Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and Erik Larson for the advanced reader copy of the book. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

Erik Larson has a unique way of presenting actual events so they read like a story. His attention to detail may be too much information for some people, but I have been enjoying his work. In the introduction to The Demon of Unrest, Larson states that his research for this book about the beginning of the American Civil War when the events of January 6, 2021, took place. At the same time, there are many common denominators for events that led up to our modern event as well as the secessionist fervor that led up to the Civil War.

I took advanced placement American History in high school and also covered it briefly on a course in college. Nothing I studied before gave me the understanding I gained from The Demon of Unrest. Although some of the awareness can be attributed to the many books I’ve read on the subject since then, Larson covers the Southern mentality in such a way that I gained a better understanding of what led to the Civil War. Ever since the country was founded, southern slave owners were coddled with the laws that were passed, including the Constitution. Lincoln’s election in 1860 and the swelling ranks of abolitionists struck fear in the hearts of those who were playing at being American royalty and using enslaved people to prop up the illusion.

I’ve often said that most wars happen because the wealthy convince the poor and middle class to fight for them. This is a case where most of the people in the South really had no reason to secede from the Union. The vast majority owned no slaves. However, they were afraid of the races mixing and that motivated them to fight. Larson details how much fear the slave owners and others lived with that one day the slaves and free blacks would rebel. This fear motivated secession as proponents were traveling to state conventions talking about how the North would force their views on the South and allow miscegenation, among other mixing of the races. Whites in the South still saw blacks as inherently inferior and didn’t want them as equals.

Larson’s research includes diaries by those who were in Charleston at the time and who saw the events leading up to the start of hostilities at Fort Sumter from a different point of view than what I was presented with in my studies. It doesn’t excuse the enslavement of a race of people but gives their perspective. Larson has also read through the papers of various politicians and sets the narrative of an ineffective outgoing President who allowed the rebels more latitude than he should have against the conflicting interests of the incoming President. He follows Lincoln on his journey from Illinois to the White House, all the while under threats of assassination, which may or may not have been real.

The depth in The Demon of Unrest is unparalleled. I could see the resemblance to the events of January 6, 2021. It’s also a cautionary tale of appeasement of those who would commit insurrection against the government and what it leads to. I recommend it to Civil War aficionados as well as anyone interested in a better grasp of history.

Erik Larson cements himself as one of the most important writers and historians of our time with The Demon of Unrest. I've been a fan of Larson's other works in the past and was excited to pick this up as soon as it was released. It did not dissapoint.Larson does a fantastic job untangling and humanizing all sides of the Civil War with his knack of pacing and structure. Well done.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and Erik Larson for the advanced reader copy of the book. I am a huge fan of Erik Larsen and have every single one of his books on my bookshelf. (yes, I will be picking this up too). His attention to detail and ability to tell a TRUE story making this and other novels, read like a fictional time in history NEVER fails to amaze and impress me. Being a huge fan of Civil War History, and American History – Fort Sumter and Charleston has been visited by my family on more than one occasion. That being said, even being there in person does not compare to what I read on these pages.

Eric Larson “The Demons of Unrest” by Erik Larson - 5 stars (Pub Date: Out Now!) is yet another Eric Larson success. As always, Larson does an amazing job of relating history in a narrative way to allow the reader access to the content as if it were fiction. His characterization of not only Lincoln, but also the other key players of the five months leading up to the Civil War is one of my favorite things about reading an Erik Larson book. Historical people are just people, and their quirks, egos, personalities, and strengths are human, not historically human.

Good things: Larson does an excellent job of rendering his main players as real people using quotes from and about each individual allowing you to feel like you actually are speaking with them or listening to them. His research is amazing because the new details that he discovers in the letters and journals of others, really add as much to the specific chronological relaying of the history as the facts and dates.

Opportunities: One of the things I struggle with the most when I read history is keeping dates and people straight in my head but because The Demons of Unrest takes place in a very compact amount of time I’m struggling less with the dates and more with keeping the players straight. It doesn’t help that many of them have very similar names and I find myself regularly reflecting on who is who. A list of all the major people would be very helpful.

Final Thoughts: As always, everything that Eric Larson writes is amazing. I have yet to be disappointed by a single one of his history books, and even after having majored in History in college his narrative storytelling format makes the content much more accessible and allows a wonderful nonfiction entry point for all types of readers.

I appreciate the opportunity afforded me to have an early read of this story by netgalley and Crown Publishing . The opinions in this review are expressly those of ButIDigressBookClub and are intended for use by my followers and friends when choosing their next book. #butidigress #butidigressbookclub #thedemonsofunrest #eriklarson #narrativehistory #history #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #arc #arcs

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Review Shared on Goodreads - www.goodreads.com/leah_cyphert_butidigressbookclub
Publishing Review 5/7/2024

This is such a dad book. Fascinating, well-researched, and provides a new perspective on a well-known time in history.

Incredible research makes this very dense reading. There is so much detail and so many characters that I often lost track. This is definitely meant for a history buff. I did appreciate how the author managed to create tension in this chronological story. There were also interesting stories about Abraham Lincoln that revealed his personality.

Although he had begun his research during the pandemic, it was the similarities with January 6 that spurred Erik Larson to complete his investigation into the Civil War and most particularly the role that the attack on Fort Sumter played. Once again, he examines a large piece of history by examining the lives of the players behind it, and here the proponents of the Southern secession are given motivations and personalities of their own. Utilizing diaries and correspondence, he casts his historian's eye on those events, delineating ironies and making history come to life.

Erik Larson has such an amazing way of weaving history into an intriguing story. There are moments I forgot I was reading history as I felt so immersed. I find it is rare to read history, especially civil war history, and for it not to be too dry or feel as though it has been told over and over again.
As with so many of his books, he is able to blend suspense into a narrative we feel like we should know. There are individuals I was unfamiliar with who I was intrigued by their role and you can feel the level of research and dedication he put onto the pages as he did his best to stay true to source material such as letters, arguments, and conversations.
I want to give a heartfelt thank you to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I dabble in non-fiction, but when it comes to individuals like Erik Larson and David Grann, I am rarely disappointed in their ability to make history even more fascinating.

This was another great read from Erik Larson. I often struggle to read non-fiction, but the way he writes about historical events always makes me feel like I'm reading a fictional story. I read 'The Wager" by David Grann a few months ago, and this is reminiscent of that. If you enjoyed that, or have enjoyed Larson's other books, I think you'll really enjoy this. I so appreciate when an author can teach me about history in a way that really engages my brain.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Erik Larson knows how to make history fun and interesting and this one is no different. This time focusing of evens month before the start of the civil war. His attention to detail is amazing. Really enjoyed this already ordered a physical copy .

I’m a big fan of Erik Larson - Devil in the White City is one of my favorites and I really enjoyed Dead Wake - so I was very excited for this book. But this felt different from his other work. This book is meticulously researched — it is incredibly impressive how thoroughly he explores this time from every angle. The downside is I think that the book gets weighed down by the excessive detail. I learned a LOT, but I’m also not sure I’ll retain the information as it wasn’t packaged in a as memorable a narrative in the way his past books have been. The story is not quite as captivating and readable as his other books.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 due to the impressive feat of research.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Erik Larson does a masterful job of transporting you back in time. This well researched work makes you feel like your in the room of both the north and south as they battle the issues that will eventually lead to a civil war. I really enjoyed the in depth diary entries that made you really see the the conflict both sides faced. This book is a must read for all American history buffs.

Erik Larson is a master at turning words into a time machine that transports you to the exact moment being described. I felt like I was running through the Bates Hotel with Lincoln in search of his inaugural speech. Larson also uses countless sources to weave a story that feels like fiction, but is in fact real. Mary Chestnut's diary entries in particular were interesting and gave a entirely different perspective of these events. The book overall was well-crafted and extremely fascinating. I look forward to seeing what Larson decides to put under his microscope next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for this ARC.

This is a riveting nonfiction account of the 5 months between the election of Abraham Lincoln in November, 1860, and the start of the Civil War in April, 1861. The author's research is impeccable and accurate, with appropriate notes included. At times I could almost feel the frustration of those remaining in Fort Sumter, SC, awaiting word from someone of authority. The writing is smooth and the choice of characters wide-ranging and fascinating. Thanks to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and Crown for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Let me start by saying, that, yes, this books can be a hard read as it is talking about a different time in history. To read about entitled, land owning white guys whine that they have a god given right to own another human and do anything they want with their "property" is disgusting, to say the least. That being said, no matter what the white southerners were trying to spin it as, this was never a state's rights issue. The lead up to and the actually civil war were always about slavery. A lot of people like to say that Abraham Lincoln was a hero; in other worldly martyr that gave his live so others maybe free. This book tells it how it really was and how Lincoln wasn't what most people think he was. Still, the book is still a good, even paced read that kept me reading it.

Although the book was very well researched, something you expect from Larson, this was not my favourite book of his. I liked the section of the book that dealt with Lincoln's election and the Dynasty of the civil.war. However, I found the siege of Fort Sumter to be rather plodding and not that interesting.

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.