1776 by David McCullough

 My Rating: 4.9

The intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence - when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper. 

Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King's men, the British commander, William Howe, an his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known.

I don't typically like non-fiction or history. I wanted a book that would interest my husband and we could listen to on our weekly commute to/from our vacation home. My husband isn't big on audio books so, I picked on that I hoped he would enjoy. It wasn't long after we pulled out of the driveway before he was asking if I was going to put on the book. What surprised me is how much I enjoyed it - and how much I learned.