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The War That Forged a Nation
- Why the Civil War Still Matters
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
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Publisher's summary
More than 140 years ago, Mark Twain observed that the Civil War had "uprooted institutions that were centuries old, changed the politics of a people, transformed the social life of half the country, and wrought so profoundly upon the entire national character that the influence cannot be measured short of two or three generations". In fact five generations have passed, and Americans are still trying to measure the influence of the immense fratricidal conflict that nearly tore the nation apart.
In The War that Forged a Nation, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James M. McPherson considers why the Civil War remains so deeply embedded in our national psyche and identity. The drama and tragedy of the war, from its scope and size - an estimated death toll of 750,000, far more than the rest of the country's wars combined - to the nearly mythical individuals involved - Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson - help explain why the Civil War remains a topic of interest. But the legacy of the war extends far beyond historical interest or scholarly attention.
McPherson ultimately proves the impossibility of understanding the issues of our own time unless we first understand their roots in the era of the Civil War. From racial inequality and conflict between the North and South to questions of state sovereignty or the role of government in social change - these issues, McPherson shows, are as salient and controversial today as they were in the 1860s.
Thoughtful, provocative, and authoritative, The War That Forged a Nation looks anew at the reasons America's Civil War has remained a subject of intense interest for the past century and a half and affirms the enduring relevance of the conflict for America today.
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- Carole T.
- 08-11-16
A Different Kind of History from McPherson
I don't think anyone doubts the credentials James McPherson brings to any study of the American Civil War. After plowing through (I am not a buff!) a couple of his (admittedly worthwhile) longer works, I frankly wondered what he still had to say.
The appeal of this collection of essays is not particularly in its new or exhaustive material - it's in the organization of the presentation. Sometimes he's answering critics or those with whose conclusions he disagrees. Some essays are relegated to updating his previous works - it is wonderful that he takes his arguments into the 21st century. And a couple simply reconfirm and refine his evaluation of the splendid Abraham Lincoln as man, as commander in chief, as President.
What all these writings do is confirm McPherson's clear, intelligent, and accomplished writing skills. While I cannot speak for dedicated and much-better informed Civil War historians and enthusiasts, I would especially recommend this book to those who have never had the opportunity or inclination to read McPherson's longer works on the subject. The parts of this book can be appreciated in pieces (or even out of order) and make for an excellent, educational listen.
Grover Gardner is perfect as narrator. His clear, precise manner and distinctive voice very much complement and enhance the material.
McPherson is right: this part of our history still matters and affects us all in ways we rarely consider or recognize and often forget. "The War that Forged a Nation" serves as a valuable reminder.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Rick
- 06-09-16
Surprisingly Well Done!
As an amateur historian and Civil War buff, I'v read enough books on the subject that material can become repetitive. That is to say, we're only talking about 4 years here so there is always a fear of regurgitation to some extent. There has to be. Under this title, i didn't have that sense. Though I have heard a few of the anecdotes, I was pleasantly surprised with how it was presented and how each chapter, though not building on previous chapters, melds together nicely, and makes for an excellent read!
James McPherson is no stranger to the subject which makes me wonder how many quotes I've read in other books came from these works? We all know how the war ends, who the villains are, who the poor generalship originates from and how the Great Emancipator succumbs to a radical. But the way the information is provided is refreshing in comparison to several other works I've read.
And Grover Gardner does and excellent job too! His voiced inflection is perfect and his delivery is effortless which has me gravitating towards most of his narrations. This is a pretty darn good book and well worth your time. You will not be bored in the least.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Joshua
- 07-28-15
Excellence in book form
I loved this book! I feel as though my knowledge of the civil war has grown significantly!
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8 people found this helpful
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- Gretchen Hunter
- 01-10-16
Great Overview
What made the experience of listening to The War That Forged a Nation the most enjoyable?
The narrator. Grover Gardner is one of the best narrators.
Any additional comments?
While I expected more from the foremost Civil War historian, this is still a good book. It is more of an overview of the war. I would have liked more in depth discussion but was not disappointed.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Craig Bell
- 09-11-15
As good as it gets!
Narration excellent. Much information new to me about the war itself. All new to me about reconstruction and the impact that does still have its effect today. The new round of "voting restriction laws " is a replay of reconstruction times.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Aaron Eagle
- 07-09-15
So why did it still matter?
Some interesting facts and stories. The whole book seemed rather disjointed. There was no clear reason started about why the war still matters today. A good read if you want a bunch of random stories that don't come to any point or conclusion at the end.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Sydney Thayer
- 03-22-16
A fair summary but ...
Would you try another book from James McPherson and/or Grover Gardner?
This book is simply a summary of main ideas from his much better book: Battle Cry of Freedom...Read That!
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- Stephen
- 03-21-16
The War that Forged a Nation - Another View on ACW
Story: The book delivers on the supporting title - Why the Civil War Still Matters. The author explores and expounds on the trends before and during the American Civil War that still echoes up today. It is worth the read or listening.
Reader: Good and an interesting voice.
Production: Good.
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- D.SHAY
- 02-19-16
great book
very nicely done,good fact gathering,super narrator, impressive. I recommend to any and all who like the civil war
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- Bernard
- 02-14-16
A prelude to Jim Ctow
James McPherson carefully details the prelude to the Civil War, the military victory, and the failures to reconstruct the Union. These failures have ramifications even today and that leads us to The New Jim Crow. Well done.
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Story
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom and many other award-winning books, James M. McPherson is America's preeminent Civil War historian. Now, in this collection of provocative and illuminating essays, McPherson offers fresh insight into many of the most enduring questions about one of the defining moments in our nation's history.
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An Introduction to McPherson
- By Roy on 05-03-09
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For Cause and Comrades
- Why Men Fought in the Civil War
- By: James M. McPherson
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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James McPherson shows that, contrary to what many scholars believe, the soldiers of the Civil War remained powerfully convinced of the ideals for which they fought throughout the conflict. Motivated by duty and honor, and often by religious faith, these men wrote frequently of their firm belief in the cause for which they fought: the principles of liberty, freedom, justice, and patriotism. For Cause and Comrades lets these soldiers tell their own stories in their own words to create an account that is both deeply moving and far truer than most books on war.
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Ambitious idea but falls short
- By Matt M on 08-03-20
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Tried by War
- Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief
- By: James M. McPherson
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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As we approach the bicentennial of Lincoln'sbirth in 2009, this work provides a genuinely novel, even timely, view of the most written about figure in our history. Tried by War offers a revelatory portrait of leadership during the greatest crisis our nation has ever endured. How Lincoln overcame feckless generals, fickle public opinion, and his own paralyzing fears is a story at once suspenseful and inspiring.
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Fantastic Read
- By Chris Morin on 03-21-17
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Crossroads of Freedom
- Antietam
- By: James M. McPherson
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Through historical newspaper accounts and the personal letters of soldiers, the events leading up to the battle and the battle itself are stunningly recreated. You will enter the mind of Robert E. Lee as he makes the fateful decision to cross the Potomac River and take the offensive. You will feel the frustration of Abraham Lincoln as he struggles to convince George McClellan to fight. And you will stand side-by-side with foot soldiers as the peaceful Maryland countryside explodes.
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Far beyond the scope of the battle
- By A. McDonald on 01-26-04
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Battle Cry of Freedom
- The Civil War Era
- By: James M. McPherson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 39 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Battle Cry of Freedom vividly traces how a new nation was forged when a war both sides were sure would amount to little dragged for four years and cost more American lives than all other wars combined. Narrator Jonathan Davis powerful reading brings to life the many voices of the Civil War.
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Excellent Book
- By J. Weston on 12-11-20
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The Coming Fury
- The Centennial History of the Civil War, Volume 1
- By: Bruce Catton
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 20 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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> The New York Times hailed this trilogy as “one of the greatest historical accomplishments of our time”. With stunning detail and insights, America’s foremost Civil War historian recreates the war from its opening months to its final, bloody end. Each volume delivers a complete listening experience. The Coming Fury (Volume 1) covers the split Democratic Convention in the spring of 1860 to the first battle of Bull Run.
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History As It Should Be
- By Bryan on 07-19-11
By: Bruce Catton
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1861: The Civil War Awakening
- By: Adam Goodheart
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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As the United States marks the 150th anniversary of our defining national drama, 1861 presents a gripping and original account of how the Civil War began. 1861 is an epic of courage and heroism beyond the battlefields. Early in that fateful year, a second American revolution unfolded, inspiring a new generation to reject their parents' faith in compromise and appeasement, to do the unthinkable in the name of an ideal.
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Not what I expected
- By Sol on 07-01-11
By: Adam Goodheart
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Alexander Hamilton
- By: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
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Ron Chernow, whom the New York Times called "as elegant an architect of monumental histories as we've seen in decades", now brings to startling life the man who was arguably the most important figure in American history, who never attained the presidency, but who had a far more lasting impact than many who did.
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Abridged history
- By Nick on 02-19-07
By: Ron Chernow
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Fateful Lightning
- A New History of the Civil War and Reconstruction
- By: Allen C. Guelzo
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 26 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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In Fateful Lightning, two-time Lincoln Prize-winning historian Allen C. Guelzo offers a marvelous portrait of the Civil War and its era, covering not only the major figures and epic battles, but also politics, religion, gender, race, diplomacy, and technology. He examines the strategy, the tactics, and the logistics of the Civil War and brings the most recent historical thinking to bear on emancipation, the presidency and the war powers, the blockade and international law, and the role of intellectuals, North and South.
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The worst part of this book is it's title
- By Rodney on 11-19-13
By: Allen C. Guelzo
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This Republic of Suffering
- Death and the American Civil War
- By: Drew Gilpin Faust
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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During the Civil War, 620,000 soldiers lost their lives - equivalent to six million in today's population. This Republic of Suffering explores the impact of the enormous death toll from material, political, intellectual, and spiritual angles. Drew Gilpin Faust delineates the ways death changed not only individual lives but the life of the nation and describes how a deeply religious culture reconciled the slaughter with its belief in a benevolent God.
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a unique civil war perspective
- By D. Littman on 04-21-08
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Armies of Deliverance
- A New History of the Civil War
- By: Elizabeth R. Varon
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Loyal Americans marched off to war in 1861 not to conquer the South but to liberate it. So argues Elizabeth R. Varon in Armies of Deliverance, a sweeping narrative of the Civil War and a bold new interpretation of Union and Confederate war aims. Northerners imagined the war as a crusade to deliver the Southern masses from slaveholder domination and to bring democracy, prosperity, and education to the region. As the war escalated, Lincoln and his allies built the case that emancipation would secure military victory and benefit the North and South alike.