The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

by Erik Larson

Book Overview

#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...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385348746
• ISBN13: 9780385348744
• Release Date: April 2024
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 592 Pages
• Weight: 2.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

when history reads like a novel

Erik Larson takes real life events and weaves them into page-turners. (See his books about the Titanic and the Chicago Exposition.) THIS book is about the lead-up to the Civil War, the intrigues, mistakes, miscommunications, shifting alliances and just plain human nature that swirled around 3 cities (Charleston, DC and Montgomery) in the year leading up to the firing on Ft. Sumter which initiated the conflict. I lived in Charleston for years, and still live in the Lowcountry, so the geography is familiar; and I've read a lot about "the late unpleasantness" -- but Erik has all the "receipts" and a lot of it is just astounding. How close we came to having no war at all. How misunderstood were both sides by the other. But most interesting are the never-spoken-of similarities to the times we are in now, with similar misunderstandings, miscommunications, hyperbole and saber rattling. This is a great read (or listen). Read all Larson's books!