What We Are Reading Today: 1776 by David McCullough

Updated 09 June 2019
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What We Are Reading Today: 1776 by David McCullough

In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence — when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.

Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality, says a review published on goodreads.com.

It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. 

At the center of the drama, with Washington, are two young American patriots, who, at first, knew no more of war than what they had read in books ­— Nathaniel Green, a Quaker who was made a general at 33, and Henry Knox, a 25-year-old bookseller who had the preposterous idea of hauling the guns of Fort Ticonderoga overland to Boston.


Iraqi director nominated at Directors Guild of America Awards for ‘The President’s Cake’

Updated 10 January 2026
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Iraqi director nominated at Directors Guild of America Awards for ‘The President’s Cake’

DUBAI: Iraqi director Hasan Hadi this week received a Directors Guild of America Awards nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film for his debut, “The President’s Cake.”

Set in 1990s Iraq, the film follows Lamia, a young girl tasked with preparing a birthday cake for the country’s leader — a mandatory assignment that places her under intense pressure. As she races to gather the ingredients, the stakes grow higher, with the threat of serious consequences if she fails.

Hadi’s film is shortlisted in the category alongside Eva Victor for “Sorry, Baby,” Alex Russell for “Lurker,” Charlie Polinger for “The Plague,” and Harry Lighton for “Pillion.”

Also in the running for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Theatrical Feature Film are Guillermo del Toro for “Frankenstein,” Chloe Zhao for “Hamnet,” Ryan Coogler for “Sinners,”Josh Safdie for “Marty Supreme,” and Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle After Another.”

“The President’s Cake” has also been shortlisted for the Academy Award for International Feature Film.