In the fall of 1846 the venerable Navajo warrior Narbona, greatest of his people’s chieftains, looked down upon the small town of Santa Fe... read full description
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Apr 30, 2010
Steve
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If you don’t know much about Kit Carson, or his life and times, Hampton Sides’ Blood and Thunder is probably a fine place to start. Carson was one of those rare historical figures whose life would intersect, numerous times, with important moments, and people, in American history. Primarily, Sides focuses on Carson’s role with the whole Manifest Destiny movement, which was initiated by President Polk in the 1840s. Still, this is an enormous chunk of history that literally covers the entire con
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Jul 18, 2007
Jeffrey
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O.K. So I finally got off my duff. It's not that I haven't been reading, this is just the first book I finished since I signed up for this web site.
Hampton Sides is managing editor of Outside magazine. He does a very creditable job acting as a historical researcher documenting the life of Kit Carson, hero of the West, and still writing an exciting action filled book that reads like a novel at times. Who'd have guessed that Kit Carson was a legend in his own time, not just a comic boo More...
Hampton Sides is managing editor of Outside magazine. He does a very creditable job acting as a historical researcher documenting the life of Kit Carson, hero of the West, and still writing an exciting action filled book that reads like a novel at times. Who'd have guessed that Kit Carson was a legend in his own time, not just a comic boo More...
Jan 28, 2009
Joe
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Wow. Did Kit Carson really live that life? OK, he was no angel, nor is he portrayed as one, but the book's critics seemed to miss the point that he fit into the world of the old Southwest like a native. His "beef" with the Navajos had as much to do with his ties of kinship to their traditional enemies as anything else. I can't see a typical racist, imperialist American marrying a Native-American, learning ( though illiterate ) several of their languages and spending years in a tepee or
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Jan 11, 2009
There is very little good one can say about this dime-story quality novel disguised as an authentic accounting of the “conquest of the American West.†The author is far too confident in his interpretation of history, especially when one considers the fact that he relies primarily on secondary sources. It’s nothing more than a long book report with antiquated and questionable anthropological sources favored over recent scholarship in Navajo studies and studies on the American West. I was th
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Jan 18, 2012
Ann
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This was a remarkable account of the history of America's westward expansion. With the continual expansion of American settlement west,came the added difficulty of living in harmony with the Native American population. President Polk , wanting to add territories to America that included New Mexico and California, eventually took up arms against the Mexicans who refused outright to sell these lands to the U.S. With the eventual ceding of New Mexico and California to the U.S., came the added d
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Dec 05, 2011
Bob
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I lived in New Mexico for about 14 years and didn't know any of this history. Fascinating. I'm glad I had a dictionary, wikipedia.org, and Google Earth on my iPad as references. I had to read a county library hardcover edition as there is no eBook edition out yet. "Blood and Thunder" is not like most books I read which I can practically speed read through. You know the ones; real page turners, lots of dialogue, short paragraphs and chapters, with words everybody knows. Her More...
Nov 03, 2011
Esther
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3.5* Epic is right. I didn't know much of anything about the history of the American Southwest - there's a lot to tell, apparently. What a nasty, unholy mess it was. Sides does a great job of fleshing out the characters - Kit Carson being the main representative of that time period - but all mentioned were characters with a capital C. What a bloody tragedy and embarrassment most of the battles were. More massacres than otherwise. Loved all the stuff about the Anasazi - or how the Navaho eluded c
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Oct 14, 2011
Richard
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"Blood and Thunders," were the dime novels of the American west, and many of them were based on the exploits of Kit Carson. They had Gen. Carson rescuing maidens, killing Indians by the score, leaping great chasms in a single bound, etc, etc. But, here's the thing, if there ever was a superman of Manifest Destiny, it was Kit Carson. He was an illiterate, soft spoken mountain man, plains man, pathfinder, scout, Indian killer and Indian protector, trapper, trader, soldier, diplomat, f
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Sep 06, 2010
David
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Not very far into it yet but it's pretty good...the analysis of President Polk is a bit skewed and wrong-headed but Polk tends to stir up strong emotions amongst those who know enough to be aware that he was one the States' most important Presidents...if a controversial one. So far a must read.
Well...I finished it and it was a good read. It's definitely a populist history and not analytically challenging but it does speak to the Navajo 'Long Walk' which has not been examined enough...u More...
Well...I finished it and it was a good read. It's definitely a populist history and not analytically challenging but it does speak to the Navajo 'Long Walk' which has not been examined enough...u More...
Aug 30, 2010
Spencer
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Very fascinating book about the legendary Kit Carson and the Wild West of the early to mid 1800s. Carson was already a legend in his day for his many incredible stories of adventure, exploration, and escape. His life included a complicated interaction with the Native American people - at times befriending and aiding them, other times ruling over and killing them. He famously served as the guide for John Fremont on his three exploratory expeditions of the West, and later was involved in lead
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Sep 30, 2009
Steven
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This is an excellent biography of a famous American pioneer--Kit Carson. What sets it apart is its humane treatment of a complex figure. Carson appears to have been the "real deal," not a manufactured hero.
The book proceeds by interweaving several story lines, which can be somewhat confusing at times but, in the end, this serves the author well. Among the story lines--Kit Carson's exploits, the Navajo leader Narbona's story, General Stephen Kearney's episodes, and so on. More...
The book proceeds by interweaving several story lines, which can be somewhat confusing at times but, in the end, this serves the author well. Among the story lines--Kit Carson's exploits, the Navajo leader Narbona's story, General Stephen Kearney's episodes, and so on. More...
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Jun 12, 2009
Patrick
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When the Pulitzer for fiction was handed out in 2006, I was adamant it had been given for the wrong book (“March”). “Blood and Thunder” should have had the honor hands down. I was actually angry over this. The clarity of thought and expression in this chronicle goes way beyond your ordinary history of the West. Not just a biography of Kit Carson, though he is used as the fulcrum which balances western expansionism with Native Americans (primarily the Navajo), this is a comprehensive discourse on
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May 20, 2009
Adele
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Blood and Thunder could be a really dry history book that I tried in vain to read because I really thought I ought to, a la 1776. Except for that it wasn't dull. I'm biased because I'm obsessed with New Mexico and I never had New Mexico History in school, but I found Sides' account of Kit Carson's life, the plight of Native Americans in the West and conquest in general just short of riveting. Blood and Thunder wasn't a page turner per se, but still managed to be really interesting and thought
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Mar 09, 2010
Manuel
rated it: 
This is a long and dry history book. The middle third veers away from Kit Carson's path and describes the history of the Navajo nation's defeat and banishment to a reservation in New Mexico.
The book is a camera that focuses tightly on Kit Carson, his accomplices and other historical figures, and describes their exploits and adventures over Carson's lifespan. The backdrop is of old Native American lands and old Spanish settlements, but this is definitely not an anthropological account More...
The book is a camera that focuses tightly on Kit Carson, his accomplices and other historical figures, and describes their exploits and adventures over Carson's lifespan. The backdrop is of old Native American lands and old Spanish settlements, but this is definitely not an anthropological account More...
Oct 27, 2008
Mike
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What a book. Extremely interesting account of Kit Carson's life, and the life of the pre-Civil War southwest. The bold, beautiful, cowardly and brave are all revealed, with a cast of characters that would rival any Russian play.
As usual, the American Indian ends up with the short end of the stick. Anyone looking to have a better grasp of the history of New Mexico should read this book.
Mr. Sides is to be credited for such a great tome.
As usual, the American Indian ends up with the short end of the stick. Anyone looking to have a better grasp of the history of New Mexico should read this book.
Mr. Sides is to be credited for such a great tome.
Mar 07, 2011
Susan
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Published in 2006, Sides might have subtitled this something about Kit Carson since he is the central figure in the book.
I am not a history buff, but I agreed to read this for a book discussion led by one of my long-time friends. (Oh, what we will do for our friends.) I do know that if my high school American history teacher had made the study of history as interesting as Sides does I might have a whole different feeling about it at this late date. But that didn’t happen. Sigh…
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I am not a history buff, but I agreed to read this for a book discussion led by one of my long-time friends. (Oh, what we will do for our friends.) I do know that if my high school American history teacher had made the study of history as interesting as Sides does I might have a whole different feeling about it at this late date. But that didn’t happen. Sigh…
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Oct 13, 2011
Tom
rated it:
Well written history that primarily follows the amazing life of Kit Carson, but also tracks the convergence of the "Army of the West" and the Navajo nation as those two entities interact with Kit Carson's life.
The writer is perhaps a bit too taken with Carson. He doesn't sugar-coat Carson's life and acts, especially in regards to some of the more despicable things he was responsible for (example: the strategy of essentially starving the Navajos out of their ancestral hom More...
The writer is perhaps a bit too taken with Carson. He doesn't sugar-coat Carson's life and acts, especially in regards to some of the more despicable things he was responsible for (example: the strategy of essentially starving the Navajos out of their ancestral hom More...
Feb 05, 2009
Hampton Sides's Blood and Thunder is more ambitious in its sweep than his acclaimed Ghost Wars (2001), a World War II history. His recounting of harsh frontier life and the violent clashes among the Navajo, the Spanish (Mexican), and the U.S. Army offers a gripping epic while enlivening many of the era's remarkable figures, from soldiers to trappers, farmers, Indians, and pioneer women. Critics especially praised Sides's nuanced discussions of the Navajo and other Native American tribes, as well
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Apr 28, 2011
Rikelle
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Living in the southwest, I found this particularly interesting. I found it enthralling to learn of the history just outside my door. I remember in 6th grade doing a play about Kit Carson and I saw him as a hero. It wasn't until I moved to Arizonana few years ago that I learned about the "Long Walk" and Carson's role in carrying it out. As I learned more about the atrocities.of that time period, I came to despise the man. However, after reading this book and doing some further research
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May 24, 2011
Robert
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This was a very interesting and well-written history of the West told mainly through the life of "Kit"(Christopher) Carson. I do not believe that most people in the 21st Century really understand the conflicts with the American Indian. Carson needs to be viewed as a man of his time. Even during his early childhood in Missouri violent raids by American Indians were common place. During the part of his life where Carson was a trapper he learned to live in the wild. He was a very col
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Dec 16, 2009
j
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I couldn't put this book down. For anyone interested in the exploration of the West this is a must read. The story mainly focuses on the southwest from the 1840s-1870s. The figure of Kit Carson figures prominently. Stephen Kearney and Freemont are also considered in depth. As a teacher of New Mexico History, I found this book to be a great resource.
Feb 27, 2008
John
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A very well researched book on the settling of the American West and the life of Kit Carson. There are some great anecdotes in the book about Carson and other characters like Paddy Graydon. This book also points out how the life of the American Indian, especially the Navajo, was destroyed and forced into bleak reservations.
Sep 06, 2009
Vicki
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Pretty badass. An epic historical overview of the American West structured (very) loosely around Kit Carson's life and travels. Sides has a knack for addressing the heinous treatment of Native Americans by the American government (and individual Americans, many of them soldiers) without ... how can I say this? Erm, it's like he's as appalled as any sentient moral being should be and completely disgusted, but he still retains that kind of uniquely American joy in the idea of the West as a front
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Dec 01, 2008
Donna
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This is a history of Kit Carson and his role in the Conquest of the American West. I didn't know how central Kit Carson was to the conquest of New Mexico, California and the greater American Southwest. This book details his life, his mountaineering trapper days,and his time alongside Kearny,Fremont, Chivington and other conquerors of the American West.
The reader will learn about how President Polk and the Gov. of Missouri promoted the ideas of Manifest Destiny and American exception More...
The reader will learn about how President Polk and the Gov. of Missouri promoted the ideas of Manifest Destiny and American exception More...
Mar 04, 2008
Scott
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my wife has a highschool acquaintance that is actually making money as a writer(sides). i'm very jealous but have to admit he's great. B&T is a part of our history few of us are familiar with. the very ugly, very cruel reality of Manifest Destiny...
Jan 25, 2011
Robert
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When authors such as Stephen Ambrose or David McCullough write about history, it becomes an adventure story. If "Blood and Thunder" is any measure, Hampton Sides, the author of "Blood and Thunder", is their equal.
Often, we pick up a book and glance at the rave reviews by Booklist, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, etc. These reviews frequently appear meaningless because every book cover has them. But in the case of "Blood and Thunder", I would like t More...
Often, we pick up a book and glance at the rave reviews by Booklist, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, etc. These reviews frequently appear meaningless because every book cover has them. But in the case of "Blood and Thunder", I would like t More...
Aug 26, 2010
Clint
rated it:
A fairly good narrative history, both of Kit Carson's life and role in man's expansion west, and the struggles of the Navajo tribe. Ultimately, it was a good read - although, it's clearly written in more of a storybook/magazine article style then a detailed history. There are times when I wished that the book just had a little more meat on it's bones - events which were glazed over, and not described in a manner which held weight within the general construction of the book. For instance, at t
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Nov 27, 2011
Davida
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 14, 2011
Carl
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Kit Carson's story is inextricably tied to the history of Manifest Destiny and the westward expansion of America. He had a role in many of the pivotal events of the time, from early scouting expeditions to the conquest of California and New Mexico to the subjugation of the Indian tribes. He was an intensely interested man, defined by action, common sense, and not a little bit of luck.
The westward expansion is an epic subject, sometimes heroic and sometimes shameful with a helping of More...
The westward expansion is an epic subject, sometimes heroic and sometimes shameful with a helping of More...
Feb 07, 2011
Omer
rated it:
I was at the Tucson Book Festival and slipped in to one of the author panels. I was aiming to sit in a BookTV panel just because it's CSPAN. I ended up in a room with a bunch of old people. Which is usually the case in Tucson. Fortunately the panel was mind-opening and it led me to buying this book. I'm glad I bought the book because it's very well written, entertaining and contains a story about a man who played a pivotal role in the westward expansion of US territory.
The book is m More...
The book is m More...
