chase the wild pigeons: a novel of the civil war  <h3><strong>with the bloody war closing in around them, how can two boys all alone possibly escape hundreds of miles through the ravaged south?</strong></h3><h3><strong></strong><br></h3><p>the confederacy in 1863 is desperate and dangerous. for joe taylor, a twelve-year-old boy suddenly alone after his family was killed, and peter, a sixteen-year-old black, it is a nightmare. in desperation, they form an unlikely alliance as they start a 600-mile journey into the unknown.</p><p>in this epic adventure, these two boys slowly develop a binding friendship as each pursues his own purpose and destination. however, will that friendship be enough to sustain them on the perilous trek out of the bloody and desperate south?</p><p><br></p><p>what others are saying:</p><p><em>"...the triumph and terror these young boys faced during the civil war is unimaginable. i found myself cheering them on, almost crying for them. my heart broke, i laughed out loud and i was filled with anger and rage throughout the story. not too many books can have people go through all those emotions and back again, but this one did..."-courtney</em></p><p><br></p><p><em>"...two young adolescent boys, one white age 12, and one black age 16, become indelibly imprinted on your mind. because this is a character-driven story, you laugh and you cry, you love and you hate, you react and you reflect. gschwend's heart and soul resonate on every page. the story is action-packed. the description is superb..."-edwynne, amazon.com reviewer, librarian and retired english teacher</em></p><p><br></p><p><em>"set in the deep south, chase the wild pigeons is a historically accurate novel that transports the reader back to the civil war. the reader finds himself pulled into life on the </em><em>mississippi river</em><em>, southern culture and even civil war era flora and fauna. mr. gschwend paints a vivid picture of the effects of war on a nation, especially from the stand point of a child. chase the wild pigeons does a fine job of illustrating racial tensions across the south with out being offensive, and tells a lovely story of two young men who have only each other to rely on. entwined into this entertaining story is adventure, one that makes it difficult to put down. i read this book into the wee hours of the night! i highly recommend this book!"-jennbryant, amazon.com reviewer</em></p>