LitPick Review
Deadly Hearts by Michael Burgan is a nonfiction novel that describes deadly, terrible vanquishers of centuries past. Through Burgan’s writing, you are able to witness these usurpers' upbringings and the possible reasons behind their evilness. Some characters show much diversity in their actions while others seem to always have acted in the same horrific ways. A few people described are Queen Mary I of England, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Attila the Hun. The author speaks factually about each character while explaining some reasons why they may have ended up that way. This book would be a good read for anyone looking to learn more about not just the heroes of the past, but the villains too.
Opinion:
In this book, I saw many strengths, the foremost being how the author describes each character deeply. It gives the illusion that you are witnessing firsthand the myriad of ways in which these people tortured others. The author's voice is very factual, and in reading, you learn a lot about each deadly heart. While the characters are definitely not likable, this makes sense in a context where the author presents information on 16 evil souls. I am confident that the author achieved his purpose, and I appreciated how much I was able to learn about the hate and evilness of others.
I gave this book 5/5 stars because I learned a lot about each character, and it was presented in a way that was easy to understand.
