Turbulent Times: The Remarkable Life of William H. Seward

by Stephen G. Yanoff

In this magnificent new book, Stephen G. Yanoff offers a fresh and compelling portrait of William Henry Seward, one of the most important Americans of the nineteenth century. Seward, best known for the purchase of Alaska, also served as governor of New York, United States senator, and Lincoln’s secretary of state during the Civil War. Exhaustively researched, drawing on hundreds of sources, TURBULENT TIMES sheds new light on this complex historical figure and the crucial role he played in shaping the fate of our nation. Most enlightening, the William Henry Seward who comes into focus in this superb narrative is a person of great intellect and curiosity, comfortable with ambiguity in his personal and private life.

Genres: Biography, History

526 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2017

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title says “Turbulent Times” indeed. Yanoff’s biography of Seward unfolds with the dramatic attack on his life the night Lincoln himself was assassinated. From there his background is revealed. A young man from modest beginnings gets an education, shows an interest in politics and suddenly finds himself governor of New York. His rise to prominence in Lincoln’s cabinet is really told more interestingly in other books. He was a devoted lifelong abolitionist and remembered for his “icebox”, the Alaska Territory.

The book needs more style. One interesting thing to take away is that the man had a peculiar propinquity to carriage accidents that had a big impact on his life. Odd, but not a good reason for reading a longish book.

[READER VIEWS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Ben Green for Reader Views (07/17)

“Turbulent Times: The Remarkable Life of William H. Seward” by Stephen G. Yanoff is a remarkable book about a little-known historical figure. In fact, my first reaction was to ask, “Who?” I am no historian, but as soon as I saw references to the Alaska Purchase I was like, “Oh, him.” However, Seward is obscure enough and interesting enough that he makes excellent subject matter. It's clear from the first chapter that the author and, may I dare say historian, Stephen Yanoff, went through great pains to do the research on Seward and the time in which he lived. More impressively though, Yanoff references the historical documents he used throughout the book. He even includes his notes and bibliography in the back of the book.

“Turbulent Times” starts early in William Henry Seward's political career, or really the lack thereof, and follows him as he becomes President Lincoln's secretary of state, and during his purchase of Alaska. It reads like a well-written documentary, and while heavy on the politics of the time, does not forget to also treat Seward as a person, often giving the reader a personal and sometimes intimate look at Seward's home life and business dealings. Yanoff takes great care to explain the historical context in which Seward lives, again often using other written works from the time. These insertions of pieces that are not directly related to Seward but to the time are especially nice since the author could have bypassed them completely. They not only make the book a joy to read and the reader feel like he or she is really riding along with Seward, but they also show the time and dedication that Yanoff put into this work.

It is invigorating to find an Indie author like Steven G. Yanoff who takes his or her craft so seriously and doesn't mind doing the research. As for the book “Turbulent Times: The Remarkable Life of William H. Seward,” it is a very well-written joy to read. William H. Seward makes an excellent topic for a historical work that is informative and enjoyable to consume. If you have never heard of William H. Seward and are about to Google him, you should probably just go ahead and read this book. If you are already familiar with Seward then you are probably enough of a history buff that you should also go ahead and read the book. Really, if you enjoy a good non-fiction piece, you cannot go wrong with “Turbulent Times.”

Now this book is excellent, but it is also for people who enjoy watching PBS documentaries on Netflix or falling asleep to Antique Road Show. This is, after all, a historical work about a secretary of state. However, if you're okay with that then you are in for a great read. All in all, I give “Turbulent Times: The Remarkable Life of William H. Seward” by Stephen G. Yanoff, 4 out of 5 stars because it is well-written, spectacularly crafted, painstakingly researched, and well worth your time.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Seward was an important figure in American government during the mid 1800’s but he is not well known by the general public. He was a force as Governor of New York, a strong presidential candidate of the new Republican Party, and an influential Secretary of State serving both Lincoln and Johnson through both of their terms. He had interesting and generally progressive views on slavery (mostly), women’s suffrage, public education, and was a strong proponent of Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States should dominate the geography of the whole North American continent. His family life was complicated and perhaps controversial. He barely survived the assassination plot that claimed Abraham Lincoln and also targeted Andrew Johnson and William Stanton. He was stabbed multiple times in the neck and face severely wounding him while he was bedridden recovering from a serious carriage accident. His negotiations with France, England, Canada, and other countries were vital to the Union winning the Civil War. He was regarded as a hero in Mexico for helping kick the French out of their country. And a visionary buying Alaska from Russia. A god read and I learned a lot.