⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.5 stars rounded up to 4) Nathan Harris’s Amity is a gripping story about a brother and sister, emancipated from slavery but still searching for true freedom, and their odyssey across the deserts of Mexico to reunite—all while fleeing a former master who refuses to let them go. Set in 1866, the novel follows Coleman and June, siblings separated when their former owner hauls June off to Mexico chasing silver and control. When Coleman is later summoned to follow, what unfolds is a sprawling adventure filled with shipwrecks, captivity, desert crossings, and a relentless chase. Both siblings must wrestle with a hard truth: freedom isn’t always given—it’s taken. Harris […]
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The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
In The Demon of Unrest, Erik Larson dives into the chaotic five months between Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 election and the outbreak of the Civil War, with the focus squarely on Fort Sumter. Larson brings his trademark depth to the narrative, weaving together perspectives from key figures like Major Robert Anderson, a conflicted Union officer, and Mary Chesnut, a Southern diarist grappling with slavery and societal roles. Drawing from diaries, letters, and historical documents, Larson delivers a richly detailed account of how miscommunications and inflamed egos pushed the nation to the brink. That said, this book didn’t quite land for me. While the level of detail is impressive, I found it […]
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