Bacon's Rebellion, which took place in Jamestown in 1676, sowed the seeds of the American Revolution. At issue was the right of plantation owners to raise their own army to defend themselves against Indian attacks; some wanted to sever ties with England all together. Robert Bradford, 14, finds himself in the middle of the fray after Susquehannocks murder his family and torch their homestead; Robert is further inflamed by his belief that his blood brother, Naokan, took part in the raid. Vowing revenge, he joins Nathaniel Bacon's rebel army, which is bent on killing every Indian in Virginia. When Robert sees war up close and learns that Naokan took no part in the massacre, he rethinks his position, realizing that rigid fanaticism does not lead to just solutions. There's plenty of action, but the heart of the book is Robert's inner struggle to find a truth that reflects everything he knows, without contradictions. His voice occasionally sounds too mature for his years, but Harrah's portrayal of the boy's conflicted feelings is authentic. A thoughtful and well-written novel about a little-known chapter in US history.