Resources

We were lucky to spend five plus significant years growing up in a place “where history was made.” Philadelphia was rich in early American history. It was hard to miss. Even the hanging rock that we passed on our way to and from our home in Gulph Mills was an outcrop that George Washington and his troops had walked under.

But you don’t have to live in Philadelphia to encounter history. Researching and writing The Red Coat helped us realize that history is all around us and that we’re all a part of it. People’s dress, speech, work, home, tools, and beliefs may change with time and location, but underneath the differences basic human needs—the drive to live, love, learn, find meaning, and yes, pursue happiness—remain consistent. Understanding the choices that people have made in the past helps us understand ourselves better.

And there is more to history than the famous people, dates, and significant events that the textbooks have space to recount. We’re fortunate to have a wealth of history books, biographies, novels, diaries, letters, museum exhibits, art, and preserved artifacts to enrich our understanding of our country’s past. We encourage our readers to dig deeper, and to get out and explore, especially in this year of our country’s 250^th anniversary.

We wrote The Red Coat as a fun story first and foremost, but we also believe it would be a good auxiliary read for young people studying The American Revolution. We hope these materials will be useful for teachers, librarians, parents and students.