[The Right Stuff]

the WSJ had a good review of it. David Cullough is a talented historian.

[Williams]

It wasn't the novel that's the problem it's the reviewer. Found it online don't know if it has to be excerpted so here is the relevant passage:

"1776, released today, is about the darkest year in American history. It is filled with military mistakes and the heroism of ragtag rebels. McCullough, always careful to stick to the past, draws no comparisons with the war in Iraq. But many readers will be prompted to think about our soldiers, then and now."

Plus the article title says the book is a "timely" history lesson.