Gods & Generals by Jeff Shaara
A Legacy Continued
Jeff Shaara follows in the footsteps of his father, Michael Shaara, to deliver us another sweeping epic of the Civil War. Following the war from pre-secession to the battle of Chancellorsville, this book gives us the first three years of the war. You follow Robert E. Lee, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, Winfield Scott Hancock, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, and many others through their trials and tribulations in this first, hectic half of the bloodiest conflict America has known to this date.
This book is worth the read for people who love studying the Civil War, American history, or just plain history buffs. Jeff Shaara delivers a book with historically accurate events that allow us to look into the hearts and minds of the men who fought in this bloody conflict. He delivers it in such a way that you will enjoy reading it and will be reluctant to put it down until it's finished. I highly recommend it.
As someone who enjoys history and studying it, I had fun reading this book. It is always a joy when you find a book that’s fun and easy to read and also imparts historical facts to the reader. Now, I’m not saying this is a completely historically accurate book. There is no way to truly know what the men and women mentioned in this book were truly thinking besides what they or those close to them have written down. However, I believe that Jeff Shaara was able to peer into the minds and hearts of these people and give us as accurate a version of them as possible.
The people aside, the events and battles did happen. The movements, deployments, advances, and retreats all happened. One can learn these historical facts through historical-fiction works like Gods & Generals. That’s why I always have a place in my heart for historical fiction. If you haven’t read any historical fiction books, I recommend picking up a few. Both Bernard Cornwall and Jeff Shaara are good authors to check out, with plenty of options.