Thomas Paine for Today!

by Pam Hoye [courtesy of Blog for America]

Learning of my cousin's newest book my thoughts traveled back to those early days of Howard Dean's campaign, when his call to citizen-action had been inspired by Thomas Paine and Common Sense. In answer to my question, "How did you come to write a book about Tom Paine?" Craig answered,

"I wrote about Paine because I thought a lot of Americans would be interested in a founding-of-the-nation story that had nothing to do with a Republican perspective. I was WRONG, but at least the reviews and awards are nice!"

When I suggested that perhaps we had not known, as I had not, Craig added,

"You'll love at least some of the Paine book since there's a big founding father debate on the future of democracy with citizens who don't participate."

Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations by Craig Nelson is Winner of the 2007 Henry Adams Prize for the year's best book on history and government.