Angel in the Whirlwind: The Triumph of the American Revolution

by Benson Bobrick Narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner

Overview

Angel in the Whirlwind is the epic tale of the American Revolution, from its roots among tax-weary colonists to the triumphant Declaration of Independence and eventual victory and liberty, recounted by Benson Bobrick, lauded by the New York Times as "perhaps the most interesting historian writing in America today." Overwhelmed with debt following its victory in the French and Indian Wars, England began imposing harsh new tariffs and taxes on its colonists in the 1760s. Rebellion against these measures soon erupted into war. Bobrick thrillingly describes all the major battles, from Lexington and Concord to the dramatic siege of Yorktown, when the British flag was finally lowered before patriot guns. At the same time he weaves together social and political history along with the military history, bringing to life not only the charismatic leaders of the independence movement, but also their lesser-known compatriots, both patriot and loyalist, English and American, whose voices vividly convey the urgency of war.



Illuminated by fresh insight, Angel in the Whirlwind is a dramatic narrative of our nation's birth, in all its passion and glory.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

At a time when America's most mythic figures are subject to character assault, revisionist ideology and general bad press, Bobrick (East of the Sun) appears as a formidable defense counsel for the Founding Fathers, delivering a deft consolidation of the facts of the Revolution. Many of the stories are familiar; Paul Revere's ride, Arnold's descent into infamy, but the book's strength lies in its many lesser-known details on the battlefield and beyond. Tenuous diplomatic ties that kept the crucial American-French alliance intact are examined, as are battles within nascent America's leadership. Bobrick goes well beyond the standard arguments, and when he ventures to analyze, he is convincing. Superior American ballistics and France's rout of the British fleet at Yorktown are duly noted as linchpins of American victorythough not new ideas, they are often overlooked. And though the format demands only brief treatment of complicated issues, what emerges is a highly impressive show of exhaustive research and engaging storytelling about this greatest of American legends.

Library Journal

Bobrick (Knotted Tongues, LJ 2/15/95) offers here a glorious retelling of the American Revolution, comparable to Don Cook's The Long Fuse (Grove, 1994). It brings to life the major characters of the revolution and gives readers an excellent glimpse of life in Colonial America. The scope is broad and sweeping, ranging from the end of the French and Indian War to the end of the Revolutionary War, with brief coverage of the framing of the Constitution and the inauguration of Washington. No new historical revelations are to be found here, but the work is a superb dramatic narrative and is most certainly an encouraged purchase. Robert A. Curtis, Taylor Memorial P.L., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

From the Publisher

"The Revolution is full of amazing characters and stories. . . . What it has needed is a storyteller fit to get it between two covers. Now it has found one."
—The New York Times Book Review

“A splendid retelling of a remarkable story.”
—The Atlantic Monthly

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173376329
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	07/20/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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