Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 12/01/2008 *Starred Review* With most of the presidential-history attention this year directed at Abraham Lincoln, Freedman turns instead to the man whose remarkable display of leadership during the direst of times helped to found the Union that would eventually need preserving. The winter of 1777 was a bleak one for the Revolutionary army—though, as Freedman points out, even calling it an “army” is generous. A relatively inexperienced Washington made the decision to camp his ragtag bunch of irregulars at Valley Forge, a defensible location close to the British holed up comfortably in Philadelphia. With his usual clarity of focus and keen eye for telling quotations, Freedman documents how Washington struggled to maintain morale despite hunger, near-nakedness, and freezing conditions; as well, he managed to reconstruct failed supply lines, evade political maneuverings from within the Continental Congress, and train his troops to win a war. Throughout, high-quality reproductions depict Washington among the men, and with the numerous other influential people who played critical roles. While Washington is certainly the center of this book’s cosmos, it is less a look at one venerable figure from history than it is a tale of the triumph of endurance. Lacing facts and history into a winning, if not always tremendously exciting, narrative, this solid book will dispel any fogginess children may have about why that winter in Valley Forge was such a pivotal time in our country’s founding. - Copyright 2008 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 12/01/2008 Freedman and readers revisit the pivotal winter of 1777 to 1778, when newly declared independent Patriots were running long on aspirations for liberty but short on military training, provisioning, and funding. Amid calls for his demotion or resignation, commander-in-chief George Washington kept enough of his demoralized, underclothed, underfed, and underpaid soldiers engaged with the cause to hunker down through the bitterest weather and, with a little help from French and German friends, to train them into a fighting force ready to take on the British by summer. While Freedman does not minimize the heroism of the troops and Washington’s remarkable ability to lead by example, he also incorporates twenty-first-century scholarship that emphasizes the political cabals that threatened to hobble Washington’s career, the tardiness of the Continental Congress to understand field conditions, and the necessity for the general to keep mum about the diminishing size of his army, lest the British take advantage of the worn-down Continentals. The writing is smooth, with a tight focus on the encampment and a judiciously limited dose of background information. Frequent testimony from primary sources, as well as welcome attention to a larger-than-life supporting cast (coverage of the booming von Steuben and his shady past is particularly delightful), push this well beyond standard textbook fare. Plenty of artwork provides rest stops throughout the narrative and, although most of the images were produced well after the events in question, captions occasionally point out egregious romanticization. An index, a Revolutionary War timeline, a selected bibliography, and maps (which, unfortunately, fail to indicate several of the sites mentioned in the text) are included. EB - Copyright 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 12/01/2008 Gr 4-8-Another stunning work from the nonfiction virtuoso. In a gripping, gritty account of the months that General Washington and his troops spent camped at Valley Forge, Freedman deftly brings to life this storied, nearly mythic period of the Revolutionary War. Vivid depictions of the harsh realities, not just the difficult winter weather, but also the lack of food, supplies, and clothing, all came together to create a perfect storm of misery that led to low morale, desertions, and death. Using first-person accounts from a variety of sources, Freedman offers a stirring portrait of a man who not only demanded that Congress step up its support of the troops, but who also brought in military experts to help transform the ragtag militia into a unified, trained military force. Everything-from quotes to images-is impeccably sourced, and a thorough, annotated bibliography is appended. Interwoven throughout are sepia-toned images that range from photographs of historical sites to reproductions of period artwork, which help to immerse readers in the era. Pair this with Thomas B. Allen's George Washington, Spymaster (National Geographic, 2007) and the man behind the legend becomes more intriguing and real to budding historians. An excellent choice for every collection.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2008 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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