A review by maximum_moxie
Johnny Tremain by Lynd Ward, Esther Forbes

3.0

A much more readable book than I expected, given the text’s age and my childhood experiences with this kind of historical fiction. The book is well-paced and most of the (male) characters carried my interest. But the book’s faults, tied to its time period and the author’s desire to connect the Revolution to her own WWII world, are evident: black people are unintelligent bit players, women are valuable as domestic lynchpins but not much else, and anyone fat/disabled seems automatically suspect or symbolic of impotence or weakness. More to the point, the Revolution is envisioned as an inevitability rather than a result of history’s chances, something which from the beginning is tied to freedom for everyone everywhere even as enslaved people and women (who are never going to enjoy the same freedom) toil in the background. As an adult, I found these flaws less infuriating than interesting to pick apart, as they show how “objective history” is nothing of the kind. But the fact this book, as fascinating a time capsule as it is, is still some children’s main exposure to the Revolution is concerning, especially if these structural issues aren’t addressed by teachers.