Many things remained slow and uncertain during 2021, but the publication of excellent new books on the American Revolution and founding era was not one of them. JAR received dozens of books for review, several of which were nominated by publishers and readers for our annual Book of the Year award. Our review committee had the difficult task of singling out five finalists for their originality, accuracy and readability.
The finalists are:
The Brethren: A Story of Faith and Conspiracy in Revolutionary America by Brendan McConville (Harvard University Press)
The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton by Andrew Porwancher (Princeton University Press)
Religion and the American Revolution: An Imperial History by Katherine Carté (University of North Carolina Press)
Resisting Independence: Popular Loyalism in the American Revolution by Brad A. Jones (Ithaca: Cornell University Press)
Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery by Bruce A. Ragsdale (Harvard University Press)
The winner and honorable mention will be announced on January 27, 2022.
The Journal of the American Revolution Book-of-the-Year is an international award dedicated to highlighting nonfiction books of distinction on the Revolutionary and Founding era. The award has been given annually since 2014 to the work that best reflects the mission of the journal: to deliver engaging, creative, and original research or compelling synthesis in a well-crafted narrative that appeals to scholars and lay readers alike. Past winners include The Boston Massacre by Serena Zabin, Quarters by John Gilbert McCurdy, The Indian World of George Washington by Colin G. Calloway, The Martyr and the Traitor by Virginia DeJohn Anderson, Brothers at Arms by Larrie D. Ferreiro, and Independence Lost by Kathleen DuVal. The award is judged by a panel of both professional and public historians.
(Note: Books published by Westholme Publishing are not eligible for the award since JAR is published by Westholme.)
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