TO TRY MEN'S SOULS

Several weeks ago I reported that I was reading several books at the same time, and I recently completed a wonderful historical book titled "TO TRY MEN’S SOULS" by Newt Gingrich and William R. Fortchen. This is a novel about George Washington and the fight for American freedom, which in reality has some application to current circumstances.

Your Commander has read five other books by the same author combination, and I can highly recommend each one of them. These gentlemen have a wonderful talent of presenting history in a fictional form that makes it come alive for the reader, and yet tell an accurate description of significant events. Please consider adding "Gettysburg, Grant Comes East, Never Call Retreat, Pearl Harbor," and "Days of Infamy" to your reading list in the near future, if you have not already enjoyed them.

This work presents the courageous trials and tribulations of the Continental Army lead by General George Washington against the Hessian garrison at the Battle of Trenton. It centers on three men who contributed magnificently to our history, General George Washington, author Thomas Paine, and Jonathan Van Dorn, a private in Washington’s army.

Personally I would suggest that every 7th or 8th grader or even freshmen in high school history classes be required to read this inspiring story. Some people feel that our citizens no longer have the guts to see us through our problems, but this read can and should be an inspiration, which is the author’s intent.

As Thomas Paine so appropriately wrote in “The Crisis” and the authors fittingly selected as the title for this book, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” It seems that these words are appropriate even at this time and place. Happy reading.

COMMANDER GRANGER