Star-Spangled Banner

Most Americans don’t know the origin story of our national anthem.  Some aren’t aware this started as a poem with no accompaniment, which was added later to aid in the sharing of the words.  Few know it was actually one of many in the running to become our nation’s song until President Hoover signed a bill into law designating it as our banner song in 1913.  Most citizens only know it as something sung before a ballgame and demand it is sung in the arrangement we have come to know as the Star-Spangled Banner. 

Marc Ferris’ Star-Spangled Banner: The unlikely story of America’s national anthem is an in-depth look at our national anthem from its crafting during the War of 1812, to the controversy over its selection and renditions in more recent history.  Controversy is nothing new for the anthem – early conflict arose from the poem’s words “star-spangled” and the source of many of the musical tracts used for melody.  Ferris’ academic approach to this topic is evident with a great amount of research into the key players and facts.  This book is guaranteed to have new facts you have never heard before.

I give Star-Spangled Banner 3 out of 5 stars.  As a history lover, I enjoyed the new facts I learned about the journey from poem to anthem.  However, this book read like a textbook at times with heavy emphasis on the analysis of decisions made along the way.  I did enjoy the world view Ferris included in the book focusing not only on the American journey, but that of many other countries choosing an anthem as well.  I also found the inclusion of the rendition controversy timely given the recent uproar over a version sung by a high-profile musician before a sporting event.

I recommend this book to history lovers – the author includes facts and timelines I have not previously seen captured in textbook or pleasure reading.  I would also recommend this to students of American, British, or French history.  Ferris spends a good bit of time recalling the struggles of each of these countries to determine an anthem and relates how those journeys intertwine and influence each other.

I chose Star-Spangled Banner as my Flag Day read this year.  As previously stated, there is much about our flag and our anthem most American citizens just are not aware of.  I wanted to broaden my horizons and I think it is also important to learn about how we got to our current political and civil environments, which starts with these early decisions.  While I learned much reading this book, it will not be a return read for me.  At 3 out of 5 stars, I was a bit disappointed in the book, but do see value for readers looking for specific information.

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What I’m Reading

• Current print book: The Brighter the Light, Mary Ellen Taylor
• Current audio book: Verity, Colleen Hoover
• Book I’m most looking forward to: The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise, Colleen Oakley