Degrees of Affection

*3.75 Stars*

Scorecard:
* Quality of Writing - 7: Solid but not exemplary
* Pace - 7: Solid but did set down (for multiple reasons)
* Plot Development - 8: Very decent/only felt I lost thesis 1-2
* Characters - 7: Some I lost chapter to chapter; lots to keep up
* Enjoyability - 7.5: Not a light-hearted book/thought provoking
* Insightfulness - 10: A part of of the historical narrative that few look at/ using mostly primary sources
* Ease of Reading - 6/10 (middle ground of 8): hard to read but well written and not verbose
* Photos/Illustrations - 7: few but largely helpful to the text but poor quality
Final Score: 61.5/80 = 78%


*The Gush*
This was a well written, well thought out book about a part of Civil War history that few if any lay people think about. I even majored in history and much of the civilian point of view, never mind the boy soldiers, was new to me. The author chose to introduce the reader directly to the people involved by using most primary sources.

Primary sources are texts, etc from people who actually experienced the events. Direct quotes from diaries, letters, recordings nowadays, as well as artifacts from the time period count as this. Secondary sources come from people after the event writing about it. Newspapers and magazines are the most well known of these. Books also fall into this category. Tertiary sources are 'generalized surveys of a specific subject'. Encyclopedias, textbooks, etc.
A link to a good explanation of each of the different sources and how they should be used.

One of the best aspects of this book is the author's fairness to both sides in nearly every chapter. Both the North and South get a voice, many of them recounting kindness visited upon them from people on the opposite side. This helped to remind the reader that these were people, many of them good, who were facing harsh situations but did not let them consume them. The strength of these people was staggering, particularly when their ages are remembered; children and young adults confronting and standing against horrors that many adults found insurmountable.

Make no mistake, this is not an easy book to read. It is a short book in page length but many chapters will force you to stop and digest what you've read. The chapters concerning Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Atlanta, and particularly Andersonville were chapters where the book and I had to have periods of separation. This is a good book, a necessary book; it is not an easy book.

The epilogue of the book goes further. The author draws parallels between the circumstances of the children and young adults talked about during this book and what people have experienced in the years that have followed. Everything from child soldiers in modern warfare, Holocaust survivors, civilians experiencing modern warfare from WWII and on; the author shows how what you have just read gives insight into what people are going through today. The American Civil War was in many was the first modern war and how it affected the civilians is eerily similar to the wars that followed it.


*The Rant*
Very little I can say here. This is a solid book about a section of history few people even think about, never mind learn about. This, however, is NOT a children's book or even for most young adults. My father waited until I was an adult to suggest this book to me and I agree waiting. The things talked about are disturbing and every reader should know that going in. There is much good in this book but it is good shining through horribly situations. Ones that actually occurred.


*Conclusion*
This is a must read for Civil War historians, amateur and otherwise, as well as people interested in social history and civilian causalities in war - something the modern world seems to constantly experience. These words from the past resonate today loudly.

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Reading Progress (from GR)