Bunker Hill by Nathaniel Philbrick

Title: Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution

Author: Nathaniel Philbrick

Publisher: Viking 2013

Genre: Nonfiction - U.S. History

Pages: 398

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction; 52 Books - W33; Perpetual (NonAd)

Boston in 1775 is an island city occupied by British troops after a series of incendiary incidents by patriots who range from sober citizens to thuggish vigilantes. After the Boston Tea Party, British and American soldiers and Massachusetts residentshave warily maneuvered around each other until April 19, when violence finally erupts at Lexington and Concord.  In June, however, with the city cut off from supplies by a British blockade and Patriot militia poised in siege, skirmishes give way to outright war in the Battle of Bunker Hill. It would be the bloodiest battle of the Revolution to come, and the point of no return for the rebellious colonists.

Been meaning to pick this one up for awhile now. And I enjoyed every page of this volume. Such a great exploration of the events leading up to the Declaration of Independence focusing on the Boston area. I loved following each of the players through the few years detailed. Philbrick scores again with a great narrative history. Even with my background knowledge of the Revolution, I still learned a lot about the details of the time period. Fascinating!

Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick

Title: Valiant Ambition

Author: Nathaniel Philbrick

Publisher: Viking 2016

Genre: Nonfiction - U.S. History

Pages: 427

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (NonAd); Nonfiction; Popsugar - Blue Cover

In September 1776, the vulnerable Continental Army under an unsure George Washington (who had never commanded a large force in battle) evacuates New York after a devastating defeat by the British Army. Three weeks later, near the Canadian border, one of his favorite generals, Benedict Arnold, miraculously succeeds in postponing the British naval advance down Lake Champlain that might have ended the war. Four years later, as the book ends, Washington has vanquished his demons and Arnold has fled to the enemy after a foiled attempt to surrender the American fortress at West Point to the British. After four years of war, America is forced to realize that the real threat to its liberties might not come from without but from within.

Apparently I am in the middle of a huge American Revolution kick. J and I are obsessed with watching Turn on AMC and listening to the Hamilton soundtrack. Nevermind that I've always been a fan of history, I've found myself craving history books lately. I few weeks back I finished Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea and realized that he had just released a new book centered on the American Revolution. Thankfully I spied it at the library last week and immediately snatched it up. So good! In general I know how this story played out, but I was constantly fascinated by the details. It was the little things along with excerpts from letters that sucked me into the story. I was riveted from page one. Philbrick definitely has a way with narrative history. Never once did I get lost or confused by the information. I went along on the journey highlighting what would ultimately be two opposing forces: Washington and Arnold. I think I liked this one better than Philbrick's Mayflower. Fascinating story! Now I want to run off and get the book that Turn the television series is based on. Guess I need some more American Revolution in my life.

In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

Title: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Author: Nathaniel Philbrick

Publisher: Viking 2000

Genre: Nonfiction – History

Pages: 301

Rating: 5/5 stars Movie: 3/5

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction; Popsugar - National Book Award Winner; Book to Movie

In 1820, the whaleship Essex was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale, leaving the desperate crew to drift for more than ninety days in three tiny boats. Nathaniel Philbrick uses little-known documents and vivid details about the Nantucket whaling tradition to reveal the chilling facts of this infamous maritime disaster.

After reading two of his books, I have to say that Philbrick is my second favorite history author. He doesn't quite beat Eric Larson's wonderful storytelling, but he sure produces some great books. How I have never heard of the whaleship Essex is just crazy! It may have something to do with the fact that I hated Moby Dick and the Essex's story is the inspiration for that book. Thankfully, the real history is a fascinating look at whaling, early 19th century life, and survival. I couldn't put this book down and finished in 2 days. Definitely a must-read. I really should look up Philbrick's other books...

Movie:

Of course Hollywood always has to sensationalize the story. I was not very excited about this movie. It felt like the movie took the real story and crossed it with Moby Dick. The whale continues to pursue the crew even after the ship sinks. Definitely not part of the original story. Plus they made some changes as to the personalities and decisions made by Chase and Pollard. Overall, a disappointing movie.

Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick

Title: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

Author: Nathaniel Philbrick

Publisher: Penguin 2006

Genre: U.S. History Nonfiction

Pages: 463

Rating:  5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Dewey -- 970s; My Years -- 2006

How I Got It: I own it!

Nathaniel Philbrick became an internationally renowned author with his National Book Award-winning In the Heart of the Sea, hailed as "spellbinding" by Time magazine. In Mayflower, Philbrick casts his spell once again, giving us a fresh and extraordinarily vivid account of our most sacred national myth: the voyage of the Mayflower and the settlement of Plymouth Colony. From the Mayflower's arduous Atlantic crossing to the eruption of King Philip's War between colonists and natives decades later, Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims a fifty-five-year epic, at once tragic and heroic, that still resonates with us today.

It felt so good to get back to reading history books.  And this one is beautifully written!  Philbrick creates an engaging narrative that hits all sides of the history of the Pilgrim settlement.  My favorite side of the story was all the politics.  We get Pilgrims and Strangers, we get Pilgrims and various native groups, we get native groups and other native groups, we get Pilgrims and Puritans.  All sides with their own agendas, needs, and wants.  Although it took me a while to read this one, but it was worth it.  Philbrick's narrative is so dense that it took me a couple of times to rereading paragraphs to digest all the information.  But I didn't mind because it was well-constructed.  A definite read for a comprehensive history of the Pilgrims and their history and impact on American history.