Moments of Despair

“Silkenat clearly illustrates the social, cultural, and economical upheaval left in the war’s wake.” — Our State

“It is not often I find a social history that is fun to read, one that grabs my attention and holds it the way a good battle history can. This book manages to do that while being very informative and giving the reader an understanding of these issues in North Carolina.” — TOCWOC: A Civil War Blog

“This excellent book is a social history of the changing attitudes toward Suicide, Divorce, and Debt. . . . It is a fun and informative read.” — TOCWOC — A Civil War Blog

“An interesting new perspective on an incontrovertible old truth.” — American Historical Review

“To have a better rounded education on our American Civil War; you should consider adding this very interesting book to your library.” — Lone Star Book Review

“A valuable contribution to our understanding of how the American Civil War affected the lives of ordinary people.” — Journal of Interdisciplinary History

“Silkenat argues that the Civil War fundamentally changed southern culture for both black and white North Carolinians. Using suicide, debt, and divorce as tools of measurement, he traces these changes and the significant impact they had on society.” — Southern Historian

“Silkenat’s work deserves serious consideration for its broad, largely convincing claims and its deep archival base. This is an interesting, well-researched study that should confirm the importance of the Civil War in broadly transforming Southern society.” — The Historian

“Silkenat succeeds in challenging many of our assumptions about nineteenth-century North Carolina.” — Journal of American Studies

“A highly polished, highly original study that deserves the widest possible readership.” — Journal of Southern History