It's been a long time since I learned about Paul Revere's ride in my American History class. Reading Kennedy's book I find that there is much more to the story. We are nearing the 250th anniversary of that ride (April 18) and this would be a good time to read more about Revere. Kennedy gives a very readable account of Revere's childhood, family, and career. I had no idea he had been a bell wringer when younger. I did not know he was a self taught dentist. I did not know of the many rides he had made previously to this famous one and the fees he charged. Kennedy includes the involvement of others as he takes us through the actions leading up to the Revolutionary War. This is a good book for anyone who wants to know more about the time in American history and those involved. It is very informative, bringing the events to life. It is well written and very readable.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

There are couple of things this book is not: It is not historical fiction and it is not pulled together on a whim.. This is a detailed and well researched account of one of the most noted events in American history. There are no frills or artistic license here, other than a.few occasions where the author provided some insights, also well researched, to why someone supported or did not support a cause. I found myself intrigued by the material and sharing insights with others as I progressed through the book. If you enjoy history, you will enjoy and be much better informed by reading this book.

Kostya Kennedy has quickly become one of my favorite nonfiction authors. Despite it being his first non-sports book, his portrayal of Paul Revere's history, from his childhood to that fateful night in 1775, is masterful. The book reads like a novel, though it is entirely based on fact, and offers unique, new-to-me information about the mid to late 1700s colonies before the Revolution and the personalities and relationships involved. I found the subject matter to be laser-focused, engaging, and far from dry. I've been in a nonfiction slump, and The Ride has pulled me out of it. Thank you to Kostya Kennedy and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with the digital ARC that has reinvigorated my interest in nonfiction!

Just in time for the historic 250th anniversary of the night the future of the American colonies changed forever, the Ride is published.
I thought the boom was a good beginning point for any novice American history buff who wants to learn more about not only Revere but also the other riders who spread the alarm.
The writing is straight forward and I did like the snippets of Revere’s personal life I wasn’t aware.
Revere earned his place in American history long before Longfellow’s poem firmly entrenched him in the American psyche. I doubt if school kids are even exposed to the poem anymore.

This is an excellent, in depth view of a man who most know only through one night's event. Right from the first few pages I learned more about Paul Revere that I had ever known. And that discovery continued through the book.

This would be a good book to introduce youth as well as adults to the background to our American Revolution and the people who motivated it.

Paul Revere’s famous 1775 late-night journey to warn American colonists about approaching British forces was far from his first ride. Revere’s activist years before the Revolution. Was a laborer of the Revolution, Paul Revere was not born into money. He received no high-shelf education. He worked.” Revere came into contact with the Revolution’s early architects—John and Samuel Adams and John Hancock—through Boston high society, first as a prominent member of the Masons (perhaps because he simply showed up to more meetings than anyone else.). In his capacity as a silversmith but not a good one, leaving him ever in debt. The cash-strapped Revere was thus well positioned to help the Revolution with such arduous physical tasks as couriering messages.

The author has written a dramatic narrative, “The Ride” retells an essential American story for a new generation of readers. The author reveals Revere’s ride to be more complex than it is usually portrayed. It was a loosely coordinated series of rides by numerous men, near-disaster, capture by British forces, and finally success. Revere was central to the ride and its plotting. There were other men who helped to set in motion the events that would lead to America’s independence. It’s a fascinating book to read. I learned about parts of this historic ride that was not taught in my high school history class.

4.5 out of 5 stars
I am going to be a bit biased here. Revolutionary America is my favorite period of American history, and I am drawn to books focusing on this topic, so this book gets bonus points for that alone.

Kostya Kennedy delivers at thoroughly researched and well-written history on Paul Revere, covering his historic ride and the qualifications that made him the perfect man for the job. Although Paul Revere is the main subject of the book, Kennedy branches out and discusses other important figures involved in the fateful ride. Kennedy does a good job highlighting the fact that Revere could not have accomplished his mission on his own. He paints a clear picture of the atmosphere in Boston and the surrounding areas in the early to mid-1770s. He shows how the colonists had to work together, and the connections Revere made through his careers and social clubs gave him the resources necessary to stay one step ahead of the British.

Even though Kennedy focuses on many aspects of Paul Revere throughout the book, the part that stood out the most to me was the brief discussion on the other riders during that critical night. In particular, Kennedy discusses William Dawes, who was also instrumental in alerting the colonists about the approaching troops. Although Dawes played an important role, Kennedy argues that this man did not have the same charisma and connections as Paul Revere and the ride would not have been a successful with Dawes alone. This analysis could lead to more insight on lesser-known figures in the fight for American independence.

With this book, Kennedy built upon the existing historiography concerning Paul Revere, but he did not provide any astounding breakthroughs. He goes into great detail about Revere’s life and what characteristics he possessed to make him the perfect person to accomplish a monumental task. Kennedy also discusses other important people and how they connected to Revere. Kennedy did an outstanding job exploring Paul Revere and the significance of the ride. Even though The Ride does not necessarily shed new light on the historic ride, the book is highly enjoyable and should be read by anyone who enjoys Colonial America and the build up to the Revolutionary War.

Oh wow! I grew up listening to my dad recite Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride, so I HAD to read The Ride by Kostya Kennedy. On this semiquincentennial of Paul Revere's ride, this is the perfect time to read this book. I got a great feel for what life was like in the 18th century Boston area and learned more about Paul Revere and his compatriots. Very interesting and readable. I will suggest this for my book discussion group! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Exceptional writing about a piece of American history that we all learn about at a young age, but rarely, if ever, dig much deeper into the event. Any fan of history, especially American history will appreciate this book.

This is a masterfully researched and compelling account of one of the most iconic moments in American history. Having received an advance copy from NetGalley, I was eager to dive in—and I was not disappointed.

Kennedy brings Revere’s legendary midnight ride to life with vivid detail and a narrative style that makes history feel immediate and alive. The book strikes the perfect balance between depth and readability, offering rich historical context while keeping the story engaging.

Thoroughly researched yet never dry, *The Ride* is a must-read for history enthusiasts and anyone who enjoys well-crafted narrative nonfiction. Whether you're well-versed in Revolutionary history or just looking for a fascinating read, this book delivers. Highly recommended!

This is a short biography and history about a famous transformative night, the ride that changed everything. Paul Revere was not alone on April 18, 1775 riding out to warn that an attack was imminent by the British soldiers, but his story is the one that best known. Revere’s ride was also the most effective, where William Dawes was a bit slower, or maybe not as personable as Revere.

The book provides a small amount of biography of Paul Revere. Revere was a bell ringer in 1750, a teenager then and pledged himself along with several other boys to always ring the bells at Old North Church at least one evening a week for a year.

Revere was given to joining societies and at twenty-five joined the Masons, the St. Andrew’s Lodge which was formed in dissent to the elite St. John’s Lodge whose members were mostly loyal to the Crown. This group of men grew close friendships through the years and tended toward rebellion and independence through the 1760s. It was through this group that Paul Revere became the man who rode the horse on that fateful night.

It felt momentous to read this as we approach the 250 year anniversary. The book is somewhat narrow, but not exclusively focused on the ride. I enjoyed learning a tidbit about his many generations later descendants who have been named Paul Revere and are carrying it through the years, with the youngest now being the 4th, although the Patriot Paul Revere is his six-times great-grandfather.

April 18th marks the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's famous ride. I learned most of what I know about Revere and his ride in school and from Longfellow's poem - my mother's favorite.

There is so much more to the man. This book delves into not just the night of the ride, but also Revere's and his contemporaries’ involvement in the patriot movement. It opened my eyes to their deeply held conviction that the colonies should be independent of England.

While the book is detailed and well-researched, it is also compelling and easy to read. You don't need an extensive knowledge of American History to be able to follow the narrative.

Anyone who is interested in history and politics would enjoy this entertaining book.

I'd like to thank Kostya Kennedy, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Though I think the book was probably excellent for history lovers, I was hoping for a bit more narrative non-fiction. This is very scholarly - which I honestly wished I could get into. I could learn something! :-)

"Listen my children, and you should hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five:
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year"
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; The Ride of Paul Revere

This is an excellent book about Paul Revere, the history of the time right before the War of Independence, and his famous ride [along with other people and events that I had never heard of!! It was a bit mind-blowing]. I learned quite a bit [and wished I could remember the whole poem; we had to learn it in school and we all knew the WHOLE thing at one time] and highly recommend this book for any history buff, especially of that time frame. I am so glad I was able to read this.

Johnny Heller is in my top 10 of favorite narrators and so it is easy to recommend him for any book he is narrating, but I can especially here because he truly makes this story come to life and made an already enjoyable read that much better. You will not be sorry if you choose to listen to this outstanding book. Very well done!!

I was invited to read/review this ARC by the publisher [St. Martin's Press] and I thank them, Kostya Kennedy, Johnny Heller - Narrator, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I read this book just as the 250th anniversary of the famous ride by Paul Revere is approaching. As someone who lives in the Boston area and has visited Paul Revere’s house, as well as Lexington and Concord, the places mentioned in the book are very familiar to me. It is interesting to picture these locales in an 18th century environment. The differences in communication and travel between those times and ours are striking.

The book is a fascinating account of the background, the people, and the situations that led to the peaceful folk of Massachusetts taking up arms against the British. This is so much more than we learned in school, yet wrapped into an engrossing story that the reader cannot put down.

Congratulations to Kostya Kennedy and St. Martin’s Press for writing and publishing a book that could not be better timed. We are just a few days away from the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous ride.

This well-written, fast-paced, and—given that you already more or less know where the story is leading--surprisingly suspenseful, narrative tells you everything—but not more than—you need to know about Paul Revere. It tells you about his life before—and after—the ride; the network of opponents to British rule he was part of; all the events, emotions, and beliefs that led to his making that ride on the night of April 18th 1775; what happened that night and the following day; the immediate consequences of the Battle of Lexington and Concord; and the way Revere and those consequences have come to be remembered.

Kostya Kennedy is not a historian. He is a professional writer and editor. But for this book he has done a historian’s work of reading all the primary and secondary literature relevant to this story. He has distilled it all into an easily digestible book.

I thus was able to feel patriotic, but not overburdened, for taking the time--at the right time—to read a work that honors the courage of not just Revere but also his fellow rider, William Dawes. More than that it honors the courage of the hundreds of citizens—Minutemen--in Lexington and Concord and surrounding towns who responded to an alarm that came in the middle of the night and were willing to sacrifice their lives—as many of them did—in a battle that they probably never imagined would lead to a full-scale war and the birth of a new nation.

What became clear—at least to me—from reading this book is that Revere, Dawes, the combatants in the battle, and indeed no one who participated in the events leading up to that battle could have imagined where it would lead.

I am grateful that this book reminded me of how much courage, how much rage, how much faith in the rightness of their cause, it took for these “rebels” to believe that, by taking up arms, the American colonies could free themselves from British rule.

The Ride; Paul Revere in the night that saved America by Kostya Kennedy, the author not only recreate the night Paul Revere let everyone know the British were coming but tells us how the economic atmosphere was all the way down to Paul Revere‘s favorite horse‘s name. She goes further to let us know where Mr. Revere sat in the upper echelon which I was shocked to learn was closer to the bottom. This book was very well researched with every detail having to do with that night. The only thing I didn’t like in the book was despite the fact Paul Revere owned no slaves ever in his life and she had to go back two generations to find a relative who did own one she still felt the need to stop and tell us everyone Mr. revere interacted with that had a slave and their names where they got them and if they didn’t have them who they were related to that did. There were other times in the book where talking of slavery and or abolition was apropos to the story but at other times it seemed the author did their best to work it in whether it fit or not. I love history and had this book been called the slaves of the revolution I would’ve definitely been just as excited to read that because I believe everyone’s story needs to be told but I thought that these additions were pointless in the main scheme of the story especially when she would pontificate on whether the slave answered the door or the homeowner because that’s not only not the point of the story it totally takes away all the greatness that Paul Revere wrist for his country. that part of the narrative just seemed ill placed and out of context for the story the author was telling. From the Boston tea party to Paul Revere’s ride I think the author did a great job retelling the story putting everything in order and this is a book I definitely recommend the above about who own slaves was just a small part of the book and I just found it it didn’t fit with the narrative. Yet here I am continuing to go on and on about it so I digress. there’s even a chapter on Longfellow has been the champion for many downtrodden but most obviously he put pen to paper to retell the ride of Paul Revere. This was a great book and one I definitely absolutely recommend.#NetGalley, #SaintMartin’sPress, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #KostyaKennedy, #TheRide,

I was hooked from the beginning!!
I enjoyed this well written and researched story of Paul Revere.
A detailed piece of history that sucked me in immediately.
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Did you have to read (or perhaps memorize) Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow when you were in school? Even if you didn't you probably remember from the history lessons the famous line, "One if by land, and two if by sea" referring to the number of lanterns that the sexton at a local church was to hang to notify the patriots of the coming British forces. And that is probably all you know about Paul Revere. At least that is all I know about him.

I enjoyed a book about Benedict Arnold a couple of years ago and I feel like I need to learn more about the American Revolution and those who fought for a free and democratic society.

As with any history nonfiction book I pick up, I never know exactly what I'm getting into. Sometimes is a dry read with long lists of dates and names. Other times, it is more of a narrative story. Thankfully, The Ride is the latter. I listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed Johnny Heller's narration.

I'm starting to think the reason we only learned about this one ride of Paul Revere is because there is little to really know about the man. He was an express rider during the American Revolution - his job was to carry communications to various patriot leaders. Because of this, he was often out of the fray of any of the battles.

Kennedy includes a few more tidbits about Revere's life including his family, his career as a silversmith, and his rise in the political scene. But a lot of the book was about various events that he was not directly involved with. Also, the author uses speculation to transition between various subjects and therefore touches on the issue of slavery a bit more than I was expecting in a book about the American Revolution.

I thought that the book jumped around a bit which made it difficult to follow as an audiobook. But my attention may have wandered a little as well which contributed to my confusion. If you regularly listen to history or other nonfiction podcast, you shouldn't have a problem with it.

I liked that the author brought up the poem in the final chapters of the book. He also spent some time mentioning Revere's fellow rider William Dawes, who has all but been forgotten by history. I remember a few years ago hearing about a female Paul Revere. Kennedy shares the story as well. The girl (she was only 16 years old at the time) was named Sybil Ludington. Finally, he concludes with stories from Revere's descendant Paul Revere III, which ends the book on a light but poignant note.

An interesting point - April 18 is the 250th anniversary of the famous ride, making it the perfect time to pick up this book.

This is a fascinating and detailed look into the life of Paul Revere and his historic ride that took place almost 250 years ago.

The author paints a vivid picture of that night taking the reader along on the ride, up the steeple of the Old North Church, and through the villages receiving the news. There are also interesting tidbits about the event and Paul Revere that I had never read before.

I highly recommend the book to history lovers or anyone who likes an adventure!

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