The Real Revolution: The Global Story of American Independence

by Marc Aronson

This extensively researched and groundbreaking account by Sibert medalist Marc Aronson centers on events in the mid-18th century that enabled Americans to give up their loyalty to England and form their own nation. Shedding new light on familiar aspects of American history, such as the Boston Tea Party, and ending with the aftermath of the American Revolution, Aronson approaches the events that shaped our country from a fresh angle and connects them to issues that still exist in modern times. Also developed throughout is the pioneering idea that the struggle for American independence was actually part of a larger conflict that spanned the globe, reaching across Europe to India.

Packed with dramatic events, battles, and memorable figures such as George Washington and Tom Paine in America and Robert Clive in India, this insightful narrative provides a multi-layered portrait of how our nation came to be, while discovering anew the themes, images, and fascinating personalities that run through our entire history. Cast of characters, maps, endnotes and bibliography, Internet resources, timeline, index.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, American Revolution, War

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 14, 2005

About the author

Aronson has won many awards for his books for young readers and has a doctorate in American history. His lectures cover educational topics such as mysteries and controversies in American history, teenagers and their reading, the literary passions of boys, and always leave audiences asking for more.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/marcar...

Reviews

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really great that Aronson doesn't talk down to his audience at all. The only thing that separates this YA history book from "adult" history is the lengthy of the book and number of pictures. That's a great thing.

I liked the basic premise of the book, that the roots of American independence stretch outside the country, something that standard history texts (what the target audience will be familiar with) don't really dwell on. Aronson makes his case very well, and his book seems to be quite well researched.

I also appreciated how balanced the presentation was. I'm very used to books about the American Revolution being skewed towards a perspective favorable towards our founding fathers. Like, for example, failing to point out how horrible a thing it was to tar and feather a person. Aronson manages to avoid that bias, by not glossing over unpleasant realities like the fact that many of the founding fathers owned slaves, without completely discounting their convictions. (Oddly enough, the PBS cartoon Liberty Kids did an admirable job of presenting a balanced, kid friendly version of the Revolution.)

Still, it wasn't exactly a riveting narrative. And I suspect that a reader would have to have to be somewhat familiar with the Revolution to really get what's going on, because there are some serious jumps in the timeline. But really, who would ever pick this up if they weren't at least moderately familiar with and interested in the Revolution?

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just… wow. A brilliant showcasing of the American Revolution, demonstrating the causes behind the war reaching back for decades, even centuries, as well as a combination of overreaching, slow moving worldwide developments alongside split-second personal decisions.

And trust me, the political is very personal here – global economics being very much influenced by personal greed. Times change, people don’t.

Never has the American Revolution felt so real and relatable.

Brilliant.

I guarantee you will find at least one thing in this book you didn’t know about the American Revolution before.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of research gone into this book. This book does not only give information on not commonly know events before, during, and after the American Revolution, but also gives a huge amount of precise details on each event. Good book for someone who wants to know every single detail. The only reason I gave this four stars is because in some parts there are just way too many details for someone who wants a more simplified description. Overall great read!

[Lincoln Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

We all know about American independence, and how America separated from Britain, but there are heaps more to it. Aronson dives into the rich history of America in this book, into England’s past, and their dominance of India. Most people know of the East India Company, the company that supplied the tea for the colonies, and the Boston Tea Party. However, there is much more to this company, as Aronson writes in this book, along with some of the leaders of this company in India, and England’s control over them, namely Robert Clive. Clive is a name that I'd never heard of, but he affected the revolution in a bigger way than you would think. This book dives into the nitty gritty of the American Revolution, the roots of the conflict, and outrage.

As I read this book, I learned some interesting things about America’s past, like the reason behind the intolerable acts, and the East India Company's financial struggles that led to the Tea Act. John Hancock, a member of the Sons of Liberty and a signer of the Declaration of Independence was actually a smuggler, a thief. Unfortunately, as I’m not a history buff, I found this book quite hard to follow, and a large chunk of the book didn’t ultimately seem to matter. The book is a little lengthy and drags in some sections, making it hard to read consistently.

Readers who are interested in history and have prior knowledge of the American Revolution could find this a decent read with good information. If you don’t know much about the history of America, this will be a confusing and difficult read. Whether you know a lot about history or don’t know a lot, this will be a drag of a book and will take some serious willpower to finish.

[Kellyanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this and learned about the American Revolution on the global stage, but the lack of information on the Revolution's global after effects led me to give this a 3-star rating. Louis XVI giving France's financial backing to the fledging United States contributed to French citizens leading their own revolution less than two decades later. There was no mention of that at all, nor of the War of 1812. While England may have been the first to free their slaves, it was not the first to recognize that the slaves needed to be freed. It was a major point of contention in the original draft of the Declaration of Independence.

There was great insight into the events that led up to the American Revolution - I would definitely recommend this for adolescent readers with a strong interest in history. There is a great bibliography as well.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine big-picture read that seems to bounce back and forth between a kids' book with substance, and an effort to show historians that he's really serious about this.

I really enjoyed the background of just why the British (and more specifically, the East India Company) was so desperate to sell that tea in Boston Harbor, and why those dang "Mohawks" were so desperate to dump it.

Mostly, this seems to be an exercise by the author to explore some things he was curious about, and he took along his young (and some not so young) readers along with him. The citations really add to the narrative as an annotated bibliography.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched, Aronson always brings something a little extra to his nonfiction and this one is about the global perspective of the fight for independence in America. He encourages everyone to challenge his history by reading more about history to deeply understand the interconnectedness.

I was especially fond of the final chapter that reminds me of the Spiderman franchise quote "With great power comes great responsibility". He embodies that with his words and creation of a fascinating look at American history from a larger angle.

[Samuel Valentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit, when the author claimed that he would show how global events affected the American Revolution, I was a bit skeptical. I didn't think the premise was absurd, it's just that it sounded like it could go all revisionist history on me, instead of making the actual point. But I was wrong - even though the book was for younger readers, it was well researched, and the conclusions drawn were very compelling. I'm glad I overcame my reservations and picked this one up!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a long time to get through this book, and by the time I picked it up again I had lost track of earlier events. Aronson writes masterfully about the broader reach of America's Revolution. His passion and independent thinking will help readers understand the real people behind our history, and how individuals can affect worldwide events.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written more for the "young adult" reader, but I still learned quite about about the economic interconnections that set in motion the American independence fight. Quick read. Good pics and primary sources.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explained the Revolution in a way that I had never heard before. It went years back before 1776 to explain the roots of it all, and what other countries had to do with it as well. It took the things I was learning and tied it all together, and it makes more sense now.