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“Powerfully told, richly detailed, but also deeply human in timeless ways, Rebel Yell
unmasks Gen. Stonewall Jackson, one of American history’s most enduring
legends (and yet most private of men). This is history at its best.”
— Michael Duffy, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Presidents Club
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“Rebel Yell breathes contemporary insight and fresh energy into
the life of an authentic American legend. In this crackling narrative,
S. C. Gwynne gives us the bold tactics, the eccentric thinking, and the
wicked genius of one of history’s most brilliant—and
unconventional—military minds.”
— Hampton Sides, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers
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“In Rebel Yell, Mr. Gwynne’s easy, loping style wraps itself
effortlessly around the particulars of Stonewall Jackson’s life, from his
back-of-the-mountain upbringing to the outburst of military genius in the Civil
War. The result is a narrative vivid with detail and insight.”
— Wall Street Journal
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“One of the year’s best
biographies…Gwynne’s pages fly by, brimming with excitement and terror.”
— Newsday
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“Gwynne’s portrait of Jackson
is comprehensive, stirring, compelling….This well-researched portrait of a
well-studied figure of the Civil War defies the odds and measurably adds to the
scholarship surrounding Jackson and the conflict that defined him…The book is
hard to put down.”
— Dallas Morning News
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“Profoundly enlightening…The
difference in Rebel Yell is…the
historical sweep, the small touches, and the quality and clarity of the
writing…Those sorts of little touches, page after page after page, set this
book apart….Gwynne’s Rebel Yell
delivers what readers want and deserve—a brave, headlong charge into American
history.”
— Chicago Tribune
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“S. C. Gwynne provides a
comprehensive portrait of a complex man who triumphed on the battlefield—but
remained an enigma… a joy to read.”
— Civil War Times
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“Journalist Gwynne follows his
bestselling Empire of the Summer Moon with a stimulating study of Confederate
General Stonewall Jackson…Gwynne tells Jackson’s story without editorializing,
and readers are likely to agree that, without Jackson, Lee ‘would never again
be quite so brilliant,’ while even in the North Jackson was considered, rather
than a rebel, a ‘gentleman and…fundamentally an American.’”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“Spry prose and cogent
insight….Showing Jackson’s exploitation of speed and deception, Gwynne’s
vivid account of his Civil War run, which ended with his death in the 1863
Battle of Chancellorsville, is a riveting, cover-to-cover read for history
buffs.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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“September’s most
scintillating read may be a 640-page biography of Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson…
S. C. Gwynne’s riveting retelling of the canny Confederate whose strategies
shaped the early years of the Civil War is just that good.”
— Kirkus Reviews (online feature)
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“This popular history is
recommended for all readers interested in the Civil War.”
— Library Journal
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“It’s hard to imagine an author
breaking new ground with another Jackson biography. But S. C. Gwynne does just
that in Rebel Yell… Readers will
come away from Rebel Yell with an
understanding of the man that goes beyond his military exploits. Gwynne’s
masterful storytelling makes Rebel Yell
an absorbing choice for general readers and Civil War buffs alike.”
— BookPage
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“With his low, resonant voice, Cotter Smith does a fine job narrating this detailed biography…The author’s writing style is easily accessible, and Smith’s voice and delivery match the text well. The details of Jackson’s life…flow smoothly as narrated by Smith. His intonation, pacing, and inflection are spot-on, making this production seem shorter than it actually is.”
— AudioFile
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“With the reporter’s eye for the
revealing vignette and the storyteller’s ear for the rhythm of human striving,
S. C. Gwynne gives us a beautifully penetrating account of the meteoric rise
and tragic death of the most legendary of Civil War soldiers.”
— H. W. Brands, author of The Man Who Saved the Union