On January 31, 2018, Serial Box and The Associated Press will launch 1776: The World Turned Upside Down, a month-by-month, immersive account of the American colonies in its first year. This series of twelve installments (in ebook and audio) is unique in its focus on the lives of ordinary colonists and the more personal stories of now-famed figures. The series is narrated by Robin Miles with guest voices including Hamilton star Chris Jackson as George Washington, Hamilton star Nicholas Christopher as John Adams, NPR On the Media’s Bob Garfield as Thomas Paine, and will be released in synchronized ebook and audio monthly installments from Serial Box throughout 2018. Readers and listeners will see that it was ordinary citizens—failed corset-makers like Thomas Paine, farmers, and high school dropouts—who persuaded a disparate group of colonies to unite into one country and fight for a brand-new idea: America.Through informal and playful storytelling about the events in each month of 1776, this series helps us explore the roots of America’s great successes and failures. We see the beginnings of regional disputes and differences, institutional inequality and oppression, the tension between cultural heritage versus assimilation, and the struggle between states rights and federal government through the eyes of colonists and militiamen.To understand the current divisiveness in America, it is helpful to look closely at the initial uniting of America’s colonies, and how that foundation led us to where we are today. In 1976, using this logic and to mark the bicentennial, the AP commissioned three of its top journalists including the late Sid Moody to write a month by month account of America in 1776. That lively text was made available in book that was given as a holiday gift to AP member media organizations, but it has never been available to the public until now.The AP is collaborating with Serial Box to significantly update the original text, which is unique in its focus on the lives of ordinary colonists and the more personal stories of now-famed figures, for example Thomas Paine’s failed career as a corset-maker prior to his writing of Common Sense.“We are very excited to be working with the team at Serial Box on this narrative, which combines the irreverent with the scholarly providing an informative and entertaining view of the most critical year of U.S. history” says Peter Costanzo, Digital Publishing Specialist for the AP “We believe readers will find “1776” reveals what it took to invent America, as it happened, month to month, and will find themselves engaged in the daily lives of those who made it happen.”Serial BoxFounded by Molly Barton and Julian Yap, Serial Box brings everything that’s awesome about TV to what people love about books. Every week, read or listen to gripping new episodes, carefully crafted by award-winning and bestselling teams of authors throughout seasons.Serial Box publishes a highly curated selection of series written by teams of critically acclaimed and bestselling writers. Serials are released through the Serial Box app, website, and third party retailers in weekly installments in both ebook and audio formats. Episodes usually take 30 min to read or an hour to listen -- fans can switch seamlessly back and forth between reading and listening -- and each serial runs for a three-month season. Barton comes to Serial Box from Penguin Random House, where she was Global Digital Director in charge of the global ebook and audio businesses, digital product innovation and content strategy. Yap previously served as senior counsel in the Department of Justice, after clerking for the Supreme Court of Texas.The Associated PressThe Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees news from AP.1776: The World Turned Upside Down1776 is a 12-episode serial and will begin releasing on Jan 31, 2018. It will air monthly, with weekly supplemental commentary. 1776 can be found on Serial Box’s app and website and everywhere readers access ebooks. More information can be found at https://www.serialbox.com/serials/1776
