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The Demon of Unrest
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War | Erik Larson
3 posts | 5 read
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The author of The Splendid and the Vile brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War in this riveting reexamination of a nation in tumult (Los Angeles Times). A feast of historical insight and narrative verve . . . This is Erik Larson at his best, enlivening even a thrice-told tale into an irresistible thriller.The Wall Street Journal On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter. Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincolns election and the Confederacys shelling of Sumtera period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them. At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumters commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between them. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous secretary of state, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitableone that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans. Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brinka dark reminder that we often dont see a cataclysm coming until its too late.
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NotCool
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Mehso-so

Larson is a good author. But there was some language that felt wrong. I think it came from primary sources. But it was weird. Using the term “relationship” to describe owners having sex with women and girls they own is a weird, racist, old fashioned soft pedaling of rape. You can‘t consent, if you can‘t safely say “No”.

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Loanne
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Pickpick

This factual account of the five months between Lincoln‘s election and the start of the civil war was well-written and absorbing. A non fiction narrative that produced insights on the values, thoughts and emotions of famous people as well as the lesser known characters. The increase of rhetoric and missed opportunities for unity made secession certain. An interesting read but I found it, sadly, very relatable to our current times.

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DHill
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One of my favorites by Erik Larson. As always well-researched and well-written and Will Patton‘s narration evokes a mental movie-reel. Crazy historical parallels and ahhhh Easter Egg references.