Ethan Allen

His Life and Times

By: Willard Sterne Randall

Narrated by: Mark Whitten

The long-awaited biography of the frontier Founding Father whose heroic actions and neglected writings inspired an entire generation, from Paine to Madison.

On May 10, 1775, in the storm-tossed hours after midnight, Ethan Allen, the Revolutionary firebrand, was poised for attack. With only two boatloads of his scraggly band of Vermont volunteers having made it across the wind-whipped waters of Lake Champlain, he was waiting for the rest of his Green Mountain boys to arrive. But with the protective darkness quickly fading, Allen determined that he could hold off no longer. While Ethan Allen, a canonical hero of the American Revolution, has always been defined by his daring, predawn attack on the British-controlled Fort Ticonderoga, Willard Sterne Randall, the author of Benedict Arnold, now challenges our conventional understanding of this largely unexamined Founding Father.

Widening the scope of his inquiry beyond the Revolutionary War, Randall traces Allen’s beginning back to his modest origins in Connecticut, where he was born in 1738. Largely self-educated, emerging from a relatively impoverished background, Allen demonstrated his deeply rebellious nature early on through his attraction to Deism, his dramatic defense of smallpox vaccinations, and his early support of separation of church and state.

©2011 Willard Sterne Randall (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Good Read

I didn't know about the early history of Vermont before reading this. Neither was I so acquainted with the tumultuous history of the beginnings of this nation, or at least hadn't heard it connected to a personal story like this, before reading this title. Very enlightening, thank you.

Informative and Entertaining

The quality of narration was pretty good and didn't distract from the story. The structure of the book itself was somewhat meandering, jumping back and forth several years to describe certain political or historical events in a way that is perhaps more easily understood on paper. Also Allen's character and his motivations seemed in my opinion to be shown in a favorable light rather than an objective one.

All in all I leaned a lot about this man, the formation of the great state of Vermont, and the history of New England as a whole. Definitely recommended.

Fantastic insight into the Revolutionary Period

Really enjoyed this. I like the way the story covers not just the man but the context. The story straddles either side of the Revolution. A worthwhile read.

Emperor of the Vermont Republic

Wonderfully written history of an important figure before during and after the Revolution. As well, important aspects of the Revolution not as well known as the East coast struggles. An important work for a total understanding of the times and what motivated the colonials.

Not a New Englander

While the narrator is very good they do not have an understanding of how New England towns are pronounced!!