From Resistance to Revolution
Pauline Maier
Ah, a historical tome. This should be a bit refreshing given what I've been reading lately, and indeed Maier's account of the buildup to the American Revolution is a well-constructed academic probe into the popular sentiment of the time. The book itself reads like a really good term pape rife with citations and quotations, with analysis neatly tossed in here and there. Really, though, what narrative exists doesn't so much propel the information as explain it. Given all of this, I was pleasantly surprised how easy the book was to read once I got into it.
Granted, I had to get used to the very factual style of the prose, but Maier takes a theme and provides the compelling story of the road to Revolution in the American colonies. There are, of course, a few flaws inherent in this kind of work. Firstly, Maier seems to take her readers' previous knowledge of events for granted. She doesn't go into the basics of events but explicates meaning from them, meaning that a general familiarity with British and American history is necessary when reading this volume. At points where the reader is unfamiliar with the base events, the information becomes quickly overwhelming and essentially useless.
An interesting aspect of this book, for me at least, was the comparison with other countries searching for their own independence at the same time as the American events were coming to a head. Even though I knew little about these, this was one part of the book where prior knowledge doesn't automatically preclude the reader from understanding the text. Maier does an excellent job connecting the events in America to a greater feeling of coming independence and a flight from tryanny throughout the world. I never knew that the American colonists were actually expecting the British proletariat to rise with them against George III.
For the reader acquainted with the various acts of Parliament leading to the Revolution, this reckoning of the movement towards atual revolution against England is enlightening and interesting. For the average, non-academic reader, the book remains accessible after a quick skimming of the "whats" of the American Revolution. All told, this is an example of the well-written academic history that I always hoped existed.
Grade: A-
Pauline Maier
Ah, a historical tome. This should be a bit refreshing given what I've been reading lately, and indeed Maier's account of the buildup to the American Revolution is a well-constructed academic probe into the popular sentiment of the time. The book itself reads like a really good term pape rife with citations and quotations, with analysis neatly tossed in here and there. Really, though, what narrative exists doesn't so much propel the information as explain it. Given all of this, I was pleasantly surprised how easy the book was to read once I got into it.
Granted, I had to get used to the very factual style of the prose, but Maier takes a theme and provides the compelling story of the road to Revolution in the American colonies. There are, of course, a few flaws inherent in this kind of work. Firstly, Maier seems to take her readers' previous knowledge of events for granted. She doesn't go into the basics of events but explicates meaning from them, meaning that a general familiarity with British and American history is necessary when reading this volume. At points where the reader is unfamiliar with the base events, the information becomes quickly overwhelming and essentially useless.
An interesting aspect of this book, for me at least, was the comparison with other countries searching for their own independence at the same time as the American events were coming to a head. Even though I knew little about these, this was one part of the book where prior knowledge doesn't automatically preclude the reader from understanding the text. Maier does an excellent job connecting the events in America to a greater feeling of coming independence and a flight from tryanny throughout the world. I never knew that the American colonists were actually expecting the British proletariat to rise with them against George III.
For the reader acquainted with the various acts of Parliament leading to the Revolution, this reckoning of the movement towards atual revolution against England is enlightening and interesting. For the average, non-academic reader, the book remains accessible after a quick skimming of the "whats" of the American Revolution. All told, this is an example of the well-written academic history that I always hoped existed.
Grade: A-
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