Scars of Independence

Hoock, Holger, Scars of Independence: America's Violent Birth. New York: Crown, 2017.

Hoock's main purpose is to show the Revolutionary War for the violent war it was. He feels most histories sugar-coat the war. He does a good job showing conflicts between Patriots and Loyalists. His descriptions of the persecution faced is often graphic. He also discusses why many Loyalists chose not to return after the war. The author does a good job with documenting his work. It's a bit too academic in tone and too gory to really be as readable as some histories of the war. Academics and military history enthusiasts are likely to find it far more enjoyable than I did. This review is based on an electronic advance review copy received by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.