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hammrdown's review against another edition
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
This book is an informative but a downright depressing accounting of the awful months in the country just before the start of the Civil War. With the lens of time, the error and evil of the humans-as-property viewpoint and lack of perspective from the slave states that they had no chance it would survive long term, speaks loudly on the danger of 'like-only-thinking.' The lack of understanding that 'cotton' was no economic savior for the south long term, nor their agricultural prominence having import to Europe and the world gave them no realistic chance to be a real power/country post a delusional peaceful succession The book does a great job of pointing to the inevitableness of the clash starting in South Carolina. It showed that although the specifics of timing and early months of battles may have differed with a few choices by Buchanan or the non-supportive Lincoln cabinet, it is clear that civil war was just "when", not "if". The research started by author Larson in early covid days in 2020, could not be any more timely for people in 2024 to understand that sticking to 'the old ways' is not going to work any better today than it did in the 19th century. Unfortunately, many of those involved in current divisive and exclusionary behavior are not likely to benefit from the lessons in the book and are more likely to take false bravado from long lost dangerous views of chivalry shared by Mr. Larson.
transplanteddesertrose's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0
A tense, dark saga of a similarly fraught time period in American history and politics. It’s a chilling reminder of what can happen when we utterly misunderstand opposing viewpoints.
erinnh's review
4.0
The Demon of Unrest does not disappoint. Those already familiar with Erik Larson will find all the stuff they love about his work here, and new readers are sure to be enchanted as well.
While the book follows several key players, I found the chapters focused on Major Anderson most compelling, especially because he was not someone that my primary education focused too much on. Larson has a real talent for immersing readers in the atmosphere of the times he is writing about, and while there is A LOT of granular detail here, I feel like most of it added to the narrative rather than detracted from it. But if you’re someone who wants more of a minimalist account when reading history, it is something to note. But this was definitely an interesting and timely read given the parallels with the current political atmosphere.
Overall, I enjoyed it and I learned a lot. I would certainly recommend it to readers of narrative nonfiction and American history.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the eArc in exchange for an honest review!*
While the book follows several key players, I found the chapters focused on Major Anderson most compelling, especially because he was not someone that my primary education focused too much on. Larson has a real talent for immersing readers in the atmosphere of the times he is writing about, and while there is A LOT of granular detail here, I feel like most of it added to the narrative rather than detracted from it. But if you’re someone who wants more of a minimalist account when reading history, it is something to note. But this was definitely an interesting and timely read given the parallels with the current political atmosphere.
Overall, I enjoyed it and I learned a lot. I would certainly recommend it to readers of narrative nonfiction and American history.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the eArc in exchange for an honest review!*
janetsbarth's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0