Taxes, The Tea Party, And Those Revolting Rebels

This re-issue of cartoonist and social chronicler Mack's thoroughly researched 1994 history of the American Revolution offers a spectacular, unvarnished account that runs counter to the mythology-as-history often taught in American schools. Mack's re-telling avoids speechifying and presents realistic motivations for the rebels. It also manages to depict the towering figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other founding fathers as mere men, some of whom were not necessarily as commanding or even competent as legend would have it. For those raised on the hyperbolic children's book versions of the people and events surrounding our nation's independence, this is a strongly recommended work whose "cartoony" art style works well with a narrative that openly addresses the roles played by women, slaves, and Native Americans in the twenty-eight year struggle and its aftermath. (Sept.)