Reviews

Rush: Revolution, Madness, and the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father, by Stephen Fried

cameesreads's review

4.0

This was an incredibly in depth and detailed account of one founding father who I have never heard of, Benjamin Rush. I was blown away by the details that Fried was able to include through his extensive research. In recent years I have become more interested in our nation's founding, and even though this was focused on Rush, I also got more insight into Adams, Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Washington and many others. History always seems to paint founding fathers as infallible heroes and in Rush I was able to see the things that made them human - the disagreements, the strong friendships, the hypocrisies, and the dark side of politics that has been present from the beginning.

Benjamin Rush was an incredible figure, not without his faults. From his abolition work to his advocacy for those with mental illness, he really was ahead of his time. I am happy to have had the chance to learn about him and his legacy in such great detail.

iamericab's review

5.0

First, I won this book through Goodreads Giveaways. This was an excellent book. It is very thorough, interesting, and not dry or boring. Very readable. I was not at all familiar with Benjamin Rush until I read this book. I think I had heard of him as one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence but knew almost nothing about him. I did not know how important he was to the Revolution. It's sad that he fell into obscurity. He was an amazing man. Now hopefully he gets more recognition. He was a doctor, medical pioneer, politician, social reformer, educational visionary, activist editor, and abolitionist. Overall, I am very impressed with this book and with Rush.

cspiwak's review

4.0

Learned a lot about rush and some about the other founding fathers. The letters he exchanged with them were especially enjoyable.