Author Andrew Lawler will read from his latest non-fiction book, A Perfect Frenzy: : A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis That Spurred the American Revolution. Most of us know about the battles at Lexington and Concord which took place 250 years ago this spring, but Andrew has a fascinating new tale that occurs at the same time, only in Virginia. His latest book is the first to detail the remarkable alliance formed between the colony’s royal governor, Lord Dunmore, and the enslaved Africans owned by its patriots.

Dunmore freed and armed those in bondage to fight for King George III, sparking a bloody clash between Black soldiers and white militia—with each side claiming to fight in the name of liberty. The crisis left one of America's largest ports in ruins and pushed Virginia's patriots to back separation from Britain. This broke the deadlock at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia and led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Andrew's works, including the national bestseller The Secret Token which explored the Lost Colony of Roanoke, have earned the acclaim of The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Kirkus Reviews. For more on Andrew, see www.andrewlawler.com.