There is much to learn from Phillip Papas’ book That Ever Loyal Island: Staten Island and The American Revolution. Papas uses his knowledge of Staten Island and his detailed research to bring scholars an inside look at Staten Island during the American Revolution. It is through his research that he explains how most Staten Islanders were loyalists and he gives the rational reasons behind this. Phillip Papas also takes his reader through Staten Island’s contribution to the American Revolution and he even covers the aftermath of the war on Staten Island’s population as well as the damage done to the Island itself. Something that sticks with readers is the wealth of facts Papas includes in his book which paints a picture of how Staten Island was during the 1700's. He goes into detail of how Staten Islanders lived, what they traded, and how they used the vast forests and trees for ship building. He also explains how Staten Islanders used the waterways to power their mills and build channels to water their farms. Staten Islanders had livestock and they fished and harvested oysters, clams and crabs daily. He also researched the population of Staten Island, something not many historians have published in the past. This is relevant because he explains in his last chapter how 80% of the population fled Staten Island and he gives his readers a reference of how many people were living on the Island before the war through his thorough research of the Staten Island population. Phillip Papas has a good use of footnotes and a strong bibliography. He has gone above and beyond when citing sources. By reading Papas’ explanation of his use of sources, the reader can learn more about his research process and can gain a deeper understanding of the ideas in the text. He also does a good job of explaining the fact that even though Staten Islanders were mostly loyal to the crown, the British were not easy on them during Staten Island’s occupati