Reviewed by Philip Van Heusen for Readers' Favorite

This fascinating little book could be called The Site that Al Built. Instead, it is named State of Revolution: My Seven-and-a-Half Year Journey Through Revolutionary War New Jersey. This book is the history of Al Frazza’s travels and research to make his historical website concerning New Jersey’s part in the Revolutionary War a reality. Let me hasten to say, the book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in history and how historians go about mining facts from primary sources. Al spent over seven years traversing the great state of New Jersey. He visited over 600 historical sites, then documented the relationship of the sites to the Revolutionary War on his website. Even if you are not into history, you will enjoy reading this book.

After spending 10,000 hours of research, thousands of miles of travel, and untold misery in a hot car, what do you get? If you are Al Frazza, you get a fantastic website about the American Revolutionary War and its events in New Jersey. State of Revolution is a gold mine of information for anyone writing their American History Master’s Capstone Project. Al was not writing an academic paper, but unknowingly, he produced a book that I wish I'd had when I did my history capstone project. He explains how he developed the website, and in his explanation, he gives guidance for historical research. Al shares anecdotes from his field research that keep the book moving and interesting. He does not write in a dry academic manner but rather as if he is talking to the reader as a friend.