The World Turned Upside Down: The Yorktown Victory That Won America's Independence

by Tim Grove

A dramatic, gripping history of the Siege of Yorktown, the last major battle of the American Revolution, told through vastly different perspectivesIn October 1781, American, French, and British forces converged on a small village named Yorktown—a place that the British would try to forget and Americans would forever remember. In his riveting, balanced, and thoroughly researched account of the Revolutionary War’s last pivotal conflict, author–historian Tim Grove follows the true stories of American, French, and British players, whose lives intersected at Yorktown.

Through very different viewpoints—from General George Washington to the notorious traitor Benedict Arnold, from young French hero Lafayette to British General Lord Cornwallis, and an enslaved man named James who became a spy, The World Turned Upside Down tells the story of bold decisions made by famous military leaders, as well as the everyday courage shown by civilians. For every side involved, the world forever turned upside down at Yorktown.

Profusely illustrated with archival images, broadsides, and letters, the book includes a timeline, endnotes, bibliography and index.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Tim writes about surprising and fascinating topics in history and strives to make the past accessible and relevant to everyone. His writing combines hands-on experience with research, observation, insider perspective and a conversational style. He focuses on multiple perspectives in history and always attempts to incorporate interesting primary source materials. (George Washington's letter to his dentist during the American Revolution! It was confiscated by the British and is now part of the collection of British General Henry Clinton papers in a library in Michigan).

Tim's next book, his seventh book and fifth middle grade nonfiction book, is titled George Washington: A Revolutionary Life. It is a fresh biography of America's first president and introduces readers to this complex man and to a variety of interesting people whose lives intersected with George's life and who influenced him in many ways. Written and published with the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, it will be perfect reading for America's 250th birthday year.

Tim's book First Flight Around the World (Abrams, 2015) was a finalist for the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award in 2016.


He lives in northern Virginia and completed twenty years working at the Smithsonian Institution. He is currently writing and running a museum/history consulting business. grovehistoryconsulting.com

Reviews

[Daniel Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

English Colonial America began in Jamestown and ended in Yorktown. They are just 21 miles from each other. Colonial Williamsburg lies just NE of Jamestown. Together, they are called America’s Historic Triangle.

[Nancy Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked Tim Grove's last book, Star Spangled, about the Battle of Baltimore, the stars-and-stripes and our national anthem, so I was eager to read this book about the Battle of Yorktown.

My Revolutionary War history is spotty, mostly because I don't have a deep interest in military strategy. But that's not really the author's focus, although it's of course a large part of the narrative. As in Star Spangled, he frames his story around the major players, and the reader comes to know them well before the siege even begins. The main characters are diverse, including not only the usual suspects (Washington, Lafayette, Cornwallis, etc.), but people you likely haven't heard of, like James, an enslaved African American man who worked as a spy for the Americans.

What makes a book come alive for me is hearing people's actual words. It's amazing to me that so much of history has been preserved in written records. Speech patterns of that time can be quite dense -- people didn't talk in sound bites back then! -- but the author has woven people's words seamlessly into the narrative, so that you understand their meaning without struggle.

The book is targeted for a middle-grade audience, age 10 and up, but it's a great book for adults as well. The writing is lively and leads compellingly up to the battle, and the text is sprinkled liberally with photos, maps, drawings and historic documents.

[David Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary and elegant book outlining the history of the events and players leading up to the Battle of Yorktown and its resulting effects. Written for an audience of young readers, it is less eloquent in writing style than other historical accounts that I have read, however much detail goes into explaining the terminology of the day and the book includes a list of American Revolutionary sites to visit, glossary of terms, epilogue outlining the fate of the major players and a Revolutionary timeline. The book itself is beautiful with gold leafing on the front cover and spine,and includes a multitude of color illustrations and portraits throughout. I highly recommend this book for any American History lover as well as to young aspiring historians. It is an easy and worthwhile read.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the right amount of information to be informative and interesting without getting bogged down with too much details. The little explanations about certain things, such as the different things shot by the artillery helped.

[Bookwormgyrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent all age book about the Siege at Yorktown the penultimate victory that gave America its independence from Britain. A well written book. 4.0 Folios

[Pam Pettengell]

The World Turned Upside Down by Tim Groves is a compelling read for people of all ages. The book tells the story of the siege of Yorktown, where Continental Army and French troops defeated the British and ultimately won America’s independence. What makes this a page-turner is Tim Grove’s narrative storytelling and his focus on a diverse cast of characters who played a role in the lead-up and execution of the Yorktown victory. Readers will follow the exploits of known leaders such as George Washington and Lord Cornwallis, the notorious traitor Benedict Arnold, the dashing young Frenchman Lafayette, enslaved spy James Lafayette and many others. For years, I worked at various history museums in Virginia that educate students and the general public about the American Revolution. I’ve even led tours of the Yorktown battlefield. Yet, I found new stories I didn’t know within this well-research book. Though published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, it’s a great read for adults too. It’s also a beautifully designed and presented book, filled with period illustrations, maps and documents on almost every page. I highly recommend it to anyone with a curiosity about the American Revolution.

[Laura N · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The World Turned Upside Down tells the story of Yorktown, that piece of land on the York River where General Cornwallis’s army surrendered to the combined French and American forces. Readers hear from well known participants like Hamilton and Washington, as well as everyday men and women who left behind written records of their experience during the siege.

The World Turned Upside Down is a great overview of Yorktown for young readers. Pictures and maps are present throughout to illustrated the people and places it talks about. A list of characters helps keep the many players of Yorktown straight and a glossary at the back defines unfamiliar words.

[Mark Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim Grove has written a very accessible and compelling history of the siege of Yorktown. Actually, it starts before then: he puts the events leading up to the siege in context to help the reader understand how--and why--this action was so significant in securing America's independence. The illustrations have great captions and I particularly liked the epilogue to find out what happened to the major players after the war.

Yeah, the book was written for young readers but I have a feeling many adults will find the prose engaging and the story riveting as well. It's a success on several levels.

[Cgraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a retired history museum professional. Even though I am familiar with the people and events in this story, I was riveted. Tim does a great job of helping the reader visualize the people and places involved in the war. I loved that he included the perspectives of women and enslaved people. This book reminded me of how the British came close to winning this war many times during this period. I also loved the story about James Lafayette, an enslaved person who was a spy for the Marquis de Lafayette. While Tim wrote this for 10 - 14-year-olds, I, as an adult, loved it!

[Casper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a 4th grade student and really liked this book. Earlier this year, my class learned about Yorktown and went there on a field trip, so I already knew about a little bit of the story of this book. This book explained many things about the American Revolution that I didn't know before. Several letters from the time were included in this book and it was so amazing to get to read them. It was especially interesting to learn so much about James Armistead Lafayette and his story. History is one of my favorite subjects and this is the best history book I have ever read.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a retired social studies teacher who, as a student, never liked history. However, I found this to be not only an excellent read but also a good resource for the classroom. Tim Grove makes real historical characters come alive weaving well documented, colorful, primary resources into a very readable text that will appeal to all ages.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed account of the players in the American Revolution with maps and paintings. End of the book features a highlight of some of the major figures during the war and their post-revolution future. List of places to visit, timeline and glossary are also helpful. Best for middle school aged kids.

[Lydia Tyndall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in preparation for a visit to the Yorktown battlefield. It’s pretty in depth and certainly not the much of a page turner, but was effective in informing me about the battle of Yorktown. Reading this book certainly helped me appreciate the Yorktown battlefield more.