March

Geraldine Brooks
280 pages

Based on the characters from Little Women, this book tells the story of Mr. March while he is serving as an Army chaplain and teacher to "contraband" slaves during the Civil War.  However, this book does not just tell the story of present day Mr. March but also covers his past.  For instance, you learn who Mr. March lent his money to and how the March family ended up living in poverty.  You also learn how Mr. March met Marmee and how Mr. March helped Marmee learn to control her explosive temper.  This book also covers Mrs. March's perspective as she visits her gravely ill husband and learns about the secrets he has been keeping from her.

Although this book was intriguing, not all of it jives with my own picture of Mr. and Mrs. March.  Brooks's version of Marmee feels right, but I'm not sure Brooks's vision of Mr. March would match up with Alcott's vision.

A Clash of Kings

A Song of Ice and Fire, #2
by George R.R. Martin
761 pages

WARNING:  If you have not finished reading A Game of Thrones, and you plan to, do not read this summary.  It's impossible to summarize this book without giving away large parts of what happened in the first book.

There are now four kings who each claim the throne of Westeros.  Joffrey Baratheon is thought to be King Robert's son and the heir apparent.  However, he is really the result of incest between his mother and her twin brother, and he really has no claim to the throne, though he is still unaware of this.  Joffrey's mother's family, the Lannisters, have lots of money and a large army to support Joffrey's claim and hold the western lands.  King Robert's real heir should be Stannis, his brother, and Stannis makes a claim to the throne based on this, but few lords support his claim.  Robert's youngest brother Renly also makes a claim on the throne as King Robert's appointed heir to their family's lands and titles.  Renly is largely supported by those in the south.  The final claimant to the throne is Robb Stark, King of the North, who has been proclaimed king by many supporters in the central and northern regions of Westeros.  Stark did not seek to become king, but many would rather have him as king over the corrupt Lannisters.  Obviously, there cannot be four kings, so there are some battles going on to settle the matter.

Of course we cannot forget our favorite characters.  Tyrion Lannister is Acting Hand and works to keep the throne in Lannister hands, even if it means opposing Queen Regent Cersei and King Joffrey.  The Stark family is still scattered throughout the entire realm, each with his or her own struggles.  The Starks and Winterfell are also in danger as others seek to take the northern lands for their own.  Jon Snow is fighting beyond the Wall, and Daenerys Targaryen is still wandering around with her dragons in the lands east of Westeros.

Overall, an enjoyable read.  I've got to say that I think Tyrion Lannister is one of my favorite characters, even though he is fighting on the "wrong" side.  The only complaint I have is that Martin spends too much time following the story of Daenerys Targaryen.  I don't like her, and I don't want her to take over the realm.  So help me, if this is how this whole series ends, I am going to be mad.  However, I definitely have to read the next book because I desperately need to know what's going to happen to the Starks.

"The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery" by Eric Foner

426 pages

Abraham Lincoln's views about slavery and African Americans in general are often misunderstood. Here, Foner examines Lincoln's speeches, writings, law career, and political decisions to show what the 16th president really thought about what was probably the most controversial issue of his time. It's clear that Lincoln's views were more complex than many people realize: while he hated slavery, he also publicly rejected political and social equality for blacks, hesitated to emancipate slaves and accept black recruits into the Union army, and advocated sending blacks to overseas colonies instead of allowing them to integrate into American society. However, his opinion of slavery and African Americans did evolve throughout his life, especially during the Civil War, and he became more determined to free the slaves and improve their situations as he got older. Also, Foner argues, Lincoln went further than any president before him to represent the rights of black people in America, and his presidency marked a shift in the way Americans thought about race, rights, and citizenship.

I learned a lot from this book, and much of it surprised me. Abraham Lincoln is often deified as the "Great Emancipator" (from my perspective, at least), and while part of this reputation is deserved, he wasn't as revolutionary as some of us are taught in school. I didn't realize how racist some of Lincoln's views were. That said, he was still progressive in the context of his political and social environment, and he did become more sympathetic to the African-American cause as time went by. I think Foner does a good job of taking lots of historical details and turning them into an interesting narrative, and I enjoyed this book all the way through.

Woe to Live On by Daniel Woodrell

Woe to Live On by Daniel Woodrell

Straightforward in its violence, this book was difficult to read but Woodrell deserves credit for taking facts about bushwhackers, secessionists and Jayhawkers and creating a compelling tale.  Woodrell is a genius at showing the humanity, or lack of humanity, in those around us...our neighbors, ourselves.  The main character, Jake, travels with killers, displaying his own savagery but still there's something humane about him.  Woodrell shows us how hard it is to retain any humanity in the midst of a mob and it's only when Jake has time away from the larger group that he begins to understand what compelled him into the fight and what it has cost him.
I think Daniel Woodrell is a genius and reading one of his books is necessary, even when it kind of hurts.
Oh, I forgot to say that the movie, Ride With the Devil, was based on this book.  Also the book was re-published as Ride With the Devil but apparently both versions of the title are out of print.
Kim F

The Killer Angels

by Michael Shaara
p 355

To participate in the Big Read this year, I chose The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara. This Civil War story is centered around the 3 day battle of Gettysburg and wonderfully recreates not only the strategic planning and execution, but also a personal reflection of war by soldiers from both sides. The author does a credible job of recreating the sentiments and horrors of this brutal war as seen through some of the major players for the South, Robert E Lee and the North, General Meade and those that served directly under them.
Gettysburg was the deadliest battle of the civil war with over 50,000 casualties. The summer heat and destruction of artillery left the rolling hills of Pennsylvania scorched and filled with the stench of death. Shaara's narrative is a history lesson that reads like fiction. Even if you are not a Civil War enthisiast this book will keep you captivated from the first page.
Giving it a Rock and Chalk - good reading and informative, but at times a little hard to follow all the action.

The Brothers' War: Civil War Voice in Verse

by J. Patrick Lewis

31 p.

Lewis writes poetry trying capture the voices of the people involved in the Civil War from John Brown to people enslaved to Confederate soldiers.

I think the book was great. The poetry was fantastic and moving. The pictures were often ones I had not seen before. I only wanted more poems really.

"Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War" by T.J. Stiles

510 pages

This biography follows the story of Jesse James from the time that his parents arrived in Missouri to his death, putting his life in the context of the social and political environment of western Missouri during and after the Civil War. Jesse James is often portrayed as a sort of hero, but here it appears that he was quite the opposite: a cold-blooded killer. The author makes a good case for viewing Jesse as a political terrorist rather than a legendary Wild-West outlaw. Stiles has done very extensive research, and his claims are supported by some pretty solid evidence. He shows Jesse's upbringing in a Southern, white supremacist family; the James family's unwavering support for the Confederacy; and the way that Jesse and his brother Frank's group of bandits targeted Unionist and Republican individuals and institutions.

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. It's pretty dense, but I like that Stiles backs up what he says with references. It's repetitive at times, but most of the stories are exciting and told well. I learned a lot about not only Jesse James but also the Civil War in Missouri. I knew that it was especially chaotic here in the middle of the country, where everything--North and South, East and West--meet, but this story brought that to life and made me realize how dangerous life was at that time.

Walt Whitman: Words for America by Barbara Kerley

"I am of old and young, of the foolish as much as the wise...."

The images I have of Walt Whitman come from a very cathartic reading of Leaves of Grass when a good friend died while he was reading it. I have always felt pushed and challenged by his words and the life he lead. But in all my readings and musings, I never really paid attention to this part of Whitman's story.

A short biography of Walt Whitman geared towards younger elementary school children; this novel focuses on the impact the Civil War had on Whitman who was too old to fight. Instead he dedicated himself to caring for and visiting soldiers in hospitals in Washington D.C. It was also at this time that he gained a strong respect for Abraham Lincoln. Beautifully illustrated with snippets of poetry throughout (full text included in the back), this is a good introduction to Whitman. It is is no way thorough and there is much more to learn about the man and poet who helped shape American poetry. 2004, 56 pages.

The Brothers' War ~ Civil War Voices In Verse

By: J Patrick Lewis ~ A National Geographic & Photographs by: Matthew Brady, 31 pp

Civil War was an awful experience that our forefathers have had to endure. The stories we hear are sad and gruesome. This book is no different. However, the book is of stories put into "verse" poetry. The phographs are a bit much, but it is truth. There is a variety of poetry; such as a letter from a father to his son at war and then a return letter from the son back to his father - both in poetry.

Interestingly, there is a timeline and a map of the Civil War giving us more information.

This is a poetry & a Big Read book.

"Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James Swanson

198 pages

James Swanson wrote a bestselling book ("Manhunt") about Lincoln's assassination and the pursuit of John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators. This is the young-adult adaptation of that book. It begins with the Confederacy's surrender at Appomattox and describes how the South's loss enraged Booth and his associates. From there, the book follows the planning of the assassins, the murder itself, Booth's escape, and his eventual capture. As one would expect, considering that Swanson wrote "Manhunt," the author did plenty of research, which allows him to write about what happened from several different perspectives: Booth, his conspirators, the police, the people Booth encountered during his escape, and more. Swanson provides plenty of details, but the story reads more like a crime novel than a historical text. I enjoyed the read and also learned a lot, and I think this is a great book to get young readers interested in this part of history.

Women in the Civil War

Cobblestone, Discover American History by many authors, 48 pp

Women in the Civil War were not just your average 1800's lady. Some were soldiers, spies, doctors, nurses, authors, chaplains, teachers, and much more. Usually these roles were of men, not women. Several women were involved in espionage. All just wanted to desperately help their side of the war.

I have been reading a lot about women of the Civil War lately and these books are very interesting. I especially like this Cobblestone book because it has fun ideas of what young girls did as well during the Civil War. There are several authors in this book. The stories are really neat how they set them all up to. There are fun activities and even a comic strip on the last page of the book. A lot of fun and interesting facts!

Women Who Dare ~ Women of the Civil War

By: Dr. Michelle A Krowl, 63 pp

Bold, brave women did their part in the Civil War here in the United States. Some may also be a bit extreme, like Anna Dickinson. Dickinson was in her early twenties, but very famous for her speeches. She once "commanded a $1,000 speaking fee in 1863, at a time when ordinary soldiers received just $13 a month."

The picture on the right above is of brave Dr. Mary Edwards Walker. She was well-known for her giving the opportunity for the soldiers not having to always amputate their limbs. She was awarded Congressional Medal of Honor bestowed by President Andrew Jackson, however, later in 1917 she was stripped of her award on a technicality, but Walker refused to give her medal up. She wore her medal until her death in 1919. In 1977, her award was restored.

This book only touches on just a very few of the women that were well-known for their courage, support, and activities during the Civil War.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is informational. There are actual pictures of these women that Dr. Krowl speaks of in this book, which brings them to light.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

I started this book Wednesday evening and finished it Friday morning, with tears running down my face.  Wow.  I didn't expect to be so moved by a war novel (not usually my choice of reading material.) But Michael Shaara, even when speaking the language of generals and writing words of battle, still finds a way to convey the humanity, the grace, the sadness, the exaltation of the men who fought the battle of Gettysburg.  Whatever you learned in school about the Civil War, whatever small bits you may remember were all dry facts and statistics compared to this account.  Shaara makes you feel it and I, for one, am grateful there are books that can leave me sitting on my sofa, on the last day of spring break, with a lump in my throat that won't go away, hoping it will be awhile before the girls awake, demanding pancakes and the plans for the day.
Superb.  If you read no other Big Read title for this year, please, please, read this one.
Kim F
355 pp

The River Between Us

By: Richard Peck, 164 pp.

"People swarmed wherever you looked. Men mainly, of every age. Most were in uniform or parts of uniform. Some went about their business, but more of them were drunk - reeling drunk and fighting drunk and sleeping it off with their boots in the ditches and their heads cradled in filth."

This is the scene that Richard Peck describes how the Civil War was in Cairo, Illinois; and these were the men who were not killed or very ill or hurt from the war, just drunk. The scenes are worse and sickening as Peck reveals the sick and the hurt of the war.

This starred review book is one of our Big Read books in April.

Peck first takes you through a trip with Howard Hutchings in 1916 on his way to his grandmother's house. Then Howard's grandmother, Tilly Pruitt, tells Howard how she lived through the Civil War back in 1861 and travels form her home in Grand Tower, Illinois to Cairo, Illinois to retrieve her twin brother, Noah, from the war.

From this trip, Howard learns of his family's secret.