Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World

Eric Metaxas has written a masterpiece, a must-read classic! That he is already a noted author of many acclaimed books is well known. He has written biographies, books on Christianity and American culture, humor, children's books, essays, and scripts—including work for the famous TV show, VeggieTales. His writing has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, National Review, and First Things. Among his notable books are Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, and Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World. He has also written over 30 children’s books. Many prominent people have greatly praised Revolution including President Donald Trump who gave it an unusually enthusiastic endorsement, praising Metaxas for honoring the faith, wisdom, courage and sacrifice of the Revolution's patriots and calling it an “incredible new book.” Larry P. Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, praised it as a timely reminder not merely of America's principles but of the sacrifice necessary to preserve them. Mark Helprin, the distinguished novelist and author of Winter's Tale, supplied perhaps the most intellectually substantial endorsement. He praises the book's readability, historical analysis, and Metaxas's argument concerning the deeply religious character of the Revolution, concluding that the book gives America “the love it deserves.” People across the political spectrum have greatly praised the book from Jonathan Turley to Steve Bannon.

Revolution tells the story of how America came to be. It is not speculation. It is the facts of how the British subjects that occupied the North America continent from Maine to Georgia over a period of decades became a separate nation. Initially there was no plan. Plans came later. But Britain’s treatment of its colonies over time in the new world set the minds of literally millions to thinking about something new. The Stamp Act was passed in 1865 when the population of the colonies was estimated to be 1.8-2.2 million. This was probably the spark that set things off that led to revolution. Metaxas covers in detail the events and the people who were instrumental in creating a slow-motion revolution in the way people thought of themselves and their relationship to their ancestral homeland. The book is meticulously researched and footnoted and has hundreds of quotes from key figures both in England and in the colonies. The author’s bibliography lists 69 reference books that he consulted to be able to reconstruct how the revolution started, who the key players were, what the timeline of key events was, and how an impossible concept grew to be an inevitable outcome as time passed. Throughout the book special attention is given to the mindset and religious faith of those we now refer to as founders. Focus is right and necessarily on key leaders of the colonies like Washington, Jefferson, Adams and several dozen others that we all remember from grade school. But the point is made repeatedly that it wasn’t just those towering figures of yore that created a new country, it was that much of the populace was aligned with the thinking of the leaders.