The Apache Wars

The Apache Wars is the story of the longest war in American history. It all starts with the kidnapping of Mickey Free. Both Apaches and white settlers blamed him for starting the conflict. Mickey Free moved in both worlds but was never fully trusted by either side. As the details of the two decade war are presented, we learn about many Apache leaders such as: Geronimo, Cochise, Victorio, and Mangas Coloradas and how they tried to make a stand against a never ending wave of soldiers and settlers invading their land. 

As soon as I heard about this book it went on my "to read list". Hutton covers an interesting period in American history, which I actually knew very little about. I had heard of Geronimo and Kit Carson, but did not know very much about them before I read this book.  It was fascinating to learn so much about this period in history as well as famous historical figures.

I liked the background information and how it was presented. It really helped me understand who some of these great leaders were, and helped me comprehend their actions a little better. I found it to be the right amount of detail to help put everything in context, without bogging down the flow of events.

I also appreciated how Hutton seemed to give an honest portrayal of the Apaches, Americans, and Mexicans. None were painted as all good or bad. Each action was shown for what it was, and when known, the motivation or words that were said are given to help us understand why this war lasted so long. And why each side was behaving the way they were.

I thought choosing to tell the history of this war while focusing on the life of the kidnapped boy that was the final push into such a long war was an excellent way to introduce people to this period in history. It showed how events affected people on a personal level and really helped the reader understand the tragedies of this war.

This was an engaging history and I came away from this book with a much better understanding of this part of history. I highly recommend reading this book.

**I received a free copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review."**

*Receiving a free copy of this book does not change my review. It simply provides me with a copy of a book I would not read as soon or heard about otherwise.