The Good Fight

May 15, 2017
These four stories casting some of America's Founding Fathers in less than a flattering light reveal that political partisanship and mudslinging have been a nasty reality since the nation's founding.The first story, about George Washington and George III, seems ill-suited to cast as a feud since neither personally knew the other, and the other conflicts are between family and friends. Benjamin Franklin refused to reconcile with his Loyalist son, William, even after the American Revolution. The consummate contrarian Alexander Hamilton feuded with many, most famously with Aaron Burr, who left Hamilton dead in a duel. Political differences drove John Adams and Thomas Jefferson apart for many years before they reconciled late in life. Quirk's recounting of these episodes from American history breaks no new ground beyond bundling the stories together. Though the telling is smooth, aside from the chapter on the two Franklins, there is little new about the content. Rosalyn Schanzer's George vs. George (2004), Don Brown's Aaron and Alexander (2015), and Suzanne Tripp Jurmain's Worst of Friends (illustrated by Larry Day, 2011) cover the other three "feuds" in lively picture books next to which this offering feels both superfluous and a little stodgy, despite Baddeley's playful spot illustrations. For unflattering portraits of these well-known Founding Fathers, there are plenty of other places to look. (source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-12)

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July 1, 2017

Gr 4-7-Many books have been written on early U.S. history, including ones that discuss infighting among the Founding Fathers, and though this title might appear to be just another foray into this subject, it's much more. Readers will be pleasantly surprised not only by all the nuggets of history they'll learn but also the lesson that heated debate isn't necessarily bad-it can even be wildly productive. The work opens with the dispute between George and George (that is, George III and George Washington). The most interesting story is probably that of Benjamin Franklin and his Tory son, William. (Who knew that dad allowed his son to rot in jail during the Revolutionary War?) Humorous text and cartoonish black-and-white illustrations keep the narrative lighthearted and well paced. An afterword acknowledges some of the hypocrisies surrounding our nation's architects but ends on a rather hopeful note ("But the founding fathers aren't the only founders of America... The United States is still growing and changing."). VERDICT A general purchase for U.S. history collections, especially for fans of Steve Sheinkin's King George: What Was His Problem?; Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the American Revolution.-Esther Keller, I.S. 278, Brooklyn

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