The Ride, Kostya Kennedy
The Ride, Kostya Kennedy
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

The Ride
Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America

Author: Kostya Kennedy

Narrator: Johnny Heller

Unabridged: 5 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/25/2025


Synopsis

“Audiobook narrator Johnny Heller has a brisk, ardent manner, moving through events at a spirited trot, conveying the urgency and high stakes of Revere’s mission.”—The Washington Post

Timed for the 250th anniversary of one of America’s most famous founding events: Paul Revere’s legendary ride, newly told with fresh research into little-known aspects of the story Americans have heard since childhood but hardly understood

On April 18, 1775, a Boston-based silversmith, engraver, and anti-British political operative named Paul Revere set out on a borrowed horse to fulfill a dangerous but crucial mission: to alert American colonists of advancing British troops, which would seek to crush their nascent revolt.

Revere was not the only rider that night, and indeed, he had completed at least 18 previous rides across New England and other colonies, disseminating intelligence about British movements. But this ride was like no other, and its consequences in the months and years to come—as the American Revolution morphed from isolated skirmishes to a full-fledged war—became one of our founding legends.

In The Ride, Kostya Kennedy presents a dramatic new narrative of the events of April 18 and 19, 1775, informed by fresh primary and secondary source research into archives, family letters and diaries, contemporary accounts, and more. Kennedy reveals Revere’s ride to be more complex than it is usually portrayed—a loosely coordinated series of rides by numerous men, near-disaster, capture by British forces, and finally success. While Revere was central to the ride and its plotting, Kennedy reveals the other men (and, perhaps, a woman with information about the movement of British forces) who helped to set in motion the events that would lead to America’s independence.

Thrillingly written in a dramatic, unstoppable narrative, The Ride retells an essential American story for a new generation of listeners.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

About Kostya Kennedy

KOSTYA KENNEDY is the Editor in Chief of Premium Publishing at People Inc. A former Senior Writer and Editor at Sports Illustrated, he is the author of True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson as well as the New York Times bestsellers 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports and Pete Rose: An American Dilemma. All three books won the CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year. He has taught at Columbia and New York University, and he lives in Westchester County, New York.

About Johnny Heller

Johnny Heller was named a Golden Voice Lifetime Achievement Award Winner—one of the highest honors in the audiobook industry—in 2019. He has recorded over 1,100 audiobooks in every genre and is a five-time Audie Award winner and a 15-time nominee. He is a 2020 Odyssey Award winner and a 2023 Communicator Award winner for his work on Winnie the Pooh.Johnny was named an AudioFile Best Voice 2009-2011, 2014-2016, 2020, and 2024. He is a Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award Winner 2008-2018 and a multiple Booklist Editor’s Choice Winner. A winner of over 40 Earphone Awards and 4 SOVAS Awards, Johnny was named one of the top 50 Voices of the 20th Century by AudioFile.


Reviews

Goodreads review by PamG on March 23, 2025

Combining a biography and history, Kostya Kennedy brings the history and characters to life in The Ride – Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America. The book focuses on the night of the famous ride, April 18 – 19, 1775. However, it sets the scene with information on Revere from the time he is......more

Goodreads review by Blaine on March 21, 2025

Wonderful work by author Kostya Kenned,y who gives us a much more detailed look into the man Paul Revere. As we near the 250th anniversary of the ride Kennedy begins by posing questions as to how the American Revolution would have turned out had Revere not made that ride, even to the point of asking......more

Goodreads review by Sheila on February 13, 2025

I received a free copy of, The Ride, by Kostya Kennedy, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. One of the most famous rides, we have heard about is Paul Revere on April 18, 1775, Paul Revere made history. This ride of men and women will never be forgotten. This was a good......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on December 19, 2024

The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America by Kostya Kennedy is an enjoyable nonfiction that highlights the infamous Revere. I know I should know more about our nation’s history, and it is sad I know more about English and Scottish history…but oh well…I am trying..aka reading this book. E......more

Goodreads review by Maxine on April 24, 2025

In his book, Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America, Kostya Kennedy gives a well-researched, well-written account, not only of Paul Revere’s most famous ride, but of his background, his work and his family. He provides information about the lead up to the revolution and tells about other rider......more


Quotes

"As recognizable as the name is, we did not know the real Paul Revere until Kostya Kennedy revealed the man in full in The Ride. Thanks to a fascinating, detailed narrative, we discover not only Revere's heroism but also the larger and dangerous role Revere played with other famous patriots in creating a new republic." --Tom Clavin, New York Times bestselling author of Bandit Heaven

"Fascinating...dramatic...a skillful separation of truth, legend, and what lies between in a canonical American story."--Kirkus Reviews

"An important book for readers seeking a deeper understanding of a crucial moment in American history. It will captivate history scholars, students, and enthusiasts from start to finish." --Library Journal

"A richly detailed, congenial, and dryly humorous account of Paul Revere’s 1775 ride to Lexington and Concord and his legacy. ... The perfect read to mark the 250th anniversary of this foundational act." --Booklist (starred review)