When Percival Lowle set sail with his family for the New World in 1639, he could not have predicted how his Massachusetts descendants would shape his adopted homeland in the centuries to come. Yet in Book of the Month Judge Nina Sankovitch's ambitious biography, we see how the Lowells (as successive generations rebranded themselves) made short work of every opportunity America had to offer. From the heart of Boston society’s upper crust, they wielded their influence as politicians, artists, scientists, and educators. As Founding Fathers, Civil War generals, and critically acclaimed poets, they shaped the course of American politics, culture, and industry. Sankovitch has written the true story of this remarkable family, which is the story of our country itself.