Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
by Joseph J. Ellis
Excellent Insights into the Revolutionary Generation (4/29/2008)
Certainly a college level book (and therefore appropriate for an AP class). I read this for a basic college government class, and was totally surprised. Yes, the language is hard to understand at first, but I just used the dictionary and reread until I understood. I'm used to fast reading and had to slow way down for this one, but it was worth it! It is obvious the author spent a lot of time perusing first hand sources from the Revolutionary Era and really tried to bring to life the thoughts, fears, and desires of the "Founding Brothers." It brings perspective and clarity to the choices and compromises of the era. The intro had some great insights as well about the relation of past and present politics.