the conflict and showing each side's strengths and weaknesses. While the British had better trained and paid troops, for example, both sides suffered from a lack of experienced men. The average British soldier was better accustomed to army life, and had would do every task with, if not pride, then a certain sense of duty and understanding why a task had to be done. They were used to cleanliness, preparing proper camps, and working away the menial, non-fighting hours of camp life. Then there was Washington's army, which suffered problems with disease, insubordination, drunkenness, and lack of proper clothing and equipment. Men deserting from their post was commonplace, as was being drunk on duty. In fact, it is a miracle that Washington managed to accomplish anything at all, given what he had to work with. This novel also gives an excellent look into the relationships between various continental and British officers, and how it affected the command structure. It is most definitely an excellently researched book.

Yet, it does have a few problems. I think that McCullough is a better writer of political elements than he would be battle scenes. While the writing he did about the relationships between commanders was interesting, and I think was his strength, his writing tended to lack when it came to describing battle scenes. This is by no means an easy task, but it still got a bit confusing over who was going where with what troops, especially without a map. It isn't a huge deal, it just makes me excited to see what his book John Adams will be like.

A second larger point was trying to read the book with all of the quotes interspersed in his writing. They are placed so often within the text that I would become frustrated as to why I didn't just read the actual words of the man in a journal, instead of McCullough's. It can create a kind of quote fatigue where I was wishing for the author's own commentary on the topic. I think that this effect is lessened, somewhat, through the audiobook, which is read by the author, and is done very well.

As I finished this book, I think that McCullough is a great author and historian. This is a text that has appeared on many different best history book lists, and it is not hard to figure out why. I have read in other reviews that this is not his best book, and, even though I haven't read anything else by him yet, I can understand where they are coming from. Yet, I am excited to see what this author holds in store for his other historical installments. I give this book a four out of five. If you are a student of history, perhaps you should consider picking this up.