Rise to Rebellion

Jeff Shaara's book, Rise to Rebellion made me realize my country had a revolution.  Yes, I had heard of the American Revolution.  I knew facts about the revolution. I was forced to memorize dates about the revolution.  But this story helped me take the words "American Revolution" and really understand what they meant.  We revolted. We rebelled.  We fought against King George because he was being unfair, pompous, arrogant, and insufferable. King George acted in ways that made the colonies want to revolt in order to survive.  Dumping the tea into the Boston harbor was a creative way to get around the King's impossible edicts.  This story focuses on John and Abigail Adams, Ben Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Gage and Thomas Hutchinson.  But I also learned about John Hancock, Paul Revere, Thomas Payne, and John Warren. I was upset to read about Benjamin Franklin enjoying a roast one rainy night in England because I heard he was a vegetarian. In this book he was a carnivore, a witty writer prone to sarcasm, an old man with aching joints, a father estranged from his son, and a guy who liked to parade around naked at home.  American history makes more sense to me now.  I only wish the history classes I took in school were half as interesting as Rise to Rebellion.