history repeats itself

Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction by Fergus M. Bordewich

Genre: non-fiction, U.S. History

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Review: Although the title of this book is somewhat misleading, as Ulysses S. Grant is something of a minor characters, there is a lot of information about the early KKK, and anyone interested in American History will find this book a worthwhile read.  Grant was a strong proponent of civil rights, but he's not really the focus of the book.  Bordewich does justice to Grant, detailing legislation he championed in support of civil rights, as well as the judges and cabinet members he appointed who helped make his vision a reality.

And it was a reality.  Sort of.  For a little while.  The reader learns about many of the new elected officials, many newly emancipated, in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, and the ways their activism pushed forward the civil rights agenda.

Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, there's a backlash, and it is this that forms the bulk of this book.  Alongside the stories of brave people who fought for equal rights are the stories of people who believed in both segregation and subjugation, and the violence they perpetrated in pursuit of their goals.  There are numerous descriptions of lynchings, assaults, brutality, and cruelty as the KKK became more organized.

Readers will learn the many ways in which the KKK of the 1860s and 1870s was different from what we now think of as the Klan, and may be surprised to find out that the Klan was essentially dormant from the late 19th century until the early 1920s, at which point it was increasing immigration that provided the impetus for the resurrection of the Klan into what we know today.

until we're all free

The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight For Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: history

Review: It's a good thing that Kate Moore stated plainly at the beginning of her book that all quotes came directly from letter, diary entries, the public record, or the like, because otherwise one could think that this is a work of fiction.  That's a testament both to the quality of the writing and to the nearly unbelievable nature of the story.  The intersection of the lack of married womens' rights and conditions in mental institutions in the 1860s was, to put it mildly, a horror show.  Through meticulous and thorough research, Moore brings us the story of Elizabeth Packard, one woman determined not to let either stop her in her struggle for her independence and that of the woman around her.  She is to be lauded for the masterful way in which she's brought Elizabeth Packard's voice and fight both to life and to light.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

what lies beneath

Alice's Tulips by Sandra Dallas
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Genre: historical fiction
Read 20 in 2020 category: published in 2000 (or history)
Review: Midway through the Civil War, Alice has been living for a year with her new husband and his mother on their small farm in Iowa, when her husband hears the call of patriotism and joins the Union Army.  Alice left the more genteel circumstances she grew up in to marry Charlie, and it does appear to be true love, as they're quite happy together.  He leaves Alice with his mother, a woman of very strong opinions, and the hired man to do the heavy lifting on the farm.  This seems somewhat problematic at first, as Alice's only apparent talents are quilting and flirting (which puts her one up on Scarlett O'Hara).

As the circumstances get tougher, Alice soon finds that she has more skills than she thought she did, including loyalty and the ability to work hard.  In this book, Sandra Dallas has mastered the art of showing the reader how a character develops, rather than simply saying so.  Told in the form of letters Alice writes to her sister, the reader can almost feel Alice developing both muscles and a backbone as she faces both day-to-day and rather more extraordinary challenges.

second war, same as before

American War by Omar El Akkad
Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
Genre: science fiction
Read 20 in 2020 Challenge Category: sci fi
Review: By the 2050s, climate change has caused ocean levels to rise to such a degree that Florida is underwater, as is most of the eastern seaboard.  The Mississippi River has become an inland sea, wiping out New Orleans, and continues to grow.  The Inland Migration has taken over the midwest, and the US capitol has been moved to Columbus, from which the use of fossil fuels is banned.  Southerners are so outraged by this that Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia secede in 2074, kicking off the 2nd American Civil War.  Somehow, the southwest becomes a Mexican Protectorate, but that's incidental to the story and the details are unclear.

Beyond the changed geography, climate change doesn't get much discussion.  The focus is on Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana by the shores of the Mississippi Sea.  Her father is killed in a homicide bombing when she is six, and she and her mother, brother, and twin sister are forced to move to Camp Patience near the border of the Free Southern State in Mississippi.  It is there that she learns what it means to be a "Southerner" and her insurrectionist tendencies are honed.

The bulk of the book is the story of what Sarat does, and what happens to her.  It's not a light read.  It is very creatively written, though, in that the tone echoes very closely books about the actual American Civil War.  Here, the South's desire for independence shows itself through their defiance of the ban on fossil fuels, but it feels just exactly like it might in a work of historical fiction.  Kudos to the author for being able to pull that off, even as he weaves in modern and advanced technology.

flat on the page

The Tubman Command by Elizabeth Cobbs
Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)
Genre: historical fiction
Review: Any student of Civil War-era history has some basic knowledge of Harriet Tubman, but perhaps not much beyond her role on the Underground Railroad.  If nothing else, this book will deepen the reader's understanding of her ongoing role in liberating slaves throughout the War itself.  Cobbs focuses on Tubman's actions as a scout for the Union Army at their camp in Beaufort, South Carolina.  Tubman, or "Moses", as she was known by the "contraband" freed slaves, both recruited other scouts and helped to organize the slaves on the nearby plantation so that they would be ready to move when the Army came to free them.

A good novel of historical fiction makes the past come alive in a way that non-fiction can't.  Unfortunately, I can't really say that Tubman leaps off the page in this book.  Rather, it reads more like a work of narrative non-fiction from a close third-person point of view.  However, readers interested in either the Civil War or Harriet Tubman will learn a lot from Cobbs's research and the information goes down very easily.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

Jews in the Civil War

All Other Nights by Dara Horn

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Genre: historical fiction

Review: Horn is not subtle about making a point about the irony of Jews in the Confederacy during the Civil War. One of the opening scenes is of a Passover seder celebrating the liberation of Jews from bondage in Egypt being served by black slaves. And although I certainly know more now than I did before about Jews in the Civil War, what I really took from this book was just a good, well-told story.

FTC Disclaimer: I recieved this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

too matter of fact?

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Genre: memoir
Challenge: A-Z (author)
Review: When reading this book, one must keep some distance between oneself and the narrative, to not be overwhelmed by the horrors that are described. Fortunately, the writing style helps the reader maintain this distance. Writing in a very matter of fact style, perhaps even too matter of factly, Beah describes his efforts to avoid getting pulled into the civil war in Sierra Leone and his actions when he is eventually "recruited" to join the army.

The bulk of this book is quite bleak, by necessity. But Beah shows a talent for story-telling throughout, especially in the more hopeful sections of the book, when he describes his life before the civil war struck his village and after his "rehabilitation".

Don't quit your day job!

No Certain Rest by Jim Lehrer
Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
Genre: fiction/historical fiction
Challenge: TBR and A-Z (title)
Summary/Review: Now I know why Jim Lehrer hasn't quit his day job! Alas, I just wasn't impressed with this book, although I really wanted to be. The premise is that the skeleton of a Civil War soldier is found buried on previously unexplored land bordering the battlefield at Antietam. The National Park Service is called in, and the hunt begins to find the identity of the remains, and why they were buried in such a peculiar way (facedown) and so far from the rest of the carnage. Our sleuth is an archaeologist from NPS who becomes determined to find out the truth of what happens. A perfectly good premise, yes. Unfortunately, explanation of what happened at Antietam, or why a character cares so much about it was strained, maudlin, and heavy-handed. The inclusion of a "love interest" for the main character is completely forced, not to mention unnecessary, as are the various mentions of a debate over reenactment. Overall, a disappointing book, although true Civil War buffs will probably enjoy it.