The David Blight book seems very interesting to me in that he gives a behind the scenes look at Reconstruction after the Civil War. Many historians, professors, and students can benefit from this book because they can deeply understand the historical remembrance of the Civil War. David Blight makes the moral of the war more lucid to readers and makes it clear that the origins of reconciliationist memory can be traced to debates during Reconstruction. It definitely sounds like Eric Foner liked the book because he says Blight tells the stories in a lucid style with an appropriate measure of indignation. He also says the book is so persuasive that he regrets that Blight did not bring it up to the present. The book review tells me about the importance of historical memory in that the reconciliationist vision of the war has a powerful hold on the imagination of Americans. Historical memory is important because it matters how we remember the Civil War.