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Civil War

Sunflower Sisters

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Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly
Format: Book, audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

Take a step back in time to St. Mary’s County during the Civil War with this wonderful historical fiction story by New York Times bestselling author Martha Hall Kelly! The story begins with Georgeanna Woolsey, a socialite in New York City, who loathes slavery and wants to make a difference so becomes a Union nurse and ultimately finds herself working at the Army hospital at Point Lookout.  You’ll meet Jemma, a smart and kind enslaved girl from South Carolina who does all she can to keep her family together at the Peeler Plantation here in Southern Maryland which is owned by Anne-May, a young woman from New Orleans high society, who will do whatever she needs to in order to preserve her pampered lifestyle. (Peeler Plantation is based on Historic Sotterley.)

Ms. Kelly’s previous novels, Lilac Girls and Lost Roses, follow other historical characters from the Woolsey family across three generations of truly remarkable women.

You can meet the author! Register to join in on our virtual conversation with Martha Hall Kelly on January 5 at 6:30 p.m.

 

Find Sunflower Sisters in the catalog

Harriet Tubman – Two Recommended Books

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Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Kids

 

 

Who Was Harriet Tubman? By Yona Zeldis McDonough and Illustrated by Nancy Harrison
Series Title: Who Was–?
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Anyone from Maryland should know who Harriet Tubman is, but do you really?  I’m from Cambridge, so of course I know who she is, right?  I do, of course, but I wanted to learn more especially with the new movie coming out – https://www.focusfeatures.com/harriet/.  And, I want my kids to know who she is, so I read two different books about her that are geared towards kids.

First I read, Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and Illustrated by Kadir Nelson.   This book won a Caldecott Honor in 2007 and the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator in 2007.  It is truly a beautiful book.  The story follows Harriet shortly after she is told she is about to be sold by her owner, through her years transporting people on the Underground Railroad.  It is about how she was given the name Moses and her faith in God which led her to do the right thing.   This is a work of fiction and some of the story differs from other accounts of Harriet’s life, but I still think it is a great way to introduce a child to Harriet Tubman.   Find it in the catalog

Next I read, Who Was Harriet Tubman? By Yona Zeldis McDonough and Illustrated by Nancy Harrison.  This is part of the Who Was–? Series which are biographies for kids.  Written like a story, this biography was easy to read and is full of factual information about the time during which Harriet lived.  I actually prefer to read kids biographies because you learn about the person but without being overwhelmed with facts (oh and there are usually pictures!).  This biography describes Harriet’s work on the Underground Railroad, as a nurse during the Civil War and as a Spy for the Union army.  Find it in the catalog

Now I’m ready to see the movie!

 

Varina

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Varina by Charles Frazier
Format:  MP3 Audiobook
Who it’s for:  Adults

This book, written by the author of Cold Mountain, is the story of Varina Howell Davis, the wife of the only president of the Confederate States of America.  At 17, Varina Howell marries Jefferson Davis who is 19 years her senior.  Years after their marriage (based on an arrangement rather than love), Davis becomes the president of the Confederacy.  The book transports you to a time in our nation’s history when the Confederacy rises and then takes a catastrophic fall.

As an older woman, Varina reflects upon her young married life, her life as the wife of a politician, and her life as a young mother who grieves the loss of several of her children who died at young ages.  She explains in detail her escape from Richmond with her surviving children, as Union soldiers pursued her for being the wife of the treasonous Confederate president.   Varina details the resulting captivity of herself and her children, and what her life was like during the imprisonment of her husband.  Through Varina’s story, the reader is able to see the harsh reality of what life would have been like at the end of the Civil War.

I listened to Varina through our library’s Overdrive app.  Although I felt like the very beginning of the book took some time to get into, I quickly found myself wanting to listen continuously, in order to see what would happen to Varina and her family next.  When the book was finished, I felt compelled to research many of the events and characters mentioned in the story and their significance in our nation’s history.  I would highly recommend the book.  You can find Varina in book, book on CD, ebook and audio book form.

Find it in the catalog.