We received this email from a reader. We found it both gratifying and humbling.
Hi Dave - When I was 12 I read a book about the Revolution that took place in my hometown. It made history come alive for me and I've been hooked ever since. However, wars and battles are my least favorite part of history and I had some concern about reading your book. That changed on page 1 when I read about the Adirondack forest smelling of moss and decay and the leaves of a thousand autumns sitting forever, never returning to the soil. It was so evocative and even poetic and I remember thinking that this book is special. In all the times I was in school and learned about Burgoyne and the 3-prong attack, it came across as fact, fact, it happened, yada, yada, boring. But you made it what history really is, the story of individuals; their thoughts and actions and the impact of each. Kudos to you both.
As with all good books, I got caught up with the characters and as Roland walked away at the end I couldn't help but wonder about the rest of his life. The southern part of Madison County was settled primarily by Revolutionary War veterans. Perhaps he was one of them.
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