Signing Their Lives Away [Hardcover]

Denise Kiernan (Author), Joseph D'Agnese (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2009

In the summer of 1776, fifty-six men risked their lives and livelihood to defy King George III and sign the Declaration of Independence—yet how many of them do we actually remember? Signing Their Lives Away introduces readers to the eclectic group of statesmen, soldiers, slaveholders, and scoundrels who signed this historic document—and the many strange fates that awaited them. Some prospered and rose to the highest levels of United States government, while others had their homes and farms seized by British soldiers. Signer George Wythe was poisoned by his nephew; Button Gwinnett was killed in a duel; Robert Morris went to prison; Thomas Lynch was lost at sea; and of course Sam Adams achieved fame as a patriot/brewer. Complete with portraits of the signers as well as a facsimile of the Declaration of Independence, Signing Their Lives Away provides an entertaining and enlightening narrative for history buffs of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5 Up—On that immortal "Second of July," in 1776, 56 men described by King George III as daring and desperate affixed their names to the most celebrated document in American history. Or did they? With this work, Kiernan and D'Agnese present readers with astonishing individual portraits of all the signers in an attempt both to dispel some of the mythology surrounding the document as well as to establish a place in the historical discourse for those men not named Jefferson, Hancock, Franklin, or Adams. The marvelously arranged work lends itself to either straightforward reading or skipping around. The table of contents, divided by state, sparks readers' interest from the very beginning with its "the Signer who…" format, a feature that also allows great accessibility for reports and assignments. An entertaining and effective narrative of about three to five pages per individual is presented, and the full text of the document, a brief time line, and a section on the "Miscellany of Independence" are appended. Readers will delight as they discover just which signer "was the first to die," "slept in caves," "had the worst penmanship," and "went broke on shady land deals."—Brian Odom, Pelham Public Library, AL
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About the Author

Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese have been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice, Wired, Discover, and other national publications. D’Agnese’s work has twice been included in the anthology “Best American Science Writing.” Both are winners of Educational Press Association awards. They live in North Carolina.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books; First Edition edition (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594743304
• ISBN-13: 978-1594743306
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dynamite comes in small packages, July 7, 2009

By 

Glenda York "KY Warrior Librarian" (Russell Springs, KY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Signing Their Lives Away (Hardcover)

To be born free is an accident.

To live free is a privilege.

To die free is a responsibility.

Brig. Gen. Robby Risner (Ret.)

As someone who appreciates living in a free country and tries not to take that for granted, I always try to read something concerning the founding fathers or that period of our history around Independence Day. This compact little book was a most enjoyable read for this year's 4th of July holiday, but it would be a good read at any time of the year really because of its simple straightforward style and humorous commentary on a particularly important subject. Most of us are well aware of the major signers of the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. But this indispensable volume gives us biographical sketches of all 56 men who risked so much to come together and sign this crucial document that helped forge a new nation. As the book says, these are men worth knowing, and the authors do a good job filling us in on the fascinating lives these men led and the confluence of events that led them to be signatories of our nation's birth certificate. In conjunction with the publication of this book, the authors are also traveling in the footsteps of these revolutionaries by making a documentary feature and 13-part film series that examines not only their legacy, but the state of the American Dream and our own ideas about independence. So, join the revolution. Buy the book. Contribute funds to the documentary project. As the Declaration of Independence so eloquently states in its last line, they risked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Shouldn't we at the very least know who these brave men were?

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who knew history could be so fun and funny?, July 12, 2009

By 

Neal Thompson (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Signing Their Lives Away (Hardcover)

I loved this book. We Americans often THINK we know the real stories of our past. But then, along comes a writing duo like D'Agnese-Kiernan to remind us that we only know the Cliff Notes versions, which are often missing all the good parts. Who knew, for example, that so many "criminals and crackpots" were among the signers of the most important document in the history of the United States? And who knew what strange fates awaited them after the "signed their lives away"? Now I know, and I'm grateful for the entertaining read.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the history or trivia buff!, July 14, 2009

By 

Glenn M. Kaye "gmk" (Bethlehem, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Signing Their Lives Away (Hardcover)

As both a history buff and trivia expert, I was delighted with "Signing Their Lives Away"! It is fun to read, formatted in an interesting and attractive way, and uniquely informative. I was really impressed with the extent and detail of the research that went into this book. It covers many interesting aspects of American Revolutionary history that have been overlooked, or overshadowed by greater events of the period. It also dispels many myths which have been perpetuated about some of our founding fathers. Whether you are a historian, trivia nut, or just like fun books, I think this is a slam-dunk.