If people ever doubt that the printed word can change the world, they should look to Common Sense, the pamphlet penned by Thomas Paine. Just paper and ink helped persuade American colonists that independence from England was imperative. The powerful piece is examined in this book in the context of the turbulent era in which it was written. Readers are provided a close look at the time period through relevant images and invited to imagine whether they, too, would have joined the cause of the Americans.