The Small and the Mighty
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Synopsis
From America’s favorite government teacher, a heartfelt, inspiring portrait of twelve ordinary Americans whose courage formed the character of our country.
In The Small and the Mighty, Sharon McMahon proves that the most remarkable Americans are often ordinary people who didn’t make it into the textbooks. Not the presidents, but the telephone operators. Not the aristocrats, but the schoolteachers. Through meticulous research, she discovers history’s unsung characters and brings their rich, riveting stories to light for the first time.
You’ll meet a woman astride a white horse riding down Pennsylvania Ave, a young boy detained at a Japanese incarceration camp, a formerly enslaved woman on a mission to reunite with her daughter, a poet on a train, and a teacher who learns to work with her enemies. More than one thing is bombed, and multiple people surprisingly become rich. Some rich with money, and some wealthy with things that matter more.
This is a book about what really made America – and Americans – great. McMahon’s cast of improbable champions will become familiar friends, lighting the path we journey in our quest to make the world more just, peaceful, good, and free.
Synopses source: StoryGraph
Review
Genre(s): NonFiction, History, US History, Biography
HB&W Rating: 5 stars
View on StoryGraph, Goodreads
Buy on Barnes & Noble, Amazon
Wow. Sharon McMahon must have been adored by her students. Her love and passion for history are evident in her book, especially as she reads the audiobook herself.
This book tells the stories of 12 impactful figures in history that are largely overlooked in stories of the past. These are stories of people with the odds stacked against them but who with a can-do attitude made a difference.
This book is exactly the sort of inspiration and hope we need at this exact moment in history. I had personally been feeling very overwhelmed at the current situation we Americans find ourselves in right now and downright depressed. This book helped revive my spirit and I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’ve decided to start listening from the beginning before I return it, it’s that good.
If you’re a fan of history, enjoy the lesser-known stories of historical figures, and appreciate nonfiction told with a knack for storytelling, I can’t recommend this book enough!
Until next time,
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