Why Longfellow Lied: The Truth About Paul Revere's Midnight Ride by Jeff Lantos is a nonfiction book currently scheduled for release on August 3 2021. Do you know how historically inaccurate "Paul Revere's Ride" is? And do you know why? Author Jeff Lantos pulls apart Longfellow's poem, tells the real story about Paul Revere's historic ride, and sets the record right. Not only that, he lays out when and why Longfellow wrote his poem and explains how without it, many of us wouldn't know much about Revere at all. 
Why Longfellow Lied is an interesting read. I liked that the actual events (as best we can glean from documents and statements) was laid out in comparison with the poem. It is examined piece by piece, and gaps that were not covered in the poem at all filled in. I liked the frank and narrative style of the writing flowed and did not gloss over some common misconceptions and assumption. I love learning new things, and even more so when common held beliefs are examined, challenged, and clarified. I liked that the depth and expanse oft he operation was described, showing just how many people put themselves and their families at risk to do what they saw as right, rather that just one or two. I also like that the variety of social standing and fortune of these people was shown, Some really risked it all with little hope for a bright future if things went poorly. I also liked that the sources and proper citations and index were included at the end of the book. I always appreciate when authors insist on doing it right. I liked that the author included maps and whatnot- unfortunately the formatting on my galley did not allow me to enjoy these to the extent readers of the final version will. I expect that they will really enhance the reading experience. My issue with the read might also be solved in the formatting for the final version, there are random asides of unrelated information (like a gruesome landmark, spreading of a specific type of apple, when someone got married, and so on) that were interesting but did not really flow with the history explored in the main text. I suspect that these will be in separate text boxes or otherwise separated in the final print (if not they should be).
Why Longfellow Lied is a well researched and written book. 
