THE U.S. FLAG
Story: As you have no doubt guessed, I made up the fact that Sarah Pickles’s great-great-great-plus grandmother Abigail was the real, true designer of the American flag. No one knows for sure who came up with the very first stars-and-stripes motif. Legend has it that George Washington handed seamstress Betsy Ross a pencil sketch of his idea—a circle of thirteen white stars in a blue field, resting on thirteen alternating red and white stripes. But there is no hard evidence that such an event ever took place. Truth is, many variations of the Stars and Stripes were in use during the American Revolution before the Second Continental Congress adopted the horizontal (or quincuncial) version as the official U.S. flag on June 14, 1777.
History: Though this official version of the flag has often been cited as the handiwork of Francis Hopkinson, there’s no documented proof that he actually designed it. About all we know for sure is that Hopkinson billed Congress a quarter cask of public wine for having done so. But he was never paid.
Writing a book is a very solitary task. For me, that means sitting alone for about a year and a half, waiting for the words to come, with only my imagination to keep me company. But making a book—now, that’s an entirely different story. 13 Hangmen simply wouldn’t exist without the help of dozens of generous and supertalented people. For providing me the time and space to sit alone: Timothy Horn, Chima, Michael Martinez, Beverly Donofrio, Nada Hermitage, the Corporation of Yaddo. For helping to shape early drafts and representing the final one: Albert Zuckerman at Writers House. For bringing this novel so beautifully to print at Abrams: Howard Reeves (editor extraordinaire), Jim Armstrong (top-notch managing editor), Maria Middleton (fabulous book designer), Jenna Pocius (conscientious editorial assistant), and Jason Wells (marketing genius). Special shout-outs go to Renée Cafiero (copy editor) and Rob Sternitzky (proofreader), who went above and beyond the call of duty to help me pin down all the facts and weave this story in and out of history.
ART CORRIVEAU holds an MFA in writing from the University of Michigan. His writing has received great reviews from School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and many others. Booklist praised his first middle-grade novel, How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog) (retitled How I Finally Got a Life and a Dog in paperback) for its “vividly drawn” characters. He lives in Vermont.
13 Hangmen Page 24
