Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence

(Paperback)

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Description

An entertaining and essential collection of stories about the surprising and strange fates of the fifty-six Founding Fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence. In the summer of 1776, a group of 56 men risked their lives and livelihood to defy King George III and sign the Declaration of Independence-yet how many of them do we rememberSigning Their Lives Away introduces readers to the eclectic group of statesmen, soldiers, slaveholders, and scoundrels who signed this historic document-and the many strange fates that awaited them. To wit- .The Signer Who Was Poisoned By His Nephew . The Signer Who Was Killed In a Duel . The Signer Who Went to Prison . The Signer Who Was Lost at Sea . The Signer Who Achieved Fame as a Brewer Complete with portraits of every signatory, Signing Their Lives Away provides an entertaining and enlightening narrative for students, history buffs, politicos, and Hamilton fans alike.

Reviews

Featured history title inReaders DigestsBest of America issue, 2009

Kiernan and DAgnese . . . succeed in stripping away preconceived notions of the more famous signers, and bringing out something of interest about the other, less well known ones.Library Journal

Astonishing individual portraits of all the signers.School Library Journal, starred review

SigningTheirLivesAwayis told in a brisk entertaining fashion.McClatchy Newspapers

Author Bio

Denise Kiernanis a journalist, producer, and theNew York Timesbest-selling author of the narrative nonfiction books,The Last CastleandThe Girls of Atomic City.Joseph D'Agneseis a journalist, author and ghostwriter who has written for both adults and children. With his wife, Denise Kiernan, he has authored several books on U.S. history, includingSigning Their Lives Away,Signing Their Rights Away, andStuff Every American Should Know. They live in North Carolina.