Hale, Nathan. Big Bad Ironclad! Book 2 of Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series. 2012. 128p. ISBN 9781419703959.
At the beginning of the American Civil War, the Union's leadership decided to strangle the trade of the Confederate States by blockading its ports and destroying its ships. The South fought back by equipping blockade runners. They also recuperated a burned ship hull and decided to clad it in iron, resurrecting the Merrimack and renaming it the Virginia, the first iron ship. The North entered the race to build an iron ship, and soon the Monitor, which adopted a radically different design, was put out to sea. Designed by John Ericsson, the ship featured a turret above water, with the rest of the ship below the water line.
The two steam-powered ironclads met in in waters known as Hampton Roads, near Norfolk, Virginia, and though the battle was a draw, with neither ship able to disable or destroy the other, the limitation of the Merrimack forced it to depart the battle, and advancing Union forces led to the ship being scuttled to avoid it falling into enemy hands. The Monitor, for its part, sank on December 31, 1862 on its way to support the naval blockade of North Carolina.
Filled with memorable characters and significant history, the ironclads ushered in a new era of naval warfare and revolutionized the way combat was conducted. Illustrated with vivid pictures, and filled with details and impressive feats by sailors and soldiers, Big Bad Ironclad! will be appreciated by fans of the Civil War and of history.
Meyer, Marissa. Supernova. Book 3 of the Renegades series. 2019. 549p. ISBN 9781250078384. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.
Having infiltrated the Renegades, Nova discovered in Archenemieswhere Ace Anarchy's helmet was being kept. Working with the Anarchists, she came up with a plan to rescue the helmet and deliver it to her uncle Ace, so he could regain his power. The helmet amplifies any prodigy power. This way, Nova hopes, the Renegades will be brought down once and for all. Unfortunately, the plan that she get close to Adrian, son of two of the Renegades Council Members, has worked too well, and Nova is feeling like she is falling for Adrian. Conflicted, she's not sure what is right and what is wrong anymore. The Renegades did not save her family, but most of the ones she met are good people who want to see the best for their city. As Nightmare, she wants to destroy them, but as Insomnia, she's made fast friends with many of them.
For Adrian, his prodigy power as Sketch are eclipsed by those he tattooed on himself, allowing him to become the Sentinel, a rogue prodigy that is wanted by the Council and hated by Nightmare. He too is falling in love with Nova, but doesn't know how to deal with this complicating situation.
With the development of Agent N, which neutralizes prodigy powers, the world has become a much more dangerous place. Nightmare and the Sentinel are on a collision course as both sides get ready for the most epic battle yet, while Nova and Adrian are getting closer to each other. Can both of these realities exist at the same time?
A satisfying conclusion to the Renegade trilogy, Supernova will still leave fans craving for more!
Meyer, Marissa. Archenemies. Book 2 of the Renegades series. 2018. 471p. ISBN 9781250078308. Available at FIC MEY on the library shelves.
As an Anarchist named Nightmare, Nova was feared for her ability to put people to sleep just by touching them. In Renegades, Nova wanted to wreck revenge on those she holds responsible for her parents and her sister's deaths. With her fellow Anarchists, she developed a plan that involved entering into Renegade service. After successfully completing trials, Nova took the name Insomnia and she joined the ranks of the law-enforcing Renegades, a group of prodigies who possess super powers. Her plan was simple. She would discover where they keep the helmet of Ace Anarchy, the super villain that almost destroyed Gatlon City, who happens to be her uncle.
As Insomnia, Nova was assigned to Adrian's squad. Adopted by Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden, Adrian is known as Sketch, as his drawings come to life, and he is both respected and loved. Nova was tasked with making Adrian fall in love with her, so that she could gain access to secrets and inside information.
But both Nova and Adrian have secrets. As Nightmare, she wants to destroy the Renegades. Adrian, for his part, is the Sentinel, a prodigy who's wanted by the very Renegades that he leads. When they both learn that the Renegades have developed Agent N, a neutralizer that removes a prodigy's powers, they both realize that the dangerous game they have been playing has just turned deadly. With the line between good and evil never clearer, both Adrian and Nova must make choices that will change their lives and their feelings for each other forever ...
Campbell, Greg. Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World's Most Precious Stones . 2002. 280p. ISBN 9780813342207.
Though diamonds are beautiful, they, aside from a few industrial uses, have no particular economic value aside from what we ascribe to them. It is therefore amazing that an entire ecosystem rose on the discovery of diamonds in Africa in the 1800s, and that these discoveries would make some men extremely rich, while impoverishing the local inhabitants and causing strife and war.
Diamonds were discovered in the 1930s in Sierra Leone, a country founded by the British to act as a home for freed slaves, and at the time still a British colony. International concerns like De Beers, the company responsible for the slogan "Diamonds are forever," entered the market. Exploitation of diamond mines were hard, however, for there were no roads and no effective way to provide security. Warlords and rebel groups stepped into the void, and began exploiting their own mines using slave labors. The diamonds were sold through middlemen, and weapons were bought with the proceeds, furthering war and instability as various groups fought each other and outside forces for control of the diamond mines.
The conflict has lead to mass casualties, including rape, slavery, amputations, and people being shot. Diamonds traded this way were revealed to have financed Al Qaeda and the 9/11 terrorists attack on the United States, and soon became referred to as blood diamonds for the violence inflicted on those who mined them and lived in the area. Despite promises to clean up their act and to provide transparency on the provenance of their diamonds, large companies continue to exploit a resource that is portable and easily hidden, that can be smuggled and laundered to show a different provenance. Until diamonds lose their attraction in the United States and elsewhere as an expression of love, people will continue to be hurt and die during their exploitation.
Jamieson, Victoria and Omar Mohamed. When Stars are Scattered. 2020. 264p. ISBN 9780525553908. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.
Originally from Somalia, Omar and his younger brother Hassan witnessed their father's murder when civil war erupted. Forced to flee his village at four, Omar led his younger brother Hassan on a perilous trip across the Horn of Africa, eventually reaching safety in a refugee camp in Kenya. There, the siblings were assigned a foster mother who had lost her own children, and they spent every day trying to survive. Hassan does not speak, suffers from seizures, and can have difficult behaviors.
Now twelve, Omar gets the opportunity to go to school. He feels bad that he must leave his brother home every day, but for Omar school suddenly opens up plenty of opportunities to learn new information. Following a rigorous exam, Omar is one of the few children in elementary school in his area of the refugee camp to be promoted to middle school.
While pursuing his learning, Omar continues to hope that they will be reunited with his mother. A UN social worker places his and Hassan's names on a resettlement list, and, after finishing high school, Omar is finally allowed to immigrate to the United States with his brother.
Based on a true story, When Stars are Scattered digs into the stereotypes that we have of refugees, explores their tenacity and desires for a better life, and makes the reader wonder that this could have been them under different circumstances. Beautifully illustrated, Omar and Hassan's story will resonate long after the book has been put away!
Dunbar, Erica Armstrong. She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman. 2019. 157p. ISBN 978-1-982139-59-9. Available at B TUB on the library shelves.
Born into slavery in Maryland, Araminta Ross, who later took the name of Harriet Tubman, lived a hard life. Her mother's slave master had willed her and her family to be free upon reaching 45 years old, but his death and subsequent move meant that his descendants chose to ignore his request. As a result, the family continued to toil away. Atypical of most slave arrangements at the time, Araminta's mother and father managed to stay together, though some of their children were sold as they became of age.
Sent in the master's house at a young age, Araminta was not very good at housekeeping. Transferred to the field, her short stature soon developed muscles that belied her height. Despite the hard work, Araminta loved being outdoors in nature, a love that would serve her well when she finally escaped and arrived in Philadelphia, a free state.
Araminta took on her grandmother's name, Harriet, and, despite her fears, she returned time and again to the Eastern Shore in Maryland to rescue and free family members, friends, and perfect strangers. She made contacts with leaders of the abolitionist movement, and raised much needed funds for her endeavors. Her personal life continued to be very hard, however, as she had to support not only herself but her older parents as well as many member of her freed family. Nevertheless, Harriet continued to rescue people from the South.
With the start of the Civil War, Harriet sought to get involved again. Able to gain the trust of former slaves and understanding southern mentalities, she was recruited and sent as a spy in South Carolina. First used as a cleaning lady at camp, she soon displayed her leadership skills and conducted several raids against the Confederacy. Despite the price on her head, she continued to serve as a nurse, spy, and camp lady for years, before poor health forced her to return home.
In the later stages of her life, Harriet continued to advocate for African Americans. She founded a home for old people, held the government accountable to provide military benefits for herself and for African-Americans who served in the armed forces, and joined the women's suffrage movement.
Harriet Tubman had a disproportionate impact on the history of the United States. She stood for courage in the face of oppression, and never relented despite the threats to herself and her family. A true American icon, Harriet Tubman continues to be an inspiration for the oppressed and the poor.
Felber, Bill. The Horse In War. Part of the Horse Library series. 2002. 64p. ISBN 978-0-7910-6651-7. Available at 357 FEL on the library shelves.
Horses have been used in war for thousands of years, but it wasn't until the Egyptians that a force of horsemen was organized to assist the army. The cavalry filled a need for speed, but also shocked the opposing forces through well organized charges. Alexander the Great deployed his cavalry to great effectiveness in his conquests, but as riders' equipment and armor became heavier, new horses capable of carrying great loads in battle were bred. The Romans raised their own cavalry, but generally it was an afterthought to the organization of the legion.
The Middle Ages saw the rise of the knight, a fully armored individual riding into battle on a noble steed, but the appearance of cannons and rifles spelled the end of medieval warfare. Cavalry came into their own to range far and wide behind enemy lines and cause chaos. In the United States, the horse was instrumental in the spread of American military influence, and though cavalry rarely fought each other head on, it remained an essential unit within an army.
The machine guns and barbed wires of the First World War spelled the end of the cavalry. Unable to ride through and accomplish the promised smashing of the enemy line, horses were instead hitched to carriages to transport ammunitions and the wounded. The Second World War saw the last vestiges of horse warfare when the Polish cavalry charged the German tanks invading in September 1939. Horses continue to play a role in military units, but this has been greatly diminished, and the cavalry now rides tanks.
Fans of military history will appreciate this concise book and the information it provides about conflicts and the evolution of the horse's role in the military.
Cordell, M. R. Courageous women of the Civil War: Soldiers, Spies, Medics, and More. Part of the Women of Action series. 2016. 256p. ISBN 978-1-61373-203-8. Available as an ebookfrom Overdrive.
The deadliest conflict in American history, the Civil War bitterly divided the country and led to four years of warfare that devastated many lives. Everyone knew someone who fought in the war, and with over 650,000 dead, most lost at least one important person in their lives. While men did the brunt of the fighting, many women joined the ranks of the armies on both side. Some served as nurses, helping the wounded. Others were camp mothers, cooking, cleaning, and doing the laundry for soldiers. Some spied on the other side, gathering valuable military information and passing it on to intelligence officers who could then act. Some freed slaves. Some even joined the army ranks, disguising their gender and blending in so well with their fellow soldiers that they were only discovered after suffering battlefield injuries.
Women fought as well as men, and participated directly in the war effort. Each had her own reason for doing this, from running away from abusive situations to joining husbands in the field to looking for a taste of adventure. Each of the sixteen women presented in this book impacted history in some way. They dared to do what was then considered a man's job. Some received condemnation, some received awards and medals, but all were appreciated by the men they served with, and they left a lasting legacy that spurred changes in nursing, education, and factory work.
Filled with information about the Civil War, each profile is presented with photos and explains the life of the woman in question and the roles she played during this troubling period. Readers who enjoy history will appreciate the breath of coverage of this book and will appreciate learning about women that have remained for the most part unheralded.
Reedy, Trent. Divided We Fall. Book 1 of the Divided We Fall series. 2014. 384p. ISBN 9780545543675. Available at FIC REE on the library shelves.
In the midst of an economic crisis, the United States of America are fraying apart. The federal government has now mandated a new identification card for all citizens which is supposed to secure the movement of people but which, for many people, will restrict freedom of movement. Many states protest, including Idaho. The Governor of Idaho, supported by the legislature, claims that the state will not enforce this rule. Washington replies that Idaho has no choice. Protests on both side erupt.
Danny Wright’s mind was far from all of these issues when he joined the Idaho National Guard. He just wanted to be like his father and serve his country with honor. With so many units out of the country and serving in Iran, the Guard is stretched thin. When the Governor requests the Guard’s activation to oppose a protest, youthful units are activated, and Danny finds himself in Boise, Idaho’s capital, instead of at a party with his girlfriend and his friends. What begins as crowd-control suddenly turns deadly when Danny accidentally fires his gun, and other guardsmen join in. Twelve people die, including a girl Danny’s age. And Danny, wearing his guardsman uniform and gas mask, is photographed administering first aid.
Now Washington and the rest of the country is outraged. The guardsmen are ordered responsible for this massacre are ordered to surrender themselves to federal authorities, but the Governor resists the order, and a showdown between Idaho and the United States is all but certain. As Idaho slowly dives into a wartime economy, what was unthinkable gets closer to reality every day: a second Civil War. And Danny will have triggered it. Can you be a hero to some while being a villain to others?
Lauren, Ruth. Seeker of the Crown. Book 2 of the Prisoner of Ice and Snow series. 2018. 282p. ISBN 978-1-68119-133-1. Available at FIC LAU on the library shelves.
Following the escape of Princess Anastasia in Prisoner of Ice and Snow, the Queendom of Demidova is in uproar. Prince Anatol is suspected of having freed his sister from the dungeon, and for the good of the crown Queen Ana banishes him. Accompanied by his trusted guard Nicolai, the two of them leave town. Meanwhile, Valor and Sasha are happy to have escaped their confinement at the infamous Tyur’ma prison, but are still concerned for their friends, Feliks and Katia, who did not receive pardons from Queen Ana and remain wanted criminals.
Desperate to stop her daughter from overthrowing the rightful monarch, Queen Ana asks Valor and Sasha to act as her eyes and ears and track Anastasia and capture her. Unfortunately, the Princess always seems one step ahead of the sisters, and Queen Ana herself vanishes during a public event.
With enemy troops massing on the borders of Demidova and with a regent queen now in charge, Valor and Sasha are even more at risk of being imprisoned for acts of treason to the new queen. Equipped only with determination and steadfast friends, Valor and Sasha will have to use all of their wits to defeat Anastasia and her allies and protect the Queendom of Demidova.
A great sequel to Prisoner of Ice and Snow, this light fantasy features nonstop action and an unforgettable cast of characters.
Bailey, Budd. The Transcontinental Railroad. Part of the Primary Sources of Westward Expansion series. 2018. 64p. ISBN 978-1-5026-2642-4. Available at 385.09 BAI on the library shelves.
Born on the Atlantic, the young American nation slowly spread across the Appalachians and reached the Mississippi river. The Louisiana Purchase, negotiated with France under Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, led to a massive territory being added. Further explorations and conflicts completed the addition of land to the United States. The distances involved in settling the West were enormous and traveling from one coast to the next could take up to eight months by ship or six weeks in a wagon, assuming there were no delays or violence along the way.
This large amount of land, coupled with rising tensions between the North and the South over the issue of slavery, led the government to explore chartering companies to build a railroad to link both coasts. It wasn’t until 1862, however, during the Civil War, that Congress mandated two companies, starting from opposite ends, to build the first transcontinental railroad. By the time the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific had connected their tracks in Utah in 1869, traveling times had been cut down to a week, with some trains able to make the trip in three and a half days.
Along the way, Native Americans were pushed out and bison and buffaloes, principal sources of food, were eliminated. Settlers grabbed more and more of the land, pushing Native Americans into reservations. A lack of labor encouraged the arrival of thousands of Chinese workers, but the local population resented them. Camps of fortunes evolved into villages and towns, before growing into massive railroad hubs like Chicago and Kansas City. Thus, speedier travel also led to the destruction of a way of life.
Swanson, James. Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. 2009. 194p. ISBN 0-439-90354-8. Available at B BOO on the library shelves.
In April 1865, the United States had been at war for four years. Union and Confederate soldiers fought on battlefields throughout the country in a struggle that by this point the Union was clearly winning. By April 3rd, Union troops had occupied Richmond, the Confederate capital. On the 9th, General Lee had surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia. Everywhere the Confederacy was on the ropes. There were still ardent supporters, however, who would not surrender and sought to continue the struggle for the South.
On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer who hated President Abraham Lincoln and had conspired with others to kidnap him, entered the Ford theater box where Abraham Lincoln, his wife, and another couple sat, and fired a Derringer pistol at the back of Lincoln’s head, mortally wounding him. Booth escaped the theater and rode south, leaving Washington, D.C. and entering Maryland, with hopes of reaching Virginia and Confederate support.
What followed was the largest manhunt in the country’s history up to that time. Quickly identified as Lincoln’s assassin and easily recognizable, Booth thought that the decapitation of the government would rekindle the conflict. Instead it disgusted most Confederate supporters. As an injured Booth moved through Maryland and Virginia with the help of willing and sometimes unknowing accomplices, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton led the operations to find and capture Booth, but the assassin was eventually cornered in a tobacco barn and shot by a Union soldier.
Lincoln’s assassination changed the course of history and transformed the President into a beloved figure. The tale of this manhunt will interest any fan of history as well as of fast-paced criminal cases.
Byers, Ann. Strategic Inventions of the Civil War. Part of the Tech in the Trenches series. 2016. 978-1-5026-1030-0. Available at 973.7 BYE on the library shelves.
The greatest conflict to take place on American soil, the Civil War arose due to numerous issues, but centered on the role slavery played in the economy of the country. This was the first modern war to be fought, with machine guns, rifles that could fire at over 1,000 feet, trains that could deliver soldiers and supplies to battles several hundred miles apart in a manner of days, a telegraph system that could transmit information across the entire continent in under a day, and the creation of a steam-powered iron and steel navy.
These inventions, created by the first Industrial Revolution, powered the conflict and allowed neither side to gain the upper hand during the first two years of the conflict. The North’s overwhelming economic and industrial superiority finally began to make a difference in the later years of the war, forcing the South to be on the defensive and ultimately to surrender.
New advances in technology forced adaptation on the battlefield. The type of war familiar to veterans entering the Civil War no longer existed a year later. New rifles meant that lines of soldiers could be mowed down before they had time to set up and aim. Artillery became defensive in nature. More tracks were built to allow trains to travel faster and further. The naval battle between two ironclad ships instantly rendered wooden ships of the line obsolete. The telegraph allowed the Commander in Chief to direct the war effort and to provide political decisions to commanders in the field in a manner of hours. Submarines and underwater mines were built to overcome the Northern blockade.
Many of today’s weapons and infrastructure are directly descending from the inventions that saw their first industrial use in the Civil War. Fans of history and of the U.S. Civil War will enjoy reading about how life changed dramatically in a short span of four years.
Meyer, Marissa. Renegades. Book 1 of the Renegades series. 2017. 556p. ISBN 9781250044662. Available at FIC MEY on the library shelves.
When supernatural abilities emerged in people, humanity rebelled. Individuals who could fly, could manipulate elements, or could become invisible were hunted down for representing a danger to society. Known as prodigies, they eventually banded together and rebelled. Societies were destroyed as groups of prodigies formed rival gangs and fought together and against normal humans in what became known as the Age of Anarchy. Ace Anarchy, the leader of the most powerful group, the Anarchists, had led the fight to ensure that every prodigy could live a life free of fear, but in the process had not been able to re-establish a new social order.
Another group of prodigies arose to challenge Ace Anarchy, with the express goal of rebuilding an orderly society. Naming themselves the Renegades, they confronted the Anarchists and in an epic battle in the city of Galton, triumphed when Ace Anarchy was killed by the Renegades’ leader, Captain Chromium. Now the city is governed by the Renegades, who have been slowly restoring order and social services throughout the area. The Renegades have attracted more prodigies to their banners, and are even exporting training and prodigies to other areas of the world to create new Renegade branches.
Nova Artino witnessed the murders of her parents and her younger sister when she was six. Her father had the ability to create wonderful items, and he had worked with some of the villain gangs, but had sought the protection of the Renegades. Nova had just enough time to hide in the closet, but was found by the killer anyway. She used her prodigy power of sleep to neutralize the killer, and her uncle, Alec Artino, also known as Ace Anarchy, found her near the sleeping killer. He wiped out the villains who had sponsored the murders, and adopted and began to train Nova, until he was defeated by the Renegades.
Ten years later, Nova has vowed revenge on the Renegades for failing her family and for killer her uncle. Living with the remaining Anarchists in a station of the former subway system, she is known as Nightmare, a villain who creates her own weapons and gadgets and who is able to put her victims to sleep. Hiding for 10 years, the Anarchists are planning to take out Captain Chromium and the Renegades Council at the annual parade that commemorates the end of the Age of Anarchy, but they are stopped by the Sentinel, a new kind of Renegade and who possesses more than one prodigy power. Nightmare manages to wound a Renegade and stabs the Sentinel but barely escapes the encounter.
Adrian Everhart is the adopted son of the two most powerful men on the Renegades Council, Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden. Known as Sketch, Adrian has the ability bring to live anything he draws. Wanting to impress his parents and become a better superhero, Adrian has designed the Sentinel to be his new persona. He drew new powers and added them to himself as tattoos. His first big reveal does not go as planned, however, when Nightmare gets the best of him and he accidentally injures members of his own team.
Nova is convinced by remaining Anarchists to participate the Renegades’ trials to win a coveted spot with the group, so she can infiltrate and obtain more information about them. Adrian is desperately looking for Nightmare and redemption for the Sentinel. Both of them are hiding their secret identity, but both of them end up working together. As Nova learns about the Renegades from the inside, she realizes that they are more complicated than first appeared. But with Anarchists still on the loose and events spiraling out of control, Nora has to decide where her loyalties lie: To her family, who adopted her and trained her, or to Adrian and her teammates, who genuinely wish to help society?
Fans of Meyer's Lunar Chronicles will love this new offering by a master of science fiction and romantic tensions. The story continues in Archenemies.
Gratz, Alan. Refugee. 2017. 338p. ISBN 978-0-545-88083-1. Available at FIC GRA on the library shelves.
Over the history of humanity, conflicts have always created waves of refugees seeking to escape horrific conditions. In the last five years, the plight of refugees has been brought to the forefront of people’s consciousness and it has been featured repeatedly in the news. The Syrian civil war pushed millions of people away from their homes. It is in this climate of fear and destruction that in 2015 Mahmood’s apartment in Aleppo is destroyed by a missile. His parents and younger brother and sister survive, but they must escape the combat zone. Mahmood’s father decide they must risk the trip to Germany and safety. But this will involve crossing many international borders in countries that are hostile to Syrian refugees, and which will include a desperate raft trip from Turkey to Greece.
In 1994, Cuba is experiencing social tensions due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The subsidized fuel and food it provided the Communist island have now ended, and Fidel Castro’s dictatorship is barely able to hang on. Isabel’s father participated in a demonstration and was arrested and beaten by the security forces, who promised to return and hurt him more. When Castro announces that anyone who wants to leave can, Isabel, her father and heavily pregnant mother secure passage aboard their neighbor’s hastily constructed raft and strike out for Florida. If they can reach land, they will be safe and welcomed by the Americans. If stopped in the waters, they will be returned to Cuba.
In 1939, Josef and his family are persecuted in Germany for being Jewish. His father spent time in Dachau, the infamous concentration camp, and when the opportunity presents itself to book passage aboard a ship for Cuba, the family does not hesitate. Josef’s father is a broken man, however, and the pain and torture he endured have destroyed his spirit. Josef must step up and become the man of the family. Despite sailing away from Germany, the St. Louis’ crew is German, and portraits of Adolf Hitler still adorn the dining rooms and hallways.
As all three teens set out to escape, they will live horrors beyond words, but also encounter friends and forge a determined identity. Though separated by decades, the lives of these refugees intertwines at the end of the novel, demonstrating that actions today can have a powerful impact in the lives of those not yet born.
McKay, Sharon E. & Daniel Lafrance. War Brothers: The Graphic Novel. 2013. 165p. ISBN 978-1-55451-488-5. Available at GFX MCK on the library shelves.
Uganda has been in the midst of a low-level civil war for decades. The Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, has fought the central government more to promote its leader than to achieve any real ideological goals. Known for brutally recruiting and training child soldiers, the LRA operates out of several countries in central Africa, including Uganda and South Sudan.
Jacob is a happy fourteen-year-old student at a prestigious school near his hometown of Gulu, when he and his friends are abducted by the LRA and forced to become slaves. Tony, one of Jacob’s friend who was hoping to become a priest, is forced to violently kill one of his friends with a stick, and he therefore becomes a “soldier” in the LRA. He gains access to weapons and food, but in the process loses some of his humanity. Jacob and his friends Paul and Norman remain slave, unwilling or unable to join the killing. Moving through the bush, they never sleep in the same place, they never have enough food, and violence permeates their camp.
Throughout these trying times Jacob meets Hannah and Oteka. Hannah had her ears cut off and now she’s an outcast, good enough to serve food but little else. Oteka is older and was a medical student before being forcibly enrolled and becoming the camp’s cook. When Norman is selected to be killed, Jacob knows that he must act. With Hannah and Oteka’s help, Jacob decide they must escape this very night. With soldiers of the LRA hunting them down, and the jungles of Africa teaming with wildlife, can Jacob save everyone, including his friend Tony?
Based on true stories of a conflict that still continues to this day, Jacob’s graphic tale is reminiscent of Arn’s experience in Never Fall Down. Both are individuals finding themselves in dire circumstances but retain their humanity and never lose hope of surviving and escaping their current conditions.
Garcia, Kami & Margaret Stohl. Beautiful Creatures. Book 1 of the Caster Chronicles series. 2009. 563p. ISBN 978-0-316-15195-5. Available as an eBookfrom Overdrive
The small town of Gatlin is what most people think of when they imagine the old South: southern hospitality, its own historic Civil War battlefield, large plantation houses and debutante balls. For Ethan Wate, Gatlin is none of those things. It’s a place he’s anxious to leave behind, but as a sophomore he’s still got three years left before he can depart and never come back. According to him, there are two kinds of people in Gatlin: Those who can’t wait to escape, and those who are not able to. With nothing ever happening, Gatlin might as well be the end of the world. That all changes, however, when, at the beginning of the school year, a new girl joins the sophomore class.
The niece of Gatlin’s recluse and owner of the oldest residence in the county, Macon Ravenwood, Lena Duchannes has moved from place to place throughout her life, never staying very long in any location. Ethan is immediately smitten with Lena. He’s met her before, in his dreams. Over the last few months, Ethan’s dreams have been plagued with a vision of a beautiful girl and him in a graveyard. And now that girl is here, in the flesh, at school. It can’t be a coincidence.
Ethan soon discovers that Lena is cursed. She is a Caster, and her ancestor made a bargain that has cost her descendants their free will. Now instead of having the possibility of choosing good or evil during their claiming ceremony when they turn 16, each caster is now assigned a side. Lena is deeply terrified she will be chosen as a Dark Caster, unlike her uncle and the rest of her family. Helped by a locket discovered next door to Ravenwood, Ethan and Lena realize that two people much like them have lived this life before, during the Civil War, and that it ended badly for both.
Now in a race against time, Ethan and Lena must fight the town bullies and discover a way for Lena to make her own choice. Can they change their fate?
Hunt, Irene. Across Five Aprils. 2011. 224p. 347 mins. ISBN 9780792787068. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.
War tends to split families, and the Civil War is no exception. Though Illinois is firmly in the Union camp, the southern tier of the state harbors Confederate sympathies. Large families often find themselves divided by the issues of state rights and slavery. The Creighton family is one such group. Farmers on what was once the frontier, the Creighton family survives with everyone contributing. But while Matt Creighton and his sons John and Tom support the Union, Bill, Jethro’s favorite, supports the South, causing tensions at home.
When war finally breaks in April 1861, Jethro is at first thrilled. But the division within the Creightons soon affects them, as John and Tom join the federal army, while Bill departs to fight for the Confederacy. Jethro, his sister Jenny, and his parents follow the war through newspaper articles, and at first the news is dire. Union forces are defeated in several engagements. Jethro’s teacher at school, Shadrach Yale, helps Jethro understands the battles and what is at stake. In love with young Jenny, Shadrach requests her hand in marriage before he leaves to join the Union, but Matt Creighton refuses, deeming his daughter too young at fourteen.
Soon John, who is married with children, begins to send letters from the front. Matt Creighton suffers a heart attack and becomes partially paralysed. Now it is up to Jethro to run the family farm. Meanwhile, Bill’s sympathies for the South have angered some of the locals, who take it out on the Creighton by burning their barn and poisoning their well. As the conflict deepens, and as brothers fight brothers, the Creighton family is torn asunder, and Jethro realizes that things will never go back to how they were before the war. When Tom is killed in combat, Jethro fears that his brother Bill could have fired the shot that killed him.
As more family members get shot, desert, or become just plain tired of the war, Jethro looks forward to a time when the war will end, for surely all wars eventually conclude. Sadly, the end of the Civil War does not bring the relief that Jethro was looking for. However, over the past five Aprils Jethro discovers that pain and sorrow, just like war, eventually end.
