History Happy Hour

Our guest is Mike Duncan and his book is Hero of Two Worlds. Here are some other books on the topic.

Lafayette Harlow Giles Unger

Good solid narrative biography of Lafayette’s life. Entertaining. Considered one of the best biographies of the marquis prior to Duncan’s book.

The Marquis, Laura Auriccio

Another biography of Lafayette but this one is, I think, much more of a personal look at the Marquis. Removes some of the veneer from the gloss of his life and paints a much more human account of a remarkable life.

Revolutionary Brothers: Thomas Jefferson, The Marquis de Lafayette and the Friendship that Helped Forge Two Nations, Tom Chaffin

A very interesting joint biography of Jefferson and Lafayette. Good, easy to read, narrative history of these two men. Also delves into the interesting-and important-sharing of ideas between the two revolutionary leaders and how their interaction effected change in both the Unites States and France.

Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It, Larrie Ferreiro

Wonderful book that explains just how much the colonists needed foreign intervention during the American Revolution. Author goes into the personalities the Frenchmen-including Lafayette-and Spaniards who ensured American success during the revolution. It also does an excellent-and important-job of placing the Revolution in its international context. As Ferreiro makes clear, what started at Lexington and Concord had become, by 1783, a world war.