"Kelly intertwines primary source illustrations, maps, period engravings, and manuscript facsimiles into the historical account. These visual elements enhance engagement and comprehension, providing visual context alongside the author's compelling narrative. Kelly's writing is clear, direct, and engaging..."
--Library Journal (starred)

"With [Paine's] fiery pamphlet Common Sense...how a middle-aged English immigrant's words kickstarted the American Revolution and sustained it in its darkest days.... History as its lived, messy and galvanizing."
--Kirkus

"Too often historians have reduced Thomas Paine to a mere propagandist for the American Revolution. Jack Kelly revives both the originality of Paine's thought and the central significance of the man himself to bringing about American independence... an unusually intimate, blow-by-blow depiction of the suspenseful, history-changing year of 1776."
--William Hogeland, author of The Hamilton Scheme and Declaration

"When last a man fancied to call himself our king, we rallied to the words of Thomas Paine, who made himself the voice of the American Revolution. Jack Kelly's remarkable book traces the whole, kaleidoscopic war of Paine, who took up his musket as well as his pen in 1776, and chronicled the decisive days of the first American Crisis."
--Kevin Baker, author of Dreamland

"Kelly's book focused on Thomas Paine is a timely reminder of the principles of human equality, justice, and reason that undergird the creation of our democratic republic. Accessible and entertaining - and a stern rebuke to contemporary political actors who have betrayed the American cause."
--Katherine Stewart, author of Money, Lies, and God and The Power Worshippers

"Jack Kelly has taken on the task of reviving Paine's reputation for a new generation. In Tom Paine's War, a lively and scrupulous examination of the pamphlet "Common Sense," which played a major role in starting the American revolution, Kelly refutes the idea that America was founded on Christianity or any other religion. There could scarcely be a more timely book."
--Susan Jacoby, author Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism and The Age of American Unreason

"Jack Kelly vividly recounts one of American history's most desperate and darkest periods--"these are the times that try men's souls." His powerful narrative plumbs the depths of the Revolutionary War and captures the zeitgeist surrounding the counteroffensive that ultimately triumphed and changed the course of history. Focusing on Thomas Paine, one of the true thought leaders of the era, Kelly sheds light on a Founding Father who, in many ways, has been overlooked. Through meticulous research and engaging writing, Kelly creates a compelling page-turner."
--Patrick K. O'Donnell, historian and bestselling author of The Unvanquished and The Indispensables

"Compelling, informative and superbly written . . . a celebration of our roots, especially when they are threatened today. . . Paine is the Founder that held democracy up for all to see."
--Gary Berton, President, Thomas Paine Historical Association

"To understand the significance of Tom Paine's writing to our nation's founding, one must read Tom Paine's War...there are battle scenes that are perhaps the most vivid, chilling, yet exhilarating I have ever read in a book about the American Revolution!
--Roger S. Williams, Chair of Education Outreach, The National Society, Sons of the American Revolution, and CoFounder, TenCrucialDays.org