Steve Sheinkin's The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery (2010) is a biography about one of the most complex figures in American history: Benedict Arnold, the man who betrayed the United States. Sheinkin's book, which is written for teenagers, follows Arnold's life from the time he was a small child, to his betrayal of the United States government at West Point military academy for $20,000, to the end of his life spent exiled in London, England—and everything in between. In the book, Sheinkin paints Arnold as a complicated figure—a family man and war hero for the Continental Army, but someone motivated more by money than freedom and ideology.
Sheinkin set out to write a book about Benedict Arnold because of his personal fascination with the subject. Prior to the publication of The Notorious Benedict Arnold, Sheinkin compiled everything he could about Arnold, including every book he could get his hands on. That dedication to the material was reflected in the book's reviews. For example, Booklist opined that "history junkies are in for a treat when they pick up this lively, highly readable biography." Kirkus Reviews felt similarly, writing that The Notorious Benedict Arnold is a "brilliant, fast-paced biography that reads like an adventure novel."
