A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico

by Amy S. Greenberg Narrated by Caroline Shaffer

Overview

Our 1846 war with Mexico was a blatant land grab provoked by President James Polk. And while it secured the entire Southwest and California for America, it also exacerbated regional tensions over slavery, created the first significant antiwar movement in America, and helped lead the nation into civil war. A Wicked War is the definitive history of this conflict that turned America into a continental power. Amy Greenberg describes the battles between American and Mexican armies, but also delineates the political battles between Democrats and Whigs-the former led by the ruthless Polk, the latter by the charismatic Henry Clay, and a young representative from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln, who initially drew national attention as a critic of the war. Greenberg brilliantly recounts this key chapter in the creation of the United States, evoking time, place, event, and personality with equal parts authority and narrative flair.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

An excellent study of how the war was won on the battlefield and lost in public opinion. Narrator Caroline Shaffer . . . reads with energy, varies her pitch and tone, and engages in character voices in order to keep the book moving.”
—AudioFile

“An energetic reading by narrator Caroline Shaffer, who performs with great verve and expression and endows historical figures with appropriate and pleasantly done accents. Libraries wishing to fill out their collection of U.S. history of the mid-19th century should consider this title.”
—Library Journal

Booklist

Greenberg clothes a provocative main idea in a freshly original narrative.”
—Booklist

Shelf Awareness

A fascinating glimpse into the history of the United States’ invasion of Mexico, revealing the conflict between James K. Polk’s expansionist doctrine of ‘Manifest Destiny’ and the more domestically focused beliefs of Henry Clay, Abraham Lincoln and the Whigs.”
—Shelf Awareness

DECEMBER 2012 - AudioFile

The Mexican War of 1846 was one of the most unpopular wars the U.S. has ever fought, leading to protests and Americans questioning their actions in the name of western expansion. This history is an excellent study of how the war was won on the battlefield and lost in public opinion. Narrator Caroline Shaffer has an earnest, sprightly voice that is clear and easy to follow. She reads with energy, varies her pitch and tone, and engages in character voices in order to keep the book moving. Shaffer’s speech has some popped consonants, and she has a tendency to over-enunciate. Those qualities make her voice sound forced and her reading more formal than is warranted, given the subject matter. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170069378
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	11/06/2012
Edition description:	Unabridged

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