Evan Thomas has been the Assistant Managing Editor of Newsweek since 1991. He is the bestselling author of six works of nonfiction: Sea of Thunder, John Paul Jones, Robert Kennedy, The Very Best Men, The Man to See, and The Wise Men. He lives with his wife and children in Washington, D.C.
"The War Lovers is a vivid, fast-paced and irreverent look at an
era most Americans would just as soon overlook. It is also a
multiple portrait of some fascinating Americans, but inevitably its
central figure is the young Theodore Roosevelt, portrayed with all
his eloquence and energy, absurdity and raw aggression."--Geoffrey
C. Ward, author of A First-Class Temperament: The Emergence of
Franklin Roosevelt
"The War Lovers provides an excellent account of how America's
declaration of war after the blowing up of the Maine hastened the
demise of the once mighty Spanish empire, and of how within a year
Spain had lost the Philippines as well as Puerto Rico and
Guam."--The Economist
"[Evan Thomas] engagingly conveys what happened in this
consequential period....Thomas offers an action-packed narrative
replete with vivid descriptions of key events and deft character
sketches."--Jon Rosenberg , Christian Science Monitor
"[Thomas's] insights into Lodge...and Reed...are a fresh and
fascinating view of American politics....[The War Lovers is] a
subtle, nuanced history of the country and its leaders as they
entered the 20th century."--Bob Hoover, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"[Thomas] generally (and wisely) leaves it to the reader to draw
parallels between the two wars. Those parallels are striking: As
both conflicts demonstrate, even a short, militarily successful war
has the power to make or break careers, wreck old friendships and
change the course of a nation's history."--Drew DeSilver, Seattle
Times
"A rollicking account of the build-up to the Spanish-American
War...the pace is breathless, and a glance at the introduction had
us hooked."--W.M. Akers, The New York Observer
"Evan Thomas is a national resource, and this utterly compelling
book reminds us why. In The War Lovers, he takes a crucial
historical moment, shows its importance to our own time and
recreates its main characters with such insight and blazing color
that they seem as if they are alive today. Most of all, Thomas's
book suggests vital lessons for our generation of American leaders
and citizens to take very seriously as we confront some of the same
public challenges that faced Theodore Roosevelt and his
contemporaries."--Michael Beschloss, author of The Conquerors:
Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany,
1941-1945
"In The War Lovers, a masterful book with uncanny resonance for
today's challenges, Evan Thomas provides a haunting case study of
how America cascaded into war in 1898. In his trademark prose, we
vividly see the human dimension of the ineluctable push and pull of
war, not to mention a poignant story of friendships ripped apart
and a nation torn at the seams. This work is a triumph."--Jay
Winik, author of April 1865 and The Great Upheaval
"In his absorbing narrative of men who found duty or fulfillment or
personal meaning in a war for empire-and of other men, like William
James, who feared that such a quest would rot the nation's
soul-Thomas has illuminated, in a compulsively readable style, a
critical moment in American history. This is a book that, with its
style and panache, is hard to forget and hard to put down."--Ronald
Steel, New York Times Book Review
"No biographer at work today has a surer feel for the human
dimension of history than Evan Thomas. In this remarkable and
original work, he has painted a portrait of a world at once remote
and immediate, describing with grace and skill the conflicting
passions and politics that created American imperialism. From Teddy
Roosevelt and William Randolph Hearst to Henry Cabot Lodge and
William James, Thomas has brought an incomparable cast of
characters to vivid life. The presidency and the press of a century
ago will strike most of us as awfully familiar, and it is safe to
say that no one who wants to understand the America of the 21st
century can afford to miss this landmark book on the defining drama
of the last dying moments of the 19th. The War Lovers is as good as
popular history gets."--Jon Meacham, author of American Lion:
Andrew Jackson in the White House
"This very interesting book, well written, with vivid description,
personality portraiture and excellent historical depth, has several
dimensions...The War Lovers sets us to thinking about these larger
aspects of the war with Spain at a time when Iraq and Afghanistan
have made our minds receptive."--David C. Acheson, The Washington
Times
"Thomas has delivered an innovative, frequently entertaining and
valuable retelling of an episode that set the pattern for more than
a century of foreign military adventurism. This timely book is a
cautionary tale about how the psyche of powerful and ambitious
leaders may matter more than fact-or even truth-when the question
of war arises."--James McGrath Morris, The Washington Post
"Thomas takes some risks in his biography of Theodore Roosevelt and
his cohorts, trying to get not just inside their actions, but
inside their heads. The result is an intriguing examination of the
pull that war has on men."--Steve Weinberg , Minneapolis Star
Tribune
"Thomas's historical analogies help bring the past to
life....[Thomas] is a masterful writer and analyst and those skills
make reading The War Lovers an eminently worthwhile and enjoyable
experience."--Claude R. Marx, The Boston Globe
"What can Theodore Roosevelt teach us about President George W.
Bush and the post-9/11 thirst for war? Plenty, says Evan Thomas in
this finely crafted book about the Gilded Age, when America's
desire for empire building fueled the Spanish-American War.
A"--Tina Jordan, Entertainment Weekly
"What causes the eternal pull of war on men? It's one of history's
most important questions. Evan Thomas provides fascinating insights
in this gripping narrative of America's rush to war in 1898. With a
colorful cast of characters led by Teddy Roosevelt and William
Randolph Hearst, it's a tale filled with lessons for
today."--Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American
Life
"While most Spanish-American War histories focus on the military
angle, this engaging book humanizes the conflict by also providing
useful insights regarding the political and academic leaders of the
time, allowing the war to resonate with later American adventures
abroad and with the dilemma of reconciling American ideals with a
new global world. Highly recommended."--Library Journal
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