Blood and Thunder
The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West
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About Blood and Thunder
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of Ghost Soldiers comes an eye-opening history of the American conquest of the West—"a story full of authority and color, truth and prophecy" (The New York Times Book Review). In the summer of 1846, the Army of the West marched through Santa Fe, en route to invade and occupy the Western territories claimed by Mexico. Fueled by the new ideology of “Manifest Destiny,” this land grab would lead to a decades-long battle between the United States and the Navajos, the fiercely resistant rulers of a huge swath of mountainous desert wilderness. At the center of this sweeping tale is Kit Carson, the trapper, scout, and soldier whose adventures made him a legend. Sides shows us how this illiterate mountain man understood and respected the Western tribes better than any other American, yet willingly followed orders that would ultimately devastate the Navajo nation. Rich in detail and spanning more than three decades, this is an essential addition to our understanding of how the West was really won.
Reader guide at a glance
Use these edition facts and spoiler-light notes to decide whether this book fits your mood, time, and preferred reading experience.
- Audience
- Adult/general
- Commitment
- Standalone or self-contained
- Estimated reading time
- 15.5 hours at about 40 pages per hour
- Length
- Long read
- Best for
- Readers seeking mountain men nonfiction, nonfiction
Why readers are finding Blood and Thunder
Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides, published in 2007, is a 625-page book for readers who prefer to browse by the experience of a story, not only by its sales category. Its strongest discovery signals include Mountain Men Nonfiction, Nonfiction.
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- Print ISBN
- 978-1-400-03110-8
- Published
- 2007
- Pages
- 625
