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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Philbrick makes history readable! This is a thoroughly researched, well-written and engaging book about the beginning of our nation. Since the subject is limited to a very small part of our history, Philbrick is able to dive deep into the time period from both the British and the Patriot’s side. If one has the chance to tour Boston’s Freedom Trail as well as Lexington and Concord National Park after reading Bunker Hill, the sites will come alive in your mind’s eye.
The book was ok - not being overly familiar with the Revolutionary War it was very informative about the beginnings. I found it hard to keep all of the players in the book straight. It was good to read before going to Boston for the first time as it helped visualize things once there. And I got more from the book than any of the tours we saw in Boston.
I enjoyed this book so much more than Philbrick's Mayflower. It was fascinating how courageous these early acts were in the Revolutionary War. I think I always thought that fighting started after the Declaration of Independence was signed. However, it was the battles at Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill that made such a declaration possible. I'm impressed by these people who chose to act in treason of their former government to create a new one. I liked how this book helped illuminate that the road to independence wasn't always the obvious course and that many who fought in these early battles were looking for reconciliation at some point. The description and details of the battle of Lexington and Concord is one of the best I've ever read and helped me understand what happened there. I never realized how much chance was involved in these battles even happening or the Americans finding success so early.
Joseph Warren was an interesting man to learn about through this book. Like Hamilton, it made me ask, "what if he didn't die so young?"
Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Joseph Warren was an interesting man to learn about through this book. Like Hamilton, it made me ask, "what if he didn't die so young?"
Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
I really enjoyed this look into the beginning of the conflict that became the Revolutionary War, centered on the city of Boston. This book focused on the events of Lexington & Concord through the battle of Bunker Hill (which didn't actually happen on Bunker Hill) to Evacuation Day and looked at the lives of the primary players including the little remembered Dr. Joseph Warren, who likely would have been a major player in the American Revolution if he hadn't died in the fighting on June 17, 1775. I found this book well researched and easy to read while drawing the reader into the minds of the actor on both sides of the conflict. This books look into the geography of the time, the attitudes of the colonists and the British army, and the view of the conflict by the citizens back in England to show how the revolution began and was shaped by the attitudes of the colonists of Massachusetts.
I read this because it was a featured book by my library. I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise, because war history has never been an interest of mine, but I found it really interesting. Having grown up in the South, I knew revolutionary war history from a different viewpoint and I didn't know it very well. I was really struck in this book by what a huge role Massachusetts and the other New England states played. I was also struck by the amazing coordination of efforts required to pull the Revolution off in an era before telephones and motorized transport. I thought it was interesting that one of the main factors was New Englander's custom of holding town meetings: meetings which (through the work of a committee) became forums to discuss national issues and to make plans. Having read a lot of books like "Connected: the surprising power of our social networks..." lately, this book had me thinking about connectivity in a whole different context. There were points in the book when I didn't really enjoy his tone and he goes on a fair amount of tangents, but overall I found this book really well researched and worth reading. It has sparked my interest in reading more American history.
Nothing groundbreaking, but a great detailed look at life in Boston and the status of the Revolutionary cause just before & after the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Interesting history of the start of the Revolutionary War. The author offers some new perspectives on some of the leading characters in the start of the Revolution. George Washington was not perfect, Joseph Warren was an inspiring leader, the British generals were not particularly evil, and some of the American "patriots" were not that decent.
"Bunker Hill" is the story of the battle called by the same name that was the bloodiest battle of the American Revolution. Philbrick really makes the story of this battle and the people that were affected by and participated in the battle come to life. I did not know much about this battle before reading this book and found this book to be a really good primer on the battle. That being said, I think those that are familiar with the battle will still get a lot out of this book.
I had read "Mayflower" by Philbrick several years ago and one thing that I really enjoyed about that book and this book is that Philbrick really does a great job of pulling you into the story. While there were some parts of "Bunker Hill" that were a little bit dry, most of the book is very engaging. Philbrick weaves the extensive research into a fascinating narrative. There are definitely some parts of the book that almost have a fiction feel to it. I don't mean that the detail feels fictional, I mean that the book is just that engaging and pulled together that you feel like you are reading a story rather than a non-fiction history book.
I really liked that Philbrick focused a lot on the personalities and people that played some pretty major roles in this battle. I think learning about these people and who they were and why they wanted to be involved and what they were doing once they got involved. Because you are not only seeing the events but the people behind the events, I really think that you get a great picture of what happened.
I think this book will definitely appeal to history lovers. Philbrick definitely knows his stuff. This book definitely whet my appetite to read more about the American Revolution.
I had read "Mayflower" by Philbrick several years ago and one thing that I really enjoyed about that book and this book is that Philbrick really does a great job of pulling you into the story. While there were some parts of "Bunker Hill" that were a little bit dry, most of the book is very engaging. Philbrick weaves the extensive research into a fascinating narrative. There are definitely some parts of the book that almost have a fiction feel to it. I don't mean that the detail feels fictional, I mean that the book is just that engaging and pulled together that you feel like you are reading a story rather than a non-fiction history book.
I really liked that Philbrick focused a lot on the personalities and people that played some pretty major roles in this battle. I think learning about these people and who they were and why they wanted to be involved and what they were doing once they got involved. Because you are not only seeing the events but the people behind the events, I really think that you get a great picture of what happened.
I think this book will definitely appeal to history lovers. Philbrick definitely knows his stuff. This book definitely whet my appetite to read more about the American Revolution.
If you like narrative history, an enjoyable introduction to this event in American revolutionary history. Solid.
"Boston was known for its love of liberty, its piety, and its prostitutes."
- Nathaniel Philbrick, Bunker Hill
I'm an unapologetic fan of Nathaniel Philbrick. I've enjoyed his maritime histories: In the Heart of the Sea, Sea of Glory, Mayflower, etc., but I've also started appreciating his New England histories. Mayflower was actually not just about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower, but was also a solid history of King Philip's War.
Philbrick has moved solidly into the popular (find his books at Costco and Walmart) and award-winning historian category with others like of McCullough, Ellis, and Kearns Goodwin. I haven't read his history of the Little Big Horn yet, but now that I've finished a non-maritime history by Philbrick, I'm completely comfortable that he can write on land as well as on sea.
The book, like his history of the Mayflower, expands beyond the history of the title. The actual history is focused on Boston from 1773 to the evacuation of Bunker Hill in March of 1776, so it includes Lexington & Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Siege of Boston, and the fortification of Dorchester Heights. My greatest thrill with this book is the focus it give to General Joseph Warren. He, in my opinion, is underappreciated by most Americans for his contributions to the Revoutionary War. If he hadn't died prematurely, he would have easily been ranked up there with Hamilton, Washington, and Jefferson. He was a polymath and amazing.
- Nathaniel Philbrick, Bunker Hill
I'm an unapologetic fan of Nathaniel Philbrick. I've enjoyed his maritime histories: In the Heart of the Sea, Sea of Glory, Mayflower, etc., but I've also started appreciating his New England histories. Mayflower was actually not just about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower, but was also a solid history of King Philip's War.
Philbrick has moved solidly into the popular (find his books at Costco and Walmart) and award-winning historian category with others like of McCullough, Ellis, and Kearns Goodwin. I haven't read his history of the Little Big Horn yet, but now that I've finished a non-maritime history by Philbrick, I'm completely comfortable that he can write on land as well as on sea.
The book, like his history of the Mayflower, expands beyond the history of the title. The actual history is focused on Boston from 1773 to the evacuation of Bunker Hill in March of 1776, so it includes Lexington & Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Siege of Boston, and the fortification of Dorchester Heights. My greatest thrill with this book is the focus it give to General Joseph Warren. He, in my opinion, is underappreciated by most Americans for his contributions to the Revoutionary War. If he hadn't died prematurely, he would have easily been ranked up there with Hamilton, Washington, and Jefferson. He was a polymath and amazing.