A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy

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Genre: History - United States/Colonial and Revolutionary; Revolution, 1775-1783; Connecticut; Children's 9-12 - History - General; United States; Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction; Martin, Joseph Plumb,; Children: Grades 4-6; Juvenile literature; History; Juvenile Nonfiction / History / United States / Colonial and Revolutionary Periods; Campaigns; Soldiers; 1760-1850; Biography;

Average Review: 5 stars

Review: Outstanding creative approach to non-fiction for young readers! : Joseph Plumb Martin is fifteen in 1775 when tensions between the American colonists and their British rulers erupt. He witnesses the organization and recruitment of a local military force, untrained and undersupplied. Martin hesitatingly enlists for the limit period of six months, required by the state militia. He sees combat at Gowanus Creek and is part of Washington's retreat to Manhattan Island. After colonial morale is lifted by Washington's surprise attack on the British at Trenton, Joseph re-enlists for the duration of the war and participates in the long, miserable winter march to and encampment at Valley Forge. Joseph remains in the Continental Army until the signing of the provisional peace treaty with the British in 1783. By this time he is twenty-two and has grown from a boy to a man. This is an excellent choice of historical non-fiction for young adults for several reasons. First of all, the personal story, told in Martin's own strikingly honest words, is never embellished upon, and helps to focus an otherwise complex political story. Secondly, the American forces, often depicted in domestic versions of this war as having been invincibly heroic, are here described exactly as the poorly trained and undisciplined force that they initially were. Washington's losses and retreats from the British are diligently explained. Since Martin's military experience involved serving in several capacities, he is a good choice for a commentator. The author, who has received awards for his previous works on military history for young adults, does not shy away from the unpleasant news that Americans, confronted by a superior fighting force and often low on morale, walked away from battlefields once their enlistments were up and, in some cases, deserted. Moreover, he points out that, while Washington's army was starving at Valley Forge, the local citizenry had food in surplus and could have shared more with the soldiers, many of whom had no shoes that winter. Heavily illustrated with reproductions of prints and paintings of the events discussed, this creative approach to an old subject highlights the subjectivity and propagandistic nature of "historical" art: The same series of events are depicted differently by various artists depending on their political affiliations. Murphy is careful to point out that elegant artistic renderings of American troops have very little in common with the crude reality of their service. A complete bibliography is provided as well as a useful time line. This book is highly recommended for grades six and up as well as for adults interested in an objective account of the American War for Independence.