Customer Reviews

Signing Their Lives Away

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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?

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.

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.

Thank God! Finally a history book that's as entertaining as it is informative. This is a must read for anyone who's ever been interested in the men who brought us the American Revolution. "Signing Their Lives Away" makes these guys as real as your next door neighbors. I get so tired of all our heroes being shoved up onto a pedestal. D'Agnese and Kiernan make them come alive with all their foibles and...well...humanism. I loved this book! And I think you will too. Plus you get your own copy of the Declaration of Independence suitable for framing.

If you have an interest in American history but cringe at the thought of picking up a 500 page history text, then this might the perfect compromise. Divided into easily swallowed portions on each signer of the U.S. Constitution, Signing Their Lives Away gives the reader informative and entertaining glimpses into the lives of these great men. Definitely worth the two hours I worked (at minimum wage) to afford this book.

I bought this book because it seemed a good digest of our country's Founders. It mixes humor and sometimes a little irreverence in telling the story of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence. That said, though, it has limited usefulness.

First, it should be noted that the authors -- a husband and wife team -- are not historians. That's important, because you should not assume that they did any original research or carefully checked their facts. This is not a work of historical scholarship. The authors are both journalists and writers of various genres. A big drawback to the book is that it lacks any footnotes or endnotes. They do have a bibliography at the end, but this serves no other purpose than being a potential reading list. Thus, the book makes many claims without any citation, so readers should proceed carefully.

A rather serious case of this is in the chapter on John Hancock. The book reads: "Hancock reportedly announced that he signed his name in large letters so that King George could read his signature without spectacles." A little research reveals that this is really the stuff of legend. For starters, the signed Declaration of Independence was never intended to be read by King George III, or to ever even leave the country. It was to be the official Declaration of Independence for the new country. It was not even addressed to King George. This was the only signed copy by the 56 delegates in the Continental Congress. It was an announcement to the country and the world that the colonies had declared independence from Britain and the reasons for this. In fact, the Continental Congress went to great lengths throughout the Revolutionary War to keep the Declaration OUT of the hands of the British.

I was already aware of this legend about Hancock's signing the Declaration for the benefit of King George, but was curious about why the authors included this, so I wrote them. Their response was:

"The episode is cited in numerous books and articles dating from the 1800s and forward, but no one has ever provided any documented proof (someone's diary, a letter, etc.). This is why we specifically used the phrasing 'reportedly' in the telling of that particular story."

This is very weak justification and devoid of any proof. Moreover, the nuanced word "reportedly" is completely lost upon the average reader, who will take this at face value. You can be sure that the book has helped propagate this myth, to the consternation of historians and students and teachers of history. I wrote the authors back to this effect and said that they could just have easily written, "Reportedly, George Washington cut down a cherry tree, and upon being confronted by his father, confessed, "I cannot tell a lie." I urged them to clarify this on their website and to correct any future editions of the book. I never heard back from them.

There are other claims that I have issues with (such as "...Congress sneakily backdated some official records to show that all fifty-six men had signed on July 4, 1776," again with no citation), but the one about Hancock is serious enough that any anecdote should not be taken at face value. Any "new" thing the reader learns should be suspect and researched before repeating it as fact. That's why I think the book is of limited usefulness. This is not a question of historical interpretation; it's about principles of scholarship.

Bite size biographies of the signers. You get the essential facts that are easy to digest. These short life stories will impress upon you the fact that many of them did so much more than sign The Declaration of Independence. They contributed to, and sacrificed a lot for, the success of the American Revolution in many different and significant ways. Without the combined effect of all these efforts it is difficult to imagine independence being achieved the way it was. This little book is a great reminder that the people carved into Mount Rushmore and a few other big names stand on the shoulders of a multitude of less famous but not less brave patriots.

I think this book is wonderful! It's full of little tidbits of knowledge about each signer of the Declaration of Independence. Well written, interesting info, and if you're a history buff this is great!

Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence. Author: Joseph D'Agnese. 256 pages. 2009.

This book is a collection of three and four page biographies of those individuals who signed the Declaration of Independence. Each biographies describes their birth, early life, their professions and reasons for being their at the time of the signing (though one did not sign the document until five years later), it also tells what happened to them and where they died and are buried. To make the subject interesting or tell people remember these men each is given a historical fact or oddity which best describes or exemplifies them. Typically the singular characteristic is one noted in the journals or diaries of their peers.

Their stories are interesting and often subject to myth. The reality though is often far more interesting. But beyond the men, looming always in the background, is the Declaration of Independence itself. The document you can see under glass at the National Archives is not the same document which was agreed on and then proclaimed in public reading.

Remember the document was sent to the publisher for typeset and proclamation on the fourth of July. That copy, the broadsheet, had only two typeset signatures. That document which was read aloud in public was not unanimously adopted, New York had abstained. The version viewable under glass states "unanimous" because by then New York sanctioned its delegates to vote in the affirmative.

I bought this because I love history - I wanted to learn more about the lesser known signers. The authors did provide some additional information on the signers that I had not known before which was nice. They however, using the modern historians (they apparently believe they deserve this label) tendency to look down on their subjects from the lofty perch of arrogance and prejudice, have chosen to treat their subjects like ignorant backwater country boys instead of the heroes that they were - and still should be. I really don't think that they have earned the right for instance to refer to George Washington as "Georgie-boy" and several of the signers as "moneybaggs". The people who risked their lives, families and fortunes to found this country deserve more respect. The authors also seemed to discount certain stories that they didn't like and substituted ones of their own - simply by preference, not by supported fact. Don't waste your money on this book like I did. Look for someone who will treat the subjects seriously and with some level of respect.