Melody of Love

Melody of Love is an Amish fiction novel written by Wanda Brunstetter. It takes place in Indiana Amish country, in Goshen near Shipshewana. Shipshewana has a fantastic fabric shop within Yoder's Country Store. It boasts 10,000 bolts of fabric and I love spending money there whenever I can get there. Melody of Love was published on June 15, 2026.

In this novel Amelia Miller is dealing with her nine year old autistic son Micah. She is a widow and is raising him on her own. Amelia finds out about a public library class that helps both autistic children and their parents cope with the disease. She signs both of them up. Micah improves under the program so Amelia feels safe to travel to Ohio for a family wedding. While in Ohio she meets widower Christian Yoder and a spark between them is lit. When Christian suddenly has the opportunity to move to Indiana near Amelia, what started as a spark grows to a flame. However, there are complications. Micah doesn’t like Christian and he often acts out in tantrums. Amelia’s love for her son is her priority and she doesn't know what to do about her relationship with Christian.

Wanda Brunstetter is known for addressing modern problems in her Amish fiction stories. This book may be the first of hers that deals with a disability; at least the first that I can remember. I learn more from Brunstetter about modern issues than from any other source and it's always gently couched inside a cozy story.

In Melody of Love we read about three characters primarily. Amelia is a quiet and sweet widow who has been dealt several adversities in life that she doesn't deserve. In the past year both of her parents passed away in a buggy accident. She also lost her husband and the financial support he provided. Her only child is autistic. Despite all of these tragedies Amelia has not become embittered. She is still the sweet woman that she always has been. Son Micah is nine years old. While he has plenty of meltdowns, Micah loves certain chores. He has become attached to the chickens and one in particular that he named Matilda. Micah also enjoys baking with his mother. It seems to me that Micah and Amelia share a sweet temperament, although you sometimes have to look for it in Micah due to his disability. Christian Yoder also seems to have this same temperament. He is kind toward Micah even though he doesn't receive it back so he is also long-suffering. Like Amelia, Christian doesn't express his thoughts too much for fear of hurting others. The siblings of both Amelia and Christian play secondary parts in the story.

Melody of Love was a lovely, pun intended, read. It’s always a plus to read about characters who behave as they should, giving the reader a respite from the world. 5 out of 5 stars.

Booth

I had high hopes for this book about the family of James Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln. It started out dull and continued to be so throughout the book. The family dynamics were interesting, though, but I felt that it could have been written more exciting than it was.

The publisher's summary:

In 1822, a secret family moves into a secret cabin some thirty miles northeast of Baltimore, to farm, to hide, and to bear ten children over the course of the next sixteen years. Junius Booth—breadwinner, celebrated Shakespearean actor, and master of the house in more ways than one—is at once a mesmerizing talent and a man of terrifying instability. One by one the children arrive, as year by year, the country draws frighteningly closer to the boiling point of secession and civil war.

As the tenor of the world shifts, the Booths emerge from their hidden lives to cement their place as one of the country’s leading theatrical families. But behind the curtains of the many stages they have graced, multiple scandals, family triumphs, and criminal disasters begin to take their toll, and the solemn siblings of John Wilkes Booth are left to reckon with the truth behind the destructively specious promise of an early prophecy.

Booth is a startling portrait of a country in the throes of change and a vivid exploration of the ties that make, and break, a family.

It was interesting to read that John Wilkes Booth always had tendencies toward supporting southern causes, including slavery. He was the only member of his family to not associate with the family's black employees. All of their employees were free as the patriarch was an abolitionist. While the story was a little boring, I am glad that I read the book. It is important to know all of the factors that made John Wilkes Booth want to kill Lincoln. The author stated in an interview that she did not want to write a book about John Wilkes but rather about the family. She felt that John Wilkes craved attention and she did not want to give him the satisfaction of a book about him. Thus, his birth does not happen until page 59. When I read that he tortured animals, beat people up and loved guns from an early age, I realized that he was always going to turn out to be an assassin or serial killer. We all have read the news stories about killers and their childhoods, which predict their future. With an absent father and a mother not interested in raising her children, John Wilkes fit the recipe for becoming a dangerous person.

Booth is an enlightening book about a dysfunctional family that unfortunately changed the course of American history. 3 out of 5 stars.

Lincoln's Lady Spymaster

 

I love the history contained within the pages of Lincoln's Lady Spymaster. This story is about real life Southern belle Elizabeth Van Lew. Elizabeth was an abolitionist who lived in the best mansion in Richmond, Virginia. She supported the Union even though she lived in a Confederate state. She put everything she had at risk in order to assist the Union Army.

The publisher's summary: 

Why would Southern belle Elizabeth Van Lew risk everything in order to spy for the Union Army? The answer was simple: freedom. Right in the heart of the Confederate capital, Elizabeth played the society lady while building a secret espionage network of slaves, Unionists, and prisoners of war.

It would cost her almost everything. Flouting society’s expectations for women, Elizabeth infiltrated prisons and defied public opinion. Her story is filled with vivid personalities, including:

Assassin John Wilkes Booth

Washington socialite and Southern spy Rose Greenhow

Prison escape artist Thomas Rose

Cavalry hero Ulrich Dahlgren

Cross-dressing intelligence agent Frank Stringfellow

From grave robbery to a bold voyage across enemy lines, Elizabeth’s escapades only grew more daring. But it paid off.

By the war’s end, she had agents in both the Confederate War Department and the Richmond White House, and her couriers provided General Ulysses S. Grant with crucial, daily intelligence for his final assault.

With extensive and fresh research, Gerri Willis uncovers the Southern abolitionist heroine that the Lost Cause buried—an unbelievable tale of one woman’s courage, resistance, and liberation. Heartfelt, thrilling, and inspiring, Lincoln’s Lady Spymaster restores a forgotten hero to her rightful place as an American icon.

This is an engaging history of abolitionist Elizabeth Van Lew. Most history books are academic but Willis wrote this book in a historical fiction style. It reads fast. I enjoyed reading about this unknown American heroine. I had no idea that women could be spies. Van Lew lost all her wealth from her advocacy on behalf of slaves and Union soldiers. Her political views were more important to her than money and a position in society. She lived forty more years after the end of the Civil War in near poverty but never regretted her actions during the war.

It was eye opening that women served as soldiers if they wore men's clothing. Women also collected charitable donations for the care of Union soldiers in the amount of $400 million. Very impressive. "Phoebe Pember served as a matron at the nation’s largest military medical center at the time, Richmond’s Chimborazo Hospital. It treated 75,000 patients over the course of the war. Women physicians were rare, but Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was a surgeon who treated soldiers on the front lines."

So how did Van Lew become a spy? She learned information about troop advances from attending balls and dances. The prisoners of war that she attended to left her written messages inside borrowed books with information also. Van Lew was bold enough to visit the wife of Jefferson Davis after hearing Mrs. Davis was seeking a maid. Van Lew offered her one of her servants, which was another way to obtain information. Using servants she forwarded her information to General Ulysses S Grant.

Lincoln's Lady Spymaster is a fantastic history of women during the Civil War, or as some say the War of Northern Aggression. 5 out of 5 stars.

Tell Me Something True

Tell Me Something True is an atmospheric mystery. The plot includes a coming-of-age and a love story all wrapped into one. It takes place in the small Australian town of Yulara where all the characters reside. It will be published on January 5, 2027. I was lucky to receive a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The publisher's summary: 

 

I look along the road and notice how many people are standing outside their houses or watching from doorways and windows. Staring. Studying.

“Do you think this town will ever forgive me?” I ask.

“Not in a million years.”

Small towns are quick to anger and slow to forgive, but Arlo Hackett doesn't expect mercy when he emerges from a twelve-year prison sentence and makes his way back to Yulara, a waypoint on Australia's Great Southern Road. The last time Arlo was home in 1988, his brother Luke was charged with a terrible crime, and Arlo was found guilty by association.

His return to Yulara is like cracking open a time capsule full of hatred and violence, along with memories of the people he loved—the ones he couldn't save.

The small town wants Arlo gone, or worse, but every insult and humiliation pushes him to confront what really happened all those years ago. The truth will shock you, surprise you, and break your heart.

Tell Me Something True is told in a dual timeline, from Arlo's childhood and young adulthood to his release from prison when he was thirtysomething. Arlo spent twelve years in prison for covering up the murder of Saxon Winacott. Arlo's brother Luke confessed to killing her but never received a trial. He was beaten by the police at the police station and subsequently died. Saxon was the stepdaughter of the wealthiest man in Yulara, Frank Winacott. Frank frequently beat Saxon up so she moved out of the house at seventeen and was invited to live with Arlo's family by his mother.

Saxon had an engaging personality. She was high energy and loved life. Of course, she was beautiful. Saxon also played the piano well. She hoped to receive a full scholarship to a music conservatory and played good enough to actually get it. Saxon also had a one track mind. She loved talking about sex. Luke had a huge crush on her but Saxon was more interested in Arlo. Arlo told her she was too young for him though. However, the two of them were frequently together and Saxon always asked "tell me something true" which required revealing a secret.

Most of the characters are likable, especially the female characters. Saxon had a wild side but she was laser focused on obtaining a career in music. Her mother was sympathetic but her stepfather Frank Winacott was abusive and was primarily interested in making money, even at any cost. I liked all of Arlo's family. Arlo, himself, was a kind person as was his brother Luke and his mother. The Hackett family was poor but willing to give to others, which is how Saxon came to live with them. The men who worked at the police station were nasty people. All of them were villains. All were willing to stop following the law in order to protect the rich men in Yulara.

Tell Me Something True is a poignant, slow-burning mystery. It's an enjoyable read and I highly recommend it. 4 out of 5 stars.

Courting Mr. Lincoln

I am reviewing another Lincoln book today. There will be more during the month. Courting Mr. Lincoln is a fictionalized account of Mary Todd and Abe Lincoln's courtship and eventual marriage. However, the story alternates between the point of view of Mary and Joshua Speed, Lincoln's best friend and roommate. Can I presume that they were both courting Lincoln since they are both telling the story?

While Speed and Lincoln had a deep bond of friendship, there is a hint in one chapter that Speed may have wanted more from Lincoln. It was unclear whether Lincoln understood that or considered extending the relationship. He seemed to waver at the thought but my impression was that that Lincoln just had something else on his mind. He always had something else on his mind.

Mary Todd captivated Lincoln with her political intellect. If Speed was ever really a romantic interest for Lincoln, Speed could not compete with Mary's brain. Politics is what Mary and Abe had in common and its what their relationship was based on. Mary was a political strategist and wanted to marry a politician. Abe yearned for elective office so this was a marriage made in heaven.

I think Speed was gay. When he eventually married, his wife did not want to have sex with him. He was OK with that arrangement. Twenty years later when Speed and Lincoln were again together, traveling to his inauguration, it was mentioned that he and his wife still had no children.

This was an enjoyable, fast read. I am curious how much of the book is fiction, especially the part about Mary's political instincts. It would make sense that 2 people with nothing else in common would want to be together for a joint political future. I know plenty such couples today. Politicians look for spouses like that and politically astute people are attracted to politicians.

5 out of 5 stars!

Fourth of July Forgery

Fourth of July Forgery is the 6th Holiday Cozy Mystery from Tonya Kappes. It is a charming, fast paced cozy mystery that was published on June 29, 2023. 

The publisher's summary:

Fireworks aren't the only things causing sparks this Fourth of July in Holiday Junction! The much-awaited sixth book in the Holiday Cozy Mystery series, Fourth of July Forgery, immerses readers in a mystery that's more intricate than a firework's design.

When the festive atmosphere is dampened by the grim discovery of a body on the shore, it's up to our firecracker reporter, Violet Rhinehammer, to fizzle out the truth. Delving into the shadowy world of art dealing and potential forgeries, Violet must crack this case faster than a skyrocket, all while trying to keep her relationships and reputation from going up in smoke.

As she navigates the labyrinth of deception and accusation, Violet realizes that even in Holiday Junction, secrets can still explode like a M80. Can she solve the puzzle before the last sparkler has fizzled out, or will the fuse on this mystery burn too quickly for her to handle?

Violet is a news reporter for the Junction Journal and the amateur sleuth for the story. She uses her job as a journalist to investigate the murder of art dealer Graham Winston, whose body was found during the annual fireworks display. The police have no involvement in searching for the perpetrator, which is a little odd. The only time the police chief is mentioned is when he drives a car in the town’s Fourth of July parade and when he arrests the perp. However, this suspension of belief did not bother me much because Violet's mind worked fast. As a result there was a new twist on just about every other page. The reveal of the whodunnit was satisfying.

All of the characters were memorable. From Violet to her southern mother Millie Kaye, town gossip Goldie and the paper's newest journalist Radley. Violet is a return character from a prior cozy series by the author. She is the main character in each installment of this Holiday Cozy Mystery series so I already know I am going to be reading all of them.

4 out of 5 stars.

A Founding Mother

Just in time for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of the United States comes this sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams. She was the wife of one president, John Adams, and mother to another, John Quincy Adams. Her willpower and wisdom helped shape our fledgling republic. The book has been meticulously researched, drawing on the extensive letters that Abigail wrote throughout her life. This 464 page novel was published on May 5, 2026.

The publisher's summary:

In the heart of revolutionary Boston, Abigail Adams raises her children amid riots, blockades, and the outbreak of war. While her husband, John Adams, rises from country lawyer to nation-builder, often away for years at a time, Abigail builds her own independence—managing their farm, making lucrative investments, amassing savings, battling plague and loss, and defending their home. Unafraid to speak her mind, she famously offers fearless political counsel, urging John to “remember the ladies” in the new government. Through it all, she becomes his most trusted confidante and indispensable ally.

When peace is secured, Abigail steps onto the world stage—exchanging ideas with Thomas Jefferson in the French countryside, navigating court life as the wife of the Minister to Great Britain, and presiding over the parlor politics of the early American republic in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. Even after her husband’s presidential administration, she continues battling political foes and working behind the scenes to advance her family, secure independence for the women in her life, and ensure a better life for the next generation of Americans.

From war-torn streets to the chandeliered halls of power, A Founding Mother is the unforgettable story of a woman ahead of her time—one whose voice, vision, and valor still resonate powerfully today.

The story opened with Abigail and John discussing the British army successes of 1814 against the states. The British had just burned down Washington DC and destroyed the White House and Capitol buildings. Both of them feared that the republic might be lost despite a lifetime of efforts from both of them. The story then turns back in history to 1770 where the story of the Adams's marriage was also the story of the founding of the nation. 

I am impressed with the amount of historical information presented. The authors did an incredible amount of research. I enjoyed seeing the founding of our country through the perspectives of women. Women had no say in the political decisions that the men made but women were responsible for making those decisions successful. As the men fought back against the taxes, the ladies learned to make their own clothes, to spin fiber and put food on the table without the use of food staples. If the ladies had not been able to do this, independence would not have been possible. Abigail had a double portion of hardship. She had to deal with the shortages while managing her household but also had to work the fields of the family farm in order to earn money. John Adams was frequently absent due to his law practice as well as with his work for the Continental Congress. Had he been present, he would have worked the farm.

The relationships between the Adamses, Washingtons, and Jeffersons was complicated. I wasn't aware of how intertwined their friendships were. The political differences between them only surfaced after the end of the Revolutionary War. For example, Abigail was intimidated by Martha Washington. Martha was wealthy and exhibited the airs and graces of her position. Abigail on the other hand grew up as a meager parson's daughter and had to learn how to behave around those in upper social circles, especially after her husband became president. Jefferson became a close friend of both Adamses but was closer to Abigail. They shared a love of wisdom and humor but Jefferson accepted Abigail's wish to be treated as an intellectual, unusual for the era. 

A Founding Mother is a fascinating account of the events surrounding the birth of a nation. There is so much to learn from its pages and I highly recommend it. Women will definitely want to read the book. 5 out of 5 stars.

America’s First Daughter

America's First Daughter is a well researched historical novel on the life of Thomas Jefferson's daughter Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph. Patsy has to deal with the knowledge that her father loves his country more than he loves his family. When her mother dies, she rises to the challenge and becomes Jefferson's constant companion and helper. She even travels with him to France when he is appointed as America's minister to France. While they are in Paris, Patsy first learns about her father's affair with a slave named Sally Hemings who is the same age as Patsy. Both are fifteen-years-old. She loves appearing at French royal court functions where the dresses, food and atmosphere captivate her. Here, Patsy falls in love with one of her father's assistants, William Short. Short is an ardent abolitionist and has high ambitions for his political career. Patsy has a dilemma to resolve. Should she follow her heart and marry Short or continue as a devoted assistant to her father? Patsy chooses her father in this impressive historical biography and marries an American instead.

A french royal court setting is always going to be alluring for me. I just love reading descriptions of the food and dresses that the ladies wore. Post-revolution America is not as enticing but the author has written into the plot several controversial topics of the time, some of which I never heard of before and they were quite interesting. The women in the novel had to exert their power indirectly as the men had the real power in the nation and in their homes. While I know that this just reflected the times, I hate reading about women having to live this way. 

I knew nothing about Jefferson's daughter before reading this book. She certainly was a plucky character. Patsy's life story included running from the British during the Revolutionary War, handling many of her father's business affairs, helping him run the White House while he was president and, of course, giving birth to eleven kids after her marriage to her American cousin. I imagine that many women of this era had similar life stories to tell and I wish that I could find these stories. Alas, they were not written down unless they were members of famous families.

The authors also wrote a historical biography of Alexander Hamilton's wife Eliza. I loved that novel too and hope that this writing duo continues to write about the ladies of our American revolution. 5 out of 5 stars.

Constitution Illustrated

Constitution Illustrated gives the reader the entire text of the U. S. Constitution. It is a graphic novel with drawings done in the iconic styles of over one hundred different classic and contemporary American comic artists. The characters are well known cartoon characters. This book was published in 2020. 

The publisher's summary:

Among Sikoryak’s spot-on unions of government articles and amendments with famous comic-book characters: the Eighteenth Amendment that instituted prohibition is articulated with Homer Simpson running from Chief Wiggum; the Fourteenth Amendment that solidifies citizenship to all people born and naturalized in the United States is personified by Ms. Marvel; and, of course, the Nineteenth Amendment offering women the right to vote is a glorious depiction of Wonder Woman breaking free from her chains. American artists from George Herriman (Krazy Kat) and Charles Schulz (Peanuts) to Raina Telgemeier (Sisters) and Alison Bechdel (Dykes to Watch Out For) are homaged, with their characters reimagined in historical costumes and situations. We the People has never been more apt.

 

This is a short graphic novel; just 132 pages. The "dialogue" or text in this book consists solely of the words of the Constitution. The characters are from TV shows or cartoons. Donald Duck, Dennis the Menace, Charlie Brown, Lucy and Dagwood Bumstead are some of the characters. 

I like that there is background material at the end of the document. There is a Comics Index, Notes on the Constitution itself, amendments made to the original language by Congress, a Chronology of the drafting of the document and the Selected Bibliography. After Congress approved the final draft of the Constitution it was sent to the states for ratification.

There were some amendments that I forgot about so I had a nice learning experience. With the recent decision of the U. S. Supreme Court confirming birth right citizenship, the Fourteenth Amendment was fascinating to read. This book is an entertaining way of learning American history. It is fun and easy to read. I highly recommend it to readers of all ages.

5 out of 5 stars.

My Dear Hamilton

My Dear Hamilton is the story of Alexander Hamilton's wife Eliza Hamilton, from her coming of age to the end of her life. Eliza, known as Betsy by her family, grew up in Revolutionary New York as the daughter of an army general, Philip Schuyler. She is a champion of independence and when she meets George Washington's aide, Alexander Hamilton, she is captivated by his charisma and brilliant intellect. They soon fall in love and marry, despite Hamilton's bastard birth and the uncertainties of the war. Their marriage and the new American nation are far from perfect. The Hamiltons are at the center of the glittery inaugural balls and the bloody street riots as well as the nation's first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness. When her husband dies in a duel, Eliza fights her husband's enemies in order to preserve his legacy. However, long buried secrets threaten everything that Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. She tries to understand the flawed man that she married and the imperfect union he never could have created without her.

I loved this novel. I did not know much about Alexander Hamilton before reading this book and learned a substantial amount of information about him. While I always thought myself to be an expert on the founding of the U. S., I also learned a considerable number of facts about the founding of it's government. Hamilton and how the emerging nation was formed go hand in hand. We simply could not have done it without him.

The writing here is fluid, making this a fast read. The "characters" were all people in real-life and I don't think that any author could have created such characters on their own. The strengths and flaws of each person probably would not have been combined in a made up character as they do not seem to go well together. However, in this novel the author did not have to worry about that. In addition, we don't usually see how our first 5 presidents interacted with one another during both the Revolutionary War and its aftermath. This was fascinating to me. I have never read anything like this before. Another interesting fact was that Mrs. Hamilton kew Congressman Abe Lincoln. I never considered Lincoln to be a contemporary of our founding fathers and mothers but as their careers were ending, Lincoln's was beginning.

My Dear Hamilton is a fantastic historical novel and I cannot recommend it more highly. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary Guide

This 100 page pamphlet is a full-color guide to the document that made a nation, the Declaration of Independence: what the Founding Fathers wrote, what they really meant, the wording that Congress changed, and the full story of America’s founding.

The publisher's summary:

250 years ago, 56 men from the 13 British colonies in North America pledged their lives for freedom in a document that would change the world. This illustrated anniversary book is the ideal Independence Day gift for history buffs, patriots, students and teachers alike ... anyone who wants to rediscover the full story of the Declaration that gave birth to America.

The complete text, with detailed analysis — Read the Declaration of Independence in full, with page-by-page annotations, unpacking exactly what the Founding Fathers meant by every word and phrase.

Examine how Congress altered Jefferson’s draft — The original rough draft alongside Congress’s detailed edits, in full color — the passages removed, the compromises inserted, and how those changes helped define the nation that emerged.

The men who made America — Biographies of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman ... and fascinating facts about many of the other 56 signers. Plus: Jefferson’s eye-witness account of the events of 1776, taken directly from his autobiography.

A full visual history of 1776 — A timeline of the American Revolution from its origins in 1763 to July 4, 1776, with full-color images throughout, completes this essential reference book for America’s semiquincentennial.

Whether you are rediscovering the Declaration of Independence or exploring it for the first time, this is your ideal companion guide for the July 4, 2026 celebrations – an engaging addition to your home library or classroom, and a thoughtful gift for any citizen keen to delve into the origins of America’s lasting values.

I loved reading about the history of the document's drafting and the roles of some of the signers, as well as those who were opposed to it. South Carolina and Georgia balked at accusing the King of beginning slavery in the then colonies and that slavery was inhumane so that paragraph was deleted ftom the original text. The book also has maps and fine art commemorating the events surrounding the signing of the document as well as portraits of the signers. There is a listing all the signers and their occupations. I liked that the occupations were presented.

In the two years before the Declaration was signed most of the signers wanted to remain part of Britain. After several attempts at negotiating with King George III had failed, they decided that independence was the only option. These were brave men. They signed the Declaration of Independence without any idea of being successful at separation from Britain. Their lives were on the line as the Declaration was treason to the King. 

I read an electronic version of the book but I would like to own a hard copy. I will definitely buy a physical copy of it. This small book is a great resource for information on how the U. S. came into existence and I highly, highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Declaration of Independence

 

The Declaration of 

Independence

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

That, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and, accordingly, all experience has shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But, when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government.

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless 

suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature; a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing, with manly firmness, his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands. He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies, without the consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the military 

independent of and superior to the civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us;

For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states;

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world;

For imposing taxes on us without our consent;

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury;

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses;

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries, so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these colonies;

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments;

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection, and waging war against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens, taken captive on the high seas, to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions, we have petitioned for redress, in the most humble terms. Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from 

time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our 

common kindred, to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that, as free 

and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. 

And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

Georgia

Button Gwinnett

Lyman Hall

George Walton

North Carolina

William Hooper

Joseph Hewes

John Penn

South Carolina

Edward Rutledge

Thomas Heyward, Jr.

Thomas Lynch, Jr.

Arthur Middleton

Massachusetts

John Hancock

Samuel Adams

John Adams

Robert Treat Paine

Elbridge Gerry

Maryland

Samuel Chase

William Paca

Thomas Stone

Charles Carroll of 

Carrollton

Virginia

George Wythe

Richard Henry Lee

Thomas Jefferson

Benjamin Harrison

Thomas Nelson, Jr.

Francis Lightfoot Lee

Carter Braxton

Pennsylvania

Robert Morris

Benjamin Rush

Benjamin Franklin

John Morton

George Clymer

James Smith

George Taylor

James Wilson

George Ross

Delaware

Caesar Rodney

George Read

Thomas McKean

New York

William Floyd

Philip Livingston

Francis Lewis

Lewis Morris

New Jersey

Richard Stockton

John Witherspoon

Francis Hopkinson

John Hart

Abraham Clark

New Hampshire

Josiah Bartlett

William Whipple

Matthew Thornton

Rhode Island

Stephen Hopkins

William Ellery

Connecticut

Roger Sherman

Samuel Huntington

William Williams

Oliver Wolcott

Declaration Illustrated

Declaration/Emancipation Illustrated is a unique, double-sided graphic novel by cartoonist R. Sikoryak. It pairs the unabridged text of the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Gettysburg Address with visuals rendered in the iconic styles of over 100 different classic and contemporary American comic artists.

The publisher's summary:

The severing of colonial ties to Great Britain and the critical turning points in American history that followed have never been more vividly manifested than in the skillful hands of Sikoryak, who doesn't hesitate to dream up Jeffy from Family Circus as Thomas Jefferson and Mr. Magoo as a British loyalist. King George III is deliciously portrayed as pop culture’s most famous villains, such as Thanos, The Joker, Scar from The Lion King, and many more. Sikoryak also skillfully adopts the styles of such comic artists as Will Eisner of The Spirit, Allie Brosh of Solutions and Other Problems, Morrie Turner of Wee Pals, Mark Beyer of Amy and Jordan, and Floyd Gottfredson of Mickey Mouse. The Civil War era pays homage to Black Panther, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, Steenz’s Heart of the City, Justice League, and many more.

The comic is short; just 134 pages. The Declaration part of the book is on one side of the book. Turn it over and you find the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. The verbage is exclusively the words of the Declaration, the Proclamation and the Address. At the end of each of these three documents is a chronology of events that brought us the documents and a bibliography. The illustrations use characters ftom comic strips and TV series including The Simpsons, Black Panther and the Powerpuff Girls.

The author stated in an online interview that he had a rule to only use American characters in this book. Also, his reason for putting the Emancipation Proclamation as the second side of this book was because 

"someone, Abraham Lincoln, took what was in the Declaration and said, ‘This is important, this part at the beginning about “All men are created equal,” because he references the Declaration in the Gettysburg Address and in the Emancipation Proclamation. 

“Four score and seven years ago,” that’s referring directly to the Declaration, so you can take these documents and you can think about what they’re saying to you, and you can act on them."

I had no idea that that the Gettysburg Address referred to the Declaration. I always wondered what "four score and seven years ago" referenced. 

I agree with the publisher's blurb that this book is an entertaining trip through American history.  It is a fun, easy to read history of three of the U. S.'s foundational documents and I highly recommend it to readers of all ages.

5 out of 5 stars.