1776 - Good book, amazing year

If you are looking for a brisk summer read, well, who am I kidding, just pre-order Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, if you haven't done so already. It's the 800-pound gorilla of the summer book season, even moreso than is Star Wars for the movie season. But the release of book six isn't until July 16, a full three weeks away, and it is actually shorter than the previous one, a first in the series' history, weighing in at only 672 pages, so the chances of the book lasting until July 17 are (for most of you guys anyway) slim to none.

To supplement your reading slate, I suggest you take a peek at the top of the non-fiction best-seller's list, where 1776, by David McCullough, has resided for the past month. This is the guy who made John Adams an incredibly compelling biography subject, and now he's done the same with the story of the most important year in our country's history, and the central figure of that year's events, George Washington.


I actually would have loved to read more about Washington himself, beyond 1776 and into the years of his presidency, after the revolution was finally won in 1783 (a full seven years after the events captured in the book). You'd think he'd make a more interesting biography subject than President number two, at least. There are plenty of hints at his character littered throughout the book, painting a different picture than one might imagine of the heroic deliverer of our country. For instance, he never considered himself worthy of leading the rebel army, occasionally sharing in private an alarming lack of confidence in or even despair about the revolution's chances. During the worst moments, when it seemed the rebellion would soon be crushed (and young Skywalker would be one of us), he would distract himself from the misery by writing to his estate manager in Virginia with a list of housekeeping duties so anal in nature they would make me look like a disheveled mess. And at the end of one particularly disheartening battle that he witnessed first-hand, he was so filled with panic and rage that he became somewhat suicidal and had to be stopped from charging the enemy after his army had already begun its retreat. But it was a rare (perhaps the only) moment of public weakness for him, as most references speak to his stoicism and leadership under fire, and his perseverance despite the doubts that plagued him. Considering the odds stacked against his army, this truly was an accomplishment in and of itself.

But McCullough's book, coming in at a lightweight 300 pages, has a narrower focus, on the events of 1776 alone, and so we don't get the full exploration of Washington, or of interesting but all-too-brief digressions like the implications of a slave owner leading an army in the fight for liberty and independence. What we do get is a blow-by-blow look at the decisions and battles of a year that ultimately changed the course of history, as well as a frightening sense of how close the entire revolution came to failing that year, but for a change of wind or unusual patch of fog.

The British were often deliberate in their moves, even after stirring victories, which gave Washington time to retreat and regroup his men when they could have easily been obliterated had the Redcoats continued to pursue more aggressively. And when the British did want to finish the job, the weather would intervene every time. In one notable battle, the cause would have likely ended had the wind not blown East for four straight days, which prevented the British from sending its superior naval forces into a flanking position and cutting off any lanes of retreat, which the rebels ended up needing after being beaten badly in the field of battle.

At the end of the book (and year), we get a vivid description of Washington's famous crossing of the Deleware, which gave the rebels a much-needed victory during the darkest hour. The battle in New Jersey wasn't pivotal for its outcome in positioning or strategy, but its effect on the army and the rest of the country changed the tide of the war, after a year full of setbacks had led to desertions and despair. After reading the book, you realize how lucky we were just to get that far.

As I said, I wish the book had gone deeper (and I will probably look for other books that do), but for its stated purpose, it was a good read. It'll hold you over until July 16.

Speaking of books, The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown, has now been on the NY Times Bestseller list for 109 weeks...over two years! As recently as last week it was number one, unheard of for a book that's been out that long. It's a juggernaut that is going to explode (as if it hasn't already) when the Ron Howard-directed film starring Tom Hanks and Ian McKellen comes out next summer. If you have somehow resisted the movement until now, just give in and read the book. Then read Angels and Demons, also by Dan Brown, which a lot of folks (including myself) think is the superior book.