Rebels, Turn Out Your Dead [Hardcover]

Michael Drinkard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2006

In his cannabis-infused pipe dreams, Salt imagines himself a man of independent means, rather than a Yankee hemp farmer under the thumb of his Tory father-in-law. Then Salt's teenage son shoots a British officer, and the Revolutionary War comes home, bringing both danger and unexpected freedoms.

Forced to flee his farm and family, Salt is taken captive on a prison ship off the shore of Brooklyn, where he finds himself in unplanned pursuit of something that might just be happiness. With her husband on this odyssey, Molly embarks upon her own war of independence, from the chronic disappointments and long-rehearsed roles of marriage. And under the unlikely wing of the British army, son James begins to come of age along with his country.

Based on real events, Rebels, Turn Out Your Dead is a historical novel with a decidedly contemporary sensibility and a fresh take on the many meanings of liberty.

(20060115)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in New York during the Revolutionary War, the story of Salt, a colonial Long Island hemp farmer addicted to smoking his own crop, unfolds with a distinctively modern voice. Salt's rebellious 17-year-old son, James, roils routine by impulsively killing a British officer. Forced to flee his farm and family when he takes the blame for the murder, Salt is rounded up by privateers and through other misadventures ends up recaptured and imprisoned by the British. At this point, almost halfway through the book, the plot gets eclipsed by Salt's captivity, with gruesome details of the floating British prison ships anchored off Brooklyn for the length of the war. The parallel tale of Salt's wife and son accommodating the British, who occupied New York throughout the war, pales in comparison. Though the cannabis angle feels gimmicky, Drinkard (Disobedience) offers a useful fictional complement to recent Founding Father hagiographies: a historical novel about the great majority of people who didn't fight in the American Revolution but got caught in the crossfire all the same. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

This is a curious but thoroughly enjoyable novel set during the Revolutionary War. At the center of this narrative is Salt, a hemp farmer; his wife, Molly; and their teenage son, James. As the fighting between patriots and British troops intensifies, Salt remains indifferent and neutral. When James, more hotblooded, shoots an arrogant British officer who is requisitioning provisions, each family member is launched on a personal odyssey. Some of their adventures are picaresque, some are brutal and terrifying, and some have a surreal quality. Drinkard is a gifted writer who effectively mixes irony, rollicking humor, and high drama as he introduces us to a wide variety of characters who seem to be a cross section of colonial society. He intersperses his narrative with themes such as feminism and the search for personal fulfillment. In the hands of a less-proficient writer, this could come off poorly, but Drinkard makes it believable. This is a well-drawn work of historical fiction that also deals effectively with ideas and conflicts of a contemporary nature. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (February 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151011192
• ISBN-13: 978-0151011193
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,423,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just an historical novel, January 14, 2006

By 

Grant Barber (scituate, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rebels, Turn Out Your Dead (Hardcover)

Yes, the story line from true events, and the details, all come from the time of the American Revolution. I suspect for readers of historical fiction this will be a satisfying read in that respect. The tone, the ideas behind the writing, the pattern--Drinkard tells of a Ulysses somewhere in the fictional realm of Cormac McCarthy. Neither the blurbs nor the dust jacket description, nor the dust jacket front for that matter, do justice to the satisfying unfolding of the story of how Salt, the hero/father/husband, is transformed by his journey; his wife Molly is equally strong in depiction. I don't know how many novels I read (and movies I watch) which have an intriguing introduction of plot and character, but with the promise of the set up unfullfilled in the unfolding and ending. One of the several marks of how in control Drinkard is of his material is how the resolution is true to the novel and as equally strong (or stronger) than the initial set up. I took up the novel on a rainy Saturday afternoon, thinking I'd read a chapter or two before a nap. The nap never came--reading the book to its conclusion was too enticing. Can't wait to see what comes next in his writings.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History should be taught like this, September 22, 2006

By 

N. Thompson (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rebels, Turn Out Your Dead (Hardcover)

A real page turner. From the excitement of creating a new country to the complexities of a war that divides families, Drinkard brings history to life in an exciting and powerful manner. Every chapter could have been longer. Rebels,Indians,pirates,Colonial armies,mercenaries,politics and love; New York seemed as rich in character and diversity as it does now. Drinkard could pick up these characters for another round. I hope he does.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars REBELS READ THIS BOOK, July 11, 2006

By 

Ray Santo "REAL READER" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rebels, Turn Out Your Dead (Hardcover)

Michael Drinkard is an amazing and underappreciated writer whose work can not be categorized or easily compared with that of other authors. His newest book, REBELS TURN OUT YOUR DEAD chronicles what might be the most important historical event next to 9/11 to ever happen in the history of New York City, an event that is still all too unrecognized, the prison ships harbored here during the Revolutionary War. On these ships more people died than in all the other battles of the war combined! Drinkard not only tells the real story of what happened here but does it in the form of a gripping, lyrical, fast paced and utterly entertaining novel. This should be required reading for anyone interested in history, patriotism or love.