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To Try Men's Souls  By  cover art

To Try Men's Souls

By: Newt Gingrich, William R. Forstchen
Narrated by: William Dufris, Callista Gingrich, Eric Conger
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Publisher's summary

After two bestselling series examining the Civil War and WWII, Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen have turned their sharp eye for detail on the Revolutionary War with To Try Men's Souls.

The story follows three men with three very different roles to play in history: General George Washington, Thomas Paine, and Jonathan Van Dorn, a private in Washington's army.

The action focuses on one of the most iconic events in American history: Washington crossing the Delaware. Unlike the bold, courageous General in Emanuel Leutze's painting, Washington is full of doubt on the night of December 25, 1776. After five months of defeat, morale is dangerously low. Each morning muster shows that hundreds have deserted in the night. While Washington prepares his weary troops for the attack on Trenton, Thomas Paine is in Philadelphia, overseeing the printing of his newest pamphlet, The Crisis. And Jonathan Van Dorn is about to bring the war to his own doorstep. In the heat of battle, he must decide between staying loyal to the cause and sparing his brother who has joined up with the British.

Through the thoughts and private fears of these three men, Gingrich and Forstchen illuminate the darkest days of the Revolution. With detailed research and an incredible depth of military insight, To Try Men's Souls is a novel that provides a rare and personal perspective of the men who fought for, and founded the United States of America.

©2009 Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“This fictionalized account of the crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War goes way beyond the textbook versions. William Dufris, as the main narrator, traces the journeys of three very different men—George Washington, Thomas Paine, and Jonathon Van Dorn—portraying the distinct manner of each character.” —AudioFile

“Narrators William Dufris, Callista Gingrich, and Eric Conger are excellent in their conveying of emotion and accents, making us privy to these characters' thoughts and fears, their courage and determination.” —Library Journal

What listeners say about To Try Men's Souls

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Book

A very engaging immersive experience that conveys the hardships, era, events and the personalities of the main and minor characters of the period as no book has ever done for me before. It's very hard to put down. I had no understanding of the ordeal the common soldier endured. I had no idea what gave Thomas Paine his inspiration, who is actually one of the two main characters of at least the first half I've listened to. Now I do. Highly recommended.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Much suffering

The march from Valley Forge to Trenton and subsiquent events are excellently portrayed in Jeff Shaara's "A Glorious Cause" read by Grover Gardner. Newt's book caused me to suffer along with the reader and Washington's men and became an account of the inadvisability of being outside in the wintertime without your shoes on.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Great book, not so good narration

The book was very good, but the narration left something to be desired. I quit after only about 15 minutes the first try, but decided to give it a second try and I am glad I did. The narrator sounded condescending to the characters, and the female voice just did not fit at all. Fortunately the book is very good and makes up for the narration.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Best review of the battle of Trenton.

This whole book surrounds the mighty battle at Trenton. However, the authors skillfully laid out the battle with flashbacks to previous battles as well as Thomas Paine's contributions. Absolutley worth it. Very much as gripping as 1776 (McCullough)

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Burrrrrrr !

Washington and his men and their enemies come to life.
Vivid, unforgetable, stark.
Thanks Newt and team.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Accurate piece of history!

This was a book that explored four main facets of American's War for Independence: 1) Washington Crossing the Delaware 2) Thomas Paine's contributions 3) Brutal conditions suffered by American Troops 4) Hessian involvement. If you are wanting blow by blow battle scenes, this book is not for you. There are few battles. The book focuses more on the conditions under which America's troops labored; and they were brutal, more so than I had realized. I was leery of reading this book because I had to read some of the author's position papers for a class I took, and I was not a fan! That being said, this book is top notch, IMHO. I'm going to seek out his next, Valley Forge: George Washington and the Crucible of Victory

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding Book

Amazing story and audio, well done! Almost makes one feel like they are there in it. Thanks!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

1776

Loved this presentation and storyline. Loving this time in our history I actually learned a few things I did not know.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An American novel

I like newt's historical novels and this one did not disappoint me. I recommend it.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Story not bad, narrating bad.

The story is good. Probably a great read. But listening to this is very hard due to the bad performance by the readers.

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