This book is awesome if you like history, especially warfare. Robert Leckie had a purpose for writing The Wars of America. Throughout the book, Leckie informs as well as explains the actions of the people in charge, instead of just describing the battles themselves. In doing so, he shows his purpose, which is to inform the reader(s) of the wars of our forefathers, to provide a look at the thoughts behind the decisions made by America’s leaders, and to show American patriotism, militarism, and independence. The wars of the past gave our nation its personal stamp on the world. We say we love peace as well as exercise disciplined warfare when necessary. Leckie touches on the backbone of our nation: The struggle for independence and democracy for those who wish to have it. The book explores the different conflicts in America’s history, giving a chronological reference of the wars of that time.
The theme of this book is that America is a country bred for war. America has no qualms about fighting for what is considered right, and that is shown by this book. As Leckie shows the battles of our first wars to Vietnam, he paints a clear picture of America’s purpose: to defend the rights of its citizens, ideas, and assets, through war or peace. We know what we want, and fight to get it if we have to. If freedom is part of all Americans, then so is war. Without it, our nation would have never come to be. Leckie uses his theme to illustrate how dependent on troops we really are. We are a military-oriented country, yet we only use it for the defense of ourselves and others.
The style of The Wars of America is descriptive. The book describes the events and why/how they happened, including a back-story to show the full circle. He uses his opinions rarely, slipping in adjectives such as “brilliant” or “unwise” to show agreement or disagreement. For the most part, he just gives the facts. I think the book could also be considered an exposition. The book analyzes our battles and breaks them down into understandable pieces of information. Leckie criticizes some of the wars, giving reasons for why they failed or succeeded as well as backing other wars, showing why they happened and how America won or lost. He states something, then supports it, attacks it, or just explains it. The research is well done, not many holes appear in the explanations.
I think this book is a good read for anyone who is a history or war buff, but I do not recommend it for anyone else. It is a tough read, due to the large amount of facts and raw historical information. If you do decide to read it, the book will answer most questions about the main wars of America as well as provide descriptions about vague wars or ones most often forgotten or not covered in depth in history classes. I thought this book was awesome; I love history, maps, and wars, so this book was right up my alley. The descriptions are amazing and keep you reading. There are dry parts however, as in any historical book, and the information is provided as just facts. I would give it four stars for me but probably two for other people. I would have to say it is unique since it is the first book I have read that spans a country’s whole lifetime of wars up to its publication, shortly after the close of the Vietnam conflict.