Current:Home > StocksErik Larson’s next book closely tracks the months leading up to the Civil War-LoTradeCoin
Erik Larson’s next book closely tracks the months leading up to the Civil War
View Date:2024-12-23 20:33:32
NEW YORK (AP) — The next book by Erik Larson, widely known for the best-selling “The Devil in the White City,” is a work of Civil War history inspired in part by current events.
Crown announced Wednesday that Larson’s “The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War” will come out April 30. Larson sets his narrative over a short but momentous time span, from Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860 to the firing on Fort Sumter five months later.
During a recent telephone interview, Larson said he was initially inspired by his reading of historical documents and how he could weave them into a “tick-tock” chronology of the country’s fracturing and descent into armed conflict, driven by “the human element — the hubris, the personalities, the ambitions, the egos.”
“And then comes January 6,” he added, referring to the 2021 siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. “I have to tell you, it was the weirdest thing watching this unfold on TV, because the documents I was going through could have been written today. Lincoln’s primary concern had been about whether the electoral vote count would be disturbed, and then came the grave concern about the inauguration. It all has very contemporary resonance.”
Larson’s book will also feature such historical figures as Major Robert Anderson, the Union commander of Fort Sumter and a former slave holder who found himself battling Confederate forces; Virginia planter Edmund Ruffin, an impassioned and influential backer of secession; and the diarist Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent South Carolina lawyer and politician who became a brigadier general in the Confederate Army.
“Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink — a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late,” Crown’s announcement reads in part.
Besides “The Devil in the White City,” based in Chicago during the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, Larson’s books include “The Splendid and the Vile,” “Dead Wake” and “Isaac’s Storm.”
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Burger King is giving away a million Whoppers for $1: Here's how to get one
- Poccoin: Cryptocurrency Through Its Darkest Moments
- Virginia lawmakers convene special session on long-delayed budget
- Travis Barker Shares Message After Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian Details “Urgent Fetal Surgery
- Jury awards Abu Ghraib detainees $42 million, holds contractor responsible
- A$AP Rocky, Kelly Rowland honored, Doug E. Fresh performs at Harlem's Fashion Row NYFW show
- Miley Cyrus Reveals the Day She Knew Liam Hemsworth Marriage “Was No Longer Going to Work
- The Andy Warhol Supreme Court case and what it means for the future of art
- Mississippi woman pleads guilty to stealing Social Security funds
- How Pippa Middleton and James Matthews Built Their Impressive Billion-Dollar Empire
Ranking
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul referee handled one of YouTuber's biggest fights
- Bachelor Nation's Nick Viall and Fiancée Natalie Joy Reveal Sex of Their First Baby
- Duke QB Riley Leonard wanted homework extension after win over Clemson, professor responds
- 'Eight-legged roommate'? It's spider season. Here's why you're seeing more around the house
- Mike Tyson employs two trainers who 'work like a dream team' as Jake Paul fight nears
- The Andy Warhol Supreme Court case and what it means for the future of art
- Kelly Osbourne Shares Insight into Her Motherhood Journey With Baby Boy Sidney
- Meghan Markle Gets a Royal Shout-Out From Costar Patrick J. Adams Amid Suits' Popularity
Recommendation
-
Lululemon, Disney partner for 34-piece collection and campaign: 'A dream collaboration'
-
Trump Media's funding partner gets reprieve only days before possible liquidation
-
Sharon Osbourne Shares Experience With Ozempic Amid Weight Loss Journey
-
Watch Kim Kardashian Advise Mom Emma Roberts in Chilling American Horror Story: Delicate Trailer
-
Cameron Brink set to make Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut
-
SafeSport Center ‘in potential crisis’ according to panel’s survey of Olympic system
-
A$AP Rocky, Kelly Rowland honored, Doug E. Fresh performs at Harlem's Fashion Row NYFW show
-
Maria Menounos Reveals How Daughter Athena Changed Every Last One of Her Priorities