Two Miserable Presidents: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the Civil War
Grade 5–8—Sheinkin tells readers that this book is the one that he always wanted to write, one that is packed with "all the true stories and real quotes that textbooks never tell you." While he provides plenty of material about military objectives, battles, and political and military leaders, such as the title's often-miserable Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, he also includes the stories of spies, drummer boys, women who masqueraded as men to join the army, and African Americans. He ends with Grant's surrender at Appomattox and the Lincoln assassination, followed by a "Whatever Happened To…?" chapter that tells readers about the postwar lives of many of those he discusses in the text. The author's very readable effort combines the clear prose, objectivity, and good organization of a textbook with a chatty style and stories and quotes that will make historical figures real to readers. Chapters have intriguing titles, and the text is broken into easily digested segments. The book is supplemented with a variety of cartoons, illustrations, maps, and diagrams. It will hold the attention of students who are interested in the Civil War, and is broader in scope than Doreen Rappaport and Joan Verniero'sUnited No More!: Stories of the Civil War(HarperCollins, 2006), which focuses on individual stories. While the coverage is somewhat superficial, Sheinkin's book is a good choice to introduce students to the Civil War.—Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MOCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.