Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy

Book Description

In 1861, when war erupted between the States, President Lincoln made an impassioned plea for volunteers. Determined not to remain on the sidelines, Emma Edmonds cropped her hair, donned men’s clothing, and enlisted in the Union Army. Posing in turn as a slave, peddler, washerwoman, and fop, Emma became a cunning master of disguise, risking discovery and death at every turn behind Confederate lines.

Customer Reviews:

School Review.......2006-12-15

Disguised as a union soldier, Emma would risk her life for her country. Emma Edmonds was born in Saint John, Canada in 1840. When she was sixteen years old she ran away to the United States. When she was twenty one, President Lincoln made a request for seventy five thousand men to volunteer for the Army. She decided that she wanted to be a field nurse for the Union Army but those jobs were so dangerous that they were only given to men. So she cut her hair short, dressed up like a man, and enlisted under the name Franklin Thompson. Emma was assigned to the Second Regiment of Michigan Volunteers. The next day she and all the others in her Regiment were off to training camp. Upset at hearing the news that one of her friends had died in the war, Emma went to go see a woman named Mrs. Butler who lived on the camp with the soldiers. Emma started talking and she ended up telling her secret identity. After that day, Mrs. Butler became Emma's closest friend and the only one who new here secret. One day news came to the camp that a Union spy had been killed at a rebel camp. Now they needed a new spy and Emma volunteered. So she disguised herself as a black slave named Cuff. She snuck onto a rebel camp to gather any valuable information. She found out how many weapons they had, where people were hiding, anything that would help the union defeat the rebels. Once she had gathered enough information, she snuck back to the Union camp. With this information, the union began to fight. Emma became very busy in the hospital as more and more got injured. As the union reached a river, they had to stop and make a bridge across it which would take weeks. The Union army didn't have enough information to make an attack. It was time for Emma to become a spy again. This time she dressed up as a middle aged peddler woman. In this disguise she had no trouble at all getting into the camp and she was allowed to walk around freely. She found out a lot of useful information including the fact that the rebels had an ambush waiting for the union troops. She then rode away on a one of the rebel's horses. They were so impressed with Emma's work that they made her a messenger during all the fighting. For many months Emma was sent off on spy missions and was successful on all of them. Emma returned to being a nurse as the war went on. She was then struck with malaria. She couldn't go to the hospital she worked at because then they would find out she was a girl. So she decided to leave, get the help she needed and then come back. So she left and checked herself into a hospital. Once she got her malaria under control, she saw a union poster in a window. It said that Franklin Thompson was absent without leave. He was known as a deserter. Emma was upset but she continued being a nurse under her rightful name. Later on, after she was married she petitioned the war department to review her case. She had her military rights restored and received and honorable discharge. Other troops were surprised to find out that their old friend Frank Thompson was actually Emma Edmonds. Emma lived in La Porte until her death in 1898. This is a good book full of adventure and suspense.

I thought it was cool how Emma was able to pull off so many disguises. Emma's biggest disguise was being a man. She was able to fool everyone, even her fellow soldiers who she became friends with, that she was a guy. She pulled it off without anyone ever asking questions. Also, there was her favorite disguise, the black slave named Cuff. She was again pretending to be a guy and she was able to come up with something to make her skin look dark. She was able to fool everyone in the rebel camp. Another disguise was as a peddler woman. Even though she was dressed up as a girl, no one ever thought that she actually looked like a real girl. She was even able to fool them then.

Emma was brave and took many risks during her life. One big risk was just signing up. She could have gotten into a lot of trouble if they found out that she was lying and was a girl. And being in the middle of a war is dangerous too. Another risk was when Emma disguised herself as Mr. Mayberry. She was supposed to lead a man, who was leaking union information to the rebels, into a union ambush. If anything went wrong she could've ended up dead and no one would have known. Also, when she was dressed up as a black slave woman, she could have gotten killed. She found secret rebel documents and was going to take them back to her camp. But if she was caught with them they probably would have killed her.

When ever Emma made a decision she stuck to it and didn't turn back. For example, when she decided to run away. She was only sixteen and was afraid of her dad. But she set her fears aside and made the decision to leave and she was happy about it. Another example is when she decided to volunteer for the Army. She was scared and worried that they wouldn't believe her disguise. But she made her decision and wasn't going to second guess herself. Also, when she wanted to become a spy. It was dangerous but she wanted to do it anyway. And even after Mrs. Butler tried and tried to convince her not to do it, Emma stuck to her decision.

This is a great book that will make you not want to put it down. I would recommend it to most people who like biographies and adventure story. This book may not interest everyone but overall it was good.

C. Chapman

The heroing tale of a young girl taking a stand.......2006-02-21

Emma Edmonds is a young girl from Canada, living in the North during the Civil War. She's always been outgoing and bold- never able to stay in one place at a time. So when she feels a calling to join the Union army, she does what any rebellious girl would do- cuts her hair, gets the uniform, and joins up. At first she's awkward and unsure- terrified that she'll be discovered. She sees the whole thing as a big adventure-that is, until an old love interest of hers is killed in the war. She decides to really take a stand and looks at the war in a whole different way. She fights with all her power-until she gets word that a Union spy was recently killed by the Confederates. She quickly lands the job of replacement. She goes across the rebel lines, a different disguise each time, and collects useful information which helped to save many battles.
Emma Edmonds, whom I had never heard of before reading the book, is a facinating character. How she summoned the courage to join the army I will never know. A very good book, but a little slow in places.

Behind Rebel Lines.......2005-05-03

I didn't really like this book. I didn't really like the author's writing style, it was a little hard to understand and follow. The subject wasn't very interesting to me. I think that it would have been hard to try to re-create a story about the civil war. I think that the author did good on that.

I wouldn't really recommend this book unless you are interested in things about the army. I think that it was cool though that a woman would take that kind of risk just to be in combat. Also it was cool that she was that passionate about serving her country.

The good Forcer.......2004-12-11

My grandma forced me to read "Behind Rebel Lines". But it turned out to be an awsome and interesting book!

A woman's extraordinary role in the civil war.......2003-12-28

Behind the Lines is an adaptation of the Emma Edmonds story for young adults. Emma Edmonds was a native of Saint John New Brunswick, Canada who left for the United States several years prior to the war. She eventually found her way to Michigan where, following the outbreak of war, she under the alias Franklin Thompson enlisted with the 2nd Michigan Infantry. She served with the unit as an orderly for about a year before she volunteered herself as a spy, and during the course of the next year went on eleven assignments. Not only were her spying activities dangerous, but she always had to remain vigilant among her comrades as well, lest her identity be discovered. This is a very interesting and entertaining bit of history, one that is sure to interest even some of those who insist that history is "bo-ring".

The Journey of the Lost Boys: A Story of Courage, Faith and the Sheer Determination to Survive by a Group of Young Boys Called "The Lost Boys of Sudan"

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The tragedy of the children of Sudan
Learning about Sudan? START HERE
OUTSTANDING BOOK
A good term paper
An accurate, heartfelt and well-written account

The Journey of the Lost Boys: A Story of Courage, Faith and the Sheer Determination to Survive by a Group of Young Boys Called "The Lost Boys of Sudan"
Joan Hecht
Manufacturer: Allswell Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0976387506
Release Date: 2005-05-30

Book Description

Imagine you're a young boy—maybe as young as three or four—separated from your family by civil war, traversing deserts and mountains with little food or water, no medical care, and no protection from wild animals. Imagine watching hundreds of boys perish around you from hunger, disease, or attacks by enemy soldiers and wild animals. To most of us, it is unimaginable, but this was reality for "The Lost Boys of Sudan," thousands of young boys who were separated from their families and forced to walk approximately 1,000 miles to reach safe refuge from war and certain death.

For the first time, this award winning book offers readers a chronological timeline of the epic journey taken by these children, beginning in their rural villages of Southern Sudan and ending with their arrival as young men to the United States. Narrated through the voice of Joan Hecht, one of their American mentors, whom they lovingly call "mom" or "Mama Joan;" "The Journey of the Lost Boys" is a compelling story of courage, faith and the sheer determination to survive by a group of young orphaned boys. Because of Joan Hecht's personal relationship with them, she is able to portray their story in a way that most famous reporters and authors cannot. In addition to her extensive research of the political and historical events surrounding the long lasting civil war in Sudan, are the heart-rending personal stories and original drawings of the boys themselves. A must read for anyone interested in the the true story of the Lost Boys of Sudan!

Customer Reviews:

The tragedy of the children of Sudan.......2007-03-31

I can only summarize my comment about this book in a few words. The author Joan Hecht did a wonderful task in narrating the frightening and heartbreaking experience of the thousands of lost boys of the Sudan,Africa's largest country. Their dangerous journey involving thousands of miles in a very hostile landscape is incredible. The author's very kind heart,sincere consideration and admiration for these children is worth more than all the gold of the world. Very highly recommended for young and old.

Learning about Sudan? START HERE.......2006-10-15

This is the book you need to read if you are unfamiliar with the background of the issues in Sudan, the Lost Boys, and the issues faced by refugees who come to America. Ms. Hecht might not be an " academic", but she is the person with an enormous amount of first hand information on these subjects, and she breaks it down into managable pieces. Even if you are knowledgable on these subjects, this book is still useful as a clarifying tool. Ms. Hecht is also very committed, and that comes through on every page.

OUTSTANDING BOOK .......2006-08-11

Readers of this book will be touched by the stories of these incredible young men, who, at an early age, were separated from their parents and families. The atrocities witnessed by the boys are unspeakable. The author has provided the readers with stories that make those who have lived a life without fear take a new appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States.

A good term paper.......2006-07-26

The endless conflict in Sudan is another calamity that the press should have been bombarding us with daily for years. A tragedy of such dimensions should torment our collective conscience. This is exactly why it deserves a better telling than Ms. Hecht is able to offer us. The writing is amateurish and the text cries out for the editing it appears not to have been subjected to. Easy streamlining and the correction of some grammatical errors would make the book more readable and more powerful. Ms. Hecht's devotion to the cause of the Lost Boys is clearly sincere and praiseworthy, however, and she does deserve thanks for contributing to making us aware of the atrocities that go on in the world while we turn the other way.

An accurate, heartfelt and well-written account.......2006-06-28

Joan Hecht's "Journey" is in this reviewer's opinion the most interesting and accurate book available on the topic of the Lost Boys. As a former foster father to one of the lost boys and a fellow author and researcher, I recommend the book without hesitation. It presents an extraordinarily complicated situation in a manner that is comprehensible, fascinating and accurate. It gives the reader a true sense of the horror, courage and hope that has gripped a generation of young Sudanese men.

For its rare photos, clear and organized presentation and sincere prose, I highly recommend this informative and inspiring book and thank the author for her outstanding efforts.

No Greater Sacrifice, No Greater Love: A Son's Journey to Normandy

Average customer rating:

110th Station Hospital
Sincere, From the heart
I knew this story and was still touched by the writing of it
A personal story of what sacrifice really means ...
The Eternal Sadness of the burdened heart

No Greater Sacrifice, No Greater Love: A Son's Journey to Normandy
Carter Wf , Walter Ford Carter , and Terry Golway
Manufacturer: Smithsonian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1588341593

Book Description

A powerful account of a World War II hero and his son's life-changing discovery.

Walter Ford Carter grew up knowing little about his father except that as a battalion surgeon with the 29th Division, he died in France eleven days after his D day landing on Omaha Beach while running to help another soldier. For half a century, his mother never spoke of her husband—her sweetheart since childhood—or of the depth of her grief. On her death in 1995, Carter finds his life transformed on discovering a journal and some 150 letters his father had written to his wife and young sons in the months, weeks, and days before his death. The letters, excerpted here, are filled with candid, innocent, and at times wrenching expressions of love for family, the anguish and agony of war, and unshakeable faith in a country's noble cause—something almost unimaginable in our time. This is also the story of a son's midlife discovery as he learns of the extraordinary love his parents shared and finally begins to know the father he never had. His journey leads him to the man his father reached out to help so many years ago, and together they travel to Normandy to find the place where his father, a man who truly personifies "the greatest generation," gave his life to help another. 25 b/w photographs.

Customer Reviews:

110th Station Hospital.......2006-06-08

In the poignant story of his father's service in WWII, the author presents a moving portrayal of the sacrifices made by all soldiers and their families. Through his father's letters home, the author has also provided historical information about the 110th Station Hospital which arrived in England December 1942 as part of the build up in anticipation of D-Day. As a descendant of an Army Nurse who served with Dr. Carter, I find this book to be an absolute treasure, finally shedding some light on her service in WWII. If you have ancestors who served in the war as Army Nurses, doctors or foot soldiers, this is a book you should read. If your ancestors served with the 110th Station Hospital, this is a must read. And since it is only about 200 pages, it is perfect for younger readers, too.

Sincere, From the heart.......2005-08-31

I traveled with Walter Ford Carter and the Normandy Allies (www.normandyallies.org) of Rochester, NY to Normandie, France, in Summer 2004. I heard Walter's story of his father's WWII experiences in person and visited the field where his father died near St. Lo. I had read the story of Dr.Carter before this trip and was very touched by the human-ness and how Walter reconstructed his father's and mother's war years through love letters and documents. This is a worthwhile read of a personal WWII history.

Furthermore, my father landed in the 5th Wave on D-Day. He died in 1995 and Walter inspired me to do some digging to fit the pieces together of my father's history with the 5th Engineering Brigade. Baby Boomers with veteran fathers and mothers will gain insight and understand the war years--and the silences kept by our parents over a horrific war.

Read this book. You won't regret it.

I knew this story and was still touched by the writing of it.......2004-12-18

I heard Walter Carter tell this story before he put it on paper and yet, despite that fact, I was riveted by his telling of it again. This slim volume is a wonderful read and a very personal recounting of the sacrifices endured by the sons and daughters of Brokaw's "greatest generation." Read it for the history, for the story and for the lasting impression it will leave with you.

A personal story of what sacrifice really means ..........2004-11-02

The book is a personal story of a man trying to come to grips with who his family was and what sacrifice really means to those who are left behind to pick-up the pieces of their lives after the father/husband was killed in the 1944 Normandy campaign. Mr. Carter, one of the co-authors of the book and son of CPT Carter, successfully communicates who his father and mother were - whether those stories were done for their childhood days, young adult lives, CPT Cater's military experiences, and the later days leading to his mother's death. The sacrifice of the Carter family was not only the death of the father, but also those who were left behind. Sacrifice and love are threads that hold this story together. This is a very good read.

The Eternal Sadness of the burdened heart.......2004-07-26

Military history focuses on battles and campaigns in linear time stopping and starting around the time of the war. WW2 Memoirs cover in greater detail the lives of the particpants usually before and during the war but usually stop there or only give a brief postscript. This work is unusual because the author tells you up front the basic story and then unfolds it from there. The knowledge of Norval Carter's fate looms like a shadow over the story but nevertheless his death and his son's (the co-author)discovery of his father still will bring the tears when you get to those pages. This is a story about the meaning of courage, sacrifice and the meaning of being a father and husband. The story covers the events of the war and the buildup for D-day in enough detail that even someone with no knowledge or interest in military history will enjoy and understand this story. At a slim 199 pages it is a very quick read. I highly recommend this book for anyone.

Average customer rating:

Important subplot, forgettable protagonist, poor writing
Well done - and gut-wrenching to read
Emma's War
Interesting but disapointed
an acid prism into lingering horrors in Sudan and mirrored delusions in the West

Emma's War
Deborah Scroggins
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375703772
Release Date: 2004-02-10

Book Description

Tall, striking, and adventurous to a fault, young British relief worker Emma McCune came to Sudan determined to make a difference in a country decimated by the longest-running civil war in Africa. She became a near legend in the bullet-scarred, famine-ridden country, but her eventual marriage to a rebel warlord made international headlines—and spelled disastrous consequences for her ideals.

Enriched by Deborah Scroggins’s firsthand experience as an award-winning journalist in Sudan, this unforgettable account of Emma McCune’s tragically short life also provides an up-close look at the volatile politics in the region. It’s a world where international aid fuels armies as well as the starving population, and where the northern-based Islamic government—with ties to Osama bin Laden—is locked in a war with the Christian and pagan south over religion, oil and slaves. Tying together these vastly disparate forces as well as Emma’s own role in the problems of the region, Emma’s War is at once a disturbing love story and a fascinating exploration of the moral quandaries behind humanitarian aid.

Customer Reviews:

Important subplot, forgettable protagonist, poor writing.......2007-01-15

The best thing "Emma's War" by Deborah Scroggins accomplishes is to highlight the often overlooked tragedy and strife that grips Sudan in particular and Africa in general. That's it though, and is the only reason this book deserves more than one star.

Emma herself, based on Scroggins' testimony, is an otherwise forgettable, if not pitiable, person. She had a lot of sex, did a lot of drugs, and reveled in the attention that her exploits attracted. She and her "safari companions" competed to outdo one another with their wild pursuits, and you get the sense that marrying a warlord was simply her ultimate one-upping of her friends. "Top that!" you can almost hear her say. As one prominent tribal chief put it, "If she were in a European setting, she would never even have been noticed." Nevertheless, there is a good story in Emma's adventure, captured in the book's compelling subtitle: "An aid worker, a warlord, radical Islam, and the politics of oil - a true story of love and death in Sudan." How could such a story not be a hit?

The real problem with "Emma's War" is Scroggins' unbelievably poor writing. From what should have been a page-turning adventure, she rendered a laborious manuscript rife with typos, suffering from dreadful research and incoherent structure, and displaying a general misunderstanding of the English language. For example, she puts the date of Charles Gordon's death at both January 25th and January 26th in consecutive paragraphs (even if the details are murky, such inconsistency is inexcusable). She will use an opening parenthesis but have no corresponding closing parenthesis. She routinely jumbles several disconnected topics into a single, long paragraph. Meanwhile she jumps forward and backward in the story with no warning or explanation. And she repeatedly refers to the list of passengers on an airplane flight as the "airplane's manifesto." Overall, "Emma's War" reads like a long, disjointed, carelessly written e-mail.

Fortunately, there are alternatives to this book. For instance, there is the upcoming movie starring (possibly) Nicole Kidman as Emma. More seriously, "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder is an excellent story of true humanitarian activism.

Well done - and gut-wrenching to read.......2006-09-15

An amazingly well-researched book on the politics of modern Sudan. Written as part biography, part history lesson, part autobiography, these elements make the story flow along. I learned SO much about Sudan; I'm astounded at the amount of research and interviewing that went into this book. The author's personal reflections, especially how she thinks back to time she spent among the refugees as she's putting her own child to bed, are really poignant. Loved the book because it's so full of information, but feel really, really sad for the people of Sudan and their seemingly hopeless situation. A must-read for anyone going to Sudan.

Emma's War.......2006-02-10

Emma's War is the result of a tremendous effort of research into the history of Sudan and an "on the ground" experience of Sudan today. Having spent five years on and off in Sudan in the late 1980s, I was able to relate to much that was written, but also learned a great deal. Especially the way the author brought the history of tribal relationships, the long conflicts between North and South, Muslims vs Christians and Animists, the economy of oil, the state of women in Sudan, and the role of Sudan in Africa as well as the Middle East. Sudan has wonderful people and a large heart, it leaves a large mark on one's soul. All of this is more the better read because it is integrated into a violent, reckless, true story of a young woman seeking adventure and to save the world who fell in love with a rebel, crossing the line and leading herself and everyone around her into extremely difficult circumstances. If you know Africa and especially Sudan, get the book, it's worth the read.

Interesting but disapointed.......2005-11-09

Although the information regarding the history and civil war in Sudan were helpful, the author had me confused several times by inconsistancies in name usages (ie: using first name in one sentence then using the surname in the next sentence. Also I was turned off by Emmas selfish attitudes regarding herself and images of who she thought African men are. ie; her statement regarding the male physical organ. It just validates the old stereotype describing African/African American men.
Her primary goal in going to Africa was not to be an Aid worker, she was selfish in even that motivation.

an acid prism into lingering horrors in Sudan and mirrored delusions in the West.......2005-10-22

Most reviewers incorrectly see Scroggin's book as the story of Emma McCune, the "aid worker" who went to save the poor children of southern Sudan, fell madly in love with a warlord - a romantic tragedy of sorts.

While Scroggins tells that story well, that's hardly the point. Scroggins's needle-sharp writing injects too much history, too much politics, too much moral ambiguity surrounding all the do-gooders, particularly Emma but including Scroggins herself, for it to work as yet another "Westerners in Africa" romance.

Scroggins transforms Emma into a prism by which the varying shades of atrocity experienced by so many people in Sudan for so long may be separated and scrutinized. In so doing, she offers a truer testament than any bitter sweet memorial by contextualizing a woman who had "beauty, passion, a radiant spirit" into the realm that she loved, with all its horrifying, inescapable realities - the sort of painful truths so readily ignored and swept from the consciousness.

Recommended only for readers prepared to burn away sentimentality while confronting a few of the oddities of "relief, tragedy, misery, sex, and personal extravagance" in one obscure corner of Africa. If looking for heroes or easy answers, run away.

Emma's War: An Aid Worker, a Warlord, Radical Islam, and the Politics of Oil--A True Story of Love and Death in Sudan

Average customer rating:

Important subplot, forgettable protagonist, poor writing
A tragic but compelling tale
Genocide of two million people.
Emma of Sudan
Glamour comes to wartime Sudan

Emma's War: An Aid Worker, a Warlord, Radical Islam, and the Politics of Oil--A True Story of Love and Death in Sudan
Deborah Scroggins
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375403973
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Book Description

Emma McCune’s passion for Africa, her unstinting commitment to the children of Sudan, and her youthful beauty and glamour set her apart from other relief workers from the moment she arrived in southern Sudan. But no one was prepared for her decision to marry a local warlord—a man who seemed to embody everything she was working against—and to throw herself into his violent quest to take over southern Sudan’s rebel movement.

With precision and insight, Deborah Scroggins—who met McCune in Sudan—charts the process by which McCune’s romantic delusions led to her descent into the hell of Africa’s longest-running civil war. Emma’s War is at once a disturbing love story and an up-close look at Sudan: a world where international aid fuels armies as well as the starving population, and where the northern-based Islamic government—backed by Osama bin Laden—is locked in a war with the Christian and pagan south over religion, oil, and slaves.

A timely, revelatory account of the nature of relief work, of the men and women who choose to carry it out, and of one woman’s sacrifice to its ideals.

Customer Reviews:

Important subplot, forgettable protagonist, poor writing.......2007-01-15

A tragic but compelling tale.......2006-01-21

I am firmly in the camp of reviewers who could not put this book down. I came to it after seeing the film of The Constant Gardener - something in the film stirred my memory of browsing and reading the back of this book. There are strong similarities between the Rachel Weisz character and Emma McCune, (so much so I wondered if John le Carre had had Emma in mind when writing his book) not to mention both stories being set in East Africa. Deborah Scroggins weaves the three strands of her narrative together beautifully and makes the complex situation in Sudan comprehensible to those who know nothing of the history.

The book does not purport to be a biography of Emma McCune Machar but uses her life as a lens through which to examine the inter-relationship between aid, famine and civil war, and the very tangled emotions and motivations that govern the dealings of first world governments, and first world individuals, with Africa and Africans. This book has made me pursue furthur reading in related areas and question my own ideas about aid and the "aid industry".

Many of the reviews are scathing of Emma McCune's motivation, character and actions. Scroggins delineates her character well so we see her in 3d, beauty and warts. We are none of us flawless and I felt that Deborah Scroggins captured perfectly that often naive and romantic idealism that many people (in the first world) have the luxury of going through in their late teens and early twenties; that passionate embracing of "causes" that the majority grow out of as the realities of mortgages and jobs kicks in. At that age, many of us rush headlong in to things that with the benefit of wisdom and hindsight don't look so good. Sometimes we discover we are in over our heads and escape is impossible. Having read both this book and the memoir written my Emma's mother, this seems to have been the case for Emma. There was no going back - none of which excuses her behaviour at times and in particular her attempts to apologise for the atrocities with which her husband's men were involved.

For those who may be concerned about Scroggin's anti- American bias - it seemd pretty mild to me. Don't let this put you off reading a wonderful piece of journalism.

For anyone else interested in good journalism about Africa - look for "Soldiers of Light" by Daniel....reporting on the war in Sierra Leone and making Sudan look like a vicars tea party - complete with floppy hat as worn by Emma McCune!

Genocide of two million people........2005-11-28

I very much enjoyed this book by author Deborah Scroggins. The book is about her journeys in the horn of Africa, the biograpthy of Emma McCune and the warlords who run the Sudan. I did't realize how horrible the situation was until I read this book. There is enough blame to go around for nearly everyone. First, the Islamic terrorists who run the country. These people condone starvation as a way to set up an Islamic state. Bashir and al Turabi are mass murderers and should be sent to the Hague for their crimes. Then you have the southern leaders of Garang and Riek who are not much better. Garang who just recently died in a plane crash recruited child soldiers and also was complicit in starvation. Throw into this mix the aid workers who are idealistic but at the same time don't quite understand the situation they are dealing with. Emma was one of those aid workers and it seems she was thrilled with the adventure of marrying a warlord and taking sides in a internal civil war in the SPLA (Sudan People's Liberation Army). Scroggins also relates her history of visiting this very troubled country.

As related in this book, Emma was idealistic and passionette about what she believed, but she was rather naive. Her entanglement with Riek led to her downfall. She may also have had personal problems due to her father's suicide. Her death may have been arranged. She had all the faults of aid workers believing she could save people. In the end, she may have been complicit in the deaths of many.

This is a good read shedding light on a very troubled land. Some of the writing was rather jumbled, and this is why I gave this book a four star. However this book focuses light on a little known conflict.

Emma of Sudan.......2005-01-06

This is an extraordinary book about two women told against the history of the Sudan Civil War, the longest lasting in African history. The first women is EMMA McCune, a beautiful displaced sole who discovers she has the "sole of Sudan" and desires to help as an aid worker. The second woman is the author Deborah Scroggins who interweaves her own memoirs as a journalist covering the war into a complex and detailed narrative. And finally this is a great overview to the whole of Sudan history going back to the death of Chinese Gordon in Khartoum. Emma eventually leaves aid work, marries an already married warlord who we discover is in collusion with the Islamic government he declares his enemy. (Did Emma know?) The whole book is like a house of mirrors demonstrating that aid is always political and in many cases resented and ineffective. (What can the west do for the continent?) Famine we learn is also often used as a political weapon and may in the end be all about "the oil" and/or personal power. To a small degree Paul Theroux covers some of these same topics in his splendid travel book on Africa, "Dark Star". But if you want to understand the horn of Africa, as told by someone who experienced it, and is also an unusually good writer with a marvelous adventure story thrown in then move this book up on your stack of reading material. I also recommend it to anyone interested in Osama bin Laden, and a view of one root of Islamic fundamentalism took hold and how this may be part of the "blow back" we are experiencing. This is just an excellent book. What is it about the English that they are drawn to such places? People like Richard Burton, Gordon of Khartoum, Lawrence and now Emma. (I understand there are plans to make the book into a movie with Nicole Kidman playing Emma.)

Glamour comes to wartime Sudan .......2004-12-18

If a proposed movie of "Emma's War" starring Nicole Kidman is made, Emma McCune may well become the most famous aid worker of all time. That's a shame because, as this book makes clear, her accomplishments were modest. Emma had a flair for drama and publicity and a pair of long legs instead of a brain. One suspects that she would have tired of the hardships of life in the Sudanese bush and gone back to England to become a fashion designer or some such thing.

The humanitarian aid workers are the modern day missionaries of Western civilization. All in all, they do more good than harm, although Emma may be the exception. Deborah Scroggins has written an excellent book about the brutal two decade long civil war in Sudan and the foreign aid workers who keep the innocent victims of the war alive. The politics are here in easily digestible chunks and so is a mini-history of Sudan since the time of the Victorian hero "Chinese" Gordon. The author includes some of her own experiences of witnessing starvation in Sudan.

One insight of this book is that Western governments want not so much to do anything about African catastrophes as to be seen to do something. Their indifference to African suffering is more than matched by African leaders. Two million people are estimated to have died in the civil wars in Sudan during the last 20 years, the vast majority of them noncombatants. A soldier with a rifle seems the least likely person to die in African conflicts.

Smallchief

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Not Free SF Reader
Phoukas, magic and rock and roll, oh my!
A Real Keeper
Very good beginning
Mysterious, charming, witty, eccentric

War for the Oaks: A Novel
Emma Bull
Manufacturer: Orb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0765300346

Amazon.com

Emma Bull's debut novel, War for the Oaks, placed her in the top tier of urban fantasists and established a new subgenre. Unlike most of the rock & rollin' fantasies that have ripped off Ms. Bull's concept, War for the Oaks is well worth reading. Intelligent and skillfully written, with sharply drawn, sympathetic characters, War for the Oaks is about love and loyalty, life and death, and creativity and sacrifice.

Eddi McCandry has just left her boyfriend and their band when she finds herself running through the Minneapolis night, pursued by a sinister man and a huge, terrifying dog. The two creatures are one and the same: a phouka, a faerie being who has chosen Eddi to be a mortal pawn in the age-old war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Eddi isn't interested--but she doesn't have a choice. Now she struggles to build a new life and new band when she might not even survive till the first rehearsal.

War for the Oaks won the Locus Magazine award for Best First Novel and was a finalist for the Mythopoeic Society Award. Other books by Emma Bull include the novels Falcon, Bone Dance (second honors, Philip K. Dick Award), Finder (a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award), and (with Stephen Brust) Freedom and Necessity; the collection Double Feature (with Will Shetterly); and the picture book The Princess and the Lord of Night. --Cynthia Ward

Book Description

Acclaimed by critics and readers on its first publication in 1987, winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel, Emma Bull's War for the Oaks is one of the novels that has defined modern urban fantasy.Eddi McCandry sings rock and roll. But her boyfriend just dumped her, her band just broke up, and life could hardly be worse. Then, walking home through downtown Minneapolis on a dark night, she finds herself drafted into an invisible war between the faerie folk. Now, more than her own survival is at risk-and her own preferences, musical and personal, are very much beside the point.By turns tough and lyrical, fabulous and down-to-earth, War for the Oaks is a fantasy novel that's as much about this world as about the other one. It's about real love and loyalty, about real music and musicians, about false glamour and true art. It will change the way you hear and see your own daily life.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

What can I say? For some reason, this is one of my all time favorites. A fabulous urban type fantasy (part of the reason I like it so much), complete with conflict and rock and roll. After reading this, I went looking for things that were similar. This one, however, is still the best. As a related note I saw that blackcoat press had for sale a screenplay for a movie version that she wrote, too. I have not read it, but sounds interesting.

Phoukas, magic and rock and roll, oh my!.......2007-09-02

I've come to the conclusion that any story with a phouka (alternately spelled pooka) is better for it. Harvey (with James Stewart) made brilliant use of this creature. Emma Bull does the same in War for the Oaks. Originally published in 1987, this book is set in Minneapolis where Eddi McCandry is trying to make a living as a rock and roll musician. When the novel starts, Eddi's prospects in the music department are not so good. To make matters worse, she is soon recruited by the Seelie Court to help them make war. That's right, Eddi is drafted into a faerie war. In order to keep her safe (until she has to risk her life in battle), the phouka is dispatched as her bodyguard.

There is something kind of awesome about a book that can combine rock music with something as fantastical as faeries. Bull does it wonderfully. Each chapter title is a song. Music excerpts abound throughout, sure to entertain even those of us unfamiliar with music of that period. Bull also spends a lot of time describing the process of making music--what the band sounds like on stage, how rehearsals go, etc. Instead of being boring or draggy, they're really interesting and show how very much effort goes into this process.

At times the plot seemed a little predictable, but I'm still not sure if that's just because I've been reading quite a few fantasy books lately instead of from anything in the writing. It doesn't really matter though because it's not a bad predictability. Rather, it's the kind that leaves a sense of satisfaction because it feels like the plot is going along as it should be.

Bull's writing style was down to earth without being stale and her characters will not easily be forgotten. The phouka, in particular, is a favorite for too many reasons to enumerate here. So, if you haven't guessed, I strongly recommend this book. If you like music, if you like phoukas, if you like fantasy, if you need something to read, if you believe in magic--this book is for you.

A Real Keeper.......2007-01-10

This is a book that should be put prominitly on your keeper shelf. Emma Bull is an outstanding author and this is a great read. I highly reccomnd this book. I totally enjoyed reading it. As a matter of fact, I am writing this after reading it for the 3rd time!. Read,enjoy, and keep ths book.

Very good beginning.......2006-10-11

So I picked up this book because someone on Amazon said it was better then War of the flowers. Same idea but better, so I decided to give it a chance. The characters were very interesting especially the Phouka. The main character was descent and I usually like reading about reluctant heroes. Anyway, the beginning was so much fun and the Phouka was so entertaining. About halfway through the book it started to get worse. It was really good and then it became so sappy. Even the character I liked a lot became sappy. I finished the book disappointed. Oh and the ending was dumb. I gave it three stars because the first half of the book was really good.

Mysterious, charming, witty, eccentric.......2006-09-22

The first chapter didn't win me over immediately, as Bull's sparkling wit takes a little time to get all the way into gear. However, once our heroine Eddi makes it through her initial encounter with a few denizens of the faerie realm the dialog warms up nicely, mostly thanks to a snarky, shape-shifting phouka (who never gets a name) and Eddi's best friend Carla.

The story follows Eddi through the perils of breaking up with her useless boyfriend, being chosen as the token mortal on a faerie battlefield, starting her own band, falling for a prince of the Seelie Court, explaining ethics to the phouka, getting almost killed, getting other people killed, booking gigs for her band, and dueling to the death with the Queen of Air and Darkness, but not in the way you'd think.

I quite enjoyed this book, but I think I would have gotten even more out of it if I were more into contemporary music. A lot of character development takes place within the context of band practices and performances, the chapters are all named with song titles, and Bull is scrupulous in giving the reader as much information about the songs involved as possible. As it is, I enjoyed the very vivid descriptions of the music, but my knowledge of the past several decades worth of music would not fill a thimble (I enjoy plenty of classic and contemporary rock, but I'm clueless about most of it, I routinely forget that "Dreams" is by Van Halen, not Starship, and that sort of thing), so I'm sure a lot of the more specific references were lost on me.

Memoirs of a Soldier, Nurse and Spy In The Union Army: A Woman's Adventures in the Union Army

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Exciting Stuff
Original (first edition) issued by subscription

Memoirs of a Soldier, Nurse and Spy In The Union Army: A Woman's Adventures in the Union Army
Sarah Emma Edmonds , and S Emma E Edmonds
Manufacturer: Diggory Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 184685041X

Book Description

Sarah Emma Edmonds was born in New Brunswick, Canada in 1842, the fifth daughter of Isaac and Elisabeth Leeper Edmondson. Her father, a farmer, was bitterly disappointed with Sarah as he had wanted a son to work his land for him.

Sarah tried very hard to be the boy her father always wanted, abandoning female dress and becoming an expert horsewoman and markswoman. However, this was all to no avail: sadly, she never won the approval of Isaac. In 1859, she ran away from home to escape the man she described as `The Brutal Father'.

Sarah fled to the USA, where dressing as a man to draw less attention to herself, she adopted the name of `Frank Thompson'. By 1861, `Frank' was working selling Bibles door-to-door in Flint, Michigan, and so successful in `his' guise that he was escorting young ladies in `his' carriage.

When President Lincoln issued his first call for volunteer troops, `Frank' wanted to answer the call and patriotically serve `his' new homeland. The army at that time didn't require a full physical examination. However, it still took `Frank' four tries to get into the Union Army. On April 25, 1861, Sarah Emma Edmonds alias Frank Thompson became a male nurse in Company F, of the 2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment. This is 'his' story.

Customer Reviews:

Exciting Stuff.......2005-04-19

I found the first two thirds of this book exciting and very interesting, the author certainly was a brave lady who played a significant part in the Civil War (masquerading as a man). Just how significant is open to debate as some historians say her claims are embroidered.
Anyway, I started to lose interest towards the end of the book as it got a bit weighed down with factual information such as letters from Generals etc about the Civil War, which I am inclined to think the author added to add weight to her elaborated claims about her involvement as a spy! Regardless it is an exciting read, and a good historical account of battles during the Civil War.

Original (first edition) issued by subscription.......2004-04-09

I have in my possesion a leather bound with goldleaf letters on the cover(somewhat faded). A first edition which I purchased in Michigan in 1969. Emmas's story is profound. It provided quite an insight into the civil war and I have no doubt as to the veracity of the story. It interests me as she is a Canadian from New Brunswick, and I believe it would make an interesting series and could well become a Candian "content" movies for Global/ CTV/ CBC.

Book Description

Emma Spaulding's life might have been the simple story of a nineteenth-century woman in rural Maine. Instead, wooed by the ambitious John Emory Bryant, the Yankee Reconstruction activist and Georgia politician, she became the Civil War bride of a Republican carpetbagger intent on reforming the South. The grueling years in the shadow of her husband's controversial political career gave her a backbone of steel and the convictions of an early feminist. Emma supported John's agenda-to "northernize" the South and work for civil rights for African-Americans- and frequently reflected on national political events. Struggling virtually alone to rear a daughter in near poverty, Emma became an independent thinker, suffragist, and officer in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. In eloquent letters, Emma coached her husband's understanding of "the woman question;" their remarkable correspondence frames a marriage of love and summarizes John's career as it determined the contours of Emma's own storyÂ—from the bitter politics of Reconstruction Georgia to her world as a mother, writer, editor, and teacher in Tennessee and, with her husband, running a mission for the homeless in New York.In this extraordinary resource, Ruth Douglas Currie organizes and edits their voluminous correspondence, enhancing the letters with an extensive introduction to Emma Spaulding Bryant's life, times, and legacy.

Customer Reviews:

A strong-willed, outspoken woman's life.......2004-06-04

Deftly compiled and edited with narrative by Ruth Douglas Currie (Professor of History and Political Science, Warren Wilson College, Asheville, North Carolina), Emma Spaulding Bryant Civil War Bride, Carpetbagger's Wife, Ardent Feminist - Letters And Diaries 1860-1900 is an extraordinary biographical collection of correspondence and writings that detail the life of a woman of faith, integrity, and high moral principles, who learned the hard way to become self-sufficient during years when her husband's demanding political career brought about long periods of separation. Her eloquence deftly reveals her experiences with poverty and hardship, as well as her own political passion and championing of the agendas of women's rights and temperance. A revealing portrait of late nineteenth and early twentieth century America, as surely as it is the captivating tale of a strong-willed, outspoken woman's life.

When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 (Dear America Series)

Average customer rating:

Excellent way to understand history
Fiction or Non- Fiction???????????????????????????
Tragic View of Confederate Life
Tragic Tale of a Civil War Teen
Masterful

When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 (Dear America Series)
Barry Denenberg
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0439555175

Customer Reviews:

Excellent way to understand history.......2007-05-12

My ESL student has read this book about the Civil War from a Southern viewpoint. She found it to be very sad, but enlightening. I consider all the books in the Dear Ameria Series to be worthwhile.

Fiction or Non- Fiction???????????????????????????.......2006-10-07

When does one really know when one has before them a work of fiction before journeying into the bowels of the work? Denenberg claims some 175 books on the civil war were read for his research, and I wonder how many of those books did he enter into with a sense he was reading the truth, rather than lies perpetrated by some devious soul bent on purveying a message of deceit? There is not one iota of information on Scholastic's cover of "When Will This Cruel War Be Over? The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson", to remotely infer this as a work of fiction. As dozens, maybe hundreds, maybe even thousands of students, teachers, and adults across the world read this title and empathize with young Emma Simpson, they are astounded when they get to the size 6 font on the very last page, 157, lo and behold the journey just completed was a deceptive, emotional diatribe, with no apologies! Maybe in the future, both Scholastic and Denenberg will alert their readers to the truth!

Tragic View of Confederate Life.......2006-06-02

I really like this book! I wasn't sure if Dear America could successfully write a Confederate diary, but they did! The short entries didn't bother me; they seemed more realistic than the long, letter-like entries characterizing many Dear Americas. Also, the story was a lot sadder than most Dear Americas, beginning with a death and continuing with many more during the book. Emma is quiet and religious, unlike most of today's historical heroines, and her story opened my mind to the challenges of the Civil War on Southern families.

Tragic Tale of a Civil War Teen.......2006-01-24

When Will This Cruel War Be Over? is the tragic tale in diary form of a wealthy southern girl living in Civil War times. Emma loses her brother and uncle early on in the war, and is forsed to live without her father and the boy she loves for the duration of the war. Her ill mother dies, and just as things seem unable to get any worse, Emma's home is taken over my Union soldiers. She and her cousin and aunt or confined to one room, where she must live until the troops have finnished their business there. I highly reccomend this to any historical fiction or civil war reader.

Masterful.......2005-04-25

When Will This Cruel War Be Over is one of my favorite Dear America books. It talks about all the sacrifices and struggles 14-year old Emma Simpson had to go through in Gordonsville, Virgina in the middle of the Civil War. I LOVE this book because it shows the different view of the Civil War, the one that most people don't write about-the Confederate version. This book is SO unpredictable, it will have you thirsting for more by the end of it. BUY THIS BOOK!

Liberty Letters: Personal Correspondence of Emma Edmonds and Mollie Turner: Assignment: Civil War Spies, 1862 (Liberty Letters)

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Liberty Letters: Personal Correspondence of Emma Edmonds and Mollie Turner: Assignment: Civil War Spies, 1862 (Liberty Letters)
Nancy LeSourd
Manufacturer: Zonderkidz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0310703522

Book Description

The Liberty Lettersâ„¢ series explores the lives of teens that courageously lived out their faith in challenging times. Written in letter form, the correspondence between two girls will tell how God works through ordinary people in extraordinary times.

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