The result is a thrilling and illuminating tale.

If Mr. Kaag’s chronicle in these later chapters is less cohesive than the earlier ones, it nevertheless maps out a general outline of 19th-century American history, with its violent conflict over slavery and the rise of corporate industrialism.

Instead of telling an unbroken story, Kaag has assembled a series of portraits, some more engaging than others, the degree of interest determined by which great men are adjacent to the male Blood in question.

In all of these Blood family characters, Kaag finds and relates a streak of 'wildness' that he admires..

Kaag provides a lively and insightful examination of his remarkable subjects. An astute and absorbing narrative of one family’s intersection with the nation’s development..

Enthralling.