Brotherhood by A.B. Westrick

Interest Level: 5-8 grade
Reading Level: 4.7 grade

Lexile: 720

Genre: Historical Fiction

Currently on pg. 90, chapter 12

The 6th page of this book, and I do mean the 6th page of this book, is A Note to the Reader. I am not talking the numbered pages. Once you open the cover there is a synopsis of the story, then Other Books You May Enjoy, the title page, copyright page, dedication page, a blank page, another title page, and then the next two pages are an U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' map of Richmond, VA from 1867. Then on the 6th page A Note to the Reader the author says, "My intention in writing this story was not to justify his (a 14 year old boy whose point of view reflects his time and place) view, but to draw readers so closely into his world that they experience his emerging capacity to question his circumstances."

This book is an Oregon Readers Choice Award nominee for 2016. The list of nominee came out prior to the latest events involving the confederate flag. I have followed the news stories regarding this issue. I find the historian's view points and factual reports the most interesting. Below is a link to one such report:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/07/01/why-do-people-believe-myths-about-the-confederacy-because-our-textbooks-and-monuments-are-wrong/

Thank you Jeff Stirling for this link.

I am hopeful that this book, Brotherhood, will be a good aid in perhaps discussing the issues involving the confederate flag at the middle school level. Stay tuned.