The Statesman and the Storyteller, Mark Zwonitzer
The Statesman and the Storyteller, Mark Zwonitzer
List: $39.99 | Sale: $28.00
Club: $19.99

The Statesman and the Storyteller
John Hay, Mark Twain, and the Rise of American Imperialism

Author: Mark Zwonitzer

Narrator: Joe Barrett

Unabridged: 25 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/26/2016


Synopsis

John Hay, Lincoln's private secretary and later secretary of state under presidents McKinley and Roosevelt, and Samuel Langhorne Clemens, famous as "Mark Twain," grew up fifty miles apart on the banks of the Mississippi River in the same rural antebellum stew of race, class, and want. This shared history drew them together in the late 1860s, and their mutual admiration never waned in spite of sharp differences.

In The Statesman and the Storyteller, the last decade of their lives play out against the tumultuous events of the day, as the United States government begins to aggressively pursue a policy of imperialism, overthrowing the duly elected queen of Hawaii; violently wresting Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines away from Spain; and finally supporting a revolution to clear a path for the building of the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal.

Stunning in its relevance, The Statesman and the Storyteller explores the tactics of America's earliest global policies and their influence on U.S. actions for years to follow. Ultimately, it is the very human rendering of Clemens and Hay that distinguishes Zwonitzer's work, providing profound insights into the lives of two men who helped define their era.

About Mark Zwonitzer

Mark Zwonitzer is a writer and director whose work appears nationally on public television. He is currently finishing up work on a documentary about the creation of the transcontinental railroad and hopes to begin working on a documentary about the Carter Family soon. He lives in Connecticut.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mark on November 06, 2016

This biography (or pair of biographies) was certainly informative and well researched, but I felt like it would have been better as two separate biographies. The weaving of the two men together was rather contrived. Yes, the were both small town boys from Missouri, historically contemporary, and eve......more

Goodreads review by Porter on November 23, 2019

This book underwhelmed me. I am not sure where to begin with my critique of the book, but I have to start somewhere. First, the book is over 500 pages, but does not cite a source. While the author discusses his methodology and approach at the end, it was a little disconcerting that there was not a sin......more

Goodreads review by Robert on March 04, 2019

This book is a fascinating blend of storytelling, history, and biography; one that weaves together the lives of two influential thinkers and leaders of the 19th century, Samuel Clemens and John Day. They were born only several years apart into the same muddy grit of the Mississippi River Valley. The......more

Goodreads review by Randal on March 30, 2016

Thorough A lengthy examination of American history at the turn into the twentieth century. The author chose to narrate the period through the eyes of two American legends, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and John Hay (President Lincoln's secretary). Both men were seeking to secure their places in histor......more