History Needs Flesh
Book Review of April Morning by Howard Fast
History needs flesh.
I’m convinced people don’t actually hate history. They hate the cold emotionless retelling of facts. I love history though. In school it was my favorite subject. I learned the best teachers taught the facts through psychology and sociology.
Why? That one question gives way to a thousand answers. History is never so black and white and there’s almost never a single cause to any effect. Humans are raw, secretive, emotional, greedy and we rarely see things from the same perspective as everyone around us.
This is why I love historical fiction. It may be my favorite genre. As with any good fiction novel the reader becomes engrossed in the story. You feel the anxiety, loss, joy right alongside the characters.
Recently I read 1776 by David McCullough — a historical non-fiction of the early American Revolution. (review) It was fascinating, and worth your time, but after finishing it, I needed flesh. April Morning by Howard Fast did not disappoint.
Adam Cooper, a 15 year old boy with an annoying younger brother and an overbearing father retells the events of April 18–19th, 1775. The first battle of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord.
You know…Paul Revere… “shot heard round the world”…Your middle school history teacher is hoping this at least sounds familiar.
The story centers around how Adam leaves boyhood behind and becomes a man overnight. Through the worst of circumstances he’s forced to grow up. It’s a quick, fun read geared toward a younger audience. I read it as part of my 2019 reading challenge, marking off “a book you can read in a weekend.” It’s high up on several best books about the American Revolution type lists around the web so I dove right in.
I enjoyed it. Though, I will say that it focuses far more on how Adam copes and processes rather than the wartime realities themselves. It’s less violent or graphic than any other wartime book I’ve read.
Pick it up for yourself or listen to it on Audible like I did :D Let me know what you think!
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