Rise To Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution

The historical antecedents of Shaara’s narrative are not only real but also a key part of standard American history—Paul Revere’s ride, Washington crossing the Delaware, and the Boston Tea Party are taught in history classes as early as elementary school. Shaara blends real events with the tools of fiction: character development, setting, physical description. Historical figures are reimagined through fiction, adding their emotions and interiority, but the narrative balances those fictional flourishes with historical fact. John Adams, for example, is torn between his love for his family and farm and his obligations to his country, but he inevitably returns to the Continental Congress to deliver a passionate speech. The historical truth of Franklin’s celebrity is augmented by his despair over political differences with his son. The narrative also highlights the importance of figures like Sam Adams, one of the primary leaders of the Massachusetts Sons of Liberty and a primary driver of American independence, as well as Thomas Paine, whose treatise, Common Sense, helps unite the colonies. Shaara gives these characters life, motivation, and emotional resonance, giving history an immediacy many textbooks lack.

Shaara also explores the minutiae behind certain events in colonial-American history. The Battle of Lexington and Concord, for example, is known for “the shot heard round the world,” but Shaara explains the British mission to confiscate munitions, the division between British troops, and the fear of war on both sides. In the text, The Battle of Bunker Hill is more accurately described as The Battle of Breed’s Hill, as Bunker Hill sits to the north of Breed’s Hill and is occupied primarily by reinforcements. Shaara digs deeply into tactics and strategy, examining the perspectives of Washington, Gage, Howe, and their subordinates. He explains why Fort Ticonderoga—an underexplored location—is valuable to the colonists later in the war. Shaara further explains how the strongest military in the world was defeated by a smaller, less-disciplined, and less-equipped army: The difficulties and bureaucracy faced by Gage, the tactical errors and misjudgment of British commanders, and the underestimation of people bent on liberation all contributed to an American victory.