About:
The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution by Alfred Fabian Young is a historical book about the American Revolution. At the time of publication, Mr. Young was professor emeritus of history at Northern Illinois University.
- 288 pages
- Publisher: Beacon Press; 1st edition
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0807054054
My rating for The Shoemaker and the Tea Party – 4
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Thoughts:
The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution by Alfred Fabian Young tells the story of some major events from the American Revolution through the eyes of a commoner, George Robert Twelves Hewes. The author tries to re-imagine the impact this shoemaker had at the time and why he was forgotten over the years.
The book is actually two well written essays. The first essay is a fascinating look at Colonial America and the life of an 18th Century regular people without the wealth and genealogy of many of our Founding Fathers. The second part is more of a scholarly essay about uses and methods of history.
Mr. Hewes has walked through American history with very little acknowledgment, much like the excellent book by Jonas Jonasson, The 100-Year-Old Who Climbed Out Through the Window and Disappeared, only that it is not fiction. However, I felt that the book lacked a certain finality, there is no wrapping up of the historical section, which is otherwise rich and well written.
I enjoyed this book, a regular person’s view of American history, very much. I thought the author tried to get his opinions, rather than telling a story but I do like reading and hearing opinions other than my own.
Synopsis:
The story is told in two parts, the first about the early life and apprenticeship of Hewes, his attempts to join the army (he was too short) and how he became a cobbler. The second part Mr. Young analyzes as to why Mr. Hewes was disappeared from the history books.
Buy this book in paper or electronic format*
More Books by Alfred Fabian Young
Zohar — Man of la Book
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