Erik Larson does a deep dive into precursors of the Civil War.

His look at primary sources and historical documents provides a fresh account of all the forces in America as secession becomes a political movement, Lincoln makes his way to the Presidential office, and the Union and the fledgling Confederate States battle for Fort Sumter.

Relying on many diaries at the time, we follow a leading secessionist, a cotton plantation owner’s wife, Lincoln, and the Major tasked with making a stand for federal property in Charleston.

Larson’s strengths remain his ability to craft history into a compelling narrative and his use of historic details.

Even if you are not a Civil War buff, you will enjoy this look at the split of the North and South over a state’s right to enslave other people. Larson gives primary documentation that proves the attempt to rebrand the Civil War as a conflict over state’s rights rather than slavery was a clumsy attempt and not based in political forces at the time.

Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing this ARC for a review.

Erik Larson always writes incredibly well-done popular history, and his newest book, about Fort Sumter and the start of the Civil War, is no different. Like always, The Demon of Unrest is contains firsthand accounts from all sides of the conflict, using letters, diaries, official reports, and other primary sources.

The book does an incredible job of explaining the differing attitudes and viewpoints between the North and the South surrounding the war, especially regarding the South. Larson takes great pains to describes how the South's love affair with chivalry and honor, its seething hatred of Northern interference, and it's obsession with states' rights all combined to a boiling point surrounding slavery (because yes, the Civil War was in fact about slavery!). He also points out exactly how much the North underestimated the strength of these views and how this impacted their response to Southern aggression initially.

Fascinating.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I’ve read several novels by Erik Larson now and again, his research that went into The Demon of Unrest did not disappoint. As a Canadian, we learned the basics of the Civil War so most of the information in this book was new to me. This book in a very in depth look at the lead up to the Civil War. I found the use of personal diary entries from both sides really help to build the story and bring everything together. This book is a must read for anyone who has an interest in American history, especially the politics that led to the Civil War.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC of this book.

I give up!! I am a big fan of Erik Larson but this book was just plain tedious. I quit about 55% into the book when the author took an over a Kindle page to describe the physical appearance of Secretary of State Seward. This is just the last straw of many tedious passages in the book. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but this was worse than reading a history textbook in school. The minutiae of the lead up to the Civil War should be fascinating, but Larson has gone overboard. I appreciate the opportunity to review the ARC of this novel from Crown Books and NetGalley.

NONFICTION, historic-buildings, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, due-diligence, greed, cruelty, slavery, human-trafficking, human-rights, entitled-attitude, politics, politicians, manipulation, lies, literacy, American Civil War*****

Talk about impressive diligence in research and turning it into far more than an educational tome! This intense study brings us from basic politics to the brink of the US Civil War, complete with the black mold on each side and the blind ignorance as well. Larson always makes us think and extrapolate from history to today. Of course I have bought the audio!
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected ebook file from Crown Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you.

There’s nobody who can get me more engaged for a nonfiction book like Erik Larson. The way he weaves all of these historical documents and references into a linear narrative is wild! This reads like buildup to a war in a fictional realm. Not THE Civil War. Kudos to Larson and team for putting out another fantastic book. This is a must read for all!

What I like most about The Demon of Unrest are the choices the author makes to bring his narrative to life. For instance, I'd never heard of Edmund Ruffin, whose enmity towards Washington politicians and Northern abolitionists reminds me of some of the vitriolic members of our current Congress. Larson's meticulous research shows that while the Civil War would likely have started without Ruffin, his fervor certainly fanned the flames. His use of the writings of Russell, the British journalist, was another delight. Russell brought the setting of this story to life in a way that only an outsider to the crisis could have.
This is not Abraham Lincoln's story, but I would like to have heard more from the incoming president. I was a little confused as to why it took so long to decide what to do about Fort Sumter, a decision that Lincoln seemed to make hastily.
I learned so much reading this book, but it was by no means a dry textbook. The book is full of great writing, a fair amount of humor, and terrific insights into the times the led up to the Civil War.
Thanks to the publisher for furnishing a pre-publication copy of this book.

Eric Lawson did what he usually does in his books and that is retells history in a most interesting way. This story is about how Lincons presidency effects the north and south and the beginning of the Civil War.

I always enjoy how he focuses on individuals to humanize events during history.

I want to thank Netgalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

In his newest book, The Demon Of Unrest, Erik Larson focuses on the six months between the contentious election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States in November 1860 and the attack on Fort Sumter, SC in April 1861 which was the opening battle of the Civil War. Though the country was already deeply divided (far worse than our division of today) the fact is the seeds of secession had been sown well before Lincoln's election. And while the conflict was centered around slavery, the divisions between North and South were far deeper and tragically misunderstood by both sides. By focusing on a handful of the key personalities, Larson reveals the conflicting visions between the two sides and how they collided with tragic results. Larson once again reveals an ability to both introduce us to figures from history that have been largely forgotten while at the same time revealing aspects of individuals such as Lincoln who may be more familiar but still uncovering aspects of his character that had not been well-illuminated in past biographies. Larson is the preeminent writer of narrative non-fiction writing today. The Demon of Unrest is another outstanding volume and well worth the read.

This is not Larson's best work. I would say this is just okay. Larson chooses to focus on particular individuals which I don't really understand. For example, James Hammond, a secessionist slave owner who made a speech in Congress defending slavery, is one of the subjects Larson dedicates space to. But there were many secessionists in Congress leading up to the Civil War. There were many pro-slavery people in Congress who gave many speeches in defense of slavery. So when we have a chapter dedicated to James Hammond's disgusting and coercive sexual relationships with all of his nieces and several of his slaves, I can't help but think that the reason Larson chose such a subject is for the shock value of it all. It certainly doesn't contribute to what Larson contends is the central thesis of this book: comparing January 6th and talk of Civil War now to how Civil War broke out in the past. But the book is mostly dedicated to Fort Sumter and pages and pages worth of minutiae about how to fire cannons and how heavy cannons are and the supplies for the troops trying to hold Fort Sumter after South Carolina seceded, etc etc. You do come to realize how there seemed to be an inevitability about it all by the time Union troops were stationed at Sumter and refused to leave, which doesn't provide insight into how relations really reached that point. I think more space needed to be dedicated to the time before South Carolina seceded. There were moments of brilliance when Larson started to dig into how the northerners viewed the southerners and vice versa, but there just wasn't enough there for me. These threads were thing, frayed, and nebulous at best.

I love anything and everything from Erik Larson so I knew I had to read this book when I saw it was coming out. The Demon of Unrest details the time leading up to the Civil War after Lincoln's election. As Erik Larson does so well, he weaves the known history from the time with the unkown people and events you don't usually learn about. This is what I love to learn about makes the history so interesting- the stories and background that never get told.

I learned a lot from this book as the Civil War is a topic I don't usually read about. I have read so many books and novels on WWII it was nice to learn about a different period of history.

As always, Erik Larson books are meticulously researched and packed full of information. “The demon of Unrest” covers the events leading up to the battle of Fort Sumter, both on the Union side and the Confederacy, particularly in South Carolina. Really, most of the book predates Union/Confederacy.

I did think this book was rather slow, and not as engaging as some of Larson’s other books. However, I learned a lot & enjoyed some of the anecdotes & historic gossip.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Erik Larson, and publisher Crown Publishing for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book.

"The Demon of Unrest" is a fine piece of non-fiction writing, covering the few months between Lincoln's election and the attack on Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Erik Larson fills out the "the south fired on Ft. Sumter and the war began" trope to explain exactly what happened and how it could have gone either way. Everyone is working in the dark (sometimes literally) due to the difficulty of mid-19th century communication and most of the participants knew each other, having been part of a US branch of service.

This is interesting, but what in this book is really gripping are the words of people he chose to reflect different view points surrounding the beginning of the Civil War. Edwin Ruffin, a Virginia planter and a leader of the Fire-eaters, a pro-slavery group, traveled tirelessly throughout the south whipping up passion for secession. Already in his late 60s with long silver hair, Ruffin would ride a cannon into battle at Ft. Sumter. Larson delves into the culture of South Carolina where the elite called themselves "The Chivalry" and based behavior on the novels of Sir Walter Scott. He wisely uses the words of witty and observant Southerner Mary Chesnut, who recorded life throughout the Civil War in a series of diaries. And finally, Times of London correspondent William Russell, who is one of the few reporters to actually travel south where he was struck by the warlike character of the south's jubilation over secession. "The intense hatred of the Yankee on the part of these people cannot be conceived by anyone who has not seen them, he wrote.

Larson fills us in on what happened to these voices--Mary Chesnut's family penniless and their home destroyed: Russell was forced back to England when he was unwilling to lie about Union success in battle.

The Ft. Sumter battle preparations went to long for me, so I'm giving "The Demon of Unrest" 4.5 stars rounded up. Those who currently talk of civil war would do well to read this book Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital review copy of rik Larson's latest. All opinions are my own.

The crux of the book is the 5 month interval from the election of Lincoln to the firing on fort Sumter. With his usual brilliance Larson makes that period come alive with detailed and meticulously researched depictions of the dispute between north and south (captured with a wonderful description of Charleston “ chivalry” and all that it entailed) and vivid portrayals of Buchanan, Lincoln , Seward and several major characters of the rebellion. His brilliance is in bringing history “alive”, making it as engaging as any work of fiction. A MUST READ-for historians and for all of us living with the great present division in our country.

The five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War were the, at the time, most unruly time in America.

As expected Erik Larson has a masterpiece of a book with The Demon of Unrest, bringing a new light to the war between the states. This is a true political horror story and this book should be taught in schools.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Erik Larson, a master of historical nonfiction, delivers yet another compelling work in "The Demon of Unrest". As someone who counts Larson among my top 5 authors, I was thrilled to secure an advanced reader copy,

At first glance, the topic—centred around the tumultuous period from Lincoln's election to the firing on Fort Sumter—might seem familiar. After all, the American Civil War has been dissected and analyzed extensively. As a history major with a focus on US history, I was initially disappointed when the book showed up on Goodreads a few months in advance as I doubted I needed yet another schooling on the subject. However, Larson's deft touch transformed my initial doubts into genuine engagement.

Larson's commitment to historical research shines through every page. Organized into an almost daily chronology, his incorporation of first-hand accounts and primary quotes breathes life into the events and characters. His narrative style keeps the tension high and made me speed through this book quickly. Whether it's the political maneuvering in Washington or the soldiers' grim preparations for battle, Larson's vivid descriptions transport us to the heart of the action. Larson deftly weaves together multiple perspectives from diaries, letters, and newspapers, creating a tapestry of human experiences against the backdrop of impending war. The pacing is relentless, mirroring the urgency of the times and the looming conflict to come.

As a devoted reader of Larson's works, "The Demon of Unrest" didn't disappoint. It reminded me why I admire Larson and why the wait time between books is worth it — his ability to unearth forgotten stories, illuminate pivotal moments, and leave us pondering the echoes of history.

I highly recommend it to fellow Larson fans, history enthusiasts, and anyone seeking a gripping account of a nation teetering on the brink of civil war.

This was an ARC review for NetGalley.

Yet again, Erik Larson delivers a thorough and captivating history book that has all the magic and prose of great fiction. He manages to use the mundane day-to-day lives and interactions of those in Civil War South Carolina to show the true depth and emotion of the people that were part of the broader picture during this time.

As a long-time fan of Larson's, I'm not at all surprised that he had me enthralled in a segment of history that I thought I'd have no interest in. Bravo. Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this ARC.

Takes time to examine the months leading up to the Civil War, the politicians involved, and the weight of the decisions that were taken. Many history books on the Civil War start with the aftermath of Fort Sumter, so this one stands apart as focusing on the build-up to it.

Erik Larson is one of those special writers who can dive deep into history and write a historical saga that’s more engrossing than any fiction. “The Demon of Unrest” is no exception, with Larson delivering the story of the five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War. At a time when our nation is currently so divided, it was fascinating to learn about another incredibly tense time in American history.

Remember being assigned required Summer Reading in high school? I wish I could assign this book as required reading to the whole country…we have a lot we can learn from our history, and thank goodness for author’s like Larson for putting that history in our hands.

Erik Larson’s writing and research sing the song of a nation on the brink of the war of secession. Lushly descriptive, brilliantly bringing staid history to life, finding the living, breathing aspects to life that both drove and resisted the rebellion so vibrantly that we can feel the flames of war. This is living history as it should be told and enjoyed. It should be required reading. Although I received an ARC, I note that I feel so strongly about Larson’s history lesson that I have purchased multiple copies of this book, for myself and others. I highly recommend it.