This was the hardest book to get through! I kept quitting and then picking it up again with a sigh. It never became enjoyable. The only reason I persisted is that I need to have something to ground my opinions on when we discuss this at the Ridgeview Book Club at Shirla Snow's house later this month. She is over the moon about this book! Probably because she heard the author speak, asked him to join our discussion live, and gave everyone a steep discount on purchasing the book It's twenty dollars, and he got them to her for ten bucks apiece. It's a nice book, with good quality paper, and much better than most self-published books. He's a local Santa Clara person, so it will be interesting to meet him.
Now, about this book. I thought it would describe the life of this patriot or at least elucidate his role in the Revolutionary War. And I had no idea there was an element of fantasy in the story--a time travel trope that took us back and forth to the 1700's and modern day. The modern day kid, Steve, is a bratty one who wins and essay contest on patriotism and then tries to understand this concept better.. His best friend is Grace, and they have this friendly relationship that is supposed to engage the main audience for this book: middle schoolers. Well, it is repetitive and boring. I cannot imagine any middle schooler being sucked in to any part of this story!
And when Steve goes back to Boston in the 1700's, there isn't much meat on the bones of the story of the various episodes (like the Tea Party) to explain what's going on that sparked the Revolutionary War. It's very vague and fragmented. We hear about Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill, but only piecemeal. It's very confusing. And why Steve is so concerned that Dr. Warren be remembered for his role is a mystery. And we don't even find out what his role is, besides a few brief glimpses. Why on earth is Steve so enamored of this guy??? It''s not clear. At any rate, I will have to school myself when I go to this meeting and tone down my dislike of this book with the author present and other super-patriot women there, who many believe Trump is one. Ha! I will be temperate and be led by the Spirit, I HOPE!!!
