The Real Benedict Arnold [Hardcover]

Jim Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Every account of the American Revolution mentions Benedict Arnold and brands him—correctly—as a traitor. There’s no question that Arnold, an American army officer, switched his loyalty to the British side. Over the years, however, historians, partisans, and gossips have added to Arnold’s unsavory reputation by distorting, embroidering, or simply ignoring factual details.
In this informed and thoughtful account, Jim Murphy goes in search of the real man behind the “traitor” label, rumors, and folktales that became part of the Benedict Arnold legend. Drawing on Arnold’s few surviving writings and on the letters, memoirs, and political documents of his contemporaries, Murphy builds a fascinating portrait of a brilliant man, consistently undervalued by his peers, who made a choice that continues to reverberate through American history. Dramatic accounts of crucial battles and political maneuvers round out this lively biography of a patriot who could have been a hero.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Perhaps we can never know the real Arnold, but this splendid biography brings us close ... fascinating reading." Booklist, ALA, Starred Review

"As always, Murphy's prose is clear and detailed.... An important addition to collections on the American Revolution." Kirkus Reviews

This well-developed account will be valuable to Revolutionary War enthusiasts, and the index andf bibliogaphic notes will assist report writers in junior high and beyond.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The author's consideration of other historians' theories and use of sophisicated vocaulary will challenge his audience to think critically and conisder all points of view.
Publishers Weekly

Perhaps we can never know the real Arnold, but this splendid biography brings us close.The final section provides fascinating reading as well as additional resources.
Book Links, ALA

Buffs of the era, military enthusiasts, and biography readers will be entranced by this fascinating, well-researched volume.
School Library Journal, Starred

Murphy examines both rumors and facts about Arnold so that readers can 'see Benedict Arnold in as fair and as objective a way as possible.
Horn Book

This fast-paced, interesting, and well-written book sheds light on who he was before his traitorous act and why he chose to commit it.
VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

About the Author

Jim Murphy is the author of An American Plague, which received the Sibert Medal and a Newbery Honor and was selected as a National Book Award finalist. His Clarion titles include The Boy's War and other award-winning nonfiction as well as a picture book, Fergus and the Night-Demon. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with his family. For more information visit www.jimmurphybooks.com.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (September 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395776090
• ISBN-13: 978-0395776094
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #782,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jim Murphy began his career in children's books as an editor, but managed to escape to become a writer, entering a life of personal and creative happiness and enduring financial uncertainty. He's convinced that the latter keeps him coming back to his computer to write every day and feels that a sense of impending doom is the doorway to creativity. He has never counted the number of books he's published (feeling the time and energy is better spent doing research and writing) but guesses that he has over thirty books to his credit. Jim's work has been honored with numerous awards, including two American Llibrary Association Newbery Honor Book Awards, an ALA Robert F. Sibert Award and Sibert Honor Book Award, three National Council of Teachers of English Orbis Pictus Awards, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Award and a BG/HB Honor Book Award, two SCBWI Golden Kite Awards, and been a finalist for the National Book Award. Recently, he was given the ALA Margaret A. Edwards Award for "his significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid picture of a much-maligned, complex hero, December 30, 2007

By 

E. Fox (Oregon Coast USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Real Benedict Arnold (Hardcover)

I don't think I've had such strong feelings about a biography since I read Kitty Kelly's The Bush Dynasty, but for exactly opposite reasons. Murphy's meticulously produced biography of Arnold gives us a vivid picture of a much- maligned, complex hero. This book also reveals much about the tenor of the times: an unruly, chaotic congress, disintegrating militia, and few true patriots. Struggling through many battles (in the field and in congress), Arnold turned Loyalist because he questioned whether the government he had been fighting for was worthy, not only of his personal sacrifices, but of those of his fellow Americans. Murphy includes copious notes, sources, and related asides, as well as a T of C and index. Though the Amazon listing puts this at the 9-12 age level, I believe this to be a typo, as the book would be better suited/understood by students in grades 9-12. It's a great read at any age, though, and belongs in all libraries.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, February 20, 2009

By 

Margaret J. Morgans "Bookaroo" (NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Real Benedict Arnold (Hardcover)

Jim Murphy proved himself a great author of young adult non-fiction with An American Plague. With The Real Benedict Arnold he does an excellent job of redeeming Benedict Arnold. While his treason isn't excusable, to ignore his heroism is just as bad. Murphy tells the exciting stories of the Battle of Ticonderoga, the Quebec Campaign, the Battle of Valcour Island, the Battle of Danbury and the Battle of Saratoga, where Arnold brilliantly fought for the Continental Army. His later actions led biographers to downplay Arnold the hero and spread vicious rumors about his childhood. Jim Murphy sets the record straight, acknowledging that, although flawed, Arnold was not the monster many would have you believe. Had he died at Saratoga, our children would not know him as the traitor, but the man whose skill as a soldier and a general allowed the Americans to put up a good fight with the odds stacked against them (Quebec, Valcour Island) and made him the hero of the battle that turned the war's tide in the favor of the rebels.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic non-fiction for middle grade readers!, November 7, 2007

By 

L. K. Messner "Kate Messner" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Real Benedict Arnold (Hardcover)

Jim Murphy has done it again -- crafted a work of non-fiction so compelling that it will keep kids hooked like an action-packed novel. The fact that Benedict Arnold's life reads like a novel helps. Murphy asks important questions about the man whose name has become synonymous with the word "traitor" and explores those questions with an open mind and an eye for historical detail. THE REAL BENEDICT ARNOLD takes a look at the man behind the label, his early days of the war, his motivations, and the reasons for the decision that ultimately made him infamous.

This is a fascinating book -- one that I'm recommending to teachers as a companion to my own middle grade historical novel SPITFIRE, which tells the story of two young people who were with Benedict Arnold's fleet on Lake Champlain in the fall of 1776. Just as Murphy's AN AMERICAN PLAGUE is a perfect complement to Laurie Halse Anderson's FEVER, this book will prove to be an invaluable resource for teachers looking to add some non-fiction to classroom libraries and discussions.