When I sat down to start reading Scars of Independence by Holger Hoock I had little bit of a pit in my stomach. What was this book about the Revolutionary War going to teach me that the history books haven't already?
I have read books about the Revolutionary War before but so many of them are hardened, strictly sticking to the facts, and not giving any indication to the thoughts or feelings of those that participated, or were witness, to these battles. Scars of Independence is different and you realize that from the first few pages that you read. You see viewpoints from different people and their reasons for fighting for what they believed in. You see the stages being set and the battle lines being drawn. You can hear the cries of the wounded and the screams for victory. Yes, it is hard to read the bloody details of the Revolution but it is a story that we should all hear and not one that should be romanticized. This is where we came from! This is the birth of our nation!
Mr. Hoock must have done hours of research with all of the details that are within these pages. He has a wonderful writing style that captures the imagination and is easy to understand, though I will say it is hard to sit down and read it cover to cover. It has a dry, textbook feel to it which makes it hard to not feel like you're studying. In saying that, Scars of Independence is a wonderful resource that could easily be used in a classroom setting and taken apart piece by piece to be studied.
If you love studying about the Revolutionary War, or American wars, I would highly recommend this book. The research that was done and details about the war are well worth the effort!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
No comments
Thank you for visiting! :)