Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Booknotes III (July '12)

New Arrivals:

1. Remembering The Battle of the Crater: War as Murder by Kevin M. Levin (UP of KY, 2012).

Several Crater books have been published in recent years, but the emphasis and interpretive slant of this one sets it apart from the others.

2. The Hammer and the Anvil: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the End of Slavery in America by Dwight Jon Zimmerman and Wayne Vansant, ill. (Hill and Wang, 2012).

This is the first time I've been sent a history book in graphic novel format.

2 comments:

  1. There was something called "Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel" published about 3 or 4 years ago. Not really a novel, more of a stripped-down retelling of the story of the battle. My wife brought it back from the bargain section at B&N a couple of years back.

    I searched for it on Amazon, and discovered there's a grahpic novel about the Constitution also...

    Joel M.
    Baton Rouge

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  2. There was also 'Cleburne: A Graphic Novel' by Justin S. Murphy from 2008 that I liked despite its flaws. The controversy over it was the depiction of Cleburne's plan to enlist slaves as soldiers in the Confederate army that has raged for so long. The author would have done better to mention that aspect of Cleburne's life but not dwell on it. Cleburne's amazing life story is incredible enough. I wish the author would have depicted all of Cleburne's battles instead of just the late 1863-1864 period.

    The illustrations of the Battle of Franklin were quite well done and very graphic. The author even depicted the famous incident of the Confederate drummer boy trying to put a fence rail in the muzzle of a Union cannon and quite simply being blown away.

    I would recommend looking into at it for the illustrations alone as they are full color and quite nice. For history on Cleburne stick with Symonds.

    Chris

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