"This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War"

"The Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War" by Drew Gilpin Faust examines how the enormous scale of death during the Civil War transformed American society and its collective understanding of mortality. It explores how Americans, faced with unprecedented loss, created new ways to mourn, honor the dead, and grapple with the moral and spiritual implications of war. The book highlights how these experiences reshaped national identity, religious practices, and attitudes toward death, influencing subsequent generations and shaping America's cultural approach to mortality.