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annaotations's review against another edition
4.0
One of the best books I've read about war, and a war I knew nothing of beforehand. It stressed the importance of words, the cultural value of words and literacy, as a weapon of war, which is applicable to the telling and retelling of every conflict.
analyticali's review against another edition
4.0
From the start, it’s clear that this book is meticulously researched and more thoughtfully put together than nearly any work of non-fiction I’ve encountered. Lepore’s skills as a historian and her precision in delineating what is known, what was written, and what we can assume is clear on every page.
But it was *hard* for me to read this book. The number of unfamiliar names for people and places stretched over an area that I know in the present combined with the lengthy quotes from the 17th century that with all of the creative spelling and unusual grammar tripped me up, requiring more mental energy than I often had when I sat down to read the book. This combined with initially reading the book in hardback with a broken spine (from the library) meant that I often only finished a few pages before falling asleep, which made it even harder to follow the narrative thread.
It’s clear that we will never really know the details of King Philip’s War the way we know about 20th century wars, and where I came looking for a basic overview of the conflict’s particulars, they weren’t what this book is about.
What this book does well is explore the ways that early European (mostly English) colonists/settlers/occupiers in what are today the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island needed to assert their identities in contrast to the native people living around them. That their fear and arrogance drove them to not only wage war with the indigenous population but also write about it with such self righteous disgust is telling.
I found the book most compelling in its final quarter where Lepore unpacks the way the war impacted perceptions of Americanness and Indianness in the 19th and even 20th century. Even if the war itself did not eliminate the Wampanoag and other tribes, it strangely laid the foundation for white Americans to imagine that those tribes and successive others had disappeared even as they persist today. It for this reason in particular that I would recommend this book.
But it was *hard* for me to read this book. The number of unfamiliar names for people and places stretched over an area that I know in the present combined with the lengthy quotes from the 17th century that with all of the creative spelling and unusual grammar tripped me up, requiring more mental energy than I often had when I sat down to read the book. This combined with initially reading the book in hardback with a broken spine (from the library) meant that I often only finished a few pages before falling asleep, which made it even harder to follow the narrative thread.
It’s clear that we will never really know the details of King Philip’s War the way we know about 20th century wars, and where I came looking for a basic overview of the conflict’s particulars, they weren’t what this book is about.
What this book does well is explore the ways that early European (mostly English) colonists/settlers/occupiers in what are today the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island needed to assert their identities in contrast to the native people living around them. That their fear and arrogance drove them to not only wage war with the indigenous population but also write about it with such self righteous disgust is telling.
I found the book most compelling in its final quarter where Lepore unpacks the way the war impacted perceptions of Americanness and Indianness in the 19th and even 20th century. Even if the war itself did not eliminate the Wampanoag and other tribes, it strangely laid the foundation for white Americans to imagine that those tribes and successive others had disappeared even as they persist today. It for this reason in particular that I would recommend this book.
morikochan's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting take on King Philipsʻ War, which was the bloodiest war fought on American soil. Lepore approached the war through a literary standpoint, showcasing the importance of language during wartime. This provided a different perspective of how to look at war and how war is remembered throughout history and generations.
jaclyn_youngblood's review against another edition
5.0
A compelling thesis, beautiful prose, and so many moments to ponder and reflect. I think we'd do well to have more consideration of Lepore's arguments in the present day.
knerd's review
4.0
Jill Lepore’s book The Name of War provides a unique perspective on how we have come to understand the events and significance of King Philip’s War. Lepore clearly illustrates how sensational writing has affected the lasting interpretations of these events, incensing not only the people of the seventeenth century but continuing to outline the framework for how this violence is studied today.
In her introduction, Lepore states that “truth in war is relative.” Her analysis of the publications and propaganda throughout King Philip’s War attempts to prove this point, demonstrating that the mastery of language holds the power to not only redefine, but to recreate historical events. By analyzing the available pieces of writing from this time period, as well as evaluating that which was not said, Lepore presents us with a stark view of the power of the written language.
In her introduction, Lepore states that “truth in war is relative.” Her analysis of the publications and propaganda throughout King Philip’s War attempts to prove this point, demonstrating that the mastery of language holds the power to not only redefine, but to recreate historical events. By analyzing the available pieces of writing from this time period, as well as evaluating that which was not said, Lepore presents us with a stark view of the power of the written language.
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