"America's Hidden History" by Kenneth C.Davis

As you can see, I enjoyed previous book so much that I decided to continue with Kenneth C.Davis some more. 

This particular book covers the period of some three hundred years, from the arrival of Christopher Columbus to start of American Revolution - what author does here, since he has more space to focus on particular time, he unearths several lesser-known stories and creates chapters out of them.

It starts with arrival of Columbus who brought pigs with him (a gift from Spanish queen Isabela) to feed his sailors, well the very same pigs brought germs and microbes with them that eventually spread all over the new world and created greatest, unintended epidemics that killed millions of Native Americans who had no immunity to these diseases. (I couldn't help but remembering that in a Muslim religion, these animals were always considered "dirty" and "forbidden" ). From there, author follows the interesting and mostly forgotten characters from American history and gives them proper spotlight and understanding about the atmosphere, the times and politics of the times. I knew about Anne Hatchinson but was not familiar with stories about Hannah Dustin and Mary Rowlandson, both early heroines of their times. There is a whole chapter about young inexperienced country bumpkin who grew up to be George Washington (and circumstances that formed his character and personality), the story about famous Boston's "Tea party", its aftermath and consequences (once the city port was isolated and blocked by royal degree from king George III, other American colonies started to ship food and supplies to Bostonians in a rare show of solidarity which resulted in a feeling of unity amongst colonies against rule from England) and right now I am at the chapter about Benedict Arnold. 

What is really interesting here, besides obvious curiosity about people and stories mostly long forgotten is the explanation how it came to be that American colonists, who were perhaps just few generations divided from old world and who still had family connections to the other side of Atlantic, started to feel resentment about distant government, harsh taxes and overall abuse from aristocratic circles back home  who in most of the cases have done nothing to actually create this new world. Two opposite fractions - loyalists and patriots - were created and the atmosphere was ripe for some drastic change, at the point where revolution and eventually independence became the only logical conclusion. Author explains all of this in a very interesting way so what could have been a dry history lesson again becomes exciting read - Kenneth C.Davis truly loves history and it shows in his passion, excitement and style. I could read his books forever.