LeAnne Hardy, author and editor
  • Home
  • BIO
  • My Books
    • Children's and Young Adult
    • Historical Fiction
    • Non-fiction
  • Blog
  • Editorial Services

My ​Times and Places
​


​​

Second Thoughts on  a Newbery Honor Book

6/9/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
I picked up My Brother Sam is Dead because it is a Newbery Honor book and available from my library as an audio book. Tim and Sam’s father is Tory in this tale of the American Revolution. He just wants to be allowed to live his life and continue his business of running a tavern in Reading, Connecticut. He wants his sons to stay out of the rebellion, so we get more than the traditional American of-course-the-revolution-was-a-good-thing viewpoint. Neither the Tories nor Patriots are “the good guys” in this book; the war itself, with its indiscriminate killing and abuses of power, is the ultimate bad guy. The injustice of the ending (Sam is dead) left me incensed and must surely anger young readers. The author asks the question if the goal of freedom and rule by the people could have been accomplished without bloodshed. 

I have long suspected that if I had lived at the time, I would have immigrated to Canada. Although I believe thoroughly in the values of the Declaration of Independence (all men [not just land-owning white men. Women too!] are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights), I’m not sure that killing people over taxes can be justified before the God of the Bible. There has to have been another way. Canada eventually achieved independence without fighting Britain, although one could argue that they would not have succeeded without our having demanded the right of representation first. 

But the question is definitely worth exploring. Had I been writing the book, I probably would have made my character a Quaker pacifist or a parson’s son, so as to more freely explore the spiritual implications of the conflict. As a secular book, the authors are reduced to a mild civic piety and the pursuit of property (a good American value) as motivation for the Tories. The characters made lip service to the Bible’s words on authority and labelled some things as “sin” without demonstrating any significant spiritual motivation.

When I posted my usual on-line review of what I had read, I noticed the book had been on banned lists. There is some pretty gruesome violence and strong language. They also drink beer (kids included), which isn’t surprising when they run an 18th century inn. The voice is very modern, which I assumed was designed to make young readers feel like the events of the Revolutionary War happened to kids just like them, although for me it detracted from the sense of historic reality. The author’s note at the end, which explained what was historic and which characters were invented, said that they used modern language because no one really knows how they talked in those days. A site on banned books included a sample letter from a fifth grade teacher telling parents the class was going to be reading this controversial book. That letter explained that although the book included profanity, that was the way people talked in those days and they would not be endorsing profanity in their everyday speech. Excuse me? We don’t know how they talked in those days, but we do know they made liberal use of profanity?

It was about then that I noticed the date of publication—1974. I had shrugged at the profanity because we hear so much of it these days (and because I was reading for my own information, not recommending to a pre-teen.) But 1974? That’s my generation. That profanity is there for shock value, not for authenticity.

Suddenly the outlook on the Revolutionary War took on a whole new hue. 1974 is nearing the end of the Vietnam War. “War is evil; both sides are bad guys” has a very familiar ring to it. Questioning the righteousness of the American founding fathers in their struggle for independence suddenly sounds a lot like the undermining of our national heritage that my parents were so concerned about. I found myself wondering about the motivation of the Newbery committee that chose to honor this book in 1974. The deliberations of the committee are kept secret in perpetuity, so we can never know. Given the blah writing—chapter endings like “That night my cousins and I slept by the fire” just don’t inspire me to turn the page and read on—I find myself wondering if the choice was politically motivated.

Forty years later does it make a difference? Probably not. A book lives or dies based on how it touches readers. I’m not sure how many people read this book anymore besides people like me, systematically working their way through award winners. I would love to see a book for young people that honestly grapples with issues of war and justice and trusting a loving and sovereign God when everyone around you is pulling out their guns for a quick and easy solution. (Come to think of it, see my review of Mitali Perkins' Bamboo People.)

Where am I going with this? I don’t know. I just know that although I wasn’t particularly impressed with this book before, I liked it less when I saw the date of 1974. 

What do you think? I’m not talking about Hitler. He is one indisputable bad guy, but what about all the wars to “defend our freedom” that also just happen to protect our oil rights, or our economic markets, or our standing as a world power? What did Jesus mean when he said pay taxes to the Caesar who minted your coins and built the infrastructure of your economic system? What did he mean when he said to walk a second mile with the abusive Roman soldier who commandeered you to carry his gear? What did Paul mean when he said to submit to those in authority—at the time when Nero ruled the world and burned Christians as human torches to light his parties? I’d love to hear your perspective, but please be respectful of those who differ with you. No muskets or bayonets allowed on this site.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    LeAnne Hardy has lived in six countries on four continents. Her books come out of her cross-cultural experiences and her passion to use story to convey spiritual truths in a form that will permeate lives.

    RSS Feed

    Add http://www.leannehardy.net/1/feed to your RSS feed.
    To receive an e-mail when I post a new blog, please subscribe.
    Subscribe to Blog

    Categories

    All
    Africa
    Author Interviews
    Current Events
    Devotional Thoughts
    Guest Blog
    Holidays Christmas
    Holidays Easter
    Holidays-Easter
    Holidays Other
    Holidays-Thanksgiving
    Missions And Missionaries
    Music
    My Books
    My Life And Family
    My Travels
    Non Fiction
    Orphans And Vulnerable Children
    Photos
    Publishers And Publishing
    Reading And Sharing Books
    Reviews
    Skating
    Theological Education
    Tributes
    Writing

    Archives

    June 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    September 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    March 2000

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • BIO
  • My Books
    • Children's and Young Adult
    • Historical Fiction
    • Non-fiction
  • Blog
  • Editorial Services