Signing Their Lives Away

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Praise

Featured history title in Reader’s Digest’s, “Best of America” issue, 2009

“Kiernan and D’Agnese . . . succeed in stripping away preconceived notions of the more famous signers, and bringing out something of interest about the other, less well known ones.”—Library Journal

“Astonishing individual portraits of all the signers.”—School Library Journal, starred review

“Signing Their Lives Away is told in a brisk entertaining fashion.”—McClatchy Newspapers

Book Description

An entertaining and essential collection of stories about the surprising and strange fates of the fifty-six Founding Fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Now in paperback with a brand-new cover, the wildly successful Signing Their Lives Away tells the untold stories of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

In the summer of 1776, a group of 56 men risked their lives and livelihood to defy King George III and sign the Declaration of Independence—yet how many of them do we remember? Signing Their Lives Away introduces readers to the eclectic group of statesmen, soldiers, slaveholders, and scoundrels who signed this historic document—and the many strange fates that awaited them. To wit:

• The Signer Who Was Poisoned By His Nephew
• The Signer Who Was Killed In a Duel
• The Signer Who Went to Prison
• The Signer Who Was Lost at Sea
• The Signer Who Achieved Fame as a Brewer

Complete with portraits of every signatory, Signing Their Lives Away provides an entertaining and enlightening narrative for students, history buffs, politicos, and Hamilton fans alike.

About the Authors

Denise Kiernan

Denise Kiernan has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice, Saveur, Discover, Ms., New York Daily News, and many other publications. She was head writer of ABC's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" during its Emmy award-winning first season, and is the author of a number of books for adults and children.

Joseph D'Agnese

Joseph D'Agnese is a freelance writer who has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, This Old House, and many other magazines and newspapers. He has been published extensively in Discover, and also in Seed and Wired, and was twice named to the annual anthology, Best American Science Writing. He's the author of a children's picture book, Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci.