Diary of a Dirty Little War: The Spanish-American War of 1898

by Harvey Rosenfeld Narrated by Ian Esmo

Overview

From its beginnings, America has acted out much of its history on the battlefront. Yet for the average American, little is known of the Spanish-American War. The reasons for our entry never seemed compelling-at times, yellow fever seemed more the enemy than did Spanish troops-and the United States was ill prepared for the venture. Nevertheless, this conflict served to unify a country that only thirty years before had been hopelessly divided by civil strife.

This colorful account reveals how every aspect of American life was ultimately touched by the war. War heroes abounded in the Spanish-American War: George Dewey, Richmond Pearson Hobson, Joe Wheeler, William T. Sampson, and of course, Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders. Rosenfeld strikes a balance between scholarly and popular writing, bringing to life a war that has often been overlooked.

Editorial Reviews

Booknews

Drawing mostly from reports in the , but also from other contemporary newspapers and journals and from commentaries in books, Rosenfield (English, St. John's U. and Pace U.) chronicles what he characterizes as the first feel-good war the US had conducted for some time, being a rescue of poor Cubans from the oppression and brutality of Spain. He mentions only twice and in passing William Randolph Hearst, who is widely considered to have instigated the war with the most blatant example of yellow journalism to protect his financial interests. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

JUN/JUL 99 - AudioFile

This detailed, day-by-day account of the three months of the Spanish-American War draws details from many historical sources, including newspapers and governmental records. Esmo reads each sentence carefully, pausing at every comma and phrase, a habit that becomes distracting to the listener and detracts from the historical narrative. M.B.K. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169748086
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	12/14/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged

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