Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution

What lights the spark that ignites a revolution? What was it that, in 1775, provoked a group of merchants, farmers, artisans and mariners in the American colonies to unite and take up arms against the British government in pursuit of liberty? Nathaniel Philbrick, the acclaimed historian and bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea and The Last Stand, shines new and brilliant light on the momentous beginnings of the American Revolution, and those individuals – familiar and unknown, and from both sides – who played such a vital part in the early days of the conflict that would culminate in the defining Battle of Bunker Hill. Written with passion and insight, even-handedness and the eloquence of a born storyteller, Bunker Hill brings to life the robust, chaotic and blisteringly real origins of America.

About the Author :
Nathaniel Philbrick is an historian and broadcaster whose books include In the Heart of the Sea, which was a Sunday Times bestseller and won America's National Book Award (and is director Ron Howard's major new film), Sea of Glory (winner of the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize), Mayflower, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and the Sunday Times bestselling The Last Stand. He lives on Nantucket Island and is the founding director of the Egan Institute of Maritime Studies and a research fellow at the Nantucket Historical Association.

Review :
A notable merit of his account of the birth of the American revolution is its fairmindedness . . . readable and sensible. Vivid, realistic and sometimes shocking . . . [character] is certainly the animating spirit of this fine narrative history and, in a sprawling, vibrant cast, the character that emerges most forcefully is that of the city of Boston itself: tumultuous, vigorous and fascinating. Admirably even-handed . . . this perceptive account. Brilliantly told. Philbrick is a master narrator who has deployed every ounce of his considerable skill . . . to find the lifeblood of early America This is popular history at its best: a taut narrative with a novelist’s touch, grounded in careful research. A masterpiece of narrative and perspective . . . unforgettable. Tightly focused and richly detailed . . . From the outset, Philbrick makes it clear that, unlike many other popular historians of the Revolution, he plans to be even-handed rather than merely glorify the colonial rebels . . . at his most vivid in conveying scenes of battle . . . what adds depth to the narrative is his fine sense of the ambitions that drive people in war and politics. A fine account of a bloody early battle. If you're interested in the military aspects of the war, this is a great overview of a complex story, and one that never loses sight of its human participants.