Joseph Ellis is one of the historians that I love to read. He offers insights that others miss and can turn a good story into a great one. After David McCullough, he’s my favorite history writer.

His latest book, Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence, explores the idea that in 1776 the military and political views of the Revolutionary War were quite different. Whereas George Washington’s Continental Army considered independence an inevitability, the Continental Congress considered it a last resort. A few in the Congress (Adams perhaps chief among them) were staunch advocates for breaking from the King, but the overall tone was one of hesitation about declaring full independence.

What Ellis does is follow the military and political maneuvers in tandem. It’s a clever approach and that holds your attention. Actually, it makes the book a bit like a mystery as you wonder who is going to make what move next. Even though I knew the events and had a good knowledge of the people involved, it still made the momentous events of 1776 come alive again.

That said, it’s not perfect. I often wanted more detail and even questioned some of Ellis’ conclusions. But then that’s understandable and it never detracted from my overall enjoyment.

If you love history, you’ll enjoy the book. Even if you don’t, you should probably read it just to refresh your understanding of how brave the founders of our nation acted during a tumultuous time.