Look Away!

A History of the Confederate States of America

By: William C. Davis

Narrated by: Michael Beck

William C. Davis, one of America’s best Civil War historians, here offers a definitive portrait of the Confederacy unlike any that has come before. Drawing on decades of writing and research among an unprecedented number of archives, Look Away! tells the story of the Confederate States of America not simply as a military saga (although it is that), but rather as a full portrait of a society and incipient nation. The first history of the Confederacy in decades, the culmination of a great scholar’s career, Look Away! combines politics, economics, and social history to set a new standard for its subject.

Previous histories have focused on familiar commanders such as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, but Davis’s canvas is much broader. From firebrand politicians like Robert Barnwell Rhett and William L. Yancey, who pushed for secession long before the public supported it; to Dr. Samuel Cartwright, who persuaded many Southerners of the natural inferiority of their slaves; to the women of Richmond, who rioted over bread shortages in 1863, Davis presents a rich new face of the Confederate nation. He recounts familiar stories of battles won and lost, but also little-known economic stories of a desperate government that socialized the salt industry, home-front stories of the rangers and marauders who preyed on their fellow Confederates, and an account of the steady breakdown of law, culminating in near anarchy in some states. Never has the Confederacy been so vividly brought to life as a full society, riven with political and economic conflicts beneath its more loudly publicized military battles.

Davis’s astonishingly thorough primary research has ranged across the 800-odd newspapers that were in operation during the war, but also across the personal papers of over a hundred Southern leaders and ordinary citizens. He quotes from letters and diaries throughout the narrative, revealing the Confederacy through the words of the Confederates themselves. Like any society, especially in the early stages of nation-building and the devastating stages of warfare, the Confederacy was not one thing but many things to many people. One thing, however, was shared by all: the belief that the South offered a necessary evolution of American democracy. Look Away! offers a dramatic and definitive account of one of America’s most searing episodes.

©2002 by William Davis (P)2022 by Blackstone Publishing

Best in Class

A thorough and comprehensive history of what has been bypassed and overlooked in civil war history. This book gives an extensive story of the southern cultural, historical and political events that were involved with the war.

No Moonlight And Magnolias Here...

While there are subtle hints at Southern romanticism and sentimentality, they are not enough to render this work overtly hostile or sickeningly apologetic. This book does a good job at highlighting the notion that the Confederacy, - like most governments before and since its demise, - was run mostly by selfish autocrats, blowhard ideologs, well-connected charlatans, social climbers and a few misguided fools. Thus, the very destruction they accused the Union of concocting slowly they brought upon themselves swiftly by leaving it.

The book has a good rhythm and pace to it. It doesn't get bogged down with useless information. The narration was decent (some of the accents are hilarious, but effective). I was ready to hate this book but was pleasantly surprised!

Fantastic And Insightful

we often hear of the battles of the Civil War and of the struggles of the Lincoln government, but never do we hear of the struggles of the Confederate government or the domestic affairs of that regime. William Davis brings that hitherto hidden world to light in a masteful portrayal and is a must read for anyone who wants a complete understanding of this war that we are still recovering from.

Just Outstanding

The half of Civil War history that’s seldom told, this book is sorely needed. The first chapter covers the initial formation of the Confederate government and, from there, I had expected a more or less chronological narrative of Confederate political history. But the book actually turned out to be a collection of topical essays that work together to present a multifaceted picture of the evolution of life in the Confederacy, as well as a glimpse into Southern White mindset that evolved throughout the war and its immediate aftermath.

I initially found the narrator to be irritating, but as the book progressed, I warmed to his voice and his sometimes comical variety of Southern accents.

Altogether highly recommended.

Couldn’t finish it..Don’t waste your credits.

The narrator is just terrible. His mimicking was so distracting, I had to stop listening. I have listened to more than 200 books on audible, this was by far the worst narrated book I have come across.

I can’t really comment about the story, because the narrator’s “voices” and exaggerated Souther accent made following the story nearly impossible.

The narration comes across as just silly. You would think publishers would choose their narrators more carefully.

N terms of the story, from what little I could get from the narration, it is just more “lost cause” fiction. Most disappointing audio book I have ever purchased.

Nothing. It’s boring and poorly done

It’s bad. I’ve read Davis books before. We’re excellent. I’d look away from this one. It’s not very good. Narrator Is even worse. A balin potato would be better

Not even close

The author bounced all over the place. Took to many liberties on facts and stated many things that were completely untrue