Sparks of the Revolution
Todd Harrison Otis
Modern History Press
978-1-61599-787-9
$35.00 Hardcover/$21.95 Paperback/$6.95 eBook
www.ModernHistoryPress.com
Sparks of the Revolution: James Otis and the Birth of American Democracy is a novel that is steeped in the birth of the American democracy. It narrows its focus to a small band of patriots led by the words of James Otis, whose argument against the Writs of Assistance led Boston first to resist British rule and triggered events that led to Revolution.
Otis contributed much to the foundations of the early American democracy through his legal pursuits and their concurrent political impact. He led the growing opposition to the British with the charge that the rights of the colonies were independent of foreign rule, and he helped influence and establish the framework by which the American democracy was formed.
The sparks lit by this 1700s patriot are especially important for modern audiences to understand, considering the current challenges to long-held democratic principles and the arguments that swirl between historical precedent and modern political ideals.
Todd Harrison Otis couches his novel in dramatic experiences and history. This approach lends a compelling touch to its real-world foundations:
“What Bostonians found most vexing, and which added fuel to the fire of Boston resistance, was that Governor Hutchinson’s sons were two of the specially designated consignees of the East India Company tea. The crowd of resisters resented Thomas and Elisha Hutchinson for flagrantly ignoring the non-importation agreements in the late 1760s; it was only natural the Sons of Liberty sought to stigmatize them. The Hutchinson sons, like their father, came to see how despised they had become.”
Under Otis’s hand, the culture, politics, and perceptions of the times come to life, inviting contemporary contrasts between modern events and history.
From massacres and alliances to the incendiary flames of battle and increasing confrontations, Sparks of the Revolution brings the past to vivid life in a manner that invites understanding and interest through its detailed contrasts between social and political visionaries of the times.
The result is especially highly recommended to libraries and readers looking for fictional surveys that are engrossing, imparting a “you are here” feel to events that make it easier to understand the roots of American culture and revolution, whether they be past or present-day.
Diane Donovan
Editor, Donovan’s Literary Services
Editor, Bookwatch
Author: San Francisco Relocated
