Skip This Read

I admit that I had every intention of skipping this particular book; just reading about it put up a variety of red flags for me, and with so many other books to read I would have been happy to give it a pass. However, I received this as a gift for Christmas, and felt an obligation to read it. I was correct in my misgivings about the book. In fact, George Washington's Secret Six was even more dreadful than I had anticipated.

First, a word about the authors. Neither of the two men who co-wrote the book have any background in history. Brian Kilmeade is a well-known television personality, appearing on the Fox & Friends show on Fox News. Both he and Don Yaeger have a background in sports writing, which is not to say one has to be an historian to write an excellent book on a historical topic. Many non-historians have written great books about historical topics, but Kilmeade and Yaeger are not likely to be counted among them. In their amateurish hands, a story that should be engrossing is tepid and downright boring. With stilted prose, flights of historical fantasy, and invented dialog, I was ready to give up fifty pages in.

My initial misgivings about the book were heightened even before I started. At the beginning of the book, there is a disclaimer noting that the dialog in the book has been invented by the authors. In their own words: "Much of the dialogue contained in this book is fictional, but it is based on conversations that did take place and, wherever possible, incorporates actual phrases used by the speaker." This is particularly disturbing to read at the beginning of a non-fiction book. Don't get me wrong, Kilmeade and Yaeger wouldn't be the first authors of a history book to make up dialogue; the famous Greek historian Thucydides noted early on in his History of the Peloponnesian War that he invented all of the speeches in the work. It is not, however, considered good practice for historians or historical writers to create fictional dialogue, whether based on reality or not. I spent a good part of the book wondering which quotes could be verified and which were invented, a question that cannot be answered due to a total lack of citations. The authors provide a list of "selected sources" at the end of the book, but it is anyone's guess where particular bits of information came from. 

Even if one was inclined to forgive Kilmeade and Yaeger for inventing dialog, the dialog they create is worse than even the shoddiest historical fiction. Take, for instance, this line that they put in the mouth of George Washington, as he reflected on the hanging of Nathan Hale: "'Hang together or we all hang separately,' Washington mused, reciting one of the familiar mantras of the Patriot cause, as he caught a few strains of a bawdy pub song led by the Marylanders sitting around a campfire." Not only was that quoted piece completely fictional, it reads like bad fan-fiction at best, and this is true throughout most of the book. 

Worst of all, Kilmeade and Yaeger never prove their case. I appreciate their passion for the bravery of the Culper spy ring, but they are guilty of overselling it. By no means did the Culper Ring save the American Revolution. Repeatedly throughout the book, the authors assert that re-taking New York was essential to winning the Revolution, and that the Culpers were a key part of this effort. However, the city remained in British hands until the end of the war. Certainly these spies played a role in unmasking Benedict Arnold's treason, but even from reading the description the authors provide it seems apparent that his attempt to hand West Point over to British General Henry Clinton was going to fail regardless. A sub-heading on one of the last chapters makes an assertion that is downright laughable: "Secret Six Hand Yorktown to Washington." While the ring certainly played a role, this is an immensely exaggerated claim at best. Their claim fails on the basis of even the evidence that they provide. 

Given all of these different factors, George Washington's Secret Six proved to be the worst book I've read in a year. The authors aim high, providing a tale that encompasses not only the spy ring but also high points of the Revolution itself, but I can certainly say that I've read undergraduate composition papers that were more interesting and well-written than this. There are plenty of better books about the Revolution than this one; I would recommend David McCullough's 1776 as a book to start with, one that is certainly worth reading. This is especially tragic given the fact that the story of the Culper Ring is one that should be more widely known than it is. It is my hope that a more qualified historian, or at least a superior author, will write a future book about them. They certainly deserve better than Kilmeade and Yaeger.