One of the most examined and historically significant wars to the United States, the American Civil War, has always been a popular period of discussion between history buffs and otherwise, but what did the war mean to those of the time? And how do the major impacts of a war in the mid-19th century still affect the U.S. today? With first-hand sources of diary entries and newspaper columns, Edward Ayers details the suspense and total feeling of uncertainty experienced by those in the 1860s and on, whose lives were directly shaped by one of the most defining eras in our nation’s history. For those who never thought the Civil War could be interesting, to those that think they know everything there is to know already, West Lafayette Public Library Director Nick Schenkel has the review.