Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 09/01/2010 Gr 5–8—This study of the marquis de Lafayette, emphasizing his service in the Revolutionary War, is a gorgeously illustrated, beautifully laid out production in an oversized format. Each spread contains at least one painting, drawing, or photograph, often in color. Freedman is a skillful, compelling writer and includes many interesting details and quotations. Unfortunately, there are no maps; one of battle sites and other significant places would be extremely helpful. Freedman includes a detailed bibliography, but his footnotes are not always consistently referenced, most likely due to different sources consulted. Still, the book as a whole is excellent, and there is little available on Lafayette for this age group. Jean Fritz's Why Not, Lafayette? (Putnam, 1999) is an enjoyable biography that more thoroughly covers the general's entire life; however, it has line drawings, no footnotes or maps, and leaves unanswered questions.—Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY - Copyright 2010 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 08/01/2010 *Starred Review* Inspired by an idealistic belief in the cause of liberty and a determination to prove himself worthy on the battlefield, Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman, left his young wife and daughter, ignored a royal order, crossed the ocean to America, and took up a commission in the Continental army. Lafayette’s courage and personal charm endeared him to Washington, who gradually gave him more difficult missions, culminating in the containment of Cornwallis’ troops at Yorktown. Returning to France, Lafayette called for a constitutional monarchy but was accused of treason and imprisoned during the French Revolution. After his citizenship was restored, he continued speaking out for political freedom. In this solidly researched and smoothly written biography, Freedman creates a vivid portrait of Lafayette as he matures from an impetuous young man and inexperienced solider to a leader capable of wisdom as well as valor. Scenes on the battlefield are balanced with a nuanced portrayal of his filial relationship with Washington. A moving final scene takes place, surprisingly, in 1917. Handsomely designed with a spacious format and good use of color, the book includes many clearly reproduced paintings and prints. A time line, source notes, and a selected bibliography of sources are appended in this look at one of our Revolution’s most intriguing heroes. - Copyright 2010 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 11/01/2010 Married at sixteen, a father at eighteen, and certainly one of the wealthiest men in eighteenth-century France, the Marquis de Lafayette could easily have settled into the privileged life of the nobility. With little taste for taxing manners and protocols, he scuttled his own opportunities at court and attuned his dreams to emulating the military distinction of his forebears. Smitten with the ideals of American colonists fighting for independence, he defied family, king, and official French neutrality and bargained for a commission in the Continental Army. Congress may have initially regarded him as little more than a promising connection to a future alliance, but the untested Lafayette quickly proved himself a wily strategist and able commander (to say nothing of a generous donor to the cause), and his engagement at the decisive battle at Yorktown would be considered critical to the outcome of the Revolution. Freedman capitalizes on the inherent interest of a man who launched a heroic career while still in his teens, and the young general’s story is told in fluent, polished prose. While more information on the complexity of his subsequent years during the French Revolution would have broadened the context of his career, the focus of this title is Lafayette’s contribution to the American independence, and it’s effectively explored. With its attractive, heavily illustrated layout, timeline, source notes, bibliography, and index, this invaluable addition to the collection of Revolutionary War material should serve report writers and engross middle-school fans of military history. EB - Copyright 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.