April 1865: The Month That Saved America

Superb

Superb ...This book is not just a great read, but a revelation of the country's most precarious era...April 1865 was definitively "the month the saved America."...Hats off to Mr. Winik.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Enlightening

I read this book around the time of my first extensive trip to Tennessee's Civil War battlefields. Thought this would be a timely read. Turned out to be even more than I hoped. It taught me new insights into the events and personalities of our country's greatest and costliest (in human lives) struggle.

Thanks for a great read!
-Tim in Virginia Beach

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

History comes alive

One of the best non-fiction books I've ever read. I'm a student of history, but not much of a Civil War buff. I thought I knew most of the important information, but this book brought the entire period and people to life for me. This book should become required reading for students of American History.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Good book for the history buff.

The first third of the book involves the build-up to "the month", with emphasis on Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee as intelligent, noble, but conflicted Southerners. You learn why the Confederacy formed and why it persisted when the military odds against it became insumountable. This part of the book is a bit sterile and distant, as there are few interpersonal relationships. When the book actually enters April, 1865, the tact of the book changes, with good descriptions of President Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, U.S. Grant, President Johnson, Edwin Stanton, and Charles Sumner. The threats and opportunities for disaster to the Union are well-played, and the intrigue is palpable. This book is heavily referenced, almost 1/6 of the total length of the book. Definitely a book for the history buff rather than general reader, but don't confuse this as dry academics. If you're looking to improve on your high school U.S. history, this is a good "chapter", but also add to it "chapters" on December, 1776; August, 1813; April, 1845; and November, 1963.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I loved this book!

I loved reading and learning from this book. I think it was a very fair approach giving you the point of view from both the north and south. I am so glad I read it.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Best book I've ever read on the Civil War

Phenomenal! Reads like a mystery novel, a genuine page turner. While focused on the particular time of April 1865, it really spans the whole of the conflict and it's build up as well. Incredible analysis of critical events and individuals while keeping in touch with the grand flow of forces both social and military. It touched me on a human level and made me gasp, tear up and rejoice. I didn't want it to end. Now I want, no, NEED to learn more about this pivotal time in our country's history.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Jay Winik - Mr. Informative!!!

Just finished reading it, and, JUST like "The Great Upheaval", there is knowledge for the reader on each and every page!! O, that authors like him and David McCullough had come along 30-40 years ago. Keep 'em coming, Mr. Winik!!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

April 1865 is a solid historical review

As a civil war buff I really enjoyed the writer's review of the waning days of the civil war. He also placed some nice mini-biographies in the book of some of the major players discussed in the book.
I really didn't learn anything new in the book that I haven't read in a dozen other books, but what makes a book like this worth reading is how the author does a nice job keeping the story flowing so you almost feel you are reading a novel. I almost thought I was reading a David McCullough book and that Mr. Winik is a compliment.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

1856 Historical novel

This is an excellent account of the Civil War. This is thorough and so in depth. The research done is incredible. All students should be given this book to learn what the war was all about and the devastation it caused. The end result is our current country, but the cost was tremendous. Abraham Lincoln was a remarkable President in this time of our history. It's no wonder he is so revered!

I recommend this book to anyone that likes history or just wants a good read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not what I expected.

I thought the book was going to be about April 1865. Unfortunately, a lot of it was the history leading up to April 1865. I understand that if you did not know the prior history it would have been impossible to appreciate. However, I would hope that anyone buying this book would already have the historical perspective. I am glad I read it and would read another book by Jay Wink. I guess I just expected 200 pages that got deeply into the 30 day time period.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Outstanding

I agree with Jennifer. It should be read by all history students. So, I placed an order for all 60 of my 8th grade students to read the book this coming April for the US History class that I teach. The book is definitely a must read. Enjoyable and enlightening.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very Disappointing - Nothing New Here

I can't understand how this book became a best seller and why it gets such glowing reviews. Maybe most people don't know a whole lot about the Civil War. Otherwise they'd realize that Winik breaks no new ground here but simply rehashes what is already known. If he were a good writer, maybe I wouldn't mind, but he's awful. (And where was the copy editor for this thing? Grammatical and usage errors abound.) He makes errors of fact as well. What a disappointment. The only enjoyment I had from this book was putting Post-its on pages that contained errors.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Where's the beef?

I anticipated a thorough tracking of the events in the month of April 1865. Unfortunately, the author spent more time doing bios on the participants than digging into a month fraught with intrigue. The book was an easy read but at times took on the character of a novel rather than history.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent historical perspective!

I love history and found this book absolutely refreshing. From the very first sentence I knew this wasn't going to be a dry, boring essay on the Civil War. It brought Lee & Grant to life and kept me captivated throughout. When I finished reading I looked at both generals and Lincoln in a whole new light.

Pass on this one!

Massive disappointment. Mr. Winik seems more interested in playing the role of contrarian than actual documentarian of the topic. He continuously impugns Lincoln as a political opportunist while extolling the virtues of Lee and Johnston as Southern gentlemen. One gets the feeling that if Mr. Winik was born 150 years earlier he would have been a PR flack for the Confederate States of America.

Highly Recommended

You feel as though you are there with Lee when surrenders. The writing is easy to understand and animated with many new details .

Interesting information for any history buff

This book discusses the potential for guerrilla warfare and terrorism after the close of the Civil War. The discussion will hold the reader's interest and shows the point of view from both sides. The Union survived only because chief contenders became convinced it would lose honor if they continued.

April 1865: The Month That Saved America

It has been my personal goal to increase my understanding of Abraham Lincoln in this year, the 200th anniversary of his birth. One of the titles I have chosen to read is Jay Winik's book April: 1965: The Month That Saved America. It proved to be a good choice for insight into the last weeks of Lincoln's Presidency and the war over which the 16th President struggled.
Interestingly, the book starts with a description of Thomas Jefferson's home as it appeared at the time of the Civil War. The description of the derelict Monticello becomes a metaphor for the nation Jefferson helped to found.

From there the author launches into a brief but excellent review of the historical division between those who favored a strong central government and those who supported states rights. These first 26 pages or so should be required reading for all Americans as it provides insight into the true and varied causes of the conflict that boiled over into the War Between the States --- and one learns it wasn't all to do with intentions of freeing or keeping slaves.

The book progresses smoothly and concisely through the Civil War history of that April month of 1865, proving that the strength of character and the foresight of men on both sides of the war saved this country from division that might have occurred no matter which side were the victor. While Winik's book presents a scholarly review of events unfolding in the spring of 1865, the story remains quite readable, moving along like a novel.

I do have a trifling issue with Jay Winik's inclusion of an incident that may or may not have occurred during Lincoln's visit to Richmond at the close of the war. Winik reports a meeting between Confederate General George Pickett's wife and the 16th President. The story is presented as if it were a factual event when it is largely accepted that Pickett's widow concocted the story after the war to elevate her husband's post-war image.

I would have liked more insight into the post-war era of Reconstruction and how it differed in practice from the vision Lincoln had expressed, but inclusion of such material would have taken the subject well beyond the title month and diluted the author's message.

For those wishing to gain insight into the final days of the Civil War Jay Winik's April 1865: The Month That Saved America is a good place to start, easily readable and thorough in coverage of the subject.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

April 1865

Well written, entertaining & informative. I've never read Jay Winik before, but will again.

Well researched and insightfull

For those who may be unfamiliar w/ the end of the civil war this is an outstanding source that traces the military and political decisions that ended the war and it's immediate aftermath. I strongly recommend as it was enjoyable to read and not too heavy for the less informed.