I was always a sucker for Texas history, and now I'm a sucker for H.W. Brands' writing. I already knew most of the story, but the writing was excellent and compelling. I will be getting my hands on more of Brands' work soon.

This was a very good book concerning Texas history with the primary focus on the Texas Revolution. Brands does a great job making the book very readable and I especially appreciated the thorough sketches of the major players in the history of Texas at that time: Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, Jim Travis, David Bowie, Davy Crockett, and Santa Anna.

I was especially struck by the different character of the American and Texan Revolution. The American revolution being largely initiated by statesmen and the Texas revolution being largely initiated by frontiersmen. It was interesting to read about the relationship between Sam Houston and his Army and the providential nature of their ultimate victory.

The book, while over 500 pages long and a history, nonetheless is written with such attention to the characters and storyline that it reads more like a novel. Covering Texas from the time of Mexican independence to the American Civil War it is replete with familiar names: Sam Houston, Stephen Austin, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and Presidents from Jefferson to Lincoln.

While it covers political history of Mexico and the United States sufficiently to provide background it is really a story of conquest and war. While we might remember the Alamo and have a recollection of San Jacinto having a part to play historically it gives insight into how Texas was populated, developed, and achieved independence, then statehood.

Because it is well-written I gave it five stars. It probably could have been given four, but it was good and much better than I expected.

I really, really wanted to give it five stars, but had to ding it a little for the amount of effort it took for me to finish this book. It took three attempts over three years to get through it (although, admittedly, the second attempt was aborted when Hubby took the book with him when he relocated for his new job and I stayed behind for 8 months to finish my teaching contract), but the effort was well worth it.

This book is THE definitive history of Texas from the first steps of Europeans on her fertile soil to the death of Sam Houston in 1863. There is a wealth of information you never hear in History classes, even though Texas history is taught all year in both 4th and 7th grades.

H.W. Brands pulls no punches when recounting the history of principal players in the struggle for Texas independence (even secondary players, such as Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams get extensive coverage). The admirable qualities (and, believe it or not, there are some) of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna are not overlooked. Still, and refreshingly so, Brands does not fall into the trap of post-modern revisionism.

Writing this book was obviously a labor of love, as was reading it. God Bless Texas!

The history of Texas told from Stephen F. Austin and his efforts to establish it to Sam Houston and the fight for independence. Interesting parallels with today being Election Day.

Mexico had a constitution and was supposed to be a democracy in the 1820s. Then along came Antonio de Lopes de Santa Anna who became the nation's leader. He started violating provisions of Mexico's constitution. In Texas Anglo settlers and Tejanos [hispanic Texans] where upset and tried to first restore the democracy and later fight for independence.

This book is phenomenal, truly one of the best that I've ever taken the time to read. This is the first book by Brands that I've ever picked up, and I have to say that he lives up to his reputation as one of America's foremost historians. "Lone Star Nation" recounts the events of the glorious struggle that led to Texas becoming an independent republic and eventually a part of the United States. Ordinary people came here to better their lives, and when a despotic military dictator named Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna attempted to subjugate them and strip them of their liberty they courageously grabbed their rifles and rose in revolt. They originated the defiant fighting spirit with which Texas has become synonymous, refusing to follow orders even from their elected leaders, and spread frontier democracy and American freedom in the process. The Texas revolution made heroes out of men like Houston and Austin, martyrs out of Crockett, Bowie, Travis, and many others. Brands tells their story so well the reader feels as if he is there in that era, reading the events in the local newspaper rather than from the pages of a history book.

Brands is a big fan of the setup to the big events. It feels like he spends more time on Stephen Austin's father and Austin's early land dealings than the actual Texas republic. The problem is, if you are writing a book about how Texas changed America, you should probably cover that in more detail than the last 2 chapters. All setup, no payoff. I felt the same about his book on Andrew Jackson. They are well written, but clearly Brands and I are on different pages of what we find historically interesting. So, looks like that's it for me reading H.W. Brands. Which stinks because he teaches at UT - Austin, my alma mater!

Good account of the events leading up to the war for independence in Texas, the brief revolution, and ultimate decision to break from the US in 1861. Story focuses mostly on the history (biography) of key players in the war (Bowie, Crockett, Austin, Houston, Santa Ana, etc) vs. broader stories about the events on the ground.

Wonderfully researched book that illustrates the truth about the birth of the great State of Texas; couldn't put it down.

An in depth look at the history of Texas, from early settlers to it becoming a country, and then a state in the USA. Paying particular to the men who shaped the state, from American Stephen Austin, the state's reluctant founder; Sam Houston, the alcoholic former governor who came to lead the Texas army right when he was needed; William Travis, James Bowie, and David Crockett, the unforgettable heroic defenders of the doomed Alamo; and Santa Anna, the Mexican generalissimo who caused so much of the strife in the first place, the author showed how everything fell into place, against all odds, for Texas freedom.

So, being a fourth grade teacher in Texas that has to teach Texas history, I wanted to build more personal knowledge of it all, but the book got to the point where I was so bored, and so I finished it on double speed - ha ha!

This book was a resource for Forget the Alamo: The True Story of the Myth That Made Texas so I decided to read it after I finished the other book.
This book is dry but it does give some interesting information about the Republic of Texas. I particularly liked the insight into Houston's character. I ended up feeling sorry for the Austin family. I really liked Santa Ana's story.
A friend of mine said that really good documentaries are dry because the author isn't trying to influence; the author merely presents the facts. I agree.