REVOLUTIONARY SUMMER The Birth of American Independence

Ellis’s history of the summer of 1776 is sure to be one of this summer’s leading titles, and rightly so. Stefan Rudnicki’s natural-sounding delivery matches the crisp pace and compound perspectives of the dramatic narrative. Against today’s comfortable hindsight, from which military victory and independence seem inevitable, Rudnicki portrays actors uncertain of what was to come, improvising as they went along. The reporting is crisp, with each detail carrying weight and significance. The range of perspectives—British and American, patriot and loyalist, framed with our growing understanding of how much might have turned out very differently—makes this a complex and often suspenseful narrative. Rudnicki helps make it easy to follow even with frequent interruptions and vacation distractions—making this, in other words, an ideal summertime book. D.A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2013]