Chains

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Chains. Book 1 of the Seeds of America series. 2008. 316p. ISBN 9781416905851. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

In the midst of the American Revolutionary War, Isabel and her young sister Ruth are owned by an old woman who in her will promised to free them. Except that the old lady's nephew and her lawyer conspired and the will disappeared. Isabel and Ruth were sold to a couple of New York City tories, the Locktons. Mr. Lockton is in league with the Mayor of New York to facilitate the return of British forces, while Mrs. Lockton is violent and abusive towards her slaves. Isabel suffers many a beating at the hands of her malicious mistress, but as long as she can protect Ruth, she's willing to put with the abuses.

Isabel is introduced to Curzon, another young slave about her age, who is on the side of the American patriots. Curzon asks Isabel to spy on her owners and report any actionable intelligence. Isabel does not want to be a spy, but when Mrs. Lockton sells Ruth, Isabel finally realizes that no one but her will have her back. Will Isabel joining the patriots and help them build a case against Mr. and Mrs. Lockton help her rescue her sister Ruth?

In an era where loyalty, much like slaves, can be bought and sold, Isabel's bondage depends on an entire system preventing her escape. Through sheer force of will, Isabel demonstrates that though others stole her agency, she fought long and hard to take it back. Fans of historical novels will find this plunge into a turbulent period of American history intriguing, and will cheer Isabel as she fights for her freedom.

Women Heroes of the American Revolution: 20 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Defiance, and Rescue

Casey, Susan. Women Heroes of the American Revolution: 20 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Defiance, and Rescue. Part of the Women of Action series. 2015. 226p. ISBN 978-1-61374-583-0. Available as an ebook from Overdrive.

For many of us, the American Revolution is a war filled with the courageous actions of a rag-tag army of colonists challenging the best army and navy in the world at the time for their independence. Tales of Paul Revere, George Washington, and the despicable Benedict Arnold are well known, making them household names more than 250 years later. What is not as well known, however, is the role that women played during the Revolutionary War. This book, then, explores the experiences and actions of 20 women who, often using only their wits, were able to strike back at the British and their Tories supporters.

From Penelope Barker, who organized the first political demonstration in the United States, to Mammy Kate, a slave who rescued her owner after he was captured and sentenced to death in Georgia, these women in turn resisted the British occupation, supported Patriots, rescued wounded soldiers and protected them from retribution, spied on British activities, sabotaged the British war effort, even served as soldiers firing cannons or carrying weapons into battle. Several women also achieved legendary status, and though it is unknown if they actually performed the actions told about them, they remain part of the national fabric.

Fans of history will appreciate this critical look into an area of the Revolutionary War most are not familiar with.

This series includes Women Heroes of World War II, and Women Heroes of the American Revolution.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy

Hale, Nathan. Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy. Book 1 of the Hazardous Tales series. 2012. 128p. ISBN 9781419703966. Available at 973.38 on the library shelves.

Spies have always been an essential part of war. Spies study enemy formations and emplacement, report on the movement of troops, and transport secret information. In the Revolutionary War, American spies shadowed the British and reported their every move to General George Washington. Nathan Hale, of Connecticut, served in the Continental Army. Following the invasion of Long Island by the British army and its march on New York city, American forces withdrew to Manhattan.

General Washington asked Hale to go behind enemy lines to find out where the enemy would attack, Hale readily agreed. Unfortunately, he was observed landing back on Long Island, and it wasn't long before he was arrested as a spy and sentenced to hang. When asked for his last words, Hale said that he was only sad he had but one life to give for his country.

Told in a graphic novel, Hale's life and involvement in the Revolutionary War is presented, and his impact on history is described. Fans of history will enjoy the details the author/illustrator use to vividly describe the Revolutionary War.

Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for Independence.

 O'Reilly, Bill. Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for Independence. Book 7 of the Killing series. 2017. 340p. ISBN 9781627790642. Available at 973.3 ORE on the library shelves.

The American Revolution is rightly seen as the foundational struggle that leads to the birth of the United States. When colonists revolted against the British crown, however, it was by no means assured that they would win their independence. The fighting which began in Boston in 1775 lasted until 1781 and cost lives, treasury, and divided communities. Above all, however, the American Revolution was a war of ideas, of a desire to form a more perfect union and seek life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

Like most revolution, this one was seeded during the French and Indian Wars, when British troops were deployed to effect the conquest of Canada and settle the frontier to the Appalachians. Britain desired the Americans to pay for their defense, and applied several restrictive taxes to ensure that the large contingent of British soldiers left in the colonies would be supported locally, and not through monies from Britain. Colonists protested that they were being taxed without being represented.

On both sides people dug in. King George III wanted to teach the uppity Americans a lesson. Wealthy Americans sought to remove British interference in their internal affairs. Once started, the Revolution could only end in either total independence or impossible subjugation. Told through the large cast of characters who fought for and against independence, Killing England provides a comprehensive look at a period in history that is both well known and little understood. Fans of history will appreciate the detailed descriptions of battles and the biographies of the major players and how their personal views affected their participation in the war.

For more American Revolution, take a look at The Notorious Benedict Arnold and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tale: One Dead Spy.

Other books in this series include Killing the Rising Sun and Killing the SS.

Look to the Mountain

 Cannon, LeGrand. Look to the Mountain. 2016. 496p. ISBN 978-1-58157-365-7. Available at FIC CAN on the library shelves.

Whit and Melissa live in Kettleford, New Hampshire, in the late 1760s. Although settled for many years, Kettleford retains the feel of a frontier town. Whit is the son of a local farmer who prefers the rum bottle to hard work. Melissa is the daughter of the local inn keeper, and one of the few eligible women in the village. Whit has had his eye on Melissa for a long time, but so has Joe the Portugese, a sailor from Europe who bought the smithy when its former proprietor retired.

A contest to see who could hay the most grass for the honor of courting Melissa is organized, and despite Joe's underhanded tactics and physical attack on Whit, the young man manages to hay the most. Desiring a better life for himself and for Melissa, Whit takes off not long after to explore settling possibilities in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He soon locates a good spot in the new township of Tamworth, builds a lean-to, and after having made friends with residents of Sandwich, the township next to Tamworth, he returns to Kettleford.

Meanwhile, Melissa, who had been left behind, feels Whit's absence more with every passing day. Joe still lurks in the background, and her father decides to marry her to Joe while Whit is gone. Whit returns just in time, and the happy couple is united in marital bliss and leaves the next day to make the trek to their new land.

Populated with remarkable characters, Look to the Mountain nevertheless manages to throw most of its focus on Whit and Melissa's struggle to survive at the base of Mount Chocorua as they pioneer the opening of the Tamworth township. Encompassing part of the early history of New Hampshire and of the nascent United States, the book is short on dialog (as if people were of few words back in those days) but rather filled with description of the environment in which Whit and Melissa live. Slowly over the course of years they manage to tame and conquer their small corner of the world, building a life for them, their children, and their friends.

Fans of historical fiction will appreciate the details that craft an amazing tale first told in 1942 and republished many times since.

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism and Treachery

Sheinkin, Steve. The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism and Treachery. 2010. 337p. ISBN 978-1-59643-486-8. Available at B ARN and as an audiobook on Overdrive.

No figure in the history of the American Revolution is more reviled than Benedict Arnold, the man who agrees to betray his country and plotted the end of the Revolution for a large sum of money. Born in January 1741, Benedict Arnold was frail. Even as a small child, Arnold wanted to impress those around him, and felt that he needed to eclipse his father’s many failures. Through dedication and hard work, Arnold managed to redress the family finances and became prosperous. Married with three children, Arnold ran a successful Connecticut shipping company, but still wanted more.

An opportunity presented itself when the British made a series of political blunders while trying to collect taxes from its American colonies. Angry colonists gathered to protect themselves and their properties, until the flames of revolution was ignited with a British march to Concord and Lexington. Hearing of this momentous event, Arnold assumed command of the New Haven militia, and he marched out with his troops to support the nascent Continental Army. Despite never having fought, Arnold was shrewd and came up with a plan to seize the guns of Fort Ticonderoga and use them to dislodge the British from Boston.

Through subsequent action, Arnold made a name for himself for bravery and boldness, yet also attracted an increasingly higher number of detractors who could reproach him his lack of patience, his short fuse, and his capacity to enrich himself at the expense of the institutions he represented. Bold assaults on Quebec, the delay of the British reconquest of Lake Champlain and his bravery on the field spread his name far and wide, but he eventually garnered the ire important Pennsylvanians. With past decisions catching up with him, and with his financial situation in disarray, Arnold reached out to the British, who dispatched Major John André to negotiate a treacherous act: Arnold agreed to turn over Fort West Point to the British. With the Fort, which controlled the upper Hudson River in their hands, the British would have effectively cut off the colonies in two, and might have ended the Revolutionary War in their favor.

Unfortunately the plot failed, André was caught and executed as a spy, and Arnold escaped, joining the British as a general but then forced in exile in England, where he died in 1801. A man who could have been known as one of the greatest military heroes of the United States instead became synonymous with treason and bad judgment.

Engaging and packed with action and adventure, Arnold’s story continues to fascinate and intrigue readers. Fans of historical events and of military prowess will appreciate Arnold’s strength but will ultimately feel sorry for a man who made the wrong decisions.

Johnny Tremain

Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain. 1987. 322p. ISBN 0440442508. Available at FIC FOR on the library shelves.

With the death of his mother, Johnny Tremain moves in with the Lapham family in Boston so he can become a silversmith apprentice with old Mr. Lapham. The Laphams had lost their children, but took care of their grandchildren, and they planned to marry Cilla and Johnny together so the business could stay in the family. But in 1773, at fourteen, Johnny is not really interested in Cilla. Of the three apprentices, he is the better one and he can craft silver as fine as Mr. Lapham in his heyday.

When Mr. Hancock requests a silver dish to match one Mr. Lapham made decades ago, Johnny agrees to make it. Filled with pride in his work and in his abilities, however, Johnny has been less than charitable towards the other apprentices, so Dove, one of them, decides to get even. During the manufacturing process Johnny burns his hand badly when molten silver pours on it, and he becomes crippled.

No longer able to work as an apprentice, Johnny is lost and doesn’t know what to do. The sin of pride has cost him everything. Eventually, Johnny meets Rab, another youth who secures work for him as a rider who delivers newspapers. In 1774 Boston, the colonists are railing against British authority and taxes being levied by the King. The entire city is divided between Patriots and Loyalists to the Crown, and crippled Johnny is able to maneuver between both sides though he supports the Patriots. As Johnny gets more involved with the Sons of Liberty and running messages for them, he re-evaluates his life, including his interest in Cilla. And when British troops depart Boston in the night, Johnny knows that this is the match that will light the powder keg and ignite the Revolution. Can Johnny make a significant contribution even though he is crippled?