anulmanaseryan

Thirteen-year-old Hannah Green and her family are Jews living in Holly Springs, Mississippi, in 1863. The Civil War is raging, and the Green family are Southern supporters. Hannah's father has always gone along with the Southern way of life, including owning slaves, because he was so relieved to be accepted in Holly Springs, unlike back in Germany. For many years, the Greens have peacefully run their store, but now the war is changing everything. General Grant passes Order #11, which expels all Jews from the territory under his control. On the long march, bitter with anger over the loss of her home, Hannah blames the Yankees for everything. It takes the actions of one good man, a Northern soldier who helps save the lives of Hannah and her family, for her to realize her narrow-mindedness, and to realize her own family's practice of owning slaves is as wrong as the order that forced the Green family and other Southern Jews from their homes. This book was a unique and enjoyable historical novel that stands out from the many other middle grade and young adult Civil War novels because of the unique perspective it offers.

2023-01-18 00:17