Well written and researched. Tells the story of the road to Texas Independence. Without the revisionist history of some other current books.

Rank it up there with Blood of Heroes by James Donovan.

I found this book to be very readable and enjoyed it. I know that there is much disagreement and controversy over this subject. To me (no historian ) this book was well researched telling good and bad of all evolved. If you are curious about Texas this book is where to start. I recommend everyone read histories of their home states.

This is one of those books that somehow slipped through the cracks.....it came out 16 years ago and I never picked it up. Now, thanks to the coronavirus, I was looking for something to read and came across a brand new copy and wondered how I had missed it since I will buy just about anything and everything relating to Texas history.

Exhaustive 526-page tome with hundreds of footnotes and sources cited which takes the reader back to the days before the Spanish came, then through the Spanish conquest of what was to become Texas, through the turbulent Santa Anna years and the battle for independence, culminating with the Civil War.

Highly readable and enjoyable with many sources cited that don't get cited in your standard "history of" books. If there is one problem, it is the author's over-reliance perhaps on the diaries of Jose De la Pena which some people still question as to whether or not it is an authentic first-person narrative written at the time (1835-36) or later. Presumably, the diaries are authentic, in which case they do offer an in-depth look at the battle for Texas independence, but there will always be those who question the authenticity of them.

If you're looking for a concise history of the Lone Star State in it's early formative years and are interested in more than just the battle of the Alamo, Goliad and San Jacinto, it's never too late to pick up a copy. If you're more interested in those battles, there are many, many books written about them, particularly about the Alamo.

4.5 stars

I grew up in Texas and took the Texas History course that all public school 7th-grade students take, and I know more than the basics of the history of my state; however, this book had information and facts that were completely unfamiliar to me. For example, while I knew that Sam Houston had been a Congressman from Tennessee, I did not know that he had close ties to Andrew Jackson. I also did not know that Davy Crockett had close ties to Jackson at one point and then had a falling out with him and all the Jacksonians.

The book reads as a compelling adventure story focused primarily (at least for the first half of the book) on the Americans, led by Stephen F. Austin, who settled in Texas in the 1820s. If there was one thing I disliked about the book, it was that there seemed to be too much focus on Austin and his followers when I had hoped for more on the actual revolution and fight for independence against General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana and Mexico. The battle of the Alamo, the massacre at Goliad, and even the final battle at San Jacinto received very few pages comparatively, and that was disappointing. The Alamo is the most famous of those, but my keener interest is in Goliad as my great-great-great grandfather was among the approximately 350 men who were murdered there on Santa Ana's orders. I appreciated that Dr. Brands painted the Mexican president and general as the self-aggrandizing narcissist that he was and didn't try in any way to make him anything else.

The narrator for the audiobook was Don Leslie, and I mostly enjoyed his reading. He gave some (but not all) of the main characters specific voices, and that was done fairly well, Davy Crockett's being the most fun. There were some inconsistencies in his pronunciation of some of the Spanish names in that some he pronounced as they would be in Spanish (Brazos, San Jacinto, Santa Ana, for example, even though most Texans that I know don't pronounce them that way) while others he pronounced as most English speakers would say them (Rio Grande, San Antonio, etc.). There were other names from the Spanish that he just pronounced weirdly, specifically Brazoria (Bra-zor-EE-a instead of Bra-ZOR-ee-a) and Mexia (MEX-ee-a instead of Me-HE-a). Someone from outside of the state might not notice, but those really stood out to me. Overall, I'd give his performance 4 out of 5.

I'm not sure how interesting someone who is not a Texan would find this book, but I enjoyed reviewing some of the things I already knew as well as learning a number of new things about the history of my state. Dr. Brands, as always, does an outstanding job of bringing history to life.

When you move to Texas, you have got to learn the history!
Great walk thru the Texans march to statehood.

This is the most recently-told story of Texas independence, and I learned a ton about the lives of figures I'd only known at the surface level. For example, whereas Sam Huston was the strong military leader, Stephen Austin was the diplomat. I also neither appreciated the prominent role of Andrew Jackson in the relationship of Texas to the US and Mexico, nor his political evolution and influence after his presidency. Nevertheless, I expected more discussion about why Texas Independence changed America. While there are certainly implications such as the deeply-ingrained cultural affinity for liberty, I would have preferred fewer chapters about the war and more analysis about how those events have shaped the state and country we have today.

This is a must read for any Texan or anyone with an interest in this little nation of ours.

H.W. Brands is far and away my favorite historical non-fiction writer.

Engaging read on the build up to the Texas Revolution. The stories of key personalities like William B Travis, Davy Crockett, Stephen F Austin Sam Houston etc were very engaging and well written. I also appreciated the fact that he didn’t spend too much time on the Alamo. He also wasn’t scared to point out that defending the Alamo was of very little if any strategic importance.

Overall a good book. I will look for others from this author.

This is a well written book about the history of Texas. The author does a great job of making it not seem like a text book. After recently visiting Austin and San Antonio, it was especially interesting to read.

A library book so...it goes to the top of the stack.


I am what is popularly called a "history buff". It means I've read a lot about history, especially the historical periods and topics that interest me...but I don't have a degree. Technically I do have a minor I suppose...but that's just saying that I took every history course I was allowed in filling the requirements for the technology degree I got.

My favorite topics tend to be American history and general military history, so I've read other books on this topic, and this period. In this case I've come to another book where I wish we had half stars or possibly a 10 star system. I would say 3.5 stars might be closer to my actual rating of this book.

This volume had it's flaws...but then most history books do. Too many (especially now) are written with an agenda (political or otherwise). Too many actually end up being "rewrites", "revisions" of history. The author here makes a great effort to tell a fair story and while he is obviously approving of the overall outcome of history he is largely successful in his attempt at a fair telling. The book is told using the eyewitness accounts we have and what I'd call mini-biographies of the people involved in and around the events. We go back and look at claims on Texas from the French, the Spanish, the native Americans, the Jefferson and later American administrations, the North American colonists ...the claims of the British. The story follows the events and looks at the Mexican Revolution, at Santa Anna's changing position, at Austin, Huston and others with their dreams for and about Texas. There were those who were scoundrels and those who were idealists and all sorts in between. This is a pretty good account of the time, the place and the events. So can't give 3.5...I'll give it 4.

Just a fantastic history of Texas. Brands writes in a compelling, accessible manner, and his work is obviously impeccably researched. His retelling of the Alamo and other battles bring the scenes to life, and multiple perspectives on both sides of the war are presented. Where instances of historical disagreement arise, Brands gives fair treatment to each side while assessing their respective merits. A great read for anyone who likes history.

This book presents a very engaging history Texas leading up to its annexation by the United States. I enjoyed this well-written account of some familiar characters and events, and I look forward to my next read by Mr. Brands.