Shots Heard Round the World

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents Shots Heard Round the World by John Ferling, read by Jason Keller.

From acclaimed historian John Ferling, a major, global reappraisal of the Revolutionary War on its 250th Anniversary.

In April 1775, British troops marched to Lexington, where an armed group of Yankees awaited them. Despite an order to disperse, shots rang out. Militiamen were killed. The British continued marching, only to find even greater trouble in Concord and all the way down the road back to Boston. The Revolutionary War had begun.

Shots Heard Round the World is a bold, comprehensive rendering of the world war that erupted out of America’s battle for independence. Ferling highlights underestimated pivotal moments to reveal why the British should have put down the rebellion within a couple years of fighting. As European rivals France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic entered the fray, Britain’s problems grew, but after seven long years, the war’s outcome remained very much in doubt. Ferling assesses military and civilian leaders, the choices they faced, and the political, tactical, and strategic decisions they made as the war raged in North America, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Asia, and on the high seas, affecting peoples and countries miles from American soil.

Long after the soldiers laid down their arms, future generations have reckoned with the Revolution and its far-reaching consequences. Shots Heard Round the World is the definitive account of the war and its monumental legacy.

Critics Review

Ferling has crafted an exceptional account of the Revolutionary War and its foreign entanglements. His thoroughly researched book outlines the political intrigue behind this world-changing conflict while detailing the battles that history buffs know so well.
Washington Post
In his international history of the Revolutionary War written for the 250th anniversary of its outbreak, John Ferling brings Europe and its rivalries into the familiar story of American independence. [Ferling] shows not only why nations fought but also how they waged a protracted struggle whose outcome remained in doubt to the end . . . After 250 years, some points everyone at the time understood have been forgotten. The American Revolution was a global event, with global consequences.
Wall Street Journal
Ferling has written a fresh look at this conflict and the beginnings of America with this marvelous one-volume history that covers a surprising number of underserved topics . . . Ferling weaves the political, military, social, and economic aspects of the war seamlessly together into a highly readable narrative that may become the standard one-volume history of the war.
New York Journal of Books
[Ferling’s] masterful account dramatically conveys the global significance of America’s long fight for independence while also illuminating the experiences of the war’s commanders and everyday soldiers.
Christian Science Monitor
This account of the international politics of the American Revolution is given a steady narration by Jason Keller . . . Keller is clear in his enunciation, and his overall delivery . . . is outstanding. With the 250th anniversary of the Revolution taking place next year, this work should be a popular listen.
Audiofile
Ferling’s lucid prose engagingly conveys the insights of a brilliant historian’s long career. Any casual reader wishing to revisit the War of Independence in its semi-quincentennial year would do well enough to start here.
Law & Liberty
A fascinating look at the global legacy of the American Revolution.
Military Heritage
An excellent history of the run-up and battles of the American Revolution with more than the usual diversions describing how other nations reacted . . . Scholars have not ignored European participation, but Ferling writes better than most of them and pays more attention than academics to the campaigns and commanders. From battles to international relations, an outstanding introduction to the American Revolution.
Kirkus Reviews
A must-have volume to complete any collection covering the fight for democracy as we approach the sestercentennial.
Booklist
A thoughtful history . . . Shots Heard Round the World offers a new appreciation of the judgments made and how uncertain the outcome of the war was until the very end. An insightful examination of the American Revolution as a world war offers fascinating new perspective on the competing interests of all the nations involved.
Shelf Awareness
John Ferling has long been a master historian of the Revolutionary era in America. Here he broadens the view to encompass the larger war of which the American Revolution was a part . . . a sweeping tale engagingly told.
H.W. Brands, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author of THE GENERAL VS. THE PRESIDENT
An eloquent and sweeping introduction to the world war that was the American Revolution. I cannot imagine a better opening shot to the 250th anniversaries of its key events.
Kathleen DuVal, Cundill Prize-winning author of NATIVE NATIONS
Ferling illuminates the multifaceted conflict from all angles, showing how America won and could have just as easily lost. An essential and welcome addition to the literature on the war.
Eric Jay Dolin, author of REBELS AT SEA
With lively prose and keen insights, John Ferling rescues the true War of the American Revolution from the distortions of myth.
Alan Taylor, author of AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS
Capturing the breadth and complexity of an eight-year, global crisis, John Ferling's Shots Heard Round the World is an excellent and timely contribution to the publications on the Revolution.
Lindsay Chervinsky, author of MAKING THE PRESIDENCY
Could be a movie . . . Ferling’s book adroitly places the reader in the breeches and waistcoats of those who lived through, and fought in, the Revolutionary War around the globe.
Larrie D. Ferreiro, Pulitzer finalist and author of BROTHERS AT ARMS
Engagingly written, Shots Heard Round the World reminds us of the critical role of foreign support in the winning of the independence of the United States.”
Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy, author of THE ILLIMITABLE FREEDOM OF THE HUMAN MIND

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