This is a biography from Paul Revere written by Joel J. Miller in 2010. It was published by Thomas Nelson also in 2010 and they were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through the BookSneeze.com Book Review Bloggers Program.

The book tells us the story of Paul Revere, apprentice in this father’s silversmith, husband, father of sixteen children, soldier, entrepreneur and war leader. Miller describes with vivid language Paul’s financial struggle, the grieving father when burying his child and the fearless activist fighting for something he thought was a just cause, using his talents. But although this book was suppose to be a biography, it is also an American history book, giving some insight view on the infamous Boston Massacre, the Tea Party, the Battle of Lexington and Concord etc.

Joel J. Miller did a magnificent research job and he had all the elements necessary to compose a very boring book, but instead he transformed his research into a very enjoyable reading experience. It is a very inspirational book where we learn a lot about loyalty, hard work, and willing to help your community. I am not that much into Biographies but definitely this book is an excellent reading choice and also a learning opportunity for all history lovers or anyone wanting more information of the Revolutionary War.

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Just about everyone knows (or used to know) the story of Paul Revere's midnight ride: one if by land and two if by sea, and "the British are coming" and all that. But few know the rest of good ol' Paul's story. Unfortunately, it would appear there's not much else to know. Ostensibly, this book is about Paul Revere but it's more about the Revolutionary War in the Boston area and Paul's contributions to it... even if it was just that he was working most of the time and ran a few errands.

I expected that there must be more to Revere's story (otherwise, why write a book?) but it pretty much sounds like he had his 15 minutes of fame with the midnight ride, and other than a few footnote contributions he was just a regular patriot willingly doing his part. The language of the book is surprisingly casual (even referring to Revere's father as "Pop" at one point and starting most chapters with "In which our hero...") which makes me think I'm not the intended audience for this history book. I imagine teenagers or those just becoming interested in the Revolution might find this insightful, maybe even inspiring further interest. For such it's probably a 4 star book. But if you're already familiar with this history (maybe through McCullough's John Adams or Langguth's Patriots) there's probably not much new here except a few details of Revere's life. ( )

Just about everyone knows (or used to know) the story of Paul Revere's midnight ride: one if by land and two if by sea, and "the British are coming" and all that. But few know the rest of good ol' Paul's story. Unfortunately, it would appear there's not much else to know. Ostensibly, this book is about Paul Revere but it's more about the Revolutionary War in the Boston area and Paul's contributions to it... even if it was just that he was working most of the time and ran a few errands.

I expected that there must be more to Revere's story (otherwise, why write a book?) but it pretty much sounds like he had his 15 minutes of fame with the midnight ride, and other than a few footnote contributions he was just a regular patriot willingly doing his part. The language of the book is surprisingly casual (even referring to Revere's father as "Pop" at one point and starting most chapters with "In which our hero...") which makes me think I'm not the intended audience for this history book. I imagine teenagers or those just becoming interested in the Revolution might find this insightful, maybe even inspiring further interest. For such it's probably a 4 star book. But if you're already familiar with this history (maybe through McCullough's John Adams or Langguth's Patriots) there's probably not much new here except a few details of Revere's life. ( )

Just about everyone knows (or used to know) the story of Paul Revere's midnight ride: one if by land and two if by sea, and "the British are coming" and all that. But few know the rest of good ol' Paul's story. Unfortunately, it would appear there's not much else to know. Ostensibly, this book is about Paul Revere but it's more about the Revolutionary War in the Boston area and Paul's contributions to it... even if it was just that he was working most of the time and ran a few errands.

I expected that there must be more to Revere's story (otherwise, why write a book?) but it pretty much sounds like he had his 15 minutes of fame with the midnight ride, and other than a few footnote contributions he was just a regular patriot willingly doing his part. The language of the book is surprisingly casual (even referring to Revere's father as "Pop" at one point and starting most chapters with "In which our hero...") which makes me think I'm not the intended audience for this history book. I imagine teenagers or those just becoming interested in the Revolution might find this insightful, maybe even inspiring further interest. For such it's probably a 4 star book. But if you're already familiar with this history (maybe through McCullough's John Adams or Langguth's Patriots) there's probably not much new here except a few details of Revere's life. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It appears comprehensive, yet not bogged down in a large amount of superfluous information that some biographers or historians add to their books.

Dare I say this book read as fast as I imagine Paul Revere ride through the countryside? ( )