What a great way to learn about your family, past and present. Sitting at your grandfather's knee, as he tells stories of your ancestors that make them come alive. A joy to read.
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This was a very interesting historical read. I loved all the personal anecdotal information that was incorporated into the story. The conscription of innocent young men into the army was especially poignant and very distressing for the families involved. The story about the propaganda money was fascinating as was the counter attack on the propaganda money. I would highly recommend this book! ( )

William Newman was a real person who lived in Colonial and early Republic Virginia. This book is a compilation of family stories about him. His life is told in a series of vignettes and this book describes life in early Virginia as seen and experienced by William Newman from his time as a small boy up until near the time of his death. The individual stories give insight into the day to day life during that time period, whether at the various homes/farms/plantations or while away fighting in the Revolutionary War. The book would make a great basis for a movie or individual readings since the accounts are already broken into nice chunks that while they are related to the other chunks can stand alone if necessary. The author is one of his descendants and one can tell that through the loving handling of the accounts. ( )

William Newman recounts stories from his lifetime. Beginning as a boy, through coming of age and participating in the American Revolution, to marriage and fatherhood (14 children) and old age with his grandchildren. Individual stories were good and well written. Transitions from one story to the next could get confusing because of the jump between time periods. Overall, a nice read. ( )

I normally enjoy historical novels, but found the language in this one to be very stilted, almost sluggish. Simply could not get into it.