Bootmaker to the Nation by John Slade of Woodgate International

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BOOTMAKER TO THE NATION
The Story of the American Revolution

Dr. John Slade

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Book Price: $24.95
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736 pp / Softcover / ISBN: 1893617068

BOOK SIGNING
Look for author John Slade at Colonial Williamsburg where he will be available to sign your copy of BOOTMAKER TO THE NATION. John will be at the Visitor's Center promoting this historical novel July 2, 3, and 4, 2004. This is John's fifth visit to Williamsburg where Bootmaker has been very well received.

BOOTMAKER TO THE NATION dramatizes the Revolutionary War so vibrantly that people who "hate history" will readily immerse themselves in the extraordinary creation of our country. The timing of this epic novel is perfect, for as Americans reflect upon our country during this critical period in our history, a journey to our powerful beginning can guide us toward a better future.

The first main character is Benjamin York, an apprentice cobbler in London, who is impressed into the British Navy in 1774 and forced to sail to Boston. The second main character is Genevieve Byrnes, a farm girl from Lincoln, Massachusetts, who grows up hearing about the turmoil in nearby Boston, and who becomes, like her father, an expert rider. (The reader is thus, early in the novel, up in the rigging, and galloping on horseback.) In Boston, Benjamin is forced to become a redcoat; he marches to Lexington and Concord, then is captured by the Americans during the battle on the way back to Boston. He meets Genevieve and her brother Henry, a Minuteman; out of rage for what the British have done to him, he joins the American Army. Benjamin and Genevieve marry in the encampment in Cambridge during the siege of Boston, and remain in the Continental Army under General Washington for the remainder of the 8-year war.

As an English teacher for 25 years (with a doctorate in literature, Stanford, 1974), I have written this novel with a clear and vibrant style for both the adult trade market and the college market. The story is divided into ten parts, each with a number of chapters, so that every historical step is absolutely clear. Nineteen maps accompany the text; the maps correspond closely to the story.

The research has been comprehensive. For over five years, I have read roughly 150 books on the period (including work in the Library of Congress), and have visited every historical site from Lexington at dawn on April 19, to Fraunce's Tavern in New York City, to redoubt number ten in Yorktown. I sailed for ten days on a square-rigger, not as a passenger, but as crew up in the highest rigging, in order to describe the voyage from London to Boston in 1774.

BOOTMAKER TO THE NATION contains actual quotes from George Washington and his officers, from Franklin, from Jefferson, from John and Samuel Adams, as historical figures and fictional characters appear together throughout the novel. Thus rich history is interwoven into a galloping story.

Bootmaker to the Nation is a superbly written historical novel featuring an elderly couple writing about their experiences in the founding of our nation. Ben is a British apprentice cobbler caught by a British Navy press gang. He is taken to a ship and forced into duty as a sailor. Arriving in the colonies, he escapes, only to be captured by British Army soldiers. Again, forced to drill and march against his will, he is captured by American revolutionaries on the way back from Concord and Lexington. One of his captors is a young lady, Genevieve, and her brothers and father. Ben becomes a revolutionary. He teaches Genevieve to read and write. She becomes a courier and later a scribe to General George Washington. The entire war and the accompanying political revolution are viewed through these two characters’ eyes in their old age.

Although the length of the book is daunting, the author pulls the reader through it so well, it is hard to put down. His use of detail in the settings and the emotions of the characters are masterfully wrought. The reader is drawn into the miseries of soldier life with no pay, no food, and inadequate protection from the elements, which are endured for an ideal, despite the lack of support from their fellow Americans. This is a history lesson made totally realistic by the author’s blending of a myriad number of facts with how they affected the characters’ lives. We rated this book a very high five hearts.

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"Bootmaker to the Nation chronicles the lives of two early American characters, Benjamin and Genevieve, whose personas will fill readers with homegrown pride and a renewed sense of what it truly means to be American. The novel unravels a fundamentally moving story of courage, struggle and hope—set during a time when our fledgling country searched for its unique identity and independence. The life of Benjamin York, a British-born apprentice cobbler and committed freedom fighter, parallels the evolution of a newly formed union that would become the United States.

Slade’s novel makes our history accessible, personal and real. Had we read this book as children instead of so many chapters in history textbooks, we would now possess a much deeper understanding of the defining moments that led our founding fathers to risk everything for our future. This book results in a profoundly deeper understanding and appreciation of America

Bootmaker to the Nation is truly a love story on many levels, but it also allows us to live American history through the eyes of Benjamin and Genevieve as we revel in their trials, hardships and triumphs. Readers will feel a growing presence of something great about to happen as they fly through these pages. Slade weaves a poignant and mesmerizing narrative of two young Americans seamlessly with the history of our revolution. From the arduous trip across the Atlantic aboard a British frigate to the last days of the American Revolution, readers accompany Benjamin York, and his friends and family, on an epic journey. We will experience firsthand the tense battle on the green at Lexington, the relentless attack at Bunker Hill, the harsh winter at Valley Forge and the decisive battle at Yorktown. History will finally make sense.

Now more than ever, when a renewed patriotism no longer rests only with government leaders, our American spirits and hearts are uplifted by this tale. Weighty and comprehensive, this story will be one that readers will discuss over and over. This is an exhilarating novel that will simply enthrall readers with its adventure, sensitivity and—most importantly, humanity."

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John Slade makes American history live
by Carol Hansen, Adirondack Express, Old Forge, NY
The historical novel Bootmaker to the Nation: The Story of the American Revolution by Dr. John Slade of Woodgate opens with the main character, Benjamin York, an 18 year-old apprenticed cobbler in London, being kidnapped and put aboard a British frigate.

The reader is immediately drawn into the drama as Benjamin is forced to serve as a topman on the ship's uppermost rigging high above the deck, while clinging to swaying ropes in the wind, the rain and the rolling sea. It is April 1774 ad the ship, which is carrying General Gage and his majesty's troops, is bound for Boston to put down the rebellion by American colonists who are preparing to fight Great Britain for their independence.

After reaching Boston Harbor, Benjamin escapes from the ship, is recaptures by the British and forced to serve with the British army. Following the first battles of the war at Lexington and Concord, he breaks free of the British and joins the American army where he meets and eventually marries Massachusetts farm girl, Genevieve Byrnes.

Slade brings to life the turbulent period from 1774 to 1783 with the story told through the experiences of Benjamin as a soldier and in the Continental army, and Genevieve, a daring young woman who becomes a courier on her swift stallion, Sir William, and then a personal scribe for George Washington.

The tone and the language are authentic to the period and the historical detail is easy to follow as colonial statesmen appoint George Washington Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, draw up the Declaration of Independence, and finally defeat the British.

Slade, an English professor who has taught in the United States, the Caribbean, Norway and Russia, began research on the book in 1997. He admits he was never a history buff but after observing that his Russian students knew their own country's history in great detail, he decided to write a book about America's founding as a gift to America, "...especially the kids of America," he said, adding, "I wanted to tell the story with the detail it deserves."

To add authenticity to the story he visited every historic site mentioned in the book, read countless books, studied historic documents in the Library of Congress, and even rode as a "topman" for 10 days on the highest rigging of a sailing ship in the Caribbean, so that he would be able to describe Benjamin's experience on the British frigate.

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“General Washington gallops out of the dim mists of history into
chapter after chapter as a wise, compassionate, and determined
leader. He is . . . the leader we desperately need today. Thank
you, Dr. Slade, for bringing our Washington back to life.”
–Stella G. O’Brien, nurse, San Francisco.

“I finally understand who I am—or should be—as an American.”
– Jack Roberts, physician, Boston.

“Slade has given us a powerful epic about war. Genuine history
enlivened by unforgettable heroes (and heroines).”
–Sal Conti, restaurant owner, Maine.

“America should stop for a week, just to read this book. It should
be in every American home, every school, every library.”
–Alicia Plover-Mendez, realtor, Virginia.

“The Negro in our Revolution: a hero whose story is finally told.
I am proud, proud, proud.”
–Felix Moorehead, teacher, Philadelphia.

“Before, I didn’t know a thing about Samuel Adams. Now he’s
one of my best friends.”
–Puspa Charnanda, school bus driver, Brooklyn.

“Written from the heart, a heart that loves with deep devotion the
America that ought to be.”
–Alexander Murphy, carpenter, Miami.

“Congress is as Congress was. And the money-grubbers are
always with us. But the American people, when fully informed,
have never faltered.”
–Francine Rice Church, kindergarten teacher, Milwaukee.

“We the People—this is our book.”
– Angela Spring Moon, midwife, the Rez

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