Why Longfellow Lied

A light-hearted, humorous examination of how Longfellow’s poem, Paul Revere’s Ride, is quite inaccurate. At the time of the revolution, Revere didn’t get recognition for his efforts in warning the Concord, Massachusetts, patriots that the British were on the march to destroy the colonials’ weapons supply. The leaders wanted an image of innocent, law-abiding victims of barbarous British aggression. A midnight rider breaking curfew couldn’t be considered law-abiding.
Revere had written an account of the Battle of Lexington which was found nearly 60 years later, and published in 1832 in New-England Magazine. Also in that issue was a translation by 25-year-old modern languages professors, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who added Revere’s letter to a list of topics to write about someday.
A comparison of the poem against actual events shows where Longfellow fictionalized what happened on the night of April 18-19, 1775. Why did he do that? He wrote his poem in 1860, just before the Civil War. An abolitionist, he celebrated the defiant patriots of 1775 to challenge the Americans of his day to live up to their country’s heroic traditions. Freedom and justice are worth fighting for. His poem is not to inform but to inspire. One man can make a difference, and Paul Revere made the perfect model, even if he didn’t deserve all the credit for what transpired.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this young adult book. All opinions are my own.

I was not sure what to expect when I requested Why Longfellow Lied. However, I really enjoyed it! It is cleverly begun, the historical pictures are fantastic and the reading is easy, informative and thoughtful.

Kids love finding when adults get things "wrong" and they will love this. Lantos walks readers through Longfellow's famous poem in a way that kids familiar and unfamiliar with the the events of the Revolutionary War will both be able to follow. Through stories, documents, and analysis, he engages the reader in what actually happened and how we know. It is a perfect extension of the Hamilton craze, and will engage lots of readers in non-fiction.

Why Longfellow Lied: The Truth About Paul Revere's Midnight Ride by Jeff Lantos is a nonfiction book currently scheduled for release on August 3 2021. Do you know how historically inaccurate "Paul Revere's Ride" is? And do you know why? Author Jeff Lantos pulls apart Longfellow's poem, tells the real story about Paul Revere's historic ride, and sets the record right. Not only that, he lays out when and why Longfellow wrote his poem and explains how without it, many of us wouldn't know much about Revere at all.

Why Longfellow Lied is an interesting read. I liked that the actual events (as best we can glean from documents and statements) was laid out in comparison with the poem. It is examined piece by piece, and gaps that were not covered in the poem at all filled in. I liked the frank and narrative style of the writing flowed and did not gloss over some common misconceptions and assumption. I love learning new things, and even more so when common held beliefs are examined, challenged, and clarified. I liked that the depth and expanse oft he operation was described, showing just how many people put themselves and their families at risk to do what they saw as right, rather that just one or two. I also like that the variety of social standing and fortune of these people was shown, Some really risked it all with little hope for a bright future if things went poorly. I also liked that the sources and proper citations and index were included at the end of the book. I always appreciate when authors insist on doing it right. I liked that the author included maps and whatnot- unfortunately the formatting on my galley did not allow me to enjoy these to the extent readers of the final version will. I expect that they will really enhance the reading experience. My issue with the read might also be solved in the formatting for the final version, there are random asides of unrelated information (like a gruesome landmark, spreading of a specific type of apple, when someone got married, and so on) that were interesting but did not really flow with the history explored in the main text. I suspect that these will be in separate text boxes or otherwise separated in the final print (if not they should be).

Why Longfellow Lied is a well researched and written book.

In this engaging look at what is known as Paul Revere’s ride, which took place on April 18th and 19th of 1775, the book begins with Longfellow’s poem, and then describes what really occurred and why Longfellow may have changed the facts. The text has a humorous tone that will hold the reader’s attention, yet is clear on what is factual and what is myth; enslaved people who participated are also described. The book design will attract readers with b&w and color photos, maps, sidebars, page decorations and other illustrative elements that break up the text. Supplementary material includes a list of people and their roles in the event, detailed source notes, a bibliography, and an index.

Why Longfellow Lied: the Truth about Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride

Why Longfellow Lied is a clever and entertaining book that uses Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem to take a closer look at American Revolutionary History. Many of us assume that The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere is an accurate retelling of a well-known historic event. However, Longfellow was an abolitionist and he changed the facts about Revere’s journey to inspire American citizens to take action in the years before the Civil War.

This is one of the best nonfiction books for children that I’ve seen in a long time. The book is well-researched and includes several valuable primary source documents that help tell the story. Author Jeff Lantos also uses sidebars throughout the book to explain or augment the text. Why Longfellow lied is written in a conversational tone that students and adults will enjoy. Finally, this book has a thorough appendix with extensive source notes and a wide-ranging bibliography.

Why Longfellow Lied is particularly suited for middle-grade cross-curricular lessons in language arts and history. In this case, I would recommend the purchase of the physical book; I read this book on an e-reader and felt that I couldn’t experience the full beauty of this work. I highly recommend Why Longfellow Lied: the Truth about Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride for purchase in public and school libraries.

In 1860, the Boston Evening Transcript published Longfellow's poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere". This was a little known tale of the Revolutionary War. The Founding Fathers weren't too keen on the idea that the world should know that the Patriots were prepared to fight back. For a long time, they stifled Revere's story, but eventually history won out. You see, Revere wrote a letter in 1798 which was published in a magazine in 1832 which also contained a French tale which had been translated by a young Longfellow. Longfellow, seeing the letter, decided that someday it might be a good topic to write about, which he did, in 1860. However, today historians have noted that many of his facts aren't quite right. Jeff Lantos takes the poem, stanza by stanza and recreates the story as it actually happened, quoting professors, historians, even Paul Revere himself.

A fascinating look into the Battle of Lexington and Concord, includes maps, photographs and the best sidebars - those were my favorite - tidbits of more information helping put the whole thing in context. Well researched, it includes 18 pages of (small print) source notes and a 6 page bibliography! A great resource to accompany a class learning Longfellow's poem, or as a thorough study of this one event. Lantos also ties the poem to Longfellow's life just prior to the Civil War.

Finally, a short but thorough deconstruction of the famous but wildly inaccurate poem! There are so many misconceptions rooted in that one work, and I have found people are willing to defend its “facts” no matter what I or others say. Thank you to the author!

This is exactly the kind of analysis style book that I enjoy. I loved the structure of breaking the Longfellow poem down stanza-by-stanza, line-by-line and pointing out the errors and inconsistencies. Despite my love of this style of breakdown, I did not find this a particularly "enjoyable" read. This would be a fantastic reference for a discussion or in-person program given to a group.

Here's my breakdown:
Structure/formatting: 3/5

I read an eARC of this book, and the formatting was slightly off. I would have loved a side-by-side annotation of the poem with added context built in. It's possible the final copy looked more like this, but my e-copy was a little hard to tell how it would have been laid out on the page.

Thoroughness of research: 4.5/5

It's very clear the author is knowledgeable of the midnight ride tales as well as the factual account. This book offers a wealth of first-hand accounts and resources for that night. Absolutely fabulous!

Storytelling: 3/5

This isn't a "story" in the standard sense. This is a stanza-by-stanza, line-by-line breakdown. As a result, this reads a little choppy, but it's kind of the nature of what it's trying to do.

Enjoyment: 3/5

Prior Knowledge Needed: 3.5/5 (5 meaning no prior knowledge needed, and 1 meaning you already need to be an expert in the subject matter)

Knowledge of the poem or "characters" seems a little necessary. You can follow along relatively well without that knowledge, but some degree of prior knowledge will definitely help.