April Morning

A Novel of the Revolution

By: Howard Fast

Narrated by: Jamie Hanes

Howard Fast’s bestselling coming-of-age novel about one boy’s introduction to the horrors of war amid the brutal first battle of the American Revolution

On April 19, 1775, musket shots ring out over Lexington, Massachusetts. As the sun rises over the battlefield, fifteen-year-old Adam Cooper stands among the outmatched patriots, facing a line of British troops.

Determined to defend his home and prove his worth to his disapproving father, Cooper is about to embark on the most significant day of his life. The Battle of Lexington and Concord will be the starting point of the American Revolution—and when Cooper becomes a man.

Sweeping in scope and masterful in execution, April Morning is a classic of American literature and an unforgettable story of one community’s fateful struggle for freedom.

©1961 Howard Fast (P)1988 Recorded Books

Brings history to life

Howard Fast is one of the best writers of historical fiction, or more accurately, fictionalized history, because his books aren't just novels set in a different period. Fast uses his fictional characters to give his well-researched and accurate telling of historical events immediacy, to draw you in until you feel like an eye witness to historical events. I've never found an anachronism in his books. Even his characters' thoughts and attitudes are true to the period.

This book tells the story of the battle of Lexington from the point of view of a fifteen year old American Colonist, who wants most of all to make his stern, critical father proud of him. It relates the events of April 19, 1775, the day when armed conflict first broke out in what was to become the Revolutionary War.

The narration does what I want it to: it tells the story clearly, makes it easy to tell who is speaking, and doesn't call attention to itself in a way that would pull me out of the story.

I found myself utterly engrossed, caught up in the story, not wanting to stop until it was finished. An entirely satisfactory read.

Short but excellent

A short but compelling story of a young man who has to grow up fast in the beginning of the Revolutionary War

Excellence.

Well written. Meaningful. The rights of men may be God granted but they are only experienced by using the hands God gave you.

A classic for a reason

Very enjoyable. Quick and easy read. Great to revisit my 8th grade reading list.