I first read about Mercy Otis Warren in a biography of John Adams. The sister of James Otis, one of the first American patriots unfortunately silenced due to illness caused by a severe beating over politics, Mercy married James Warren and had six sons. She was involved with the politics of her time and spent much time with John and Abigail Adams. She also was a political writer and during the American Revolution penned many pamphlets crusading for the cause of freedom. Her relationship with Adams was temporarily disrupted during the dispute over the Constitution and her epic history of the American Revolution further served to facilitate this break.

This story is particularly interesting because Mercy and her husband James were relatively minor characters during the war and the reader gets a well presented viewpoint of what it was like to gamble so much on the new government. Neither Mercy nor James were personally rewarded for their efforts and yet their strength of character and perserverance helped shaped our country. Mercy was able to function as a beloved mother and wife and yet maintain a role in the intellectual life of the new country. I would strongly recommend this biography. Yet I would also hope that someone current author would undertake the project of a new biography on this interesting woman and her times.