American Bloods

The Untamed Dynasty That Shaped a Nation

By: John Kaag

Narrated by: Leon Nixon

"American Bloods is an unflinching history of our nation . . . This is a breakout book for John Kaag―the natural extension of his genre-defining writing.” ―Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Leadership: In Turbulent Times

"Kaag has a knack of stumbling upon treasures . . . The result is a thrilling and illuminating tale." —John Banville, The New Statesman

A history of a family spanning centuries and continents―one that unfolds into a new portrait of America.

The Bloods were one of America’s first and most expansive pioneer families. They explored and laid claim to the frontiers―geographic, political, intellectual, and spiritual―that would become the very core of the United States. John Kaag’s American Bloods is the account of a remarkable American family, of its participation in the making of a nation, and of how its members embodied the elusive ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. Kaag follows eight members of this family from the British Civil War in the seventeenth century through the founding of the colonies, the American Revolution, Transcendentalism, the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War, and the rise of first-wave feminism, all the way to the beginning of the twentieth century.

The Bloods were active participants in virtually every pivotal moment in American history, coming into contact with everyone from Emerson and Thoreau to John Brown, Frederick Douglass, Victoria Woodhull, and William James. The genealogy of the family tracks the ebb and flow of what Thoreau called “wildness,” an original untamed spirit that would recede in the making of America but would never be extinguished entirely. American Bloods is an enduring reminder of the risks and rewards that were taken in laying claim to the lands that would become the United States, and a composite portrait of America like no other.

©2024 John Kaag (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“The stentorian voice of Leon Nixon adds gravitas and depth to a sweeping historical study of the Blood family.… Nixon's rich timbre and easy inflections provide listeners with a calm and meaningful narration. Navigating stories about individuals and movements, which are sprinkled with dates and facts, Nixon carries listeners along, allowing them to experience a myriad of pivotal moments in American history. Fans of family sagas and Early American history will find this enjoyable.” —AudioFile Magazine

"Enthralling . . . Kaag’s sweeping portrayal of the Bloods as continuous participants in the country’s intellectual and spiritual development reveals how central the idea of the frontier and its 'wildness' was to the nation’s elite. It’s a unique ideological history of America." —Publishers Weekly

"Rich and incisive . . . 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." —Kirkus Reviews

Weaves American philosophy and history magnificently. Another tour de force from John Kaag .

Peirce rhymes with hearse. The readers always get it wrong. It wouldn’t be that hard to check.