Prior to reading A Man Most Driven I was only vaguely aware of Captain John Smith. Having grown up in the Chesapeake Bay area I knew he was the first to explore the coast and rivers and that he played a part in the founding of Jamestown, where most famously the story of Pocahontas occurred. He is legendary in all senses of the word. Therein is the problem since most of his biography is based on his own memoirs published in the early 17th century, thus it's difficult to verify. There were no fact checking editors, books were self-published at the authors own expense. And the autobiography was a new form of writing without established conventions. Nevertheless many historians have looked at it quite closely and so Firstbrook is able to draw on a lot of scholarship. He makes frequent interludes to explain why an event may have or not happened. In the end his story is mostly believable in the broad sense with some details embellished.

Smith's life was a great adventure. He started the son of an English farmer but was rebellious, physically powerful, intelligent and a great self-promoter. In the turmoil of the age he decided to lead a life of adventure. He fought in battles against the Turks in Hungary and Transylvania, led armies, fought in duels, killed many people, was enslaved in the Middle East, escaped through Russia. He was a founding member of the first successful English colony in the New World, fought pirates, was kidnapped, shipwrecked, fought Indians, explored and named vast parts of America. And he did it all in about 20 years. Without Smith, Jamestown would have probably failed like the other previous colonial attempts. Smith's rebellious spirit and background from a low-born family from which he rose on the merits of his actions, not a family crest or connections, is a mirror of American values. He might be seen as the first archetypal American character. A Man Most Driven is an easy way to learn about this interesting Elizabethan explorer and also a good introduction to the first crucial decade of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America. ( )