Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
The gifted Wood offers a fresh take on the formative years of the United States, explaining the astonishing transformation of disparate, quarreling colonies into a bustling, unruly republic of egalitarian-minded citizens. (Mar.)
Library Journal
Historians have always had problems explaining the revolutionary character of the American Revolution: its lack of class conflict, a reign of terror, and indiscriminate violence make it seem positively sedate. In this beautifully written and persuasively argued book, one of the most noted of U.S. historians restores the radicalism to what he terms ``one of the greatest revolutions the world has ever known.'' It was the American Revolution, Wood argues, that unleashed the social forces that transformed American society in the years between 1760 and 1820. The change from a deferential, monarchical, ordered, and static society to a liberal, democratic, and commercial one was astonishing, all the more so because it took place without industrialization, urbanization, or the revolution in transportation. It was a revolution of the mind, in which the concept of equality, democracy, and private interest grasped by hundreds of thousands of Americans transformed a country nearly overnight. Exciting, compelling, and sure to provoke controversy, the book will be discussed for years to come. History Book Club main selection.-- David B. Mattern, Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville
From the Publisher
"The most important study of the American Revolution to appear in over twenty years ... a landmark book." —The New York Times Book Review
"A breathtaking social, political, and ideological analysis. This book will set the agenda for discussion for some time to come." —Richard L. Bushman
SEPTEMBER 2011 - AudioFile
The thesis of Wood’s thoughtful analysis is that the American Revolution, though primarily political, resulted in a new type of social egalitarianism. Paul Boehmer’s voice is clear, and he’s usually sensitive to the text, using tone and expression to support its meaning. However, his reading style is somewhat stilted, more declaimed, like a series of pronouncements, than easily conversational, an approach that draws attention to the narration over the text. But in time, one becomes used to it, and it doesn’t interfere with the sense, which he conveys clearly. Some errors of pronunciation and emphasis could be confusing. But the persistent listener will find that the good outweighs the bad. W.M. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
