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1776 by David McCullough
(Book Review: August 2005)
David McCullough has a sparkling reputation for weaving historical
fact into compelling narrative drama. Those abilities have earned McCullough
the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. His last effort, John Adams
was a runaway bestseller as well as a top prizewinner. 1776
unfortunately doesn¡¯t fall in with the author¡¯s previous successes. It¡¯s a
cobbled recount of the military conflict between the British troops and the
American rebels over the year in question (taking place in Boston, New York
and New Jersey). At the center of the yarn is American icon and rebel
commander, George Washington, who McCullough paints as a regal warrior
struggling emotionally and spiritually with the lack of discipline and
loyalty among his ragtag outfit. It¡¯s intriguing to see doubt and uncertainty
in mind of someone who¡¯s normally rendered so stoic and superhuman, but given
the nature of such a risky and bold venture and the uncertainty of how
history would play out, these burdens would seem to be part of the job.
McCullough however spins them into a near debilitating paranoia. And while
the battles are rendered with vivid, action-packed descriptions and
insightful firsthand accounts, the chronology of events (besides dates) is
muddled and told in disjointed vignettes which makes it¡¯s hard for the reader
to stay in the groove. Needless to say 1776 lacks focus. Which
is too bad, because there are numerous points of historical illumination,
such as the formation of the army largely comprised of working folk, the
political infrastructure of a nascent country and military strategies. The
book begins on the heels of the first historic skirmishes towards liberty and
then pretty much rides out the military calendar year. It feels like a half
told tale and it ends with unmerited optimism. Washington still had many more
travails and adversity to face and the war would last another six years. 1776
feels like the second chapter in something much bigger. - TBM |
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