My Name Is America: The Journal Of Sean Sullivan, A Transcontinental Railroad Worker
Grade 5-8-Sean gets a job with his father at the Union Pacific Railroad. In his journal, he tells of working his way up from the lowest position of "water carrier" to "spiker" and shares plenty of railroad lingo and information about the boomtowns that he observes along the way. In the first few pages, he sees his first scalp and his first dead body in two unrelated incidents. The issue of prejudice is addressed, both in fights among various workers from Ireland, and with the deadly battles between the employees of the U.P. and the Chinese workers from the Central Pacific line. The role of the press in the races between the two railroads to lay the most track in the shortest time and the fact that much of the U.P. track was so poorly set that it was replaced soon after is noted. Sean is a likable protagonist who notices the small details and reacts to things realistically. A section of notes includes history, period photographs, maps, and other information.Sharon R. Pearce, Geronimo Public School, OKCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.