NPR

In 'The British Are Coming,' Rick Atkinson Turns His Gaze To The American Revolution

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian says there are lessons from the Revolution that hold true even today, 244 years after the shot heard 'round the world.
Gerry Marrocco, a historical interpreter and guide, gives a tour known as the Liberty Ride at the Battle Green in Lexington, Mass. on May 8, 2019.

On April 19, 1775, the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired on the Lexington, Mass. town green. No one knows for sure who fired the shot, but when British soldiers heard it, they panicked. The red coats fired at members of the local militia, killing eight and wounding 10. With that, the Revolutionary War had begun.

Rick Atkinson, who wrote the best-selling Liberation Trilogy about the American effort in Europe during the Second World War, has now written the first book in a new trilogy to tell the story of the war that made America. It's called The British Are Coming.

Atkinson, a Pulitzer

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
Tesla Recalls Cybertruck Over Sticky Problem. Blame It On — Yes — Soap
Accelerator pedals on the new Cybertrucks can get stuck, a potentially dangerous production flaw. The reason why they're so sticky is soap.
NPR1 min read
Amsterdam Was Flooded With Tourists In 2023, So It Won't Allow Any More Hotels
Twenty-six hotels that already have permits can move forward, but after that a hotel can only be built if one shuts down. Tourists spent about 20.7 million nights in Amsterdam hotels last year.
NPR11 min read
Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets' Is Written In Blood
With The Tortured Poets Department, the defining pop star of her era has made an album as messy and confrontational as any good girl's work can get.

Related Books & Audiobooks