A Perfect Frenzy - by Andrew Lawler (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the nationally bestselling author of The Secret Token, the largely untold story of rebellion in Virginia that will forever change our understanding of the American Revolution

As the American Revolution broke out in New England in the spring of 1775, dramatic events unfolded in Virginia that proved every bit as decisive as the battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill in uniting the colonies against Britain. Virginia, the largest, wealthiest, and most populous province in British North America, was led by Lord Dunmore, who counted George Washington as his close friend. But the Scottish earl lacked troops, so when patriots imperiled the capital of Williamsburg, he threatened to free and arm enslaved Africans--two of every five Virginians--to fight for the Crown.

Virginia's tobacco elite was reluctant to go to war with Britain but outraged at this threat to their human property. Dunmore fled the capital to build a stronghold in the colony's largest city, the port of Norfolk. As enslaved people flocked to his camp, skirmishes broke out. "Lord Dunmore has commenced hostilities in Virginia," wrote Thomas Jefferson. "It has raised our countrymen into a perfect frenzy." With a patriot army marching on Norfolk, the royal governor freed those enslaved and sent them into battle against their former owners. In retribution, and with Jefferson's encouragement, furious rebels burned Norfolk to the ground on January 1, 1776, blaming the crime on Dunmore.

The port's destruction and Dunmore's emancipation prompted Virginia's patriot leaders to urge the Continental Congress to split from Britain, breaking the deadlock among the colonies and leading to adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Days later, Dunmore and his Black allies withdrew from Virginia, but the legacy of their fight would lead, ultimately, to Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.

Chronicling these stunning and widely overlooked events in full for the first time, A Perfect Frenzy offers a striking new perspective on the American Revolution that reorients our understanding of its causes, highlights the radically different motivations between patriots in the North and South, and reveals the seeds of the nation's racial divide.

Review Quotes

Praise for A Perfect Frenzy:

Finalist for the Virginia Literary Awards 2026 Annual People's Choice Awards (Nonfiction)

"Absorbing . . . A new exploration of the crucible of colonial America . . . Lawler is especially good at casting a spotlight on the hypocrisy of the early insurrectionists as well as the double bind of Black Americans forced to navigate the treacheries of the Revolution . . . A sharp-eyed look at the messy, sometimes absurd, often cruel birth pangs of a nation . . . Lawler's history offers us the kind of challenge we should be posing to our own revolutionary mythology. In Dunmore's story, we find an uncomfortable truth: Our most cherished narrative can cast the deepest shadows."--Alexis Coe, New York Times Book Review

"Artfully focuses on an important and understudied American Revolutionary period, Virginia in 1775 and 1776, and topic, slavery . . . Gives a voice to thousands of unnamed individuals as he describes events folding in Virginia . . . Lawler is an accomplished writer . . . Anyone with an interest in Virginia or Revolutionary history will find something of value to take from this text."--Patrick H. Hannum, Journal of the American Revolution

"A convincing rehabilitation of Dunmore, plus another dollop of clay added to the feet of our founding fathers."--Kirkus Reviews

"Historian Andrew Lawler offers an original take on the origins of the Revolutionary War with his thrilling tale of a wayward colonial governor who freed enslaved Africans to fight a rebel army. A Perfect Frenzy is a riveting and illuminating account of a pivotal episode in American history--a polished gem of a book."--David Zucchino, author of Wilmington's Lie, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

"Andrew Lawler has uncovered critical new information about why and how Virginia and its leading citizens, among them Washington and Jefferson, joined the rebellion against the British Crown--and it doesn't shine a favorable light on them. Without Virginia there might not have been a successful Revolution. Lawler's fascinating new book is a revelation."--Larry Sabato, author of A More Perfect Constitution

"Just in time for the 250th anniversary of American independence, A Perfect Frenzy casts the nation's founding in a whole new light. Andrew Lawler finds fresh voices and novel ways of looking at the start of the Revolution--and, best of all, he offers the historian's holy grail of an original argument. I love this book."--Woody Holton, author of Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution

"By revisioning the past, Lawler sheds penetrating light on the present and, importantly, illuminates the future. Elegantly written and impeccably researched, this pathbreaking book is a gift this troubled nation needs as it approaches its 250th anniversary."--Gerald Horne, author of The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America

Praise for Andrew Lawler:

"The Secret Token, spanning more than 400 years, offers the most authoritative account of the Lost Colony to date . . . [Lawler] recounts his arduous travels with clarity and insight."--Wall Street Journal

"Clear-eyed way . . . Just plain fascinating . . . The themes of mingled races, of cultures clashing to create something new, are surprisingly fresh and powerful."--Washington Post, on The Secret Token

"[Lawler's] willingness to chase down every lead, no matter how outlandish, and his enthusiasm for the journey as much as the destination, make The Secret Token a lively and engaging read."--Economist

"The Secret Token is a very special kind of popular history . . . diving headfirst into the latest developments regarding the fate of the colonists and providing colorful, affectionate portraits . . . Lawler sheds light on why the story of the Roanoke Colony remains so important today."--Salon

"It's not a spoiler to say that Lawler never solves the ultimate mystery, but by the book's end, the enduring legacy of this early colony, from mapmaking to even the far right, is more than enough."--Vanity Fair, on The Secret Token

"Part detective novel, part historical reckoning, Lawler's engrossing book traces the story of--and the obsessive search for--the lost colony of Roanoke . . . leading to a thoughtful and timely discourse about race and identity . . . Lawler makes a strong case for why historical myths matter."--Publishers Weekly, on The Secret Token

"[Lawler] creates a vivid picture of the roiling, politically contentious, economically stressed Elizabethan world . . . In this enjoyable historical adventure, an unsolved mystery reveals violent political and economic rivalries and dire personal struggles."--Kirkus Reviews, on The Secret Token

"Andrew Lawler turns Roanoke into one of our history's best stories, recounting not only the fascinating, little-known history of the colony itself but that of the incredible swirl of historians, archaeologists, hoaxers, actors, priests, Native Americans, and experts on arcane subjects who have been caught up in the quest to find it. A tale of cock-eyed historical obsession, The Secret Token is also a serious look at America's confused ideas about itself."--Charles C. Mann, New York Times bestselling author of The Wizard and the Prophet and 1491

"A fascinating account of one of our country's great historical mysteries. Fast-paced and wonderfully written, with plenty of surprising turns along the way, The Secret Token is a delight."--Nathaniel Philbrick, New York Times bestselling author of Valiant Ambition

"In Under Jerusalem, journalist Andrew Lawler directs our contemplation away from the heavenly city, and down into the roots of history and faith . . . In a city where the winner takes all, Mr. Lawler does an admirable job of striving for the diplomats' ideal of 'evenhandedness.'"--Wall Street Journal

"A sweeping tale of archaeological exploits and their cultural and political consequences told with a historian's penchant for detail and a journalist's flair for narration . . . Lawler's timely book [shows] how and why ordinary men and women, and great empires alike, continue to seek meaning in the dirt and debris beneath this magnetic, confounding city."--Washington Post, on Under Jerusalem

"Richly detailed, sensitively argued, and entertainingly written, this immersive history casts Jerusalem in a new light and reveals the tensions that meet at the intersection of science, politics, religion, and history. This fascinating, evenhanded chronicle is a treasure."--Publishers Weekly (starred review), on Under Jerusalem

About the Author

Andrew Lawler is the author of the national bestseller The Secret Token, about the lost colony of Roanoke, and the award-winning Under Jerusalem. As a journalist he has written more than a thousand newspaper and magazine articles for, among many others, the New York Times, Washington Post, National Geographic, and Smithsonian. He is a contributing writer for Science and contributing editor for Archaeology magazines. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.