Book review: These Civil War books will keep you busy this summer
You already know the argument.
You probably know what it’s like to have a broken family or to have to defend your beliefs in the conflict-ridden climate we live in. So read this summer about a time in history when war tore the country apart, set brother against brother, righted a great wrong and left scars on the country, on the people and on the families…
Sometimes history is in the details, and in Voices from Gettysburg by Allen C. Guelzo (Kensington, $29.00) you’ll read a day-by-day, person-by-person account of arguably the most influential battle of the Civil War.
Using real letters from prisoners, soldiers, and others who were at Gettysburg on those days in July 1863, you’ll get an accurate sense of what it was like to be on or near the battlefield. Filled with authentic voices, maps, and other documents, this book will put you right in the middle of the action so you won’t be able to put it down.
At some point in your life, you’ve no doubt read or learned something about Harriet Tubman. In your mind, her bravery during the Civil War and the lives she helped to free make her seem invincible, like some kind of super-powered being. In Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People by Tiya Miles (Penguin Press, $30), you’ll learn that some of what you think you know is myth and that there is actually so much more to Tubman’s life and work.
It’s true that Tubman helped hundreds of people gain their freedom, but this book goes even further, including the environment she grew up in and the relationships she had with the women she helped and others. We get a fresher, deeper look into Tubman as a person, and readers learn more about the spiritual life that comforted her in difficult times. That alone could be an inspiration for travelers today.
Finally, if you want a little surprise in your summer reading, pick up “Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War” by Jon Grinspan (Bloomsbury, $32).
Whatever you may think, the election we have witnessed in this country recently has not been the most contentious: At the start of the 1860 political season, a group of young Northerners, men and women, black and white, began organizing on behalf of abolitionists and slavers. They called themselves the Wide Awakes and became a political force to be reckoned with during the election. It’s possible, Grinspan says, that the Wide Awakes were one of the main catalysts for the war. This book is packed with action and will show you that history can be full of surprises.
If these books only whet your appetite for more, you’re in luck: There are literally thousands upon thousands of books about the Civil War. All you have to do is ask your favorite bookstore or librarian for help, and the book you want will be sent to you right away, no questions asked.
Source:
https://www.phillytrib.com/lifestyle/book-review-these-civil-war-books-will-keep-you-busy-this-summer/article_c3630947-0fbe-587d-970e-aba69845d268.html
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