Why did I hate this book? Because it was so dry I had to read it in the shower so I didn't get dehydrated. In all seriousness this book was a pain to read and I found myself contemplating whether or not to jump out my window and end it all. The Minutemen and Their World is an in depth look at the town of Concord, Massachusetts during the American revolutionary period. Despite its title, it has almost nothing to do with the actual minutemen, instead focusing on the different aspects of life in Concord and how they were affected by the revolution. There were some good points to the book, the foremost being that it is chock full o information. Looking for information on what life was like in Massachusetts before, during and after the revolution? This is the book for you as long as you are looking for pure facts. The huge amount of factual information crammed into its pages is the main reason I disliked the book so much. Gross packs so much information into his book that it makes actually enjoying the book virtually impossible. He does delve deeply into the economic, social, religious and political aspects of Concord and by the end of the book the reader is quite familiar with what life in Concord was like back then. If he didn't bore you to death, this would be a great read.
To sum it all up: Looking for a plethora of facts? Read this book. Looking for something to entertain and educate you at the same time? Read something else.

"The Minutemen and Their World" is a very well written account of the people and culture of Concord, Massachusetts in the years leading up to the American Revolution. Robert Gross did a tremendous amount of research to find information about individuals whose names and accomplishments have long since been forgotten by the world, but he tells their story so thoroughly that he allows the reader to forget what a challenging task he took upon himself. In this book, which was published shortly after the Vietnam War and without ever mentioning that conflict highlights some interesting parallels between it and the American Revolution, Gross asks the reader to question why these colonists, who were content to oversee local affairs and leave even the most important colonial and national matters to outsiders, would get caught up in the American Revolution, and the book provides some interesting answers. This book takes a refreshing look at colonial America and provides its readers with incredible data from the period; it will certainly benefit all scholars and mere colonial history buffs.

The Minutemen and Their World is a very informative book. So informative, at times I thought it was hard to recall of the specific details Gross talks about. The book deals with colonial Concord, MA before, during, and after the American Revolution. Gross wrote about many different people and families to portray their way of life in colonial Concord. The funny thing about this book is that the majority of the book details Concord before and after the revolution and there is only one chapter on the actual revolution. I personally found the book to be intriguing and truly interesting but it was difficult to recall all that I had read due to the amount of facts present in each chapter. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has to write a paper on colonial America or if you just really love history. Gross knows his facts and sighting passages from this book in a paper would truly impress your professor.