Revolution Song

An illustrated lecture by acclaimed historian and author Russell Shorto.

Wednesday, August 8th, 2018
Time: 4-5 p.m.
Location: Museum, 2nd Floor.
Reception and book signing to follow.

Russell Shorto, author of the acclaimed history The Island at the Center of the World, will speak about his epic new book: Revolution Song, an intimate new epic of the American Revolution that reinforces its meaning for today. “…a decidedly refreshing approach… Shorto’s achievement is a remarkable one” — The New York Times Book Review. “A tour de force” — Gordon S. Wood, author of The Radicalism of the American Revolution.

Russell Shorto’s work has been praised as “first-rate intellectual history” (Wall Street Journal), “literary alchemy” (Chicago Tribune) and simply “astonishing” (New York Times). In his epic new book, Russell Shorto takes us back to the founding of the American nation, drawing on diaries, letters and autobiographies to flesh out six lives that cast the era in a fresh new light. They include an African man who freed himself and his family from slavery, a rebellious young woman who abandoned her abusive husband to chart her own course and a certain Mr. Washington, who was admired for his social graces but harshly criticized for his often-disastrous military strategy.
Through these lives we understand that the revolution was fought over the meaning of individual freedom, a philosophical idea that became a force for violent change. A powerful narrative and a brilliant defense of American values, Revolution Song makes the compelling case that the American Revolution is still being fought today and that its ideals are worth defending.