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Liked It2 of 2 members found this review helpful “Founding Brothers is an interesting historical analysis and a very interesting and well-written book on the whole. The book is written, not as an expansive chronicle of facts, tied up in boring, drawn-out descriptions, but rather a fascinating collection of anecdotes about the founders of our...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I had to read the Founding Brothers: the Revolutionary Generation for part of my AP US History assignment and I really disliked it. I thought it was very difficult to read and very boring to follow. The chapters were very detailed, but the book read like a list; I would compare this book to a...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Founding Brothers is a great book that documents the men as well as the events that made our nation work. There are several short stories, or accounts, that follow George Washington's presidency, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton's duel, as well as Abigail and John Adams' dynamic duo. This book is great because of it's use of details, historic events, as well as great writing. Joseph Ellis definitely knew his stuff, and knows how to write a good book. Many people think this book was boring, but i thought quite the contrary. I think Joseph Ellis brings the reader into the events, and uses details that make it even more enjoyable. He knows what events are interesting to read about, and as a result, i was intrigued by his writing style and story telling. I was interested in the founding fathers, which i think shows a lot about a writer.
Devorah K wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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0 of 1 members found this review helpful“For American History buffs”
CBF wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
0 of 1 members found this review helpful“Should be required reading for U.S. citizens.”
David F wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Founding Brothers is the unholy combination of a text book and a set of narrative biographies. The book is filled with hum drum fact about the men who shaped our country. Yet rather than stay focused on facts it strays in a story. This not only detracted from the facts in the book but became boring in its own right due to being bombarded by the facts of the story. It had its high points and was informative. It was highly detailed in the history of early America and did stay focused on the purpose of the book, despite not staying as one type of book but becoming two clashing types of prose. The beginning of the book reads like a cold case mystery story and the end fills the reader with patriotism. However, the meat of the book, and by that I mean everything but the first and last chapter, is boring and slow moving. It is useful as a reference for an American History class but not as a book to read for fun. It was written with a purpose just not written with a finesse enough to carry the gimmick style of writing it tried to achieve. ”
GRIFFIN B wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“I had to read the Founding Brothers: the Revolutionary Generation for part of my AP US History assignment and I really disliked it. I thought it was very difficult to read and very boring to follow. The chapters were very detailed, but the book read like a list; I would compare this book to a textbook. The Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis begins with the famous duel between Hamilton and Burr. Ellis writes about every possible detail that is debated about the event (for example, he questions whether Hamilton planned to miss his first shot, or whether Burr planned on killing Hamilton). The book continues to illuminate the intertwined lives of the founders of the American republic--John Adams, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. Ellis recounts the sometimes collaborative, sometimes teasing antagonistic interactions between these men, and shows us the private characters behind the public personas. The Founding Brothers informs our understanding of American politics--then and now--and gives us a new perspective on the unpredictable forces that shape history. Although I did learn a lot about the history of the birth of our country, the writing itself was a little bland. ”
ARIANA L wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“I read this during the 2008 presidential election. This book gave me an incredulous appreciation for the founding fathers and the system they created, and made me realize that as ugly as it might look today, it's exactly what they intended. This book tells how their true genius was not in solving society's problems, but given that humans were imperfect and not omniscient, to create a system in which they could continuously peacefully progress. I'm still not done thinking through the implications of these thoughts”
Joe C wrote this review Monday, November 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Founding Brothers is an account of early American history that is far less interesting then A Brilliant Solution. Ellis drags on about all of his topics and beliefs, and nothing he says is very interesting in the least. This is clear from the first chapter, in which the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton is described. While some background to the event would be appropriate, Ellis takes this to an extreme. He spends the entire chapter listing the events that led up to the duel, and then proceeds to almost skip over the duel. The duel itself is quite interesting. In my opinion, Ellis botched this part of history.
JASPER T wrote this review Monday, November 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The only redeeming part of the book is that the part of history that he describes is interesting, even if he spoils it with wordy explanations. The history behind the book saves a part of the book, but not all of it.”
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“This text explores how a group of individuals both gifted and flawed (Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison) coped with the challenges of founding the United States.The book focuses on important events including the Burr-Hamilton duel, George Washington's Farewell Address, the partnership between John Adams and Abigail Adams, slavery, and the extensive correspondence between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
Samantha wrote this review Friday, November 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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1 of 1 members found this review helpful“I thought that Founding Brothers was a very interesting read even though i had to read it for my Advanced Placement United States History class, as it educated me on the basis of something that I find genuinely interesting; United States History. Only in this book, instead of focusing on the history of the country that I have always resided in as a whole, the book focuses on one specific portion of our great Nation's history; the time of our Founding Fathers, or as this book refers to them as; the Founding Brothers. It was interesting to see how these great men were able to give birth to one of the most successful nations in the world, and to hear about their more human attributes and traits, instead of the demi-godlike visions we are relayed through textbooks and other tools of history.”
ALEX H wrote this review Friday, November 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Founding Fathers is a study of the Leaders of the American Revolution, the Constitutional Convention and the newly created American Government. Ellis deconstructs the character of each of these leaders and makes the reader reevaluate his/her opinion about that leader. For example despite James Madison being the president and the "Father of the Constitution", he was one of the first to openly stray away from the goals that the founding fathers had created. He was one of the few who split the leaders into political parties, an action which Washington feared. Even founding fathers like Washington were put under study. Ellis points out that despite him being an able leader, he was a man who was under severe debt and whose academic qualifications were not that impressive. ”
SAMEEDH S wrote this review Thursday, November 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
