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Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835 Audiobook
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(4.02) - 117 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Editor and investigative reporter Jefferson Morley has been widely published in national periodicals and is the author of the critically acclaimed nonfiction work Our Man in Mexico. An eye-opening look at Washington's first race riot, Snow-Storm in August also offers revealing profiles of Arthur Bowen, the slave blamed for the riot, and ''Star Spangled Banner'' lyricist Francis Scott Key, a defender of slavery who sought capital punishment for Bowen.
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"Fascinating story of a little-known episode in DC history. Significantly complicates the story of Francis Scott Key and of the patriotic myth of our country's early history."
— Angela (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Snow-Storm in August is the sort of book I most love to read: history so fresh it feels alive, yet introducing me to a time and place that I had little known or utterly misunderstood. After reading Jefferson Morley’s vibrant account, one can never hear The Star-Spangled Banner the same way again.”
— David Maraniss, author of Barack Obama: The Story -
“Snow-Storm in August deepens our appreciation of how slavery made a mockery of the founding and made the Civil War as close to inevitable as any event in our history.”
— Washington Post -
“An elegant, readable narrative…Snow-Storm in August touches on themes still relevant today: unresolved racial tensions, simmering resentment over economic disparity, influence peddling among the powerful, and the red-blue divide between conservatives and progressives over whether human property—and their descendants—deserve the full benefits of the new nation's famously stated ideals.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune -
“Morley has given readers a noteworthy, insightful look into an often overlooked chapter in American history.”
— Booklist
Snow-Storm in August Listener Reviews
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" Interesting read about race relations pre-civil war. Never knew much about Francis Scott Key other than he wrote the national anthem. "
— Paula, 1/10/2014 -
" Very thought provoking. I only knew Francis Scott Key as the author of the Star Spangle Banner. Very well written and an excellent read! "
— Kelly, 12/30/2013 -
" Well written and researched and interesting but some of the author's broad generalizations go from misleading to just wrong. (Lincoln only emancipated the slaves in the South in 1863, not in the whole country, for example.) "
— Dru, 12/10/2013 -
" really interesting tale of washington,dc in 1835, francis scott Key, slavery and free blacks. and more andrew Jackson. "
— Wandac, 12/6/2013 -
" Well I pushed through this book hoping that something exciting would happen. It didn't so I would say it might be quicker to read Wikipedia than this book. "
— Jason, 11/6/2013 -
" Francis Scott Key - bit of a dick. Who knew? "
— Barbara, 11/3/2013 -
" Excellent account of an early case where politics overshadowed what was morally right. Told as if it were a novel, riveting and interesting. "
— Lisa, 10/24/2013 -
" This was a fascinating read. Very eye-opening and informative. I recommend this for all history lovers and people who reside in the DC area. "
— Michelle, 1/31/2013 -
" Very readable history of Washington, DC in the 1820s-1830s with a lot of additional information about Francis Scott Key. "
— Paul, 11/10/2012 -
" Not a quick read, but a fascinating book. If only it were required reading in schools! "
— Diana, 10/12/2012 -
" Great non-fiction about the time leading up to the civil war. a bit too much of putting (often prejudiced) words into peoples' mouths. Very interesting though "
— Elizabeth, 9/8/2012
About Jefferson Morley
Jefferson Morley is a journalist and editor who has worked in Washington journalism for over thirty years, fifteen of which were spent as an editor and reporter at the Washington Post. The author of Our Man in Mexico, a biography of the CIA’s Mexico City station chief Winston Scott, he has written about intelligence, military, and political subjects for Salon, The Atlantic, and The Intercept, among others. He is the editor of JFK Facts, a blog.
About Peter Jay Fernandez
Peter Jay Fernandez is an accomplished audiobook narrator who has won three AudioFile Earphones Awards and an Audie Award in 2009. He has also appeared on television, film, and stage. His appearances include roles in Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and the musical Thunder Knocking on the Door.