Monthly Archives: July 2026

07.29.26
by

RADICAL DUKE/DANIELLE ALLEN-An American Revolutionary archive from the British side of the pond!

If you thought the American Revolution occured in a vacuum you will be enlightened by Danielle Allen’s extraordinary research and writing in her new book RADICAL DUKE How One Aristocrat-and the American Revolution Transformed Britain.

RADICAL DUKE reveals the never before told story of Charles Lennox the progressive Third Duke of Richmond. At the very time the seeds of revolution were propagating in America, upon the instigation of the Duke of Richmond, a revolution was underway in Britain. Similar issues prevailed: Taxation without representation, sole power held by the monarchy of King George. Between 1767 and 1782 Richmond led the opposition to the Crown and yes was an ardent outspoken critic of the folly of the King’s military pursuit against the independence of the American Colonies. No ,Thomas Paine of Common Sense fame did not learn his craft in America but rather the famous pamphleteer was discovered and nurtured by none other than the Duke of Richmond.

At Richmond’s urging Paine wrote newspaper essays in London to try and force a change of course by the British Government following Parliament’s Coercive Acts and the Boston Port Act. It was not until 1774 that Paine crossed the ocean and took his pen to America where the revolutionary Common Sense was published.

Allen’s book is a vital companion read for any student of the American Revolution. It uncovers the Monarch’s rigid views and the folly of Lord North, the House of Commons and House of Lords.

Meet the Duke of Richmond a heretofore unknown voice in an unlikely place in support of American Independence. Allen makes him an unforgettable part of the American story and equally important changes in the the future for the British Monarchy.

This marvelous previously undiscovered history unfolds magnificently within Allen’s narrative. Hundreds of hours of research over ten years become a gripping, eye opening and enjoyable read. It falls into my category of a work of non-fiction where because of Allen’s exhaustive research every single word counts.

A most worthwhile deep dive into the American Revolution and the workings of the British Monarchy.

07.19.26
by

THE OVERSTORY/RICHARD POWERS

I think that I will never see a poem as lovely as a tree. Those famous words opening the poem TREES by Joyce Kilmer came immediately to mind as I open the pages of The Overstory, a Pulitzer winning novel by Richard Powrs.

Just as reading Kilmer’s verse, after reading The Overstory ,you will never look at the forest the same wasy again.

No one sees trees. We see fruit, we see nuts, we see wood, we see shade. We see ornaments of pretty fall foliage. Obstacles blocking the road or wrecking a ski slope. Dark, threatening places that must be cleared. We see branches about to crash our roof. We see a cash crop. But trees-trees are invisible.

Power’s cast of human characters are environmentalists, scientists, anarchists, families, mindless entrepreneurs. However its the trees, the forest floor, the ancient sentinels and the whispers and interactions between them that create a gripping theme of survival.

The best argument in the world won’t change a person’s mind. The only thng that can do that is a good story.

Indeed- The Overstory succeeds!