BEST BOOKS WRITTEN BY LEFT-HANDERS

THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain
An all-time classic. Funny, sad and perceptive. Huck is the 19th century Holden Caulfield. The people that wish to ban this book due to the use of the word "nigger" are people that should never have any modicum of power over anyone.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll
What a long strange trip it's been.

AND LADIES OF THE CLUB by Helen Hoover Santmeyer
It took author Santmeyer 50 years to compete this massive novel (1400 pages!). It follows the lives of several women in Wayesboro, Ohio post-Civil War who begin a study club. Published in 1982 by the Ohio State Press ALOTC only sold a few hundred copies during the first two years. Then, a filmmaker begin to inquire about purchasing the rights to make a mini-series and the book began to get publicity and in 1984, it was chosen to be a main selection for the Book-of-the-Month Club and became the best-selling novel that year. Santmeyer by that time was living in a nursing home.

FAIRY TALES by Hans Christian Andersen
Includes: The Emperor's New Clothes; The Little Match Girl, The Little Mermaid; The Princess and the Pea; The Red Shoes; The Snow Queen; Thumbelina; The Ugly Duckling.

THE FRIENDLY PERSUASION by Jessamyn West
A great novel about pacifist Quakers in southern Indiana during the American Civil War. Made into the classic Hollywood movie starring Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire.

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN by James Baldwin
The ground-breaking semi-autobiographical novel by Baldwin that examines racism and the effect of the Christian church on American blacks.

THE GUNS OF THE SOUTH by Harry Turtledove
Robert E. Lee is offered the chance to purchase AK-47s after the battle of Gettysburg. A fun alternate history novel.

THE HITCH-HIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams
No explanation necessary. If you've read, you know. If you haven't read, shame on you.

THE INVISIBLE MAN by H. G. Wells
ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU by H.G. Wells
Two all-time classics by Mr. Wells.

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE by Richard Condon
One of the most paranoid and disturbing novels ever written. If you only know this story from the most recent Hollywood movie version starring Denzel Washington, then you have no idea how great this story is. If you insist on watching it as a movie, then the 1962 version starring Frank Sinatra, Janet Leight and Angela Lansbury is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. You will never look at Angela Lansbury the same ever again.

THE OPTIMIST'S DAUGHTER by Eudora Welty
The 1972 Pulitzer Prize winner.

PRIZZI'S HONOR by Richard Condon
Another twisted dark comic novel by Condon about a mob hit man and hit woman who fall in love and then are hired to kill each other. It's kinda like The Godfather meets The Munsters.

TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC by James Michener
A book of Pulitzer Prize winning short stories that became the basis of the classic Broadway show South Pacific.
THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells
Another Wells classic.

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS by Lewis Carroll
Another strange trip with Mr. Carroll.

THE TRIAL by Franz Kafka
One of the most frustrating and disturbing books ever.

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS by H.G. Wells
No explanation necessary.

RHETT BUTLER'S PEOPLE: A Review

At first glance, this book sounded like it may have potential. Certainly, it would have to better than the first approved sequel of Gone With The Wind, Alexandra Ripley's abomination Scarlett. Hell, every James Patterson book is better than Scarlett. Good news: Rhett Butler's People is better than MOST James Patterson books. But that is not a high standard to reach.

The first chapters are confusing, to say the least. Author McCaig employs an annoying technique of putting characters together and then not clearly letting the reader know which character is speaking. The conversation in the carriage as Rhett is heading for duel (can you have a more cliqued opening for a Southern novel?) is bewildering because you cannot figure who is saying what.

And for a novel that is written by a man about a supposed REAL man, the prose is overwrought, dainty and laughable. "The frosty Milkyway stretched across the heavens to the horizon where it drowned in the ruddy penumbra of guns." WHAT?

But gradually, the real awful nature of this book comes clear: McCaig has decided that it was his job to update Rhett's reputation for modern, politically correct sensibilities. There are two Rhetts in this story - Margaret Mitchell's Rhett, and the new, GQ Rhett that McCaig is trying to re-invent. It should have been titled Rhett Redeux. Who knew Rhett Butler was a 19th century animal activist, concerned about the mating habits of loggerhead turtles? Too bad this Rhett didn't have the chance to meet Charleston writer named Mary Alice Monroe who can't help inserting loggerhead turtles into her books. They would have conducted a torrid affair, sitting on the dark beach at night having orgasms while the turtles lumber in-and-out of the surf.

In an interview in the New York Times, McCaig admits that he had never read GWTW when he was approached to pen a "sequel." When he did finally read it, he pronounced everything but the Civil War bits as "Oh dear." What else do you need to know?

Stay away from this revisionist crap. Margaret Mitchell's estate is 0 for 2. Scarlett was long, boring and tedious; Rhett Butler's People is a poorly written fraud. The Margaret Mitchell estate should sue itself for this abomination.

BIBLIO SAYS: Stay away as much as possible.

Companion read: Gone With The Wind.

GARDEN OF SPELLS: A Review

Like many small towns, Bascom, North Carolina has its secrets it likes to keep. Local caterer Clair Waverly lives a quiet life tending her garden and making mouth-water, seemingly magical dishes from the herbs and fruits from her garden. Her food tends to have odd effects on people.

Clair wakes one morning to find her long lost sister Sydney on her doorstep - with her five-year-old daughter Bay! What Sydney had been doing, and where she had been for the past ten years is no one's business. The sisters had endured a rocky childhood with a difficult mother and the two girls had become estranged through the years. But family is family, and Clair takes in her sister and niece who quickly discover there is something unusual about Clair and her garden - it blooms and flourishes year round. The large ancient apple tree in the center of the garden has a way of manipulating events. When the tree wants attention, it throws apples, and tempts passers-by with its fruit - if it likes you. If the tree dislikes you ... then could get nasty.

Then there is cousin, Evanelle, who has a knack for giving odd gifts that eventually become quite appropriate. And the hunk next door, Tyler, has his eye on Clair, who has no interest in romance - but the apple tree has other ideas!

Garden of Spells is a delightful book of charm, romance, myth and magic. Filled with small moments of wonder, quirky characters and situations it is over much too soon.

BIBLIO SAYS: Highly recommended.

GREAT SCI-FI NOVELS

FOUNDATION by Issac Asimov
Like most kids in the 60s-70s, Asimov was my introduction to sci-fi with these books. A brilliant example of total world building traces a man's effort to save a crumbling empire by establishing a foundation to preserve the intellectual achievements of the empire.








DUNE by Frank Herbert
Come on, the first Dune book is a staggering piece of imagination, and a thrilling story. Ignore all movie versions, and if you want to read the endless Dune books that follow, go for it but be forewarned: each book in the series gets worse and worse and worse and ...








FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON by Daniel Keyes
Poignant story of a simple man with an IQ of 68. Charlie becomes the first human test case for an intelligence increasing surgery. As Charlie's IQ increases to 185 his life completely changes and he ultimately discovers, the surgery is not permanent ... he will revert to his former, simple self after reaching amazing heights of intellectual and emotional achievement. Powerful and sad.






HYPERION by Dan Simmons
A sci-fi Canterbury Tales. The story weaves the interlocking tales of a diverse group of travelers sent on a pilgrimage to the Time Tombs on Hyperion. The travelers have been sent by the Shrike Church and the Hegemony (the government of the human star systems) to make a request of the Shrike. As they progress in their journey, each of the pilgrims tells their tale. Simmons is a powerful writer.






THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by Robert A. Heinlein
This is still one of my all-time favorite books, sci-fi or not. The moon has become a penal colony for criminal and political exiles from Earth. Problem is, anyone who stays longer than a few months undergoes "irreversible physiological changes and can never again live in comfort and health in a gravitational field six times greater than that to which their bodies have become adjusted. That leads to unrest and then ...






ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card
One of the greatest books of the past 50 years. Years ago Earth barely survived the invasion of an alien race called The Buggers. Now, Earth is preparing to defend itself again for a second coming invasion by creating super genius children through a breeding program on Earth. The kids are sent to Battle School to prepare to defend their planet. Eight-year old Ender Wiggen becomes the focus of the Battle School administrators as their best hope as a supreme commander.

The genius of this novel is that it is told from the view point of an intellectually brilliant child, but a child nonetheless, so he is unaware of the machinations around him. Quite simply ... a must read.


DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP by Philip K. Dick
The most famous Dick novel is typical ... bleak, clever and just when you think you know what is happening, Dick proves you foolish.










TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG by Connie Willis
In 2057, Ned Henry, an Oxford expert in the 20th century, jumps back and forth from the 1940s to correct a loose screw in the works of the time continuum .... the madcap almost screwball intensity makes this a fun ride.









THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE by Larry Nevin and Jerry Pournelle
Well-written hard science fiction about an alien race called The Moties. When I bought this paperback in 1978, I read it straight through until I was finished. Nevin is a brilliant hard science fiction writer, but b-o-r-i-n-g. Pournelle is a good scientist but a much better writer so they make a good team. Try reading a Larry Nevin book (Ringworld is a good test) and see how much more boring his solo books are.






TO YOUR SCATTERED BODIES GO by Philip Jose Farmer
Sir Richard Burton wakes after death to find himself in a strange world which is made up of a never-ending river. He discovers that the inhabitants of the Riverworld are from the history of Earth - from Neolithic Age to the 21st century. The search is on to find the end of the river and the powers behind the resurrections. His partner? Hermann Goring.






LORD VALENTINE'S CASTLE by Robert Silverberg
Okay, some of you will argue that this is more epic fantasy than science fiction, but I think it has enough hard sci-fi in its storyline to be bone fide. Set on an immense planet teeming with alien races and magical creatures, Valentine wakes one morning with no memory of who he is. He joins a troupe of traveling circus performers and gradually begins to realize he is the rightful ruler of the planet, except no one else believes him.






SPIN by Robert Charles Wilson
One night the stars go out. The book follows how that event affects the lives of three friends - coming-of-age tale, a love story, a literary triumph, and an ecological and apocalyptic warning.









BRING THE JUBILEE by Ward Moore
Written in 1953, one of the first (and the best) of the alternative history novels that ask: What if the South won the Civil War? Politically complex, astute and endlessly fascinating.









TIMESCAPE by Gregory Benford
It's 1998, and a physicist in Cambridge, England, attempts to send a message backward in time. Earth is falling apart, and a government faction supports the project in hopes of diverting or avoiding the environmental disasters beginning to tear at the edges of civilization. It's 1962, and a physicist in California struggles with his new life on the West Coast, office politics, and the irregularities of data that plague his experiments. Then he receives an unusual message ...





THE FOREVER WAR by Joe Haldeman
Mandella starts out as a foot soldier in man's thousand-year war against the Taurans and ends as a reluctant major. Spanning the stars at faster than light speeds, Mandella and his comrades age only months as the centuries zip by on an earth that becomes increasingly foreign. But few soldiers will return to the altered home planet; in battles fought with powered suits and other stranger weapons, the odds for survival approach zero. This is a splendid, thoughtful adventure.





LORD OF LIGHT by Roger Zelany
The science-fiction Siddhartha, with a twist. Earth is long since dead. On a colony planet, a band of men has gained control of technology, made themselves immortal, and now rules their world as the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Only one dares oppose them: he who was once Siddhartha and is now Mahasamatman. Binder of Demons. Lord of Light. Trickster. Very fun.

TRY THESE FANTASY SERIES

Okay, so you've read Harry Potter. All well and good. It's time to move on to other things. You've read Lord of the Rings (the movies don't count). You've tried to read Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time but found yourself contemplating suicide. Never fear, here is a list of some good Fantasy Series.
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THE ADVERSARY CYCLE (6 books) & THE REPAIRMAN JACK SERIES (15+ books) by F. Paul Wilson ADVERSARY CYCLE: The Keep; The Tomb; The Touch; Reborn; Reprisal; Nightworld. REPAIRMAN JACK: The Tomb; Legacies; Conspiracies; All the Rage; Hosts; The Haunted Air; Gateways; Crisscross; Infernal; Harbingers; Bloodline; By The Sword; Ground Zero.
These two inter-connected series are usually classified as horror. Not matter, they represent a phenomenal accomplishment. The Keep is a traditional horror novel in which a group of Nazis solders in awaken an ancient evil in the mountains of Transylvania. The evil had been imprisoned by an immortal warrior who once again must try and defeat the Evil. The Tomb jumps forward to modern day New York and a lone, secretive vigilante named Repairman Jack is faced with an evil of supernatural origin which threatens his adopted family. The rest of the books in these series (which can all be read as stand alone novels) feature recurring characters and gradually pulls back layer-by-layer of an ancient other-worldly mystery. HIGH RECOMMENDED.



THE BOOK OF WORDS by J.V. Jones (3 books) The Baker's Boy; A Man Betrayed; Master and Fool.
Rebelling against her forced betrothal to the sinister Prince Kylock, young noblewoman Melliandra enlists the help of Jack, a kitchen apprentice, who is overwhelmed by his unexpected magical powers. Jones manages something that is rare in high fantasy - real humor. The series is delightful in the way that the story branches away and doubles back. The secondary characters are as well developed than the main three characters, in particular the two medieval guards Bodger and Grift, who may very well be the Laurel and Hardy of High Fantasy fiction.





THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT - THE UNBELIEVER by Stephen R. Donaldson (3 books) Lord Foul's Bane; The Illearth War; The Power That Preserves.
Thomas Covenant is a bitter and cynical writer afflicted with leprosy who is shunned and despised by society, but destined to become the heroic savior of an alternate world - or, perhaps, only of his own sanity. In the "other world" Covenant struggles against the evil Lord Foul, "The Despiser" who intends to break the physical universe to escape its bondage and wreak revenge upon his arch-enemy, "The Creator." Donaldson's works are infused with a profoundly serious psychological tone involving an unabashed exploration of dark and repugnant aspects of the protagonist Thomas Covenant without reducing him to a caricature or an antihero. Good, deep, serious stuff, and Donald writes with a realism not often found in fantasy literature.


THE FARSEER TRILOGY by Robin Hobbs (3 books) Assassin's Apprentice; Royal Assassin; Assassin's Quest.
The Farseer Trilogy follows the life of FitzChivalry Farseer (Fitz), a royal bastard and trained assassin, in a kingdom called The Six Duchies while his uncle, Prince Verity, attempts to wage war on the Red-Ship Raiders from The OutIslands who are attacking the shores of the kingdom by turning the populace (primarily the coastal people) into Forged ones; a form of zombification which makes them emotionless. Very exciting and face-paced, filled with magic, palace intrigue as young Fitz learns to become a master spy and assassin.


INCARNATIONS OF IMMORTALITY by Piers Anthony (8 books) On A Pale Horse; Bearing An Hourglass; With A Tangled Skein; Wielding a Red Sword; Being A Green Mother; For Love of Evil; ... And Eternity; Under A Velvet Cloak.The first seven books each focus on one of seven supernatural "offices" (Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Evil and Good) in a fictional reality and history parallel to ours, with the exception that society has advanced both magic and modern technology. The series covers the adventures and struggles of a group of humans, called "Incarnations" who hold these supernatural positions for a certain time.


MEMORY, SORROW AND THORN by Tad Williams (3 books) The Dragonbone Chair; Stone of Farewell; To Green Angel Tower.

This is an answer series to Lord of the Rings, and almost as good. The books are set on the continent of Osten Ard, whose inhabitants include Sithi (elf-like immortals), Qanuc (troll-like mountain-dwellers), and other races, as well as several distinct human nations. The youthful conquests of King John the Presbyter (also called Prester John) united most of the human world into a single realm, but by the beginning of the first book, the former conqueror is too old and feeble to stop his sons from quarrelling. As the conflict widens throughout their world and beyond, a young orphan struggles to understand enough of it to survive. Passionate and exciting, Williams is very entertaining.




MISTBORN by Brian Sanderson (3 books) The Final Empire; The Well of Ascension; The Hero of Ages.This could be the best fantasy series of the last 20 years. Sanderson has invented unique kind of magic that is ingenious and logical. Even though these are in the tradition of epic fantasy, there are no elves, no wizards, and NO BORING SECTIONS. These books read like a thriller, fast-paced with superb characters.







REDWALL by Brian Jacques (21 books) Redwall; Mossflower; Mattimeo; Mariel of Redwall; Salamandastrom; Martin the Warrior; The Bellmaker;' Outcast of Redwall; The Pearls of Lutra; Lord Brocktree; The Taggerung; Triss; Loamhedge; Rakkity Tam; High Rhulain; Eulaila!; Doomwyte; The Sable Quean.

This a delightful and richly diverse series of books about the mice who run Redwall Abbey. Despite the fact that this is a fantasy series, there is no magic, but lots of adventure and supernatural elements blend with religious themes. The books are simply written, face-paced and quite charming.

BOOKS TO AVOID (Even Under Penalty of Death)

NOTE: I did not list any James Patterson books since it should be obvious you need to avoid Patterson. If not, I order to stop reading the blog IMMEDIATELY.

AMERICAN PSYCHO by Brett Easton Ellis
Sick and badly written. A cruel and vicious book. Anyone who is in a relationship with Mr. Ellis needs to re-think their decision. There are not words strong enough to describe how bad this book is.

COLD MOUNTAIN by Charles Fraizer
Quite simply, one of the worst books of the past decade. It is a great example of the group think among today's university-driven literary community and publishing industry. The book is sophomoric in style, using purple phrases with awkward flourishes that most English 101 instructors give you a failing grade if you used them. It is also a great example of a major problem in today's publishing industry - an author has a wild success with a bad book, so he is given a huge amount of money to produce an even worse book. Thirteen Moons.

FINNEGAN'S WAKE by James Joyce.
It's a classic, right? Yes, classic shit. The last section of the novel consists of 24,212 words and two sentences. Yes, you read that correctly, two sentences and 24,000 words! Enough said.

GRAVITY'S RAINBOW by Thomas Pynchon

The 11 members of the Pulitzer Prize committee were on the right track when they described the book as "unreadable, turgid, overwritten and obscene." They were actually being nice.










THE MAGUS by John Fowles
Self-important and full of 1960ish mysticism and oblique literary games. AWFUL!

The great actor Peter Sellers was once asked, "If you had a chance to live your life over again, what would you do differently?" Sellers answered, " I would not read "The Magus."

Amen, Peter.  




SCARLETT: THE SEQUEL TO MARGARET MITCHELL'S GONE WITH THE WIND
by Alexandra Ripley
Granted, this was a no-win idea from the get-go. Hell, even the title is ridiculous. But the book turned out to be boring, boring, boring. And the other "approved" book, Rhett Butler's People fares no better.

STATE OF FEAR by Michael Crichton
First of all, forget all the political yammering around this novel, and it's claims for "scientific authenticity." IT'S BAD AND BORING! Crichton has never been on anyone's list of good writers; his prose is clumsy and his characterizations are TV depth (hence all the successful movies and TV shows made from his writings).

THE SHANNARA BOOKS (all of them!) by Terry Brooks
How awful, boring and BAD are these books? Pauly Shore bad. Michael Bolton awful. What is frightening is how many have been published. As of this moment there are fourteen Shannara novels. Mr. Brooks ... have mercy! Take a vacation!!!!







TOUGH GUYS DON'T DANCE by Norman Mailer
The result of a self-important (and often good) writer thinking that because he is an "important artist" he could write a better hard-boiled mystery than those two-bit hacks like Hammet, Chandler and MacDonald. Hey Norman, you lose ... by a long shot!

BEST CIVIL WAR NOVELS

THE AMALGAMATION POLKA by Steven Wright
The story concerns Liberty Fish, the son of two passionate abolitionists but whose grandparents were cruel slave-owners. The plot follows Liberty from his birth to young adulthood, his enlistment in the Union army, and his quest to find his grandparents whom he blames for the despair his mother feels. The tone has hints of dark humor, and at times can be heavily surreal.
The oddest book on this list.

ANDERSONVILLE by Mac Kinley Kantor
This may be the best and most realistic book about the War, and won the Pulitzer Prize. It is told from many points of view, including that of Henry Wirz, the camp commandant, who was later executed. It also features William Collins, a Union soldier and one of the leaders of the "Raiders". The "Raiders" are a gang of thugs, mainly bounty jumpers who steal from their fellow prisoners and lead comfortable lives while other prisoners die of starvation and disease. Other characters include numerous ordinary prisoners of war, the camp physician/doctor, a nearby plantation owner, guards and Confederate civilians in the area near the prison. While based on prisoner memoirs, most notably Andersonville: A Story of Rebel Military Prisons by John McElroy, the novel is less biased against the Confederates. Henry Wirz, who received an injury earlier in the war and never recovered properly, is portrayed not as an inhuman fiend but as a sick man struggling with a job beyond his capacities. A tragic illustration of the Peter Principle.

GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell
C'mon. You've got to list it. Granted, it's more romance than straight history, but it still casts a long shadow over that time period.

THE GUNS OF THE SOUTH by Harry Turtledove
It is March 1864, and the Confederacy is reeling after defeats at the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Andries Rhoodie, a man wearing mottled green clothing, speaking in a strange, guttural accent, and carrying a strange rifle, visits the headquarters of the Army of Northern Virginia and demands to demonstrate his rifle to Robert E. Lee. The rifle, to the Confederates' astonishment, can fire thirty rounds in only a few seconds, with considerable accuracy. Rhoodie and his comrades, who declare that they are members of an organization called "America Will Break" offer to supply the entire Confederate army with these rifles, which they refer to as AK-47s. Very fun.





THE KILLER ANGELS by Michael Shaara
THE Civil War novel according to most. Beginning with the famous section about Longstreet's spy Harrison gathering information about the movements and positions of the Federals, each day is told primarily from the perspectives of commanders of the two armies, including Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet for the Confederacy, and Joshuo Chamberlain and John Buford for the Union. Most chapters describe the emotion-laden decisions of these officers as they went into battle. Maps depicting the positioning of the troops as they went to battle, as they advanced, add to the sense of authenticity as decisions are made to advance and retreat with the armies. The author also uses the story of Gettysburg, one of the largest battles in the history of North America, to relate the causes of the War and the motivations that led old friends to face each other on the battlefield.

LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott
Most people don't think of this as a Civil War novel, but the War does play an understated part in the story.

LINCOLN by Gore Vidal
The novel's emphasis is on the President's political and personal struggles, and not the battles of the Civil War. Though Lincoln is the focus, the book is never narrated from his point of view. However, one gets an insight into his presidency and gets to see just how his mind works. Through thick and thin, Lincoln proves how exceptional he really is and how his death impacted many.

LONG REMEMBER by Mac Kinley Kantor
Kantor (1904–77) spoke with Civil War veterans, and translated what they told him into this startling and convincing portrait of war. Originally published in 1934 Long Remember traces the experience of Daniel Bale, a young man who has refused to fight and struggles to cling to his pacifist principles as his hometown of Gettysburg becomes the center of an immense three-day battle between Union and Confederate forces.

NORTH AND SOUTH Trilogy by John Jakes
Say what you will about the soap opera of some of the plot, but this is historically well done, and told brilliantly. Jakes is a rare breed, a good historian who happens to be an excellent novelist.

ON SECRET SERVICE by John Jakes
This book explores from the shadowy sanctums of the world's first private detective agency, the Pinkertons, to the battlefields of Virginia and the private haunts of wartime Washington, where even the President's hand-picked men cannot stop a plot that may reach from Richmond to the highest offices of the Union government. Jakes is a master at blending his fictional characters in with historical figures like Lincoln, McClellan, Jefferson Davis, Allan Pinkerton and John Wilkes Boothe.

RAINTREE COUNTRY by Ross Lockridge, Jr.

The novel, set in fictional Raintree County, Indiana, is essentially in two parts; before the Civil War and after. It spans the 19th century history of the United States, from the pre-Civil War westward expansion, to the debate over slavery, to the Civil War, to the Industrial Revolution and the Labor Movement which followed. The book is often surreal, with dream sequences, flashbacks and departures from the linear narrative. It has been described as an effort to mythicalize the history of America, which to a great degree it succeeds in doing through the eyes and the commentary of John Shawnessy.




THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE by Stephen Crane
It is considered one of the most influential works in American literature. The novel, a depiction on the cruelty of war during an unnamed battle, features young recruit, Henry Fleming, who deserts his regiment, but returns to become a hero on the battlefield.


SHILOH by Shelby Foote
It employs the first-person perspectives of several protagonists, Union and Confederate, to give a moment-by-moment depiction of the battle.The story illustrates two of Foote's most strongly held convictions: that Nathan Bedford Forrest was the greatest combat commander in the War and that Confederate society held the seeds of its own doom. 

TRAVELER by Richard Adams
The second oddest book on this list. A view of the war as seen through the eyes of Robert E. Lee's beloved horse, Traveler. And before you dismiss that as a silly idea, remember that Adams is the author of Watership Down, a simple story about rabbits told from the rabbits' point of view which just happens to be one of the best books of the last 50 years. Traveler is equally masterful and powerful in its simplicity.