Founding Brothers The Revolutionary Generation

Some great vignets about some critical early events in the history of the Republic. A worthwhile read.

Just enough to whet the appitite. Oh how we could use a man like John Adams today!

This was a bit of a grind to get through. The historical content of this work was interesting and well-researched, but I find Ellis's presentation pedantic and at times pretentious. Then again, I think the same thing of Ellis in his speech and lecturing style as well. Just the same, I continue to read his work because he has a way of narrowing in on well known people or events in history about...more

This was a bit of a grind to get through. The historical content of this work was interesting and well-researched, but I find Ellis's presentation pedantic and at times pretentious. Then again, I think the same thing of Ellis in his speech and lecturing style as well. Just the same, I continue to read his work because he has a way of narrowing in on well known people or events in history about which I've read before in a new and unexpected way. This particular book brought some particularly interesting new perspectives on the Jefferson-Adams dynamic over time, about the Washington administration (including insights not really articulated in His Excellency: George Washington). In the end, it was good, and worth reading, but I just don't like the author's style or manner of speech. And the chapter titles drive me nuts. Physically, the book was okay. It was thin, but the pages had a good texture. The font was somewhat smaller than I prefer, though. It was small enough to be my take-with-me book, which I like, but because of the other mentioned issues with style, it wasn't something that could hold my attention amidst distractions and ended up being the nightstand book.   hide

This was a very good book. If you want to learn about history that a public school won't teach you, this is great. Things like what led to the dual between Hamilton and Burr. Or why did our founders avoid the issue of slavery? I wouldn't say this is a "sexy" read. It won't soon become a movie. But if you have read 1776, John Adams, and many of the other main stream books....more

This was a very good book. If you want to learn about history that a public school won't teach you, this is great. Things like what led to the dual between Hamilton and Burr. Or why did our founders avoid the issue of slavery? I wouldn't say this is a "sexy" read. It won't soon become a movie. But if you have read 1776, John Adams, and many of the other main stream books. This is a good compliment.   hide

3 of my kids read it for AP US History; thought I should have a look too.

Stunning, well thought and researched.

Nice summary of the lives of several key Revolutionary War figures. Don't expect a lot of detail, though. The key word here is "summary."

The emphasis of quality over quantity is prominent in Ellis' Founding Brothers and what propels into excellence. This is not a voluminous work, but a succinct and incisive probe into important moments in the course of the Revolutionary Era. Furthermore, while exploring these moments, Ellis sheds a great deal of light on the personalities of the American Pantheon. They fought with each and...more

The emphasis of quality over quantity is prominent in Ellis' Founding Brothers and what propels into excellence. This is not a voluminous work, but a succinct and incisive probe into important moments in the course of the Revolutionary Era. Furthermore, while exploring these moments, Ellis sheds a great deal of light on the personalities of the American Pantheon. They fought with each and against each other as they made history and Ellis does not shy away from displaying their humanity and foibles. The true craftsmanship of this book is its ability to lend added gravitas to familiar events while illuminating the struggle that transpired in the making. This band of brothers were fully human and yet rose to the challenge to create something that transcends mortality and has endured through the ages. What Ellis has done here is bring that concept to everyone's attention.   hide

Learned a lot of history about this book. Seems that Politics never changes. That is why I am so interested in Obama 08 Great book