The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson

Another interesting, well-told bit of history. Growing up in the United States, I of course learned about the Civil War, but never with this kind of depth. Larson makes the lead-up to the war interesting, understandable, and personal. His portrayal of some of the characters is a bit caricature-esque, focused on only a few aspects of their personality, but on the whole the book feels like a credible recounting of a time that we would do well to remember; the antagonism and unwillingness to understand the “other” are eerily reminiscent of our modern political situation.