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THE WAR WITHIN

Name: THE WAR WITHIN
Author: Carol Matas
ISBN: 0-689-82935-3

A NOVEL OF THE CIVIL WAR

by Carol Matas ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2001

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Presented as the first-person diary of Hannah Green, 13, during the months of December and January 1862–63, a recounting of what happens to the only Jewish family in Holly Springs, Mississippi, when they were forced to leave. Ulysses Grant, preparing for the second siege of Vicksburg, issued General Order #11, which evacuated Jews from the territory under his command because he wrongly considered all to be profiteers. (President Lincoln soon overturned the order.) As the family, which supports the cause of the Confederacy and also holds slaves, flees, Hannah begins to comprehend that Jews are being treated in the same way as African-Americans and she starts to develop some understanding and sympathy for those to whom she had always felt superior. But Matas’s work of historical fiction doesn’t read like the diary of a girl; rather, it is the work of an author who never finds the right voice for the cardboard characters, especially the unsympathetic Hannah (who endlessly reminds the reader that she is a “Southern lady”) and some of the stereotyped “Yankees” and “Rebs.” Although the history is accurate, the book is turgid and off-putting. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: May 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-689-82935-3

Page Count: 160

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2001

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION | CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

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KAI AND THE GOLEM
by Carol Matas ; illustrated by Elisa Vavouri

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Who Am I?
by Carol Matas

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THE EDGE OF WHEN
by Carol Matas

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THUNDER ROLLING IN THE MOUNTAINS

by Scott O'Dell & Elizabeth Hall ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1992

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Seen through the eyes of Chief Joseph's daughter, Sound of Running Feet, O'Dell's last novel (coauthored and completed after his death by his wife) recounts the circuitous, tragic journey of the Ne-mee-poo (Nez Perce) from their Oregon home to the Lapwai Reservation in Idaho. Wisely recognizing that there's no way to fight the entrenching whites, Chief Joseph counters calls to war from dissenting tribal leaders and agrees to lead his people on what becomes an epic ordeal. Attacked by settlers en route, they win some battles against the "Blue Coats,"but the decimated tribe makes it into Crow territory only to find that their former allies are in league with the Army. Heading for refuge with Sitting Bull in Canada, they're caught in a surprise attack that leaves no choice but surrender. Bringing this bleak historical episode to life in spare, supple prose that echoes Joseph's own dignified words, the authors offer a fascinating look at the heroism of ordinary people. While the strong-willed narrator, her father, and her brave betrothed at first seem larger than life, it is quickly apparent that they don't consider themselves as such; and though she wishes she could fight, the girl dutifully takes her place caring for the young and the infirm. The authors don't tone down war's violence; they simply present it with unembellished clarity that is certain to leave a lasting impression, ending on a memorable note of reconciliation. A fitting end to a distinguished career. (Fiction. 10-14)