Hits the mark.
Anishinaabe soldiers with the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters aim to turn the tide of the Civil War in favor of the Union.
Of the approximately 20,000 “American Indians” who served during the Civil War, Sibert winner Walker (Secrets of a Civil War Submarine, 2005) shares stories of several Company K veterans who fought for the Union. From the foundations of soldiers’ prewar lives—rooted in tradition yet influenced by America’s expansion—to their initial muster/shooting qualifications test and on to their first assignment guarding Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas in Chicago, the first six chapters build anticipation for the battles that follow. When the warriors of Company K finally engage the enemy in a battle known as the Wilderness, it’s a wonder how any of them escape capture let alone survive to wage other campaigns critical to ending the war. Whether enlisting to “abolish slavery or to safeguard their homeland,” the Anishinaabe of Company K did so as noncitizens of the United States, volunteering to fight despite broken treaties and active attempts to eliminate Native peoples. Meticulous research and inclusion of historical photographs, maps, letters, and other Civil War–era documents, as well as the smooth integration of primary source quotes, provide a solid nonfiction target worthy of shelf space. However, it’s the final chapter and epilogue recounting life after the war that give a human depth to the soldiers’ lives and place this work squarely in the bull’s-eye.
Hits the mark. (foreword, note to the reader, muster roll, prologue, author’s note, appendices, glossary, select bibliography, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-12525-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality.
An examination of the history of Chinese American experiences.
Blackburn opens with a note to readers about growing up feeling invisible as a multicultural, biracial Chinese American. She notes the tremendous diversity of Chinese American history and writes that this book is a starting point for learning more. The evenly paced narrative starts with the earliest recorded arrival of the Chinese in America in 1834. A teenage girl, whose real name is unknown, arrived in New York Harbor with the Carnes brothers, merchants who imported Chinese goods and put her on display “like an animal in a circus.” The author then examines shifting laws, U.S. and global political and economic climates, and changing societal attitudes. The book introduces the highlighted people—including Yee Ah Tye, Wong Kim Ark, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, and Vincent Chen—in relation to lawsuits or other transformative events; they also stand as examples for explaining concepts such as racial hierarchy and the model minority myth. Maps, photos, and documents are interspersed throughout. Chapters close with questions that encourage readers to think critically about systems of oppression, actively engage with the material, and draw connections to their own lives. Although the book covers a wide span of history, from the Gold Rush to the rise in anti-Asian hate during the Covid-19 pandemic, it thoroughly explains the various events. Blackburn doesn’t shy away from describing terrible setbacks, but she balances them with examples of solidarity and progress.
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality. (resources, bibliography, image credits) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780593567630
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
If Freedman wrote the history textbooks, we would have many more historians. Beginning with an engrossing description of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, he brings the reader the lives of the American colonists and the events leading up to the break with England. The narrative approach to history reads like a good story, yet Freedman tucks in the data that give depth to it. The inclusion of all the people who lived during those times and the roles they played, whether small or large are acknowledged with dignity. The story moves backwards from the Boston Tea Party to the beginning of the European settlement of what they called the New World, and then proceeds chronologically to the signing of the Declaration. “Your Rights and Mine” traces the influence of the document from its inception to the present ending with Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The full text of the Declaration and a reproduction of the original are included. A chronology of events and an index are helpful to the young researcher. Another interesting feature is “Visiting the Declaration of Independence.” It contains a short review of what happened to the document in the years after it was written, a useful Web site, and a description of how it is displayed and protected today at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. Illustrations from the period add interest and detail. An excellent addition to the American history collection and an engrossing read. (Nonfiction. 9-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-8234-1448-5
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2000
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