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WIDE AWAKE is a newly published book by Jon Grinspan who is Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Grinspan's love of history and his devotion to scholarship shines through as he relates steps in his research on "The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War." I was intrigued by his comments of looking into newspaper databases and was able to locate over one hundred and fifty front page newspaper articles from 1860 or earlier about this paramilitary group. They wore uniforms, marched (often with torches and banners with a wide-open eye), and widely supported Lincoln and other Republicans in the 1860 election. Almost all ended up eventually joining the Union forces. Commenting on the echoes of history, and this "grassroots force pushing elite leaders into action," Grinspan writes that the "Wide Awakes of 1860 wrestled with the same forces -- mass democracy, public protest, free speech, political violence, slavery, and race -- that we grapple with today." Booklist gave WIDE AWAKE a starred review and Kirkus describes his well-written text as "a welcome study of an overlooked aspect of the Civil War and the events leading up to it." Extensive notes and references comprise roughly twenty percent of this text.

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This was a well researched exploration of a infrequently explored group that affected the antebellum years just prior to the Civil War. Personally I'd never known the facts behind the birth of the movement. This book opened my eyes to the affect they had on the election of 1860. Plus being from the Midwest it encourages me to explore the local history of the movement.

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I have heard of many movements started from unexpected means. However, I never expected one before the Civil War to be started by fashion. Yet, here we are.

Jon Grinspan tells the story of the Wide Awakes. Trying to distill just who the Wide Awakes were is a bit of a tall order and probably why Grinspan wrote the book in the first place. The simplest answer is some northerners were getting sick of the "Slave Power" which was controlling American politics right before the Civil War. A few guys put on some capes and a political club was born.

There is a lot of excellent research done by Grinspan. The Wide Awakes almost defied being tied to anything specific and their quick rise and even quicker disappearance leaves a lot of questions. I enjoy reading about the Civil War and I found this to be a very interesting look at a group which is not well studied anywhere else. That said, it may be too into the weeds for a casual reader wanting to pick up a book with well defined characters. There isn't a way for Grinspan to pick a few people and follow their stories because the Wide Awakes were just too ill defined as a group.

If you are a Civil War nerd then I think this book must be on your reading list. For the casual reader, maybe pick up a more character focused book of this time period before deciding if this one is for you.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA.)

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A riveting historical book, packed with colorful characters and parallels to today. Evocatively written, and seamlessly weaves numerous vivid accounts together to bring the story to life.

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