How to Dodge a Cannonball

How to Dodge a Cannonball by Dennard Dayle, (2025) 316 pp

This satire was too heavy-handed for my delicate taste. I find it hard to laugh about the Civil War. Even the historical literary satire James by Percival Everett was nearly a step too far for me. No surprise--The Red Badge of Courage came to mind, with cowardice in the face of cowardice as the theme of this book. I struggled from the beginning as the teenage protagonist, Anders, comes to grips with his dysfunctional and abusive mother – the cartoonish depiction fell flat. The over-the-top interactions with Confederate generals prior to the Battle of Gettysburg also failed to amuse (although that certainly puts to rest the ‘statuesque’ veneration of those traitors). Anders switching from the Union side to the Confederate side and back to the Union was another disappointing trope. His chaotic move into a black army unit felt forced and the ensuing hijinks (humor in war?) put an end to this read. I did jump to the last few pages but the conclusion was more of the same – state the obvious and hope being clever will make it poignant. I’m a humorless cynic so take my review with the proverbial grain of salt.

How the South Won the Civil War

How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson (2020) 240pp

A grand overview of United states history with a focus on the myriad transgressions the wealthy have wreaked on the majority of citizens. It's a rare feat to cogently explain how the actions of the moneyed interests have distorted democracy to their benefit. This work doesn't bog down in detail, but piques the interest of the reader to go deeper. Accessible and well written (avoiding the constant polemic drum-beat of obvious and well-trod ground) this historical summary stands as a marker as the leadership of government changes once again. Read it and wonder, "where is the outrage?"

The Demon of Unrest

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson  592 pp.

Once again Erik Larson has taken a seminal event in history and delved into the deeper surrounding and causes leading up to it. This time it is the events leading up to the American Civil War that he has written about in details that the average person would not know. Gleaned from information taken from government documents, communiques, letters, diaries, and newspaper accounts, Larson has created a surprising readable account of the days beginning with Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency and ending with the attack and surrender of Fort Sumter which began the war. The dissention in Congress over the issue of slavery and the belief of the slave states that Lincoln would abolish slavery, which was not his intention, led to the eventual secession of states from the United States. The main players in this book are Major Anderson, commander of Fort Sumter and a former slave owner, Edmund Ruffin who makes it his life's ambition to stir up violent pro-slavery excitement whenever possible, Mary Boykin Chesnut whose diary about the social details of the "Chivalry" of the South and Charleston in the days leading up to and during the Civil War, and Lincoln, the President who tried to prevent the war but was too often thwarted by his own Secretary of State, William Seward as well as the unreliability of long distance communication. The audiobook was read by Will Patton who does an adequate job but it could have been better. 

The Sweetness of Water

The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris, 363 pages

In the waning days of the Civil War, an awkward and isolated Georgia couple is disturbed to hear that their only son has been killed while fighting for the South. Despondent, the father begins farming his land with the help of two recently emancipated brothers, one of whom is mute. When the dead son returns (apparently there was some miscommunication), the family must reckon with their standing in the community, as well as their son's experiences in war.

This was a surprising and beautifully written story of very different people being brought together by odd circumstances, and the ways that we survive the toughest of situations. Well worth a read.

Conjure Women

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora, 400 pages

During Slaverytime, Rue learned how to be a conjure woman and healer for the slaves at Marse Charles' cotton plantation. Rue's mother, May Belle, helped keep the older slaves healthy and helped usher many new babies into the world, while concocting several "hoodoo conjures" and "curses" for the slaves and masters alike. No matter that these conjures and curses pretty much amounted to satchels of herbs or funny sticks--what mattered is that the people who asked for them believed in their power.

Now that the Civil War has ended though, Rue is on her own trying to help the former slaves have babies and recover from all sorts of illnesses and injuries. But two people are making it mighty difficult for the former slaves to believe in Rue's ministrations: traveling preacher Bruh Abel and Bean, a light-skinned, black-eyed child that everyone believes is a familiar of the devil. Between these two, Rue has enough trouble, but throw in a few complicating secrets, and she has quite the task at hand.

Told in chapters that hop back and forth between Slaverytime, Freedomtime, and Wartime, this debut novel weaves a complex Civil War-era story in which the war itself serves only as a way to mark time and all the action focuses on the residents of a single former plantation. It's a fantastic look at the lives of African American women during the war, and I highly recommend it.

An extraordinary union

An Extraordinary Union / Alyssa Cole, 258 pgs.

Final book for the Book Riot challenge.  Yea for me! This romance details an inter-racial couple during the Civil War, in the South.  Both are working as spies for the Union and discover each other on accident.  I liked the story, still not a huge fan of "romance" but can certainly see the attraction.  Thanks to Kara for turning me on to this author.

An Extraordinary Union

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole, 258 pages

In the midst of the Civil War, gifted freedwoman Elle Burns has signed on with the Pinkerton detective agency to spy for the Union. Her mission has put her back into slavery, undercover as a mute slave in the home of a Confederate senator. Elle's mission has also brought her into the orbit of Malcolm McCall, another Pinkerton spy for the Union who is undercover as a proud Rebel besotted with the senator's horrid daughter. But in real life, despite all the danger and taboo of a mixed-race relationship, Malcolm is besotted with Elle, whose common sense keeps falling in the way of her attraction to her fellow spy.

This is a romance novel, and thus it's pretty easy to figure out what's going to happen (and when it does, yup, it's steamy). But Cole gives a depth to Elle's internal fight that is lacking in lesser novels. It's obvious, as well, that Cole did her homework before taking on a novel set during this time period, and I very much enjoyed reading a romance with a bibliography of historical sources. Also, according to Cole's afterword, Elle is loosely based on a real woman(!), which made this book that much more intriguing. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Alyssa Cole, you've made a romance reader out of me. I'll be picking up the next book in this series by and by.

Dread Nation

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, 449 pages.
What a fun book to read / listen to. I really enjoyed this YA  / Zombie novel (YA book about Zombies, not a book that is meant to appeal to either demographic). Post Civil War, post rise of the undead Maryland is the site of Miss Preston's School of Combat for Negro Girls. Our protagonist, Jane McKeene has been sent there, and is, in fact, one of the top students. It is a crazy world wherein the war ended without either side surrendering when the dead started rising from the battlefield and chasing down the living. African American teens and Native American teens are forcibly sent to combat schools and are forced to risk their lives protecting whites. Jane has never been one for following stupid rules and she has had several run-ins with the school administration. As the situation at school changes for Jane, she must adapt to more dangerous situations.

Lincoln in the Bardo

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunder 343 pages.

I read this in 2017 and then listened to in in early 2018 for a book discussion group. I have to say that as good a read as this book is, and it is in the "very good" to "excellent" range, it is even better as an audiobook. With Nick Offerman as Hans Vollman, David Sedaris as Roger Bevins III, and the author as the Reverend Everly Thomas, the audio is a marvel. I listened to it about three times in succession because it was so good (and because I didn't have anything else to listen to on a long trip.
Here is what I said last year: Winner of the 2017 Booker Prize, Saunder's new novel is phenomenal read. When Lincoln's eleven-year-old son Willie died of Typhoid in 1862 the
president comes close to falling apart. Willie waits for him in the graveyard, ignoring the cacophony of voices around him. The graveyard is filled with the dead. Not just the bodies, but the spirits of those who have not yet fully departed, for one reason or another. We hear fascinating stories from these dead and witness weird scenes played out. I have not listened to the audio, but I hear that it's wonderful, with a great cast reading the book. Saunders has a magical style and I look forward to reading his backlist.

Grant

Grant by Ron Chernow, 1074 pages.

When I heard that Chernow was writing this book I was looking forward to reading it, but having recently finished White's American Ulysses, I didn't think that there could be all that much added to that very good book. I was very wrong. Chernow tells a far more complete, interesting and detailed account of America's 18th president, and the hero of the Union. Grant struggled with his alcoholism for most of his life, and Chernow does not shy away from this, or make excuses. He carefully uncovers probable instances of  Grant's drunkenness during the war, and debunks many false accusations by military rivals, political enemies, and subordinates. Chernow also goes a long way toward rescuing Grant's terms as President from those More Later.

Lincoln in the Bardo

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders  341 pp.

I listened to the audiobook of this Booker Prize winning book and I agree with most of Kara's review. The full cast recording brought the characters to life although I keep thinking I should go back and listen again to allay some of the confusion I felt and to identify the people who voiced them. My recurring thought on the dialogue and interplay between the spirit characters in the cemetery was "If it's really like that in a cemetery I'm glad my plans don't include one."

American War

American War / Omar El Akkad, read by Dion Graham, 333 pg.

The story of the second American civil war that lingers for years as the Blues fight the Reds.  This story focuses on the Chestnut family who, in the beginning, are looking for a way out of the south.  The parents want a better future for their three children.  Unfortunately father Benjamin dies while trying to secure the papers needed.  The remaining Chestnuts end up in a refugee camp. This is where twins Sarat and Dana, and brother Simon do most of their growing up.  When the camp is attacked, somehow the three Chestnut kids survive although Simon is forever altered. Sarat becomes the toughest combatant in the south after being trained by a shady character who picks her out of the refugee camp.  Sarat performs a deed that changes the direction of the war., then later changes the entire country.  This book is told by her nephew, a man who has a heavy family history to bear.  The audio version narrated by Dion Graham is wonderful.  A powerful story that doesn't contain much sugar.

Beloved

Beloved by Toni Morrison, 324 pages.
Morrison's 1987 classic won the Pulitzer Prize, and while Morrison didn't win the Nobel prize until 1993, you know that this was the books that closed the deal for her.
The book begins in 1873 in the house outside Cincinnati where Sethe and her daughter Denver live.. The book then travels back to the time that Sethe, Baby Suggs and Paul D were all still enslaved on a plantation called Sweet Home, and then forward again to recount what happened to Sethe and her children in the time since she ran from Sweet Home. The house at 124 Bluestone Road is haunted by the ghost of Sethe's two-year old, the one who did not survive the escape from slavery. Sethe slowly tells the story of her tragic fate. Truly a classic and one worth rereading regularly. I was surprised to see that this was a National Book award finalist, but didnt win the award. So now I'm looking forward to reading Paco's Story by Larry Heinemann (and after that The Hair of Harold Roux, the book that beat out Sula for the National Book Award in 1975).

American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant

American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant by Ronald C. White, 826 pages.
White makes an eloquent and well-researched argument that much of Grant's reputation as a butcher of a general, and as a corrupt, incompetent president lingers as a result of the lingering narrative presented by his enemies, particularly the politicians and press of the southern states. While he was a president whose cabinet was embroiled in scandals, Grant was particularly honest. And while he lost many men during the war, Grant always felt that it was better to attack and then attack again, that fewer men would be lost by ending the war as soon as possible. Lincoln, who watched many generals hesitate and let chances and enemy armies escape, valued Grant's willingness to fight and to keep on fighting.
White also makes a fair account of the evolution of Grant's attitudes towards slavery, from a man who was willing to abide the institution, and make no fuss concerning the slaves in his wife's family, to a man willing to fight not just to preserve the Union, but also to end slavery in America.
A very readable, cogent account of a man who accomplished much but was left with a tattered reputation.

The Professor and the Madman

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester  242 pp.

That lengthy title pretty much says it all. At the end of the 19th century, a committee was charged with creating the definitive dictionary of the English Language. In charge was Professor James Murray. The group solicited definitions with accompanying quotes from literature in the effort to find the earliest usage of each word. One man, Dr. W.C. Minor submitted more than ten thousand entries. When the professor sought out this prolific contributor he discovered that Dr. Minor was a patient rather than a doctor at the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. Minor had killed a total stranger during a delusional episode. Dr. Minor was, in fact, a doctor and had been a Union Army surgeon during the American Civil War the horrors of which may have contributed to his mental instability. The book covers the history of and Murray's hard work on the OED as well as Minor's life before, during, and after his commitment to Broadmoor. I listened to the audio book version and, aside from hearing the chapter about Minor's horrific self-mutilation while eating my lunch, I enjoyed it.

American Nations: a History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America / Colin Woodard / 371 p.

Loved this analysis, which presents aspects of American History in a fresh light. Yet another historical work in which Woodrow Wilson is lambasted. I'm definitely going to have to investigate that further.

If I have to list an objection, it would be to say that the analysis is incomplete without taking into account what I see as the current great division in our culture: sub/urban vs. rural. Pull off the expressway in the middle of nowhere and go to McDonald's. Just doesn't feel like home.

So apparently I'm a Borderlander/Appalachian. What are you?