The Times That Try Men's Souls

“Well researched and full of interesting quotes from letters and other original documents of the time. Recommended for readers who want to go beyond Revolutionary War battles and into colonial family lives.” – Booklist
“Writing in lean and graceful prose, Malcolm explores how the American Revolution was experienced as a civil war by those who lived through it in this intimate account of the “painful divisions” that pitted Patriot against Loyalist within American families. It’s an eye-opening investigation into a lesser-known aspect of America’s founding.” – Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold
“‘Since the fall of Lucifer,’ Nathanael Greene, a general in the Continental Army, wrote after the Revolutionary War, ‘nothing has equaled the fall of Arnold.’ Joyce Lee Malcolm knows this story, and yet she has embraced the thankless, if not Sisyphean, task of contextualizing America’s first traitor in her new and aptly named biography. Malcolm has written a fine biography—the best in recent memory, in fact.” * Alexis Coe, The Washington Post *
“Malcolm does for Benedict Arnold what Ron Chernow did for Alexander Hamilton, reexamining and redeeming a complex historical figure. Though Malcolm’s tome is not as lengthy as Chernow’s, she does an excellent job of transforming American history’s best-known villain into a war hero who loved his country so much that he gave his heart, soul, and body to the American cause during the Revolutionary War. This adventurous, entertaining read will appeal to a broad audience, and book clubs will thoroughly enjoy this game-changer, a multilayered reassessment of a long misunderstood American.” * Booklist (starred) *
“Acknowledges and builds on more than a century of writings on the subject, bringing a fresh perspective by making use of resources only recently discovered. A compelling read.”
* Library Journal *
“A readable account of a remarkable life.” * Publishers Weekly *
“Joyce Lee Malcolm’s shows that Arnold’s hunger for recognition and refusal to compromise embroiled him in conflicts that weakened his commitment to independence. She draws on colonial history and the outlook of the 18th-century Atlantic world to describe a profound civilian distrust of professional soldiers and standing armies.” * The Wall Street Journal *

Joyce Lee Malcolm is a professor at George Mason University School of Law. She is the author of Guns and Violence; Peter’s War; To Keep and Bear Arms; and The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

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