The Blood of Heroes by James Donovan

As a native of San Antonio, Texas, I have always been fascinated by the history of my hometown, and the surrounding areas. As a young child, I had the opportunity to visit the Alamo and the surrounding missions. I'm not sure about other states, but Texans are extremely proud of their history, so I have read and studied about the Battle of the Alamo in school and on my own for many years. Every once in a while, new details emerge, inspiring new versions of the story of the Battle that took place all those years ago.

In The Blood of Heroes, author James Donovan presents a well-researched and gripping recollection of the events surrounding the Battle of the Alamo and the people who have become notable for it. Drawing on recently uncovered primary sources, Donavan introduces people at both ends of the war in the most life like portrayal I have ever encountered. Using both the spoken and written words of the men, Donovan provides a unique insight into the character of the men and their subsequent motivations for fighting, or not, in the war for Texas independence.

Despite being a work of nonfiction, the story feels like a well-written novel, always describing interesting details while never sacrificing the pace of the action.  I found the descriptions of the weaponry used to be a fascinating insight into the tools that were used during combat of the time period (1836). The 200 Texans, severely under-armed and extremely outnumbered (the Mexican army had thousands), fought valiantly for 13 days. All Texans are familiar with the tragic fate met by the 200 men, but the details brought to light in this book allow fresh insights into the familiar story. Donovan has crafted what is sure to become one of the definitive collections on the Battle of the Alamo.

For more information, visit Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3PVQ829AYX595/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm,
and http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12988491-the-blood-of-heroes

(week 23, book 26)

This entry was posted on Friday, June 8, 2012 and is filed under ,,,,,,,,,. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.

9 Responses to “The Blood of Heroes by James Donovan”

  1. I'll have to try this one! I really liked Lost in Shangri-La which was also narrative non-fiction and read like a story despite being well-researched. Although it's not on a topic so close to home for you, perhaps you'd like it as well :)

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    1. Sounds like an interesting read! Who is the author?

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  2. Looks interesting although i do not like history books very much, i don't feel like they are as captivating as other books are. But looks like a good read.
    Why don't you visit my blog and give me a follow :P
    http://iwantthisbook.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by! I'll have to take a look at your blog too.

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  3. Looks like a great book, I'll have to check it out.

    I really liked Lost in Shangri-La as well (by Mitchell Zuckoff). Also, you might like The Last Gunfight by Jeff Guinn about the gunfight at the OK Corral.

    Keep up the good work.

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    1. Thanks! I'll have to add those to my TBR list.

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  4. I enjoy books like this, like you I love history and details. I have read quite a few on the Alamo..but you have me curious to try this one. Thanks Ethan!

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    1. Thanks for reading! This is definitely an interesting addition to the Alamo story.

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  5. Hey
    You know I am new to the blogging community :)
    Unfortunately, because of my lack of experience, I have been the victim of a virus attack.
    So my blog is corrupted and no longer works properly...
    I directly imported my posts to a new blog, to save my hard work..
    I would love if you follow me again on my new blog as you did before,

    http://insomnia-of-books.blogspot.com/

    Thank You....

    ReplyDelete

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