Book Recommendation

I spent bits and pieces of the past two months reading a Civil War history book......'Field of Blood' by Joanne B. Freeman, 480 pages.

First, she lays out the whole period of 1830s to 1860, in magnificent detail and you get a great feel for DC, and how things were crumbling.

For a high school kid (11th to 12th grade), I'd probably make it mandatory reading and it really sets up the nation and how it'll fall apart for the Civil War to occur.

The second thing, as 1860 comes around, it's common knowledge that EVERY SINGLE House and Senate member were packing a pistol, or had one in their desk in the Capital building.

The threat of a conflict starting there....on the House floor?  It came down on several occasions where enough was said, and threats made.....that the war could have easily erupted there, and a hundred House members could have been shot dead over an entire evening by gunfire.

If you've ever had questions over the Civil War and how things leading up to 1860 never made sense in high school or college, or via the stupid video lessons.....I'd recommend this book.