Secret Lives of the Civil War

July 30, 2007
O'Brien's slight but entertaining follow-up to Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents and Secret Lives of the First Ladies is best for those who like their history light. O'Brien profiles 26 figures-13 from each side-who consist mostly of military figures, plus the two Presidents and their first ladies, a few spies and the black leaders Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass; he proves most fascinating in the attendant anecdotes (James Longstreet fighting the Battle of Antietam in his slippers, William T. Sherman's two shipwrecks in a single day). Trivia abounds, including all the nicknames of each subject, astrological signs and characteristic quotes ("The moment a grain of black pepper touches my tongue, I lose all strength in my right leg," said Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, a "notorious hypochondriac"). Unfortunately, the Civil War does not easily lend itself to irreverence or overview; O'Brien has no choice but to slog through battle after battle in order to put the details in context, forsaking in large part such topics as slavery, international relations, munitions and life on the home front. If, in fact, your teachers never told you about these secrets, it's probably because they had bigger fish to fry.

October 1, 2007
Gr 9 Up-Organized on the premise that juicy details are left out of history books, this volume offers 26 chapters on what O'Brien identifies as "secret" and "fascinating." The book is divided into two parts, "The Union" and "The Confederacy." All of the well-known figures are here: Lincoln, Davis, Grant, Lee, Sherman, Sheridan, Longstreet, and Jackson. The lives of four women are catalogedMary Todd Lincoln, Varina Howell Davis, Harriet Tubman, and Confederate spy Rose O'Neale Greenhow. Corny red, white, and blue illustrations fill the book. The author refers to President Lincoln as "Abe"a nickname Lincoln hatedand incorrectly states that General Grant started drinking again after he lost his dentures during the siege of Vicksburg. Teachers and librarians should be aware that O'Brien's text contains words and phrases such as "damn," "coughed up," "what the hell," and "his ass in gear." There is a lengthy bibliography, but none of the quotations or "secrets" are specifically cited, making this difficult to recommend to students."Patricia Ann Owens, Wabash Valley College, Mt. Carmel, IL"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 23, 2007
O'Brien's slight but entertaining follow-up to Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents and Secret Lives of the First Ladies is best for those who like their history light. O'Brien profiles 26 figures-13 from each side-who consist mostly of military figures, plus the two Presidents and their first ladies, a few spies and the black leaders Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass; he proves most fascinating in the attendant anecdotes (James Longstreet fighting the Battle of Antietam in his slippers, William T. Sherman's two shipwrecks in a single day). Trivia abounds, including all the nicknames of each subject, astrological signs and characteristic quotes ("The moment a grain of black pepper touches my tongue, I lose all strength in my right leg," said Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, a "notorious hypochondriac"). Unfortunately, the Civil War does not easily lend itself to irreverence or overview; O'Brien has no choice but to slog through battle after battle in order to put the details in context, forsaking in large part such topics as slavery, international relations, munitions and life on the home front. If, in fact, your teachers never told you about these secrets, it's probably because they had bigger fish to fry.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.