Reviewed by: Brenda Weeaks, MyShelf.Com
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I love a good American story, probably, more than anyone. In fact, I've been accused of being overly patriotic by a professor or two. Well pardon my flag, but here I am again praising another compressive contribution about our ancestors and their sacrifices. Ray Raphael's "A People's History of the American Revolution" is about those who came to America for a second chance and refused to let another country rule their roost. These same people attempted to continue with their everyday lives as the war raged on.

The chapters are labeled: "Rank-and-File Rebels," "Fighting Men and Boys," "Women," "Loyalists and Pacifists," "Native Americans," "African Americans," and "The Body of the People."

In each chapter is a group of narratives of situations with leading characters. Each is written in a simple style and includes original historical quotes. The dates included helped to set up a timeline, but occasionally historical facts get in the way of the storytelling.

This just one title in a series called the New Press People's History. The series is going to reexamine various periods of history, but not through the old familiar tales of the elite and historically famous, but through the narratives of common people. Be warned: not all narratives are pleasant or positive. Here are a couple that stood out to me:

In the "Loyalist and Pacifists" chapter, a narrative titled "The Dogs of Civil War" tells of a rebellion within a rebellion, a civil war in the first year of the revolution, and a man who commits a terrorist act. In the "Women" chapter, a narrative titled "Women in the Army Camps" shows that even Washington couldn't control the women, no matter how many decrees he made.

This is one for the keeper shelf.