Reviews
"A brilliant account of the Revolution that focuses on the men who led it. Rakove offers the reader a new and fascinating method of combining analytic and narrative history. By using some marvelous vignettes and beautifully crafted portraits of the principal characters as a means of exploring the crucial issues of the Revolutionary era, including state constitution-making, diplomacy, anti-slavery, and the framing of the federal government, he has written a remarkable work of history."-Gordon S. Wood, author of Empire of Liberty and Revolutionary Characters "In Revolutionaries, Jack Rakove delivers what he promises: a 'new history of the invention of America.' Under his deft touch, historical subjects come alive in a series of richly drawn portraits. Deeply researched and elegantly written, this book marks a milestone in the study of America's revolutionary period. It should not be missed." - Annette Gordon-Reed , author of The Hemingses of Monticello "[Rakove] presents an excellent overview of intricate Revolutionary politics and the role personality played in shaping them." -BookPage"REVOLUTIONARIES is a serious, probing work of history that boils down a career's worth of thinking and research." - New York Times "[a] wide-ranging and nuanced group portrait of the Founding Fathers" - The New Yorker "Refreshingly accessible and deeply informed&a richly detailed, heavily documented, but eminently readable account of the men who led the Revolution, wrote the Constitution and persuaded the citizens of the 13 original states to adopt it&.Rakove manages to demystify the leaders of the Revolutionary era even while clarifying the terms on which they continue to deserve our admiration." -San Francisco Chronicle"superb...a distinctive, fresh retelling of this epochal tale....a sparkling, authoritative work...Everyone interested in the founding of the U.S. will want to read this book. -STARRED Publishers Weekly"Essential reading for both scholars and fans of Joseph Ellis (American Creation) and David McCullough (1776) as well as a poignant and engaging glimpse into the world of the revolutionary generation." -Library Journal, STARRED"Distilling an academic career's worth of understanding about the Revolution, Rakove vibrantly restores it as the lived experience of those who led it." -Booklist"[T]he creation of the United States was nothing if not an arduous, argumentative process. The author dissects that process in exquisite detail, getting inside the minds of these very different men to find out what made them tick...[Rakove's] feel for the politics of the day is unerring. An ambitious, intelligent exploration into the intellectual underpinnings of the Revolution." -Kirkus, "A brilliant account of the Revolution that focuses on the men who led it. Rakove offers the reader a new and fascinating method of combining analytic and narrative history. By using some marvelous vignettes and beautifully crafted portraits of the principal characters as a means of exploring the crucial issues of the Revolutionary era, including state constitution-making, diplomacy, anti-slavery, and the framing of the federal government, he has written a remarkable work of history."-Gordon S. Wood, author of Empire of Liberty and Revolutionary Characters "In Revolutionaries, Jack Rakove delivers what he promises: a 'new history of the invention of America.' Under his deft touch, historical subjects come alive in a series of richly drawn portraits. Deeply researched and elegantly written, this book marks a milestone in the study of America's revolutionary period. It should not be missed." - Annette Gordon-Reed , author of The Hemingses of Monticello "[Rakove] presents an excellent overview of intricate Revolutionary politics and the role personality played in shaping them." -BookPage"REVOLUTIONARIES is a serious, probing work of history that boils down a career's worth of thinking and research." - New York Times "[a] wide-ranging and nuanced group portrait of the Founding Fathers" - The New Yorker "Refreshingly accessible and deeply informed…a richly detailed, heavily documented, but eminently readable account of the men who led the Revolution, wrote the Constitution and persuaded the citizens of the 13 original states to adopt it….Rakove manages to demystify the leaders of the Revolutionary era even while clarifying the terms on which they continue to deserve our admiration." -San Francisco Chronicle"superb...a distinctive, fresh retelling of this epochal tale....a sparkling, authoritative work...Everyone interested in the founding of the U.S. will want to read this book. -STARRED Publishers Weekly"Essential reading for both scholars and fans of Joseph Ellis (American Creation) and David McCullough (1776) as well as a poignant and engaging glimpse into the world of the revolutionary generation." -Library Journal, STARRED"Distilling an academic career's worth of understanding about the Revolution, Rakove vibrantly restores it as the lived experience of those who led it." -Booklist"[T]he creation of the United States was nothing if not an arduous, argumentative process. The author dissects that process in exquisite detail, getting inside the minds of these very different men to find out what made them tick...[Rakove's] feel for the politics of the day is unerring. An ambitious, intelligent exploration into the intellectual underpinnings of the Revolution." -Kirkus, "A brilliant account of the Revolution that focuses on the men who led it. Rakove offers the reader a new and fascinating method of combining analytic and narrative history. By using some marvelous vignettes and beautifully crafted portraits of the principal characters as a means of exploring the crucial issues of the Revolutionary era, including state constitution-making, diplomacy, anti-slavery, and the framing of the federal government, he has written a remarkable work of history."e"Gordon S. Wood, author of Empire of Liberty and Revolutionary Characters "In Revolutionaries, Jack Rakove delivers what he promises: a 'new history of the invention of America.' Under his deft touch, historical subjects come alive in a series of richly drawn portraits. Deeply researched and elegantly written, this book marks a milestone in the study of America's revolutionary period. It should not be missed." e" Annette Gordon-Reed , author of The Hemingses of Monticello "[Rakove] presents an excellent overview of intricate Revolutionary politics and the role personality played in shaping them." e"BookPage"REVOLUTIONARIES is a serious, probing work of history that boils down a careere(tm)s worth of thinking and research." e" New York Times "[a] wide-ranging and nuanced group portrait of the Founding Fathers" e" The New Yorker "Refreshingly accessible and deeply informedea richly detailed, heavily documented, but eminently readable account of the men who led the Revolution, wrote the Constitution and persuaded the citizens of the 13 original states to adopt ite.Rakove manages to demystify the leaders of the Revolutionary era even while clarifying the terms on which they continue to deserve our admiration." e"San Francisco Chronicle"superb...a distinctive, fresh retelling of this epochal tale....a sparkling, authoritative work...Everyone interested in the founding of the U.S. will want to read this book. e"STARRED Publishers Weekly"Essential reading for both scholars and fans of Joseph Ellis (American Creation) and David McCullough (1776) as well as a poignant and engaging glimpse into the world of the revolutionary generation." e"Library Journal, STARRED"Distilling an academic careere(tm)s worth of understanding about the Revolution, Rakove vibrantly restores it as the lived experience of those who led it." e"Booklist"[T]he creation of the United States was nothing if not an arduous, argumentative process. The author dissects that process in exquisite detail, getting inside the minds of these very different men to find out what made them tick...[Rakove's] feel for the politics of the day is unerring. An ambitious, intelligent exploration into the intellectual underpinnings of the Revolution." e"Kirkus, "A brilliant account of the Revolution that focuses on the men who led it. Rakove offers the reader a new and fascinating method of combining analytic and narrative history. By using some marvelous vignettes and beautifully crafted portraits of the principal characters as a means of exploring the crucial issues of the Revolutionary era, including state constitution-making, diplomacy, anti-slavery, and the framing of the federal government, he has written a remarkable work of history."-Gordon S. Wood, author ofEmpire of LibertyandRevolutionary Characters"In Revolutionaries, Jack Rakove delivers what he promises: a 'new history of the invention of America.' Under his deft touch, historical subjects come alive in a series of richly drawn portraits. Deeply researched and elegantly written, this book marks a milestone in the study of America's revolutionary period. It should not be missed."-Annette Gordon-Reed,author ofThe Hemingses of Monticello
