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Brotherhood Of The Revolution: How America's Founders Forged A New Nation (2004)

by Joseph J. Ellis(Favorite Author)

4.14 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1402545509 (ISBN13: 9781402545504)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Modern Scholar / Recorded Books

review 1: Ellis didn't add that much to my understanding of American history through this book. If you are already familiar with the general outlines of the American Revolution, you might be able to skip it. He does add some colorful anecdotes on the founding fathers he covers in this series, and hearing him deliver the lectures in person adds something for a fan of his books. It is somehow encouraging to hear someone who writes in such a polished fashion guess at something or correct himself.
review 2: For those of you unfamiliar with the Modern Scholar series, an esteemed college professor's class (in this case, Pulitzer Prize winner Joseph Ellis) is recorded and distributed for posterity...and the enjoyment of those of us who aren't fortunte enough to actually attend ... moresaid class. Seeing as how Ellis teaches at Mount Holyoke College, this was the closest to having him as my professor as I'm likely to get. He's not the best orator (he would occasionally lapse into "Ums" and "Ahs" which drove me crazy), but he really knows his stuff, and the fact that he's obviously passionate about the subject more than made up for his lecturing shortcomings. I especially enjoyed how he followed one person of note in each lecture. He still taught chronologically but, for each section, would focus on events through the eyes of one particular patriot. This not only gave you an overview of what was occurring throughout the country and the world at the time, but also gave you insight into that person's background and motivations. The lecture format was also more engaging than your typical audiobook. Let's be honest, not all books written about the American Revolution are gripping page-turners, and if you combine that with a very droll, monotone reader, you have a recipe for an audiobook disaster. So, while Ellis's books tend to the very literary (which can make for a very dull audio version), his lecture - hearing him speak from notes instead of an exact script - was more interesting. I highly recommend this and am looking forward to listening to other Modern Scholar lectures. less

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