As If an Enemy's Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution

Much of the American Revolution has been romanticized and elevated to near myth that we forget that how with minor changes it could have never happened. Thirteen colonies that had their own animosities toward one another coordinated rebellion against the most powerful empire in the world to eventually succeed? It sounds ridiculous. Richard Archer's //As If an Enemy's Country// helps dispel the mythic aspects of the American Revolution and shows how in just one small state and mainly in one city, Boston, the seeds of revolution were sown. Archer details how it was not inevitable that Massachusetts, or New York, Pennsylvania, or any of the colonies would eventually go to war to separate themselves from the British Empire. Decisions that were made by the colonial governor, British officers, and the elites of Boston backed by artisans, laborers, and sailors helped shape Bostonians as a people with their own identity. //As If an Enemy's Country// is not for the lay historian; it isn't a book that you pick up to browse and learn a little; this is a serious historical analysis rich in details, primary sources, and the minutiae that make up our history. Excellent, but not for everyone. Reviewed by Jonathon Howard