The Demon of Unrest - Erik Larson

The Demon of Unrest

By Erik Larson

  • Release Date: 2024-04-30
  • Genre: U.S. History
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 1,196 Ratings

Description

#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

A PARADE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

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 Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a 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, Sumter’s 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 inevitable—one 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 brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.

Reviews

  • Tedious

    2
    By Chewminiman
    I found this book very tedious to read.
  • Divided America - 1861

    5
    By Sparkkler
    Tales of the Civil War often skip to major battles like Gettysburg or Antietam, but we seldom hear about the events which opened the war at Ft.Sumter. Erik Larsen gives the reader a meaningful personal glimpse into the events and the individuals which contributed to opening America’s most costly war.
  • Great book

    5
    By Daveindiego
    Every one of his books is great.
  • Average

    3
    By DeeGee13
    Didn’t have the zest of other Larson books. And I have read them all. Could have trimmed off 15-20%.
  • Demon of Unrest

    4
    By olddue1
    I enjoyed the book and found it a very good refresher about American Civil War history. The book became somewhat tedious at times. Intricate details about historical figures slowed the narrative flow typical of other Larson titles.
  • Must Read

    5
    By ~FRANZ~
    Excellent
  • Demon of Unrest

    5
    By R. Lias
    The eloquence, and grace of Larson’s brilliant storytelling is remarkably contrasted by his unvarnished, shocking fact-sharing about the criminal inhumanity of the peculiar institution of slavery in America. Larson's researched based writing always tells the non-fiction story in a spellbinding novelistic fashion that makes history come alive on his pages. Bravo!
  • Powerful historical insights

    5
    By TybeeTim
    Great walk through the history of the launch of the Civil War beginning with the battle at Ft Sumter in Charleston. Well written, documented & powerful observations about key participants on both sides of this tragic war.
  • Fantastic

    4
    By Auggie's Man
    Learned a lot, and the writing was superb.
  • Should be required reading for all Americans.

    5
    By CO'DC
    Deeply detailed and personal accounts of the forces shaping the outset of the Civil War.