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lynnea713's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book! I find it odd that we're rarely told about the men who risked everything they had to sign our declaration of independence. The writers of this book keep it interesting and funny while reading about all the signers. I highly recommend it! It's a quick read and very interesting!
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED THIS BOOK! Kiernan and D'Agnese's brief but very informative book was right up this history buff's alley. After a brief introduction on the the Convention that produced the United States Constitution, the rest of the book devotes a chapter to each signer of the Constitution, giving a solid biography of each, as well as highlighting their contributions to the Constitution. There are appendices that list the full original text of the Constitution and its Amendments, as well as quick blurbs about other individuals associated with this historic document, including convention members who did not sign the final document.
In general I love how Quirk books tend to highlight the truly weird and fascinating, while still maintaining some sort of value. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was my first introduction to this publisher and I can't say that I've been disappointed in much I've seen from them, and this entertaining, yet really useful non-fiction title is no exception.
The dust jacket carries portraits of the signers with colorful one word descriptions such as "Bankrupt" "Pretty Boy" and "Fugitive", and even unfolds to reveal a replica of the original Constitution. The colorful descriptors on the cover match up with the equally memorable chapter headings such as "The Signer Who Stole $18,000 From Congress" and "The Signer Who Believed in Aliens". But, while making sure to highlight these colorful incidents, the book still sticks to the facts and provides a solid biographical sketch of each signer from birth to death without being too long, dry, or boring.
While I enjoyed reading it from cover to cover, the book offers key biographical information on some of the lesser known Founding Fathers that would be useful to many students of American history. Maybe not a top priority for serious academic libraries, but certainly worth including in public libraries and middle and high school collections.
In general I love how Quirk books tend to highlight the truly weird and fascinating, while still maintaining some sort of value. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was my first introduction to this publisher and I can't say that I've been disappointed in much I've seen from them, and this entertaining, yet really useful non-fiction title is no exception.
The dust jacket carries portraits of the signers with colorful one word descriptions such as "Bankrupt" "Pretty Boy" and "Fugitive", and even unfolds to reveal a replica of the original Constitution. The colorful descriptors on the cover match up with the equally memorable chapter headings such as "The Signer Who Stole $18,000 From Congress" and "The Signer Who Believed in Aliens". But, while making sure to highlight these colorful incidents, the book still sticks to the facts and provides a solid biographical sketch of each signer from birth to death without being too long, dry, or boring.
While I enjoyed reading it from cover to cover, the book offers key biographical information on some of the lesser known Founding Fathers that would be useful to many students of American history. Maybe not a top priority for serious academic libraries, but certainly worth including in public libraries and middle and high school collections.
marysasala's review against another edition
4.0
Fun book. Very easy with very bit sized biographies of each of signers of the Declaration. I read it as a story. This way I didn't connect individually with the signers but I got a good feel for the characters, background and opinions of the men discussing declaring Independence.
I would recommend buying this book and referencing it during Patriotic holidays to better connect with the individuals or using it to base travel plans to visit their homes or gravesite since that is all included in the biographies.
These men had more courage than we appreciate today. The obstacles and decisions they made were world altering.
I would recommend buying this book and referencing it during Patriotic holidays to better connect with the individuals or using it to base travel plans to visit their homes or gravesite since that is all included in the biographies.
These men had more courage than we appreciate today. The obstacles and decisions they made were world altering.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
Each biography is just a few pages of highlights from the signer's life. The authors make quips about their subjects that will entertain adults, but may go over the heads of young readers. Short lives and lots of children seem to be the rule of the time period. Each of these men is portrayed in all his humanity- no gilding of the lily here.
thegreenknight3's review against another edition
5.0
Very informative, and a great book that busts the incorrect myths of our forefathers.
gabiloue's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes, when books are labeled as non-fiction, people naturally assume that they are boring and written like a tepid school lecture. And many times, that's about accurate. That was not the case with this book however. The writing was personable, humorous, and just pleasant to read. Jokes were cracked throughout the book, but they didn't take away from any of the factual information being presented. In fact, it actually connected some of the people or things talked about to the modern world (see: Josiah Bartlett, the signer immortalized on the West Wing), making it easier to understand and remember. The main flaw that I found with this book was, though the authors tried as hard as they could to make each interesting, all the signer's lives just bled together. They basically had the same life, with discrepancies throughout. My interest was basically lost by the end. I would definitely recommend this book though, especially if your interested in the American Revolution time period. It puts a story behind the not-so-famous makers of the country, and there are quite a few interesting facts presented along the way.
heatherday916's review against another edition
4.0
A good book. It was very interesting to learn about the lesser known signers, and even some new things about signers I already knew. I could have done without some of the attempts at humor tossed in, as most felt a bit sarcastic or snarky and took away from the overall tone and purpose of the book. But I'd still recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about who these men were who declared our nation's independence and set us firmly on the road to revolution.
krep___'s review against another edition
2.75
Mildly entertaining and a quick read. The mini-biographies of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, in total, yield a picture of the times and the kind of people who basically launched the United States. The style is light-hearted for the most part, mildly humorous at times.