We’re in a non-fiction mood here chez Sleepless Reader, also helped by the Armchair Audies, which are almost at an end. I’ll post and overview and my predictions for the History category early next week.
I’m usual curious about anything historical, but I’m afraid I didn’t finish 1812: The Navy’s War. I’ve probably only reached as far as I did (about five of the almost 19 hours) because of Marc Vietor’s narration.
The book was clearly well researched by a naval historian in love with his field of expertise, and I’m sure anything of importance about America’s first great naval war was there, but my attention wandered off once too many times. There were almost none of the personal histories that I so love in historical non-fiction, Daughan focusing instead on political and military macro-strategies.
It also included extremely detailed descriptions of ship-to-ship combat, which lost me after the first couple of starboard broadside descriptions and lists of the sails which were up during a particular battle.
These are the kind of details I really try to understand in the Aubrey/Maturin series – I look at maps and boat diagrams, Google strange naval words – but I just wasn’t as invested in 1812, so got lazy and then disinterested.
It’s also a book clearly written by an American for an American audience. Not only because it’s a given the reader has heard of certain people, political processes or historical events, but also because of the patriotism the book exalts. The blurb reflects really well the tone found inside:
In 1812: The Navy’s War, prizewinning historian George C. Daughan tells the thrilling story of how a handful of heroic captains and their stalwart crews overcame spectacular odds to lead the country to victory against the world’s greatest imperial power.
In short, not my cuppa, but I wouldn’t hesitate recommending it to a naval history buff or an America history buff with a thing for naval detail.
Regarding the narration (at least the part I’ve actually heard), it must have been an easy book to read – no foreign names or languages, only a quote here and there with no strange accents – but Vietor nailed it without flaw. His voice fitted perfectly with the book because it has a certain… manly low pitch (here’s a sample, notice especially the end of sentences).
Next stop, another book about American History: 1861: The Civil War Awakening by Adam Goodheart, narrated by Jonathan Davis.
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May 22, 2012 at 6:11 pm
aartichapati
I just read Lions of the West with Kari from Five Borough Books, and we spent a lot of time discussing the overt American patriotism the author demonstrated and how that really impacted the way that we read the book. He justified American imperialism in a way that made both of us very uncomfortable. I think this book would probably bother me in the same way. In a way, though, I’m glad it exists, as no one in the US ever learns ANYTHING about the War of 1812, and maybe this will set off other authors to write less biased accounts. We can hope 🙂
June 29, 2012 at 4:25 pm
Alex
In my region of Europe it’s not kosher to be so overtly patriotic and it’s really something you couldn’t ignore in this book. Yesterday I saw the first episode of The Newsroom and had the same though – why was it such a big deal for an American to publicly state that America is not the best country in the world?!
May 23, 2012 at 2:09 pm
Debbie Rodgers @Exurbanis
Wow – when I was in school (in Canada) we learned a lot about the War of 1812, especially that the Americans LOST this war. (Maybe why it’s not taught much, if at all, in U.S. schools.)
It seems that Daughan is not only over-promoting patriotism, he’s re-writing history.
Good call to abandon this book!
June 29, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Alex
And just when you think History is set in stone…
May 23, 2012 at 2:56 pm
1861: The Civil War Awakening by Adam Goodheart « The Sleepless Reader
[…] like the recent 1812: The Navy’s War, this is another book from my Armchair Audies History category, another book about 19th century […]
May 30, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Armchair Audies 2012 – History category: overview and prediction « The Sleepless Reader
[…] Vietor, who narrated 1812: The Navy’s War (sample), is also at a disadvantage with me because I didn’t care enough for the topic to listen […]