It’s 1782 in Massachusetts. The American Revolutionary War is in its final stages. Deborah Sampson Gannett, frustrated that she can’t serve because she’s a woman, disguises herself as a man and enlists in the Continental Army.
Gannett’s fascinating true-life story is the basis of Alex Myers’ Revolutionary, a deftly crafted historical novel about the nature of identity and gender. “How quickly they would turn on her if they knew,” the narrative relays in one of the book’s many compelling passages. “Her clothes were like an eggshell about her, a thin layer of protection, a veneer that both kept out and held in.”
Myers discusses Revolutionary at Joseph-Beth. 7 p.m. Wednesday. Free. 2692 Madison Road, Norwood, 513-396-8960, josephbeth.com.
This article appears in Jan 22-28, 2014.
