Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic Past by Ray Raphael

I like this kind of history books. The ones that take the “myths” or things we think we know and dig into the truth. For example, and one of the first ones that the author covers, is the legendary ride of Paul Revere.

Almost everything we were taught about this event was made up at some point in our history. Mainly to make a better story out of it. In this case, the author provides not only the myth itself, but the truth, and then a breakdown of HOW the myth came to be. He uses this approach on a number of myths and does a good job of busting them.

If you are a student of the American Revolution you probably already know the truth behind many of these. If that is the case you should get the most enjoyment out of seeing how the truth was transitioned to a fable and the reasoning behind it. I know that for me that was the best part.

If you are someone who wants to start getting their feet wet in regards to the history of the American Revolution, jump on in. This is a good book to get you started and is a fairly easy read.

The downside? It made me want to visit the local school and take a look at there textbooks. What is taught sure has changed from when I was a kid.

As always you can purchase a copy of this book by clicking on the cover image above.