62. "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Forbes

Johnny Tremain was one of my first fictional crushes--along with Huck Finn and Nat from The Witch of Blackbird Pond--so I was curious to reread Esther Forbes' novel from an adult perspective.

And you know, I still kinda have a crush on Johnny, I think. And/or Rab, the older boy who takes Johnny under his wing and introduces him to the Patriot cause. And I still cried at the end of the book.

In some ways, the novel romanticizes the days leading up to the American Revolution. But I think Forbes also paints a fairly realistic picture of the ways in which Patriot leaders stirred the citizens of Boston to revolt against the British, and of how a sometimes lackadaisical British reaction allowed the colonists to organize and mobilize.

This is a riveting read, both for the strong characters and for the depiction of the birth of American independence. It gives me a renewed appreciation for the difficulty the Patriots faced, for their courage and determination, and for the fact that they managed to pull off a revolution against better armed (but less passionate) British troops. It also makes me want to read more about the American Revolution, a subject I haven't explored much as an adult.