{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260414T161624Z","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/1982181311?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"1982181311","authors":["Walter Isaacson"],"book_id":"9781982181314","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781982181314","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781982181314.jpg?v=20260414T161624Z%3A2026-04-14T16%3A16%3A24Z","description":"America’s bestselling biographer reveals the origins of the most revolutionary sentence in the Declaration of Independence, the one that defines who we are as Americans—and explains how it should shape our politics today. “Isaacson uses a jeweler’s loupe to scan what gives his snappy little book its engaging title….Isaacson skillfully teases fresh pith and resonance out of those familiar words.” — The Wall Street Journal “A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.” — Kirkus Reviews To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, Walter Isaacson takes readers on a fascinating deep dive into the creation of one of history’s most powerful sentences: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, this line lays the foundation for the American Dream and defines the common ground we share as a nation. Isaacson unpacks its genius, word by word, illuminating the then-radical concepts behind it. Readers will gain a fresh appreciation for how it was drafted to inspire unity, equality, and the enduring promise of America. With clarity and insight, he reveals not just the power of these words but describes how, in these polarized times, we can use them to restore an appreciation for our common values.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9781982181314","publication_date":"20251118","publisher":"Simon & Schuster","slug":"the-greatest-sentence-ever-written","subtitle":"","title":"The Greatest Sentence Ever Written"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"HIS036030","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Revolutionary America (1775-1800)","score":0.7999,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS036020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Colonial America (to 1775)","score":0.742,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS036040","confidence_band":"medium","label":"19th-Century America","score":0.7375,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"HIS036030","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Revolutionary America (1775-1800)","score":0.7999,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS036020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Colonial America (to 1775)","score":0.742,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS036040","confidence_band":"medium","label":"19th-Century America","score":0.7375,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"HIS036020","confidence_band":"high","label":"Colonial America (to 1775)","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"HIS036030","confidence_band":"high","label":"Revolutionary America (1775-1800)","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"POL007000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Democracy","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Revolutionary America (1775-1800)","score":0.7999,"slug":"revolutionary-america-1775-1800"},{"label":"Colonial America (to 1775)","score":0.742,"slug":"colonial-america-to-1775"},{"label":"19th-Century America","score":0.7375,"slug":"19th-century-america"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers who enjoy Revolutionary America (1775-1800)","Good for fans of History","Good for readers who enjoy Revolutionary America (1775-1800) and Colonial America (to 1775)."],"related_lists":[{"intro":"","slug":"shelf-his036030-revolutionary-period-1775-1800","title":"Revolutionary (1775 1800) Books","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/lists/shelf-his036030-revolutionary-period-1775-1800"},{"intro":"","slug":"shelf-his036020-colonial-period-1600-1775","title":"Colonial (1600 1775) Books","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/lists/shelf-his036020-colonial-period-1600-1775"},{"intro":"As Philadelphia marks America's 250th anniversary with citywide art projects and public commemorations, these histories and biographies illuminate the founding era, its key figures, and the contested meanings we still draw from the Revolution.","slug":"cultural-currents-philly-semiquincentennial-reading-shelf","title":"Philadelphia's Revolution At 250","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/lists/cultural-currents-philly-semiquincentennial-reading-shelf"}],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Edward L. 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