Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade

Title: Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War that Changed American History

Author: Brian Kilmeade

Publisher: Sentinel 2015

Genre: Nonfiction - U.S. History

Pages: 238

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction; 52 Books - W34

This is the little-known story of how a newly indepen­dent nation was challenged by four Muslim powers and what happened when America’s third president decided to stand up to intimidation.

When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a crisis. The new nation was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa’s Barbary coast routinely captured American sailors and held them as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments far beyond what the new coun­try could afford.

Definitely a good follow-up to George Washington's Secret Six. I have a passing knowledge of the Barbary War, but even I can classify it as the forgotten war. I learned so much about the intricacies, people involved, and battles of the war. Stories like that of the USS Philadelphia sparked a memory for me, but it was nice to get the full story in these pages. A good random pick-up from the library shelves.

George Washington's Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade

Title: George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Save the American Revolution

Author: Brian Kilmeade

Publisher:Sentinel 2013

Genre: Nonfiction - U.S. History

Pages: 236

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Adventure (perpetual); Nonfiction; Book to Movie

When George Washington beat a hasty retreat from New York City in August 1776, many thought the American Revolution might soon be over. Instead, Washington rallied—thanks in large part to a little-known, top-secret group called the Culper Spy Ring. He realized that he couldn’t defeat the British with military might, so he recruited a sophisticated and deeply secretive intelligence network to infiltrate New York.

Drawing on extensive research, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger have offered fascinating portraits of these spies: a reserved Quaker merchant, a tavern keeper, a brash young longshoreman, a curmudgeonly Long Island bachelor, a coffeehouse owner, and a mysterious woman. Long unrecognized, the secret six are finally receiving their due among the pantheon of American heroes.

I'll admit that I picked this up because of my love of watching Turn: Washington's Spies. For all my background in U.S. History, I had never really learned much about the Culper Ring other than it existed. I wanted to see if the tv show was at all factual. While there are certain liberties taken to amp up the dramatic flair and a few characters combined or changed slightly, the show is true to the spirit of the ring. Many historical characters do appear (Tallmadge, Simcoe, Rivington, Brewster, Woodhull, and Townsend). I enjoyed this quick introduction to the Culper Ring and spies during the American Revolution. I knocked off a star because of just how short this volume is. I would have liked more in depth information, maybe more about the actual methods they employed or more detailed accounts of how their ring fit into the larger picture. Very good, but not amazing.