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Liberty's Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World Audiobook
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(3.07) - 150 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Maya Jasanoff won the National Book Critics Circle Award for her groundbreaking work Liberty's Exiles. After the American Revolution, 60,000 British loyalists fled the U.S. for Canada, the Caribbean, India, and other points abroad. Jasanoff traces their harrowing journeys across the globe, shedding light on their ambitions, the post-revolutionary world they encountered, and their legacies.
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"Jasanoff's book is a study of the loyalist diaspora following the American Revolution, and especially an examination of the "spirit of 1783" (as opposed to the "spirit of 1776", one presumes). Those inhabitants of the thirteen colonies who remained loyal to the crown fled to other parts of the British Empire, most especially to British North America (what would become Canada), but also to the West Indies (Jamaica and Bahamas), Britain itself, and a few to Australia and India. As a Canadian and a descendant of loyalists, I was aware of the loyalist settlements in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but the others were unknown to me. I found this a fascinating and enlightening book on the subject."
— Catherine (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A smart, deeply researched and elegantly written history.”
— York Times Book Review -
“[Maya Jasanoff’s] ability to blend structural analysis with engrossing accounts of personal experience makes Liberty’s Exiles a highly readable book as well as an informative one.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Ambitious, empathetic and sometimes lyrical.”
— Washington Post -
“Jasanoff’s notable achievement is to engage the reader’s interest, and sympathies, in the travails of the Revolution’s losers.”
— Boston Globe -
“Spirited and engaging.”
— New York Review of Books -
“Brilliant.”
— Newsweek -
“A fascinating, important and beautifully written investigation that ought to be required reading for anyone who thinks America’s founding was an unambiguous instance of liberty and justice throwing off the shackles of tyranny and oppression.”
— Seattle Times -
“Brilliant, seminal work.”
— Dallas Morning News -
“Jasanoff’s book is history at its best.”
— Richmond-Times Dispatch -
“Jasanoff has written [the loyalists] a fitting tribute.”
— Daily Beast -
“A masterful account of the struggles, heartbreak, and determination that characterized specific Loyalist families and individuals.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Awards
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Winner of the 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction
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A 2011 Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction Finalist
Liberty's Exiles Listener Reviews
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" Jasanoff pulled together information from emigrants who went to many other countries. I found perhaps too much from the letters of these people for my taste, and not enough statistics that I found credible. "
— John, 2/12/2014 -
" Truly interesting book about something I don't remember learning in school - the fate of all those who were loyal to Britain in 1783 - including Benjamin Franklin's son. It goes into great detail and her writing makes these folks come alive. "
— Jean, 2/1/2014 -
" Jasanoff earns most of her stars for writing an eminently readable work full of interesting stories that trace her loyalist protagonists across the globe. However, she ultimately fails to fully backup her thesis that the loyalist diaspora played an important role in the emergence of the new, patriarchal, liberal humanitarian British empire of the nineteenth century. "
— Michael, 1/22/2014 -
" A really interesting topic, but because of the writing bogs down in the middle of book. "
— Jeff, 1/19/2014 -
" Fascinating fascinating fascinating "
— Daniel, 12/21/2013 -
" I learned quit a bit of history here. Things I never knew, nor were ever taught, were brought to light. If you enjoy history, you will enjoy this. Very informative. "
— Liz, 12/16/2013 -
" A part of the revolutionary aftermath that I didn't know about. Interesting reading especially how "american" attitudes went with the loyalists and continued to give English governors problems. "
— Patricrk, 12/11/2013 -
" Most extensive, well-written and detailed survey of the loyalist diaspora I have read! "
— Sarah, 11/30/2013 -
" Well researched but quite readable. The two things don't always go together. An aspect of early American history we don't often hear about. First chapter about the war is a little slow but tells. a lot about the civil war going on inside the American Revolution. "
— Ann, 11/17/2013 -
" This didn't pass the 100 page test. I'll have to try it again when I'm not as grumpy. "
— Philip, 10/19/2013 -
" Excellent book fun read. Comprehensively covers the revolutionary war period from a loyalist perspective. Very readable and enjoyable book. "
— J., 9/15/2013 -
" This was a very useful text for me. It answered questions and added a fuller perspective on events. The book is also readable -- not dull at all. I think it's a fine addition to the field. "
— Breena, 3/8/2013 -
" I wanted to read this (even got the library to buy it for me!) because I have a special interest in the American War of Independence. The book didn't help my research, but it was nonetheless fascinating. Jasanoff writes straightforwardly and engagingly, and brought this whole period to life. "
— Jane, 1/12/2013
About Maya Jasanoff
Maya Jasanoff is the Coolidge Professor of History at Harvard. She is the author of the prize-winning Edge of Empire: Lives, Culture, and Conquest in the East, 1750-1850 and Liberty’s Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World, which received the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction and the George Washington Book Prize. A 2013 Guggenheim Fellow, she won the 2017 Windham-Campbell Prize for nonfiction. Her essays and reviews appear frequently in publications including the New York Times, Guardian, and New York Review of Books.
About L. J. Ganser
L. J. Ganser is a multiple Audie Award–winning narrator with over six hundred titles recorded to date. Prized for versatility, his work ranges from preschool books to crime noir thrillers, from astronomical adventures in both science and science fiction, to Arctic Circle high school basketball stories. He lives in New York City with his family and dog, Mars.