Every American who has attended school has learned about the American Revolution in textbooks, lectures, movies and stories. One would be hard pressed to find a U.S. citizen who hasn’t heard of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the signing of the Declaration of Independence or any of the founding fathers’ brave actions in bringing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness into the colonies. However few are aware of the ring of spies who many historians believe were crucial in the outcome of the war that gave America its freedom.

“George Washington’s Secret Six” by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yager tells the true story of the top-secret spy ring formed by Washington to bring him information on British plans and attacks. Kilmeade and Yager give the long-deserved praise to six heroes who helped turn the war around, in an entertaining and fascinating tale unlike one that would be found in a textbook.

The history is told like a story. The protagonists include a bartender, a newspaperman, a housewife, a tailor and a longshoreman. The only thing that makes these ordinary citizens heroes is the fact that they put their lives at risk, going undercover and getting highly important information about the British enemy, which ultimately turned the Revolutionary War around in the colonies’ favor.

The book goes through the background and mission of each spy in the ring, who carried intelligence to Washington in order to prevent the British Army from occupying New York and becoming victorious. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is not necessarily the history, but the fact that these spies were completely average citizens, with normal professions willing to put their lives in danger for freedom. Of course the details in the methods of spying including invisible ink and code names help in adding an entertaining factor to the historical book.

Although the content may sound like something only a history buff would pick up, “George Washington’s Secret Six” is likely to appeal to young readers. The writing style is simple and straightforward, with only a few exceptions of long, banal dialogue thrown into some chapters. Readers will feel like they are reading a spy novel, rather than accounts that happened over 200 years ago.

Kilmeade and Yager also explain the long-term effects of the spies’ work. They explain in the afterward that the methods used by the spies were so influential in the art of secret intelligence in the U.S. that they are still used today. Code names and fake backgrounds were used for the first time in the secret spy ring and have become a common practice even today. In fact, they explain that when people are being trained for the CIA, one of the first things they are taught is about the spy ring. This kind of information found in the book makes it hard for readers to believe that they were never taught this in school.

“George Washington’s Secret Six” is a book that honors six heroes that many Americans are unaware of, but to whom we owe a great deal. Their story is told in a good blend of history and entertainment. Although some areas become dull, the story remains easy to read for the majority of the book, and informs readers on relevant, important history that they never learned behind a desk.