Beardstown

When Americans created civilization from wilderness, there were those who followed the rules and those who created their own—an enduring conflict between liberty and virtue that formed a new land.

Five years have passed since the death of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. The native peoples of the Midwest have been defeated, and the fertile soil of Illinois is up for grabs by a steady stream of opportunistic dreamers. The ones who get there first will shape this new America as it suits them—or so they intend.

When two young adventurers, Thomas Beard and Murray McConnel, find their way to Mascouten Bay in 1818, the land is full of promise. There, Beard envisions a town built on the bank of the Illinois River, a bustling place of commerce. With McConnel’s gift for political strategy, the two manipulate the land, and the laws, to work in their favor. This new town—Beardstown—will be above all a place of civilization and culture. But the untapped wealth of the region attracts more than just families. Fierce young people are out to make their fortunes in any way they see fit, and the frontier promises them the freedom to do so. As the town’s founders wrestle to manage the clash of virtue and liberty, they bear witness to a nation shaping itself, a nation whose powerful forward momentum might be impossible for them, or anyone else, to control.

Beardstown boldly tracks the sweep of the nineteenth century across middle America and features an incredible cast of characters, from farmers, philosophers, soldiers, and gamblers to calculating entrepreneurs, charming and brilliant madams, and even a young captain-turned-lawyer named Abraham Lincoln. Beardstown is the second book of the American Trilogy series, three novels that reframe the epic legacy of the fight for the American Midwest.

What readers are saying

“4 out of 5 stars.” —San Francisco Book Review

“Informative and engaging, with solid pacing and engaging dialogue that keep the plot moving steadily over its half-century timeline. Foster has a deep knowledge of the history of both the region and the era, and his well-developed characters transform a timeline of events into a captivating tale. An epic novel.” —Kirkus Reviews

“At times tragic and at times triumphant, Beardstown serves as both cautionary tale and blueprint for any would-be city builder. In this literary tour de force and part two of an American trilogy about western frontier expansion, Foster pens a novel so wrought with ambition, grief, exultation, and relief that the sheer weight of emotion overwhelms the reader while reminding us that the grueling work of placemaking is never done. Foster brings all of this to life in rich detail, with just the right amounts of detachment and sympathy. He’s a master at his craft and one who’s fun to read. I can’t wait for part three.” —Ron Starner, executive vice president of Conway Data, Inc.

“Sam Foster’s tale of life on the midwestern frontier relates very well with current issues facing industrial development. . . . [an] amazingly entertaining story.” —Ron L. Frierson, director of economic policy, City of Los Angeles

“Once again Sam Foster has delivered an incredibly delightful novel. As a man setting out to build a modern American city two hundred years after Tom Beard showed up on the banks of the Illinois River, I really identified with the characters. Especially Tom Beard, who is asked, ‘Who will build the churches and schools?’ by his business partner. ‘We will,’ he says, ‘because we are empire builders, the others are just in it for the money.’” —Randy Kendrick, developer of Hayden, Texas, America’s city of the future

“A wonderfully done historical novel on the battle for the Midwest. I can’t wait to read the third book in the American Trilogy series . . . and anything else Sam Foster writes.” —Catraphoenix, book blogger

Available in the Ingram catalog