Splendid Liberators
Heroism, Betrayal, Resistance, and the Birth of American Empire
Joe Jackson
570 pages · Released Oct 14, 2025 · Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Content report card
What's inside
Violence
Fighting, weapons, death
Language
Swearing, crude humor
Sexual content
Romance intensity, nudity
LGBTQ+ themes
Presence of characters or themes
Scary or mature
Horror, trauma, heavy themes
Substance use
Alcohol, drugs, smoking
What it offers
Positive messages
Kindness, courage, honesty, resilience
Positive role models
Characters who model good judgment and growth
Educational value
History, science, culture, how the world works
A note for parents
This is an adult historical narrative about the Spanish-American War and American imperialism, not a children's book. While the writing is described as accessible and immersive, the subject matter involves combat (San Juan Hill, Manila Bay), military casualties from disease, and complex themes of colonialism and resistance that require mature historical understanding. The book's strength lies in its educational value, presenting multiple perspectives on a pivotal moment in American history through portraits of historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt, Clara Barton, and Mark Twain. Teen readers aged 14+ interested in American history may find value here, but this is primarily a work for adult audiences seeking serious historical narrative.
Analyzed by AI · 19 hours ago
From the publisher
This immersive epic reveals the origins of the American empire and the lives of those who promoted it and those who resisted it. In 1898, the United States won an empire, and—many allege—lost its soul. In Splendid Liberators, Joe Jackson offers an epic narrative of the Spanish-American War, the world-spanning conflict... This immersive epic reveals the origins of the American empire and the lives of those who promoted it and those who resisted it. In 1898, the United States won an empire, and—many allege—lost its soul. In Splendid Liberators, Joe Jackson offers an epic narrative of the Spanish-American War, the world-spanning conflict during which the United States freed Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines from Spanish control only to confront resistance and resentment. The acclaimed author of Black Elk, Jackson brings the times to full, teeming life via portraits of the many leading characters—from the impetuous warrior Teddy Roosevelt, the prophetic Cuban revolutionary José Martí, and the Philippines’ dignified first president, Emilio Aguinaldo, to the Red Cross’s Clara Barton and the foe of empire Mark Twain. He ranges from the heroic theaters of San Juan Hill and Manila Bay to disease-wracked camps in Florida and Cuba where soldiers died en masse and to the White House and halls of Congress, where America’s leaders overcame enduring reluctances to seize an overseas dominion. He also follows the exploits of the legendary African American soldier David Fagen, who joined the rebels of the Philippines and fought his compatriots, and the swashbuckling Colonel Fred Funston, who was dispatched into the jungle to hunt him down. Overturning familiar scripts, Splendid Liberators is the first work of narrative nonfiction to look at this far-flung war through American, Cuban, and Filipino eyes, and to gauge the consequences and costs of America's first major imperial adventure.
Shelved under
- History
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ISBN 9780374718404 · Farrar, Straus and Giroux