Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Written for a middle school audience, this book handles the subject of a girl/woman masquerading as a man with the finesse necessary when addressing this age group. However, the story of Jennie/Albert is just as fascinating for an adult. I read the book as I am interested in the history of women who play roles very different from expectations. The factual portion of the story alone would have held my interest, but a younger audience raised in the 30 second segment world of Sesame Street needs more to keep them reading.
The fictionalized relationship Albert develops with a fellow soldier serves to inform the reader that Albert's true identity was probably known to some of his comrades, but didn't matter as he held his own under very difficult circumstances. The previous review questions the lack of answers to some philosophical questions such as why poor Southern whites fought in a war that would benefit them little. We need to remember that this book is about Jennie/Albert, written from his perspective. Placed in a situation and locale that defies reason, Albert would have been very confused with no one to explain the economic and social issues involved in this war. He joined to escape an uncomfortable situation (his employer wishing to bring him into the family as a son-in-law) and make money. This is what is interesting to middle schoolers. As for nature's call along the march as well as bathing, the author does deal with these issues. The old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" comes to mind here and probably accounts for Albert's ability to handle these situations without being discovered.
The book is primarily about Jennie/Albert's role as a soldier in the Civil War. We need the early history to understand how and why she got to the United States, left her job in New York, eventually ended up in Illinois and finally enlisted. The book could have ended with the end of the war, but we - kids and adults - have a natural curiosity about the whole life of unique individuals like Jennie. The other reviewer states "Another thing I couldn't quite figure out was why Jennie was so determined to remain disguised as a boy her entire life. Durrant gives us two possible answers: Jennie wasn't a fan of the restrictive nature of female clothing and she felt that as a boy she could make more money. I'm willing to believe all of that, of course, but once Jennie grows old and is living a truly sad life as a safety-obsessed old man, the reader is left baffled. Why do that?" Well, this is probably historically accurate, and as in all life, there just is no explanation. Middle schoolers unless very unusual are more apt to read without questioning. Jennie/Albert's life after the war until death was strange, but no more bizarre than many of those we read about in the paper.
In all, I think this is a fascinating, well-written work that will hold the attention of those for which it was written. History can be a difficult subject to teach to middle school students who see little value in learning about the past. Durrant manages to tell us much about the conditions that brought immigrants to our shores as well as depicting realistically one of the most important periods of our history. Through the vehicle of historical fiction, Durrant has written a book that conveys true events to a middle school audience in a manner that will keep kids reading and learning until the end of the book. And adults just might find it interesting, too!
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