GEORGE WASHINGTON'S SPECTACULAR SPECTACLES

By donning his glasses, George Washington thwarts soldiers from committing treason.

Castrovilla, who’s written four other books about the Revolutionary War, describes Washington’s need for glasses as an embarrassment (“It was a secret”). She uses this fact to launch a storyline about the Newburgh Conspiracy (“It was a secret,” she repeats), a plan hatched by frustrated army officers to storm Congress and demand payment. Having defeated the British, Washington refuses to allow his new government to be toppled. His spectacles, illustrated by Harney in shimmering sepia, appear only when he slams his office door to read in private. During one of those sessions, he reads Congress’ answer to him about when his officers will be paid—soon, they say. Washington shares this response in a windy speech that doesn’t convince them to stand down. Putting on his spectacles to read them the actual letter from Congress, he prefaces his remarks with an apology (“I have grown gray in your service and now find myself growing blind”); they are moved to tears by his sacrifice. The book uses a variety of fonts, from hand-lettered notes to onomatopoeic sound effects, alongside comical close-ups of Washington’s bug eyes and emotive crowd scenes that lend the story a pleasing, old-timey feel. Allowing readers to experience this event through Washington’s lens, literally, makes for an original, thought-provoking framing, and it’s hard not to draw a connection with the January 6 insurrection—though with a vastly different outcome.

An enlightening tale, enlivened by droll, retro illustrations.