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At the end of 1776, McCullough quotes General Nathanael Green predicting Washington's future as the "deliverer of his own country." Nine generations later, perhaps because the United States is a more cynical place, perhaps because less is at stake, perhaps because heroes have become embarrassing, perhaps because good feelings don't get high ratings to lure marketers, no one says that leaders will deliver the nation. For that matter, what exactly does "national deliverance" mean in a country founded upon the individual's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? McCullough doesn't say, but the story he tells leaves us wondering.

Preston Jones, a contributing editor to Books & Culture, teaches at John Brown University.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

1776 is available from Amazon.com and other book retailers.

More about David McCullough is available from his website.

NPR has an excerpt of David McCullough, in his beautiful, familiar voice, reading from 1776.

For book lovers, our 2005 CT book awards are available online, along with our book awards for 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, and 1997, as well as our Books of the Twentieth Century. For other coverage or reviews, see our Books archive and the weekly Books & Culture Corner.

Books & Culture Corner and Books & Culture's Book of the Week, from Christianity Today sister publication Books & Culture: A Christian Review (want a free trial issue?), appears regularly on Tuesdays at Christianity Today. Earlier editions include:

The Rich Are Different—and Not So Different—from Us | Think you're burned out on memoirs? Read this book. (June 28, 2005)

A Grief Observed | Exploring the valley of the shadow in two literary lives. (June 13, 2005)

The Mind and Soul of Combat | Perhaps war really is hell. (June 07, 2005)

The Universal Language | If Latin died in our mouths, we'd just stop talking. (May 24, 2005)

At Home in the Dark | The first new book of poems in almost twenty years from Rod Jellema. (May 17, 2005)

"Taken Up in Glory" | The Ascension has been forgotten in many Protestant churches, jettisoning an essential part of the Christian story. (May 10, 2005)

Making Believe | Bedtime stories for grown-ups. (May 03, 2005)

Looking for God on the Holy Mountain | A journey to Mount Athos. (Apr. 25, 2005)

The Words of the Word | Two sharply contrasting perspectives on Bible translation. (April 19, 2005)

Divine Comedies | A report on Baylor's Art & Soul conference, version 2005. (April 12, 2005)

Unbelievable | Religion is really, really bad for you. (April 05, 2005)

This Land Is Whose Land? | An impassioned plea on behalf of the "caribou people" in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the land they have inhabited for nearly 20,000 years. (March 22, 2005)

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July (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49