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George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved The American Revolution (2013)

by Brian Kilmeade(Favorite Author)

3.75 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

159523103X (ISBN13: 9781595231031)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Sentinel HC

review 1: An enjoyable, but lightweight history book. I just discovered the authors are sports writers. I imagine their overwrought style works well in that genre. For history? Not so much. Characters's dialogues and thoughts are fictionalized and the writing is overly purple (an example: "But as the sky began to lighten, there were still men to move -- and it was then that Washington's prayers proved effective. A thick fog began to roll in, like the benevolent breath of God, providing cover and protection until every last soldier and piece of equipment reached safety on the other side." There also are no endnotes, which I feel are essential in history books. It makes me wonder how much the facts were set aside for the story. I'm glad I learned about the Culper spies and find the st... moreory fascinating. I'll be reading some of the books mentioned in the bibliography to get a more complete picture.
review 2: This was an interesting book in several ways. First, it's a fascinating look at a little known part of Revolutionary War history. The Culper Spy Ring was instrumental in helping General George Washington by providing him with vital intelligence about British military movements in New York, including information about Benedict Arnold's attempted and nearly successful treachery. Second, while most of the ring's identities have been uncovered, the identity of one member--the only woman in the ring--is still unknown and her fate undetermined. The book makes a somewhat convincing case of her probable fate, but it is all conjecture. Third, the book is written in the fashion of a thriller or mystery rather than a non-fiction history. Chapters end with teasers to encourage you to read the next chapter. I'm convinced that more people would read history if more history books were written this way. (Note: the idiosyncrasies of this book does make it come across as a bit amateurish, but if those idiosyncrasies make it an easy read, I have no issues with it.)This is a very quick and interesting read on an obscure part of the history of the Revolutionary War and the importance of intelligence-gathering during armed conflict. I would give it 3.5 stars if I could, as I think the book could have used more depth. That being said, I definitely recommend it! less

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Reviews (see all)

John

Revolutionary War history that I was unaware of. I especially liked the information about Benedict Arnold, his plan to turn West Point over to the Brits, and how he was taken down. It provides no good feeling for the traitor, but I did end up feeling some compassion for Major Arnold who was the British spy who Arnold was working with. Washington was right to hang Arnold of course, but things like this aren't always easy. Washington's Culper spy ring was amazing and really helped turn the war for the patriots. I will be interested to learn more on this topic.

fromtaylor

A quick easy read that is a mix of history and fiction. The author goes a bit overboard trying to sell the importance of the Culper spy ring during the Revolution while lacking the depth of detail (and facts) to back up his claim. Honestly, reading this was a bit like reading an entry to Wikipedia - it provided some nice cursory knowledge but is not a work one would reference when discussing history.

kmixita_09

A good read. Interesting twist on American History, fairly well presented.

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