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Reviews
New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery, and Conspiracy in Eighteenth-Century Manhattan by Jill Lepore
johnbeeler's review against another edition
4.0
Ok so she's on some fancy grant board and no one wants to poorly review her book, even though they don't like it. I do, and I don't want her grants. I thought applying a strong narrative arc really helps move the analysis forward.
sylvia_p77's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good book and kept me interested. However I had to keep flipping back and forth to clarify which slave she was referring to, as many of then had the same names. I wish her thesis would have been more straightforward, but all in all I enjoyed it and learned quite a bit.
abeanbg's review against another edition
2.0
This didn't come together for me, which is a shame because I still think Lepore's These Truths is one of the great works of historical writing in recent times. But this was too diffuse, running down narrative rabbit holes with a large group of historical figures it was very hard to keep track of
silberwhatever's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely fascinating and occasionally riveting. This is more primary source-focused than the other works by Lepore that I've read, which is a mixed blessing. Sometimes her use of direct quotes obscures some of the facts at least for a sleepy reader. However, she also paints a vivid portrait of pre-Revolution New York, including how much the city ran on the backs of slaves. Truly as interesting and important to American History as the Salem Witch Trials, but probably even more so.
archifydd's review
5.0
I thought this was amazing the entire way through, but I didn't fully appreciate what she was doing until I got to the three appendices, which are possibly the best part. Read it. You'll get it.
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