Barbier at Massachusetts State House, 7 Mar.

On Wednesday, 7 March, the State Library of Massachusetts will host a book talk and signing by Brooke Barbier, author of Boston in the American Revolution: A Town versus an Empire.

That publisher explains:

In 1764, a small town in the British colony of Massachusetts ignited a bold rebellion. When Great Britain levied the Sugar Act on its American colonies, Parliament was not prepared for Boston s backlash. For the next decade, Loyalists and rebels harried one another as both sides revolted and betrayed, punished and murdered. But the rebel leaders were not quite the heroes we consider them today. Samuel Adams and John Hancock were reluctant allies. Paul Revere couldn’t recognize a traitor in his own inner circle. And George Washington dismissed the efforts of the Massachusetts rebels as unimportant.

With a helpful guide to the very sites where the events unfolded, historian Brooke Barbier seeks the truth behind the myths. Barbier tells the story of how a city radicalized itself against the world s most powerful empire and helped found the United States of America.

Barbier is the founder of Ye Olde Tavern Tours, offering “spirited tours of the Freedom Trail.” She earned her Ph.D. in American History at Boston College. She’s the only person I know as excited about the Gore family of Boston as I am. (In The Road to Concord, I focused on the young men of the Revolutionary years; in her dissertation, she explored the next generation of women constructing their place in the early republic.)

This lunchtime event will start at noon in Room 341 of the Massachusetts State House. Register in advance through this page. Folks who can’t make this occasion can hear Barbier talk about the stories in her book with the hosts of the HUB History podcast here.