The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America
Every schoolchild in America has heard of Paul Revere’s “midnight ride,” due in large part to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1860 poem about this iconic event in American history. In this scholarly but accessible book—it reads more like a novel than a well-researched history—Kennedy goes beyond the poem to present a detailed picture of Revere: the amazing equestrian who delivered scores of messages from Boston to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, the radical supporter of the Sons of Liberty, the family man, the silversmith, and the dentist.
The central theme is, of course, Revere’s famous ride to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Sam Adams of their possible arrest and to rouse the countryside to the fact that British soldiers were already on the move. Kennedy details the events of that historic night and talks about the roles of so many others who took part, such as William Dawes, Samuel Prescott, and Joseph Warren. This is a highly recommended book for anyone interested in the beginnings of the American Revolution.
