... compelling.

... an unusual but engaging collective biography.

This choice of narrative structure makes for a fascinating journey through history. However, given the centurylong time frame, chapter titles and defined sections might have added welcome context. It’s also worth noting that not much attention is paid to women’s contributions. In the end, though, Union is timely and thought-provoking, accomplishing much more than a static history..

Colin Woodard, a journalist with the Portland Press Herald, believes that the whole idea of national unity has been a kind of mirage all along.

Overall, Woodward effectively shows how the country struggled to create a national myth, and an international image of unity.

Woodard...shows the complexity of the process by delving into the background of a number of the people involved, revealing how different and often incompatible their viewpoints were.

... [an] ambitious and accessible narrative.

Woodard manages to bring all of his disparate biographical threads together in a coherent narrative.