LONE STAR NATION

This detailed account of the history and personalities that gained Texas independence in 1836 is quite an earful. The author goes way back into the ancestry of Houston and Austin families, gives a nice view of Jacksonian politics (Sam Houston was a protégé of Andrew Jackson), and lets his audience in on the story of Mexican politics. All of this is quite fascinating, and at the end one marvels at the miracle of Texas gaining its independence and the tragedies that resulted from it in 1846 and then in 1861. Don Leslie gives a splendid and energetic reading. He does well with the narrative and renders credible accents for the quotations, which are often lengthy. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 04/ JAN 05]