Civil War By Other Means is the perfect name for such a great book. Any one of the topics touched on in this book could fall under that heading. From President Hayes is back room, hand shake election to the assassination of President Lincoln and then President Garfield all the way to the new deal. It seemed president Lincoln, got us on track but with his death went the dream of equality and happiness and prosperity for all. The chapters and subjects in this book differ but the overall message is clear. I think the author did a great job not only making the book interesting but spelling it out and lying the fax bear for everyone to see I know there will be people who disagreed with this book and I also know which side of the aisle they would stand in an election but let me be clear I am neither Republican or Democrat and fax don’t lie and this book is full of them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book without an intelligent smart advocate for fairness and a true democracy it will just keep going the way it has been. What a great book and what perfect timing. I received this book from Net Galley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I was really interested in reading this book, as someone who has read a lot of Suri's other work. It definitely was in a different vein than what he has done before. The strength of this book is that it bridges a gap between popular history and academic work. Suri's story may not be anything new to someone who know a lot of history and certainly won't appeal to academics, but this is an example of history that is written by a professional for people who don't want to read academic monographs.
It's easily accessible and told through the lens of many historical figures. It incorporates all of the major events of Reconstruction and after, and will help Americans refresh their historical knowledge of the time period.
It also is a great example of how history can still be made relevant today, to help us understand our nation and our own conflicts. The first few pages? What a great hook. No, history doesn't repeat itself, but to understand where we are we can look backwards for the path.