The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pa. (Charles Mostoller/Reuters)

That is how Kirkus Reviews has judged Richard Brookhiser’s new and exciting history, Give Me Liberty: A History of America’s Exceptional Idea, and it represents just some of the high praise this forthcoming book — its publication date is November 5 — richly deserves (having read the galleys, I can attest to such).

For example, the great historian, Joseph J. Ellis, has meaningful praise for Give Me Liberty:

In our deeply divided America, Richard Brookhiser goes back in search of our roots, and finds them in that many-headed idea called “liberty.” In his signature style, he wastes no words, defies the conventional political categories, and invites us to join him in recovering a series of inspirational moments when we all felt the same future in our hearts and minds.

So too does the historian H. W. Brands:

With his characteristic combination of elegance and shrewdness, Richard Brookhiser gives us another insightful account of what makes us the nation we are. Give Me Liberty is intellectual history at its riveting best.

Give Me Liberty is an exposition of 13 events, documents, and speeches – some famous, some not – that rediscover and define America’s distinct trait, its love for Liberty, separating it from all other nations. In the current issue of NR, we run an excerpt of one of those chapters, this on the creation of the New York Manumission Society in 1785, an event that marked the desire by some of America’s greatest Founders to extend liberty to all men by ending slavery. Read this chapter and learn for yourself why Rick’s book is a powerful contribution to not only history, but to the current debate about nationalism.

A word to the wise: Pick up a copy at your local bookstore next week, or be smart and order Give Me Liberty at Amazon right now.