Meet Dr. Nicholas W. Gentile, the local author of:

Enemies to Their Country: The Marblehead Addressers and Consensus in the American Revolution

In 1774, a group of men in Marblehead, Massachusetts wrote an address to the royal governor thanking him for his service to the colony, even as other residents began demanding independence from Great Britain!  Eventually, the town’s patriot majority pressured the signers to withdraw their support, demanded public recantations and issued damning reports-- even forcing some of the signers into exile.

Enemies to Their Country tells the story of the town’s struggle to achieve consensus even as the war for American independence began, complicating simplistic ideas of the American Revolution. Through compelling stories of neighbors, individuals and families, it provides an view to a politically polarized constituency at a time of great conflict.

About the Author: Dr. Nicholas W. Gentile is an independent historian, adjunct professor, institute director, and teacher. His passion for microhistory--looking at small things in big ways and big things in small ways--was nurtured at Brandeis University by Dr. David Hackett Fischer, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Washington's Crossing (2004). He and his wife, Christina, live with their six children in DeWitt, Michigan, and enjoy exploring old battlefields.