Valiant Ambition

George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution

By: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrated by: Scott Brick

A New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the George Washington Prize

A surprising account of the middle years of the American Revolution and the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold, from the New York Times bestselling author of In The Heart of the Sea, Mayflower, and In the Hurricane's Eye.

"May be one of the greatest what-if books of the age—a volume that turns one of America’s best-known narratives on its head.”—Boston Globe

"Clear and insightful, [Valiant Ambition] consolidates Philbrick's reputation as one of America's foremost practitioners of narrative nonfiction."—Wall Street Journal

In the second book of his acclaimed American Revolution series, Nathaniel Philbrick turns to the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold. In September 1776, the vulnerable Continental army under an unsure George Washington evacuated New York after a devastating defeat by the British army. Three weeks later, one of his favorite generals, Benedict Arnold, miraculously succeeded in postponing the British naval advance down Lake Champlain that might have lost the war. As this book ends, four years later Washington has vanquished his demons, and Arnold has fled to the enemy. America was forced at last to realize that the real threat to its liberties might not come from without but from withinComplex, controversial, and dramatic, Valiant Ambition is a portrait of a people in crisis and the war that gave birth to a nation.

Amazing look it something important

Great book. I would highly recommend it to anyone. Great story and well read. It kept me wanting to hear more.

History with Plot and Characters

Philbrick takes the shine (and the tarnish) off some of America's most famous figures and leaves them both more and less than we knew. His interpretation in the epilogue of Arnold's role in our country's history is insightful and leaves the reader wondering in a new way about the actual effect of Arnold's treason.

one of my favorites books

I loved this book from beginning to end. It is a compelling view into the drama and politics of the Continental Army mid-war. Philbrick turns these characters into real people who belong to more than just a dry textbook. This is one I will definitely listen to again.

Comprehensive yet opinionated

Good research. Interesting history that I wasn’t aware of, but sometimes too much detail. Since Philbrick used (and credited) so many historical sources, I expected a more academic, nuanced take. However, I found instead that the author seemed rather opinionated and to have drawn conclusions about individual’s motives and mental states that could only be conjectures.

Valiant Story!

Very well-researched and written. Surprisingly much broader perspective on that critical time in US history that I expected. A delightful tale and prescient warning for today’s US citizens to stay ever-vigilant in defending our precious democracy from those self-serving traitors dressed as patriots.