I love that Erik Larson makes nonfiction and history accessible and interesting to a larger audience. There are a number of people in my life who have talked about how The Devil in the White City got them back into reading, and they get excited about every new Larson release. I just wish his writing style worked better for me. I thought if any Larson book would work for me, it would be one about the American Civil War, and I did like this more than anything else I've read by him.

Larson begins the project by referencing the January 6th attack on the US Capitol, the only time he references modern politics, but that comment leaves the reader thinking about the event (and the entirety of the Trump years) through the whole book. He then uses personal narratives of several people to tell the story of the 1860 election through to the first shots at Fort Sumter. His research is thorough and the narrative is engaging. As one of my friends said, "I keep thinking I'll stop at the end of a chapter, and then he drops something that just makes me want to keep reading!" In that respect, it is an easy read but there is something that doesn't quite work for me and I haven't been able to put my finger on it.

TLDR REVIEW

The Demon of Unrest
By Erik Larson

Read with:
Audiobook 🎧
Ebook 📱
Hard cover 📕

Rating: 👁️👁️👁️👁️/5

Goodreads rating: 4.29

Certified Unputdownable? No.

🛗 pitch: Inside the minds and events of one of the most riveting moments in American history

Thoughts:

-I have read and watched A LOT about the Fort Sumter crisis. This was the first time I’ve felt like the people involved were human and not historic abstractions. I feel like this is Larson’s super power.

-This was actually my first Larson, and I definitely see the hype around his storytelling.

-Unbelievably well-researched.

-Pairs well with Ken Burns’s Civil War, which I watched alongside reading this book 🥰

-I’m under no illusion that this book is for everyone. Like most history, it’s definitely still dry. However, if you’re interested in trying some historical nonfiction, this is much more accessible and interesting than 90% of what’s out there.

-Your dad will LOVE this book

-This was definitely my favorite Civil War-related nonfiction I’ve read. I could see re-reading this in a few years.

-Audiobook was awesome, read by Will Patton, one of my favorites out there right now

So sometimes you want an in-depth, focused, academic historic tome on a subject and then sometimes you want the popular history version. Erik Larson has always succeeded in providing excellent narrative histories of events and I’ve enjoyed his books since I read Devil in the White City. His last few books had focused on the twentieth century and World Wars, all of which I would highly recommend, especially Dead Wake about the sinking of the Lusitania. So this book, which focused on the run up to the beginning of the Civil War and the battle of Fort Sumter, was a bit unexpected. And maybe because I have been listening to the excellent podcast, the Civil War & Reconstruction, this work just fell a bit flat for me.

Larson provides a chronological examination of the events that led up to the first battle of the Civil War, the increasing tensions in the nation as the Southern states tried to ensure that slavery could move into the new territories while the Northern states advocated to make sure that the “peculiar institution” remained only in the places it was already established. Since South Carolina was the first state to secede and Sumter was in Charleston, Larson focuses most of his attention for the first half of the book there, specifically on James Hammond and the chivalry culture that was prevalent throughout the South. Larson also follows Edwin Ruffin, an Virginia planter who was a strong proponent for secession.

While I understand the need to examine how the U.S. got to the point of accivil war, the time and attention spent on these two specific individuals just threw me for some reason. Larson quotes heavily from Mary Boykin Chestnut, as many historians of the period do since her diary, kept throughout the war, provides a first hand account of the Southern planter culture’s thoughts. Hammond and Ruffin are both fairly despicable characters, one a vainglorious blowhard that raped four of his underage nieces and the other a strident racist who cherished his ability to fire the first cannon of the war and cheered the death of Northern soliders at the Battle of Manassas. The South was full of people like these two for sure but there is also a very real economic discussion for why the South chose to fight. I am not sure why Larson focused on them and the culture of the Duel Chivalry; did he think that it would ensure the reader saw the Southern planter culture as ridiculous (which really it was)? If so, the writing somehow misses the mark and the reader is left feeling a little bit uneasy by all the attention lavished on these people who subjected and abused a whole class of people for their own comfort and gain.

Finally, when it came to the battle itself, Larson goes back and forth between the powers that be in Washington, the commanders at the forts outside Charleston, and the government of the Confederacy, in a somewhat jarring fashion and it was hard to follow the narrative. It might have worked to have just followed Captain Anderson at the Fort and then provided a detailed analysis of what was going on behind the scenes once Larson had described the battle.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad book, but I don’t think it was Larson’s finest. Taking on the Civil War, an area of history that has been written about by some of the greatest historians of the last fifty years, is a tough task; I am not sure that there was much added to the canon. If you are someone with just a passing interest in the Civil War and are looking for a good place to start reading about it, this might not be a bad place to start but I think there are just so many other books that provide excellent insight into this first stage of the war.

Also, I need to give a shout out to The Civil War & Reconstruction podcast, it took them almost 35 episodes to get to the first battle of the war so that should tell you what a thorough job they are doing!

THE DEMON OF UNREST, by Erik Larson, is a entertaining chronicle of the beginnings of the Civil War. Using the initial conflict at Ft Sumter as a guidepost, Larson uses public speeches and edicts, personal diaries, journalist's reports, amongst other historical documents to recount an amazing time in our country's history that has some eerily similar characteristics to politics today.
Larson writes books like they are epic movies. The reader can feel the intensity in the air, picture the scene of the action, and connect with the emotions of everyone involved. Larson also uses facts from journals and other historical items to make sure he is telling the right story, but he also uses logic (and admits as such within the book) to connect the missing dots so that reader can see the greater story. The key players, from Lincoln, to Major Anderson, to Edmund Ruffin are fascinating individuals that much of who they are are lost to history (save Lincoln) who Larson has brought out their humanity like never before.
I'm normally not a Civil War reader, but once I got into this book I couldn't put it down because even though I knew what was coming, I felt like I didn't and was excited to find out all of the things I didn't know about the start of the Civil War. THE DEMON OF UNREST is a great read and I think most readers will find it compelling from beginning to end.

Brilliant. Fantastic. Engaging. Very thought provoking. And very much a larger-than-life Erik Larson book.

As with the last five nonfiction books I have recently read, I went into this knowing a little about the subject matter: as someone who has read quite a bit of Civil War material, I was pretty sure I had read about Fort Sumter and that much of this would feel familiar, even if it was just a little bit.
AND, much like what has happened with the previous books I quickly found out how wrong I was [which was totally okay, because that meant I was going to LEARN something - my favorite thing]. So I settled in, prepared for a master class lesson in the first "battle" of the Civil War [make sure you read the notes by the author at the end - they add some great information to the overall story]; what I got was all that and SO much more.

I *knew* the war had started at Fort Sumter, but that turns out to be the extent of my knowledge. What I did know about was Lincoln's trip to Washington as the President-elect, the danger he faced [all while not really believing that the danger was real], and the protection Lincoln received from The Pinkerton's [including the great Kate Warne], due to two amazing books I read on this subject [The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Kill Lincoln Before the Civil War by Daniel Stashower and Better Angels: A Kate Warne Adventure by Jeff Jensen and George Schall - Illustrator, a graphic novel about this very trip and the bravery this amazing woman exhibited].
Everything else, from President Buchanan being a less-than-stellar leader [especially at the end of his presidency; he could not shake the dust off fast enough], to the POV's of the Southerners [that Mrs. Chestnut was a real piece of work, and I am so glad I never had to meet Edmund Ruffin, or read his vitriolic diary] who were on the forefront of the war, along with their thoughts and beliefs [these parts of the book were deeply uncomfortable, as they should be, and also deeply disconcerting given today's political unrest], was all new to me [not the overall vitriol of the South, but the very words and thoughts of them] and it was mind-boggling to see everything unfold as it did.

WHAT an amazing history lesson this has been! I enjoyed every bit of it [even the uncomfortable parts, because we will never grow if we are unable to read the hard stuff and LEARN from it] and hope that many read and learn from this amazing book as well.

Very well done!!

**A note about the narrator: Will Patton is one of my absolute favorites and I was so excited to see him as the narrator of this book. He does such a fantastic job and made the 1 1\2 month wait for this audiobook [from the library] totally worth it!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Erik Larson, Will Patton - Narrator, and Crown Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another winner for Erik Larson! I love his work and his writing style. He's able to make nonfiction read like a novel. I've read all of his work and with this being as far back into history as he's gone, I hope he goes back further!

Another great historical account from Erik Larson. This is not at all your boring historical text, but rather written in an engaging, story-telling way, while maintaining everything factual. It is easy to get absorbed into the stories of the individuals, events, and motivations behind such an important piece of American history and how it changed the course of the country. I was expecting to have to make myself get through the book in my journey to better understand history, but instead I kept reading for the pleasure of it.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

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: 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 both. 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. (Goodreads synopsis)

I enjoy Erik Larson’s writing. His novels, while as historically accurate as he can possibly make them, have a sort of dramatic element to them. It’s almost like hearing the musical track to a movie.

It’s also very poignant, because of our current events. Larson only mentions Jan 6th, 2021, at the beginning. However, there is an underlining deja vu as the reader is being informed of the concerns for Lincoln’s election and inauguration.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

I was really excited to get an advanced copy of Erik Larson's newest book from Netgalley, and it didn't disappoint. His newer books have a little slower pacing than his earlier books, but still fascinating. This was well-written, thoroughly researched, and the theme of Southern chivalry throughout the book was really effective to paint the picture of how the Civil War began--something I really didn't know much about before reading this book. Excellent book!

Absolutely loved this book. I thought I knew a lot about the civil war, but I realized while reading this that I had no idea how the civil war actually came to be. I learned so much. One of my favorite nonfiction reads of the year.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!
I've read many other books by Larson in the past, and this continues in the same stream as his others. Focused on the window of time leading up to the beginning of the Civil War (For Sumter), it centers in on a few parallel story lines- a debutante in Charleston, Major Anderson station at Fort Sumter, Lincoln and his cabinet, and a few southern rebels pushing for secession. It took awhile to get into the book (and to keep the various stories straight); once you get past that point, then it's smooth sailing from there. I have a background in American History and have studied the Civil War a lot; there were still nuggets of information in Larson's book that were new to me which was nice. Appreciate that he didn't just focus on the big stars of the story (Lincoln et.al.)- he gave equal time to to everyday people who lived and witnessed these events.

I'm not sure that I will finish this one--I may try to pick it up again at another time, but for now, it felt like it lacked the propulsive narrative that usually draws me into Erik Larson's books so well. The universe of characters felt too broad to connect to like I did with his past books. At first I thought this might have been due in part to the uncomfortable subject matter, but "In the Garden of Beasts" covered similar terrain but was focused on specific personal and social perspectives of the war, making it more engaging in my view. I think this would be enjoyable for those who are really into the Civil War, but I don't see it having the broad appeal of Larson's other historical nonfiction works.

I am usually a big fan of Erik Larson, but this one did not do it for me. I think there are huge gaps in this narrative – specifically, where are the words noted abolitionists, northern freed and free people? Why don’t we see any narratives from or about the enslaved peoples? Instead, there are dozens of pages dedicated to the diary of the loathsome Mary Chesnut. Edmund Ruffin is evil yet the way he is portrayed practically gives him hero status. Even though you know the ending, Major Anderson's plight is horrible and sad. Larson states that he was driven to write this book after the January 6th insurrection but all he succeeds in doing is elevating the successionists rather than finding learnings from their treason. Perhaps Larson shouldn't have veered off into writing fiction as it seems to have influenced his style - not for the better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the audiobook ARC.

Eric Larson does it again! This great book details the Civil War and what led up to it in an interesting and readable fashion. It is full of details that you didn’t learn in history class, along with interesting anecdotes and little known facts. His writing style is so comfortable for a nonfiction book, and pulls you in from the very beginning. I love Eric Larson, and his books, my only complaint would be that he doesn’t write more books more often! (Which is highly understandable, given the research required for his deep dives into historical events.) Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rounded up to 3.5 stars, this book was really hard for me. I found the history intriguing, and I absolutely loved “Devil in the White City” by the author, but maybe I just wasn’t in the right head space for Civil War history this month. The author definitely did a ton of research and I did enjoy seeing everything that led up to the beginning of the war.

THE DEMON OF UNREST is Erik Larson's newest title (published on April 30, 2024). Larson's strength is captivating narrative nonfiction; he delves into an historical moment and finds rich detail, bringing it to life.

In THE DEMON OF UNREST, he takes us to the time of Lincoln's election and the turmoil brewing between the states. South Carolina will secede before the inauguration, and other states follow. Then there is the tension surrounding Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor as events escalate and a battle feels imminent.

It is no easy feat to take events from centuries before and yet have readers on the edge of their seats with tension and anxiety, yet I was riveted. I have a general understanding of the events surrounding the Civil War, but the nuance and detail were not known to me.

This focus feels prescient, and Larson discusses how he began wondering during the polarization of the pandemic how the Civil War began, and the Insurrection at the Capitol on January 6 felt like a heightened moment juxtaposed against the certification of Lincoln's election.

Even with a host of strong reviews, this was my first Larson title, but it has certainly whetted my appetite for his backlist. His accolades are well deserved.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

This was dense and took me awhile to get through, but the pay off, as usual with Larson, was absolutely worth it. I learned so much and the narrative voice pulled me through. Highly recommend.

I don't think I would have read a book on this topic if the author wasn't Erik Larson, but he has never disappointed me before so read it I did and I was rewarded!,
I'm sure most Americans know that after Lincoln was elected, southern states began to secede. Then the Confederate Army fired on Fort Sumter in SC and the Civil War ensued. This is the story of the details of those events and there was so much I didn't know about all of this. A couple of my favorite tidbits:
Most Southerners assumed that the Union would be fine with them leaving. After they formed their government, they sent a delagation to Washington, expecting to be politely welcomed as the representatives of any foreign governement would be.
"States rights" was not just something the South grabbed hold of as a justification for the war. The Governor of South Carolina had a brother whose given name was "States Rights"! (But articles, speeches, and documents from the time make it very obvious, right from the start, that the war was about keeping the institution of slavery alive.)
The story of the defense of Fort Sumter encompassed months of uncertainty, frustration, drama, and courage.
I'd never heard any of this before. Great history book, with some important lessons for our nation today.

Here is the short version of the lead up to the Civil War. Driven by greed and bigotry, the rich plantation owners of the South were creeping towards separation from the United States. From its beginning, the United States had accommodated, compromised, and twisted itself into knots to appease the Southern states, but that wasn’t enough for them. They demanded total capitulation. They were finally driven over the edge by the fear that the election of Abraham Lincoln would end the reign of their business plan that depended on a pool of unpaid labor. The fact that Lincoln had no such plan didn’t get through to them, so some entitled idiots in South Carolina declared themselves free of the union of states and decided to attack Fort Sumter. The southerners got their fort, and four years of war. That is what happens when you give sway to the very worst of human nature.

This book details the long (extensively researched) build up to the attack on Fort Sumter. It covers only 5 months, but they were extremely tense and eventful months. President James Buchanan dithered and basically did nothing while the southerners plotted. Lincoln faced threats of assassination and was thrown into a crisis even before his inauguration. Major Robert Anderson managed to secretly smuggle his troops to Fort Sumter (that was actually exciting as well as clever). There is a lot of political maneuvering.

The book relies on written records for everything. These people were committed diary keepers. There is a lot of detail about biographies, personalities, physical characteristics and ailments. That could have been tedious to read, but I didn’t mind it. The book did not feel long, and 25% of it contains the bibliography and notes. I loved Will Patton’s narration of the audio book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Very well researched. The writing creates a sense of foreboding and “unrest” as the title suggests. This novel is debuting at a time where a feeling of unrest is felt in this country which adds to its themes. It read more like a textbook than a novel, and I’m struggling to continue at about halfway after two months.