The Journal of James Edmond Pease a Civil War Union Soldier (My Name is America)

Murphy, Jim

ISBN 10: 043955537X ISBN 13: 9780439555371

Publisher: Scholastic, 2003

Synopsis

Newbery Honor-winning author Jim Murphy brings readers a tale of uncommon courage and personal redemption in the face of some of the most brutal fighting imaginable.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8-James, a 16-year-old private serving in G Company of the 122nd Regiment, New York Volunteers, is baffled when his lieutenant assigns him to be the company historian in his Union regiment. He is initially at a loss as to what he is supposed to record, but gradually becomes more at ease with his responsibility and even finds solace in the task. James's account captures the tedium and drudgery of day-to-day life in the infantry, the confusion and terror of battle, and the horrors of medical practices of the period. Murphy bases this "journal" on real diaries of actual Civil War soldiers. He attempts to lend authenticity to the farm boy's writing by using expressions such as, "We was" or "the shadows was"; other times, he writes in literate and affective prose. For example, "The damage to the enemy lines was severe and their screams terrible." If anything, the author includes too many details and keeps readers from connecting with the protagonist's thoughts and fears. The story gets more exciting when James is lost behind enemy lines and is hidden from Confederate soldiers by a slave woman. The action is neatly wrapped up and the epilogue is a bit too tidy. Nonetheless, this is a solid addition to a popular series.
Ann M. Burlingame, North Regional Library, Raleigh, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 043955537X
• ISBN 13: 9780439555371
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 176